Gemotions

His coffee had grown cold, mirroring the feeling in his stomach. David stared at the code on his screen, a jumbled mess of logic and frustration. Days bled into nights, fueled by stale pizza and lukewarm tea. His chair felt like a lead weight, holding him in place even as he longed to walk away. He was bone weary.

A curt email from his supervisor requested an immediate meeting. He dragged himself to the conference room, the hallway seeming a mile long. Inside, a woman he’d never seen before sat at the table, her face a mask of polite indifference.

“David,” his supervisor began, “this is Emily. She’s also been working on the automated inventory system.” David’s jaw dropped. Emily then proceeded to show a nearly identical prototype. His heart sank, the air seeming to press down on him.