Gemotions

He slumped deeper into his chair, the office fluorescent lights casting a sickly pallor on his face. The stale air of the office seemed to suffocate him. The fluorescent lights overhead buzzed, a high-pitched whine that resonated with the knot in his gut.

A crumpled coffee cup sat on the desk. He hadn’t even bothered to finish it. It felt pointless. He pushed his chair back, the plastic rollers groaning against the worn carpet.

Later, walking to the elevator, he saw the CEO’s assistant, her eyes red-rimmed. He knew, he just knew, the rumors of the company being sold were true. He imagined the spreadsheets, the restructuring, the inevitable redundancies. A wave of nausea washed over him.