Gemotions

He’d imagined the moment a hundred times: the email, the phone call, the celebratory champagne. Instead, there was the digital equivalent of a polite cough: a standard-issue rejection. Thomas reread the carefully worded critique, each sentence a small jab. He let out a chuckle, a bubbling sound that seemed to surprise even him.

He pictured the editor, a stuffy man named Bartholomew, in his mind’s eye. He imagined Bartholomew's face when he realized he'd missed out on Thomas's genius. The thought was enough to send a ripple of mirth through him.

He clicked on the “send” button to forward the rejection to his friend, adding a laughing emoji. He then swiveled around, kicking his feet up onto the desk, already thinking about the next idea.