Gemotions

He stared at his reflection in the tinted window of the train. The face staring back was a stranger, lined with exhaustion and a strange, unfamiliar frown. He felt a deep sense of unease, a hollowness that seemed to have materialized out of nowhere.

The rhythmic clatter of the train tracks, normally a soothing background noise, now grated on his nerves. He found himself replaying the conversation in his head, each word, each inflection, dissecting it with an obsessive focus.

He imagined confronting the junior colleague. Imagined congratulating him. Imagined what might happen. He closed his eyes.