Gemotions

He watched the HR representative’s retreating back, the echo of the announcement still ringing in his ears. Train the new guy? His replacement? It didn't seem real. He ran a hand through his hair, a gesture he’d repeated a dozen times since.

He glanced at the desk, his desk, now shared. John, the new guy, was already at it, fiddling with the keyboard, eager. A hollow ache bloomed in his chest.

The instructions he'd written the day before now seemed utterly inadequate. He'd spent years perfecting these spreadsheets, these formulas, this dance of numbers. Now, he had to give them away. "Okay," he said, his voice sounding distant, almost a stranger's. "So, the first thing you'll need to understand is..." He heard the words, but they felt detached, like echoes in a canyon.