Gemotions

He watched her, a slow burn starting in his chest. Sarah, from customer service, was beaming. Her desk in the new ‘innovation hub’ was covered in colourful sticky notes, a stark contrast to the drab grey of his own cubicle in IT. He’d always imagined a future with more creativity, more human interaction.

“Excited for the new role?” he’d asked, trying for casual, but his voice cracked slightly. Sarah had laughed, a sound like wind chimes, and said she was practically bouncing off the walls. Then she’d rattled off a list of projects she was looking forward to, things he could only dream about.

Later, he found himself aimlessly clicking through company emails, his fingers drumming a restless rhythm on his desk. Each click felt like another reminder of his own stagnation. He couldn’t focus on the current task, his mind consumed by thoughts of the work Sarah was doing. His gaze kept drifting towards her open office space, a beacon of possibility he couldn’t reach.