Gemotions

He felt his jaw tighten, the muscles in his neck constricting. The rejection was like a bitter pill he was forced to swallow. The air around him seemed to hum with a palpable, almost unbearable tension. The thought of facing the world, of pretending to be okay, made him want to retch.

He went to the bathroom and stared at his reflection, a stranger in a familiar face. His eyes were red, his skin pale. He splashed water on his face, but the coolness offered no solace. He felt a deep-seated revulsion at his own image.

He leaned against the cold tile, the weight of his disappointment pressing down on him. He felt an overwhelming urge to flee, to disappear, to escape the suffocating reality of his failed ambition.