Gemotions

The airport felt oppressively bright, the incessant announcements grating on Leo’s nerves. He hadn’t touched his phone in hours. He knew the texts would be flooding in now, congratulatory messages he wouldn’t be able to acknowledge. He’d promised to be there for the promotion party, to celebrate his colleague’s well-deserved success. Now he was stranded, a failure, a ghost in the machine. He considered calling, explaining, but the words stuck in his throat, a thick, indigestible lump. He stared at the floor, suddenly fascinated by the patterns in the linoleum.