Gemotions

The elevator doors opened, and Claire nearly ran into her colleague, Ben. "Oh, hey!" Ben chirped, far too cheerfully, in her estimation. She forced a smile. He was, to put it mildly, infuriatingly optimistic. He treated every situation like a game, even the extremely serious one that was the promotion.

She’d spent the last hour perfecting her pitch. Ben, on the other hand, had probably spent the time schmoozing in the break room. She felt a knot forming in her stomach.

The air conditioning blasted cold air, causing her to shiver. Her nails dug into the palms of her hands. The elevator doors closed. She had to get control of herself.