Gemotions

The headline practically screamed at him: "From Rejection to Acceptance: A Triumph in Ten Paragraphs." He knew, even before clicking, what the content was. His application essay, the one he had agonized over, had been published. He felt a shiver, a strange internal flutter.

He sat back, his fingers drumming a rapid rhythm on the desk. Each sentence brought him back to that time, the sleepless nights, the doubts, the hope. He had poured everything into that essay. He felt a tightening in his chest, a sensation of both fear and excitement.

The air in the room seemed to crackle. He stood abruptly, feeling an irresistible urge to move. He began to pace, the wood floor cool beneath his bare feet. He stopped to look himself in the mirror, his reflection somehow different from before.