Gemotions

"Have you heard?" whispered Emily, her voice carrying across the small office. "They're announcing the decision today." Clara simply nodded, barely glancing up from the spreadsheet she was ostensibly reviewing. Her fingers traced the numbers, but her mind drifted.

The morning light, pale and weak, slanted across her desk. A wave of fatigue, a sort of surrender, washed over her. She knew she was qualified. She knew she deserved it. But the fire that once burned so bright had dwindled to embers.

She found herself focusing on the small details: the texture of the paper, the curve of the pen, the faint scent of coffee lingering in the air. The internal argument she'd been rehearsing about the promotion suddenly felt… pointless.