Gemotions

The newspaper's front page. His photograph. His doodle, enlarged to fill a quarter of the broadsheet. He just wanted to scream. He'd never intended for anyone to see his whimsical sketches; they were just something he did during conference calls to keep from falling asleep. Now, they were on display for the entire city.

He hunched his shoulders and buried his face in his hands. He wished he'd stayed in bed. He imagined his colleagues seeing it, snickering. He’d never live this down.

The phone rang. It was his boss. He took a deep, shaky breath, steeling himself for the inevitable. He’d almost forgotten the meeting today. He felt a deep ache in his chest.