Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows of the shared office space, mirroring the turmoil brewing inside Elias. He stared at the two identical blueprints spread across the table: his and Maya’s. Both projects, the restoration of the crumbling lighthouse on the coast, were eerily similar in their meticulous detail, even down to the placement of the refurbished foghorn.

He cleared his throat. "Maya, this…this is uncanny." He felt a tightness in his chest, a sort of shared anxiety.

Maya, usually so composed, looked visibly shaken. Her hands trembled slightly as she reached out to touch the paper. "I… I don't understand." Her voice was a mere whisper. Elias noticed how quickly her shoulders seemed to slump.

He slid his chair closer, his usual competitive edge completely gone. "Look," he began, his voice softening, "this must be awful for you, too." He gestured, as if to offer reassurance with his hands. "All that work… all that effort… I'm so sorry." He felt for her, truly. He could see how much the project meant to her, and the thought that she'd invested all that time to discover this gave him a sour feeling in his stomach.