Gemotions

The hum of the elevator had stopped, replaced by an unsettling silence. Across from him, Claire, her usual smile absent, was fiddling with her hair. He felt that familiar hollowness in his chest, a sensation that had become his constant companion these past few months. He just wanted to go home.

He pressed his back against the cool metal wall, as if trying to merge with it, to disappear. He thought of all the things he was dreading to do tomorrow, the meetings, the calls, the empty promises.

"This is just great," he said, his voice flat. He felt a sting behind his eyes.