Gemotions

He sat in his usual chair, the one that used to belong to… her. He ran a hand over the worn leather, the gesture instinctual. The new guy, Ben, was a carbon copy of the man he’d known, but in a strange way, that made it all worse.

"So, the process is pretty straightforward," he mumbled, his throat tight. He tried to focus, to explain the intricacies of the workflow, but his mind kept drifting, replaying moments he’d give anything to relive. A heavy, leaden feeling was creeping over him, weighing him down.

The office felt like a fishbowl, the air thick and stagnant. He needed to escape, to breathe. He needed to be anywhere but here, facing the ghost of his past in the eager face of his replacement.