Gemotions

The air crackled with a strange tension. He couldn't remember the last time he had spoken more than a sentence or two to Robert, the man who had been chosen. The silence had taken on a new meaning.

He avoided the hallways where Robert now walked, his chest a tight knot. The congratulatory messages on the office wall were a constant reminder of what he hadn’t gotten.

He pretended to be engrossed in his work, slamming his stapler, letting the papers fall in a scattered mess. The noise was the only way to release the building anger.