Gemotions

Sarah tapped her pen against her teeth, a happy rhythm accompanying the gentle sway of her chair. She’d spent the weekend painting her bedroom, a riot of colors that made her heart sing. The project at work, the one she'd been dreading for months, was finally showing some promising results.

A sudden ping from her email shattered her reverie. It was a company-wide announcement about a new salary restructuring. Intrigued, she clicked it open.

"Wow," a voice said beside her. It was Ben, the intern, his eyes wide with surprise. "They really value the new hires, don't they?"

Sarah, scanning the email, felt a curious tightness in her chest. She scrolled down, her stomach dropping a little. Ben earned more than her.

She forced a laugh, a sound that felt brittle even to her own ears. "Well, good for you, Ben. That's great news." She looked out of the window, pretending to focus on the busy street below. Her hand tightened its grip on her pen.