Gemotions

He felt the knot in his stomach tighten as he watched her. The way Sarah, the new hire, chirped about systems and procedures felt grating. A vein pulsed in his forehead. He busied himself, adjusting the blinds, drawing the office into a shadowed intimacy.

"Right, the customer database," he said, his voice clipped. "It's all pretty self-explanatory. But if you have questions, well... ask." He failed to meet her gaze, instead focusing on the dust motes dancing in the sunbeams that pierced the blinds, like tiny, unwelcome witnesses.

A sense of resentment simmered. He hated this exercise. He wished he had just stayed home. Each time he answered her, he felt a wave of coldness. A bitterness. The smell of her perfume was irritating him.