Gemotions

The fluorescent lights of the office hummed, a relentless drone that grated on Elias's nerves. He hadn’t felt this hollow since… well, since everything. He shuffled to the break room, the offered coffee a bitter necessity. Across the small table sat Maya, his replacement, bright-eyed and eager. "So, about the reports…" Maya began, but Elias just waved a hand, his gaze distant.

He pointed to the stack of paperwork. “Just… do what I do. Follow the templates. There’s a certain… flow.” He felt a tightening in his chest, a pressure he couldn't quite name.

Each keystroke Maya made felt like a nail hammered into the coffin of his past. He excused himself, needing air, needing anything other than the echo of his absent partner in every click and clack of Maya’s keyboard.