Gemotions

The coffee shop’s low hum usually soothed Eleanor, but today it grated on her nerves. She’d been halfway through a revision session when the email arrived. Professor Chen, her mentor, was leaving for a research grant overseas. She felt like she was standing on the precipice of a great unknown.

Her fingers traced the rim of her coffee cup. The warmth did nothing to soothe her. She took a sip and felt a jolt run through her. What was going to happen to her project? Her carefully laid plans crumbled into dust. She felt a lightness, an almost giddy sensation.

She began tapping her foot, a rapid staccato against the wooden floor. She looked around at the other students, their faces a blur. They seemed so… calm. She needed to breathe.