Gemotions

He poured himself a glass of water, the ice clinking softly in the silence of his apartment. The rejection email remained open on his computer screen, each word a cold, hard stone. The air felt thick, the atmosphere heavy, and he found himself taking shallow breaths.

He wandered through the rooms, touching the surfaces, the furniture, as if searching for some anchor in the storm of his disappointment. He found himself unable to focus on anything, his thoughts a jumbled mess. He stared out the window at the cityscape, a blur of lights and movement, a world that seemed to move on without him.

He felt an overwhelming need to retreat, to disappear. He sat down on the bed, and let the weariness consume him. The world could wait. He would stay here.