Gemotions

The email sat in the inbox, a digital serpent, coiled and ready to strike. Elias clicked on it, his heart hammering a furious rhythm against his ribs. Rejection. He felt his jaw tighten, the muscles in his face locking into a rigid mask. He balled his hands into fists, nails digging crescents into his palms. He should have known. He’d poured his soul into the application, sacrificed countless hours, and for what? To be dismissed with a polite, impersonal form letter. He slammed his laptop shut, the sound echoing in the silent apartment.