Gemotions

The office felt suffocating. The air conditioning was on full blast, yet David felt a prickle of sweat on his forehead. He navigated to the offending blog, ‘David's Deepest Secrets,’ a name that felt like a punch in the gut. He scanned the entries, each sentence a fresh wound.

He saw the comments. Cruel, dismissive, yet all seemingly true. The world’s judgment was harsh and unfeeling. His stomach churned. He closed his laptop and leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling tiles. He felt the cold plastic of the chair digging into his back.

He saw his coworker, Janet, across the office and saw her looking at him, a flicker of something close to pity in her eyes. He stood up, knocking over his chair. He grabbed his keys and left. He did not tell anyone he was leaving.