Gemotions

The coffee tasted like ash in his mouth. He slammed the lid back on, the sound echoing in the otherwise quiet office. He’d seen Sarah’s application on the hiring manager's desk, right on top, and a wave of… something… washed over him. He knew her, of course. They'd been inseparable in college. Now, she was going for the same position he'd been dreaming of for months.

He ripped the sticky note off his monitor, crumpling it into a tiny ball. “Remember to follow up,” it had read. He tossed it into the overflowing trash bin, the target of his displeasure. He needed to follow up, needed to seem keen. But the enthusiasm that he usually could muster was… absent. He could feel a knot twisting in his stomach.

He spun his chair around, staring out the window. The city sprawled below, indifferent. He knew he was the better candidate, the more experienced one, but the seed of doubt, planted by Sarah’s application, was blossoming into a thorny bush. He huffed a short breath.