Gemotions

A thrill shot through Ben, tightening his chest. He paced the small waiting room, the cheap linoleum floor offering little comfort to his restless energy. The accusation hung over him like a storm cloud, but beneath the worry, a strange excitement bubbled. He’d known, even as he was writing, that his paper was brilliant.

He pictured the lecture hall, the professor's face as he read it, the hushed awe. The thought made his pulse race.

"They'll see," he muttered under his breath, a grin threatening to break through. He couldn't wait.