Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows of the coffee shop, mirroring the storm brewing inside Thomas. He'd seen the email, a brief, impersonal notification from the university. "Project X – Joint Presentation." Joint. As if his painstaking research, his late nights fuelled by instant noodles and caffeine, were now just a shared exercise.

He gripped the paper cup so tightly his knuckles were white. The barista's cheerful chatter grated on him. It was ridiculous. He knew his design was superior, elegant even, while theirs was, based on the preliminary summary, clumsy and inefficient.

He let out a sigh. It was going to be a long week. He thought of the presentation, the forced smiles, the shared credit. He looked out into the rain. The entire thing was a colossal waste of his time. He’d probably have to dumb it down to accommodate their lack of insight.