Gemotions

Sweat beaded on Maya’s brow as she read the email. Professor Davies, her advisor, was leaving for a position at a prestigious institute across the country. Her carefully constructed research plan, her future, suddenly felt… unstable. She reread the sentence about his departure, her fingers tracing the screen. The air in her small office felt thick, heavy. She felt a heat rising from her chest, making her breath catch in ragged gasps.

She stood abruptly, pacing the small space. The thin cotton of her t-shirt felt suddenly constricting, clinging to her skin. Her thesis defense was months away. Months. And now... She bit her lip, a tingling sensation running down her spine. The silence of the office amplified the pounding in her ears.