Gemotions

"Did you hear?" the marketing intern, bless her heart, chirped, all bright-eyed and eager. "They're merging!" Evelyn just fixed her with a look of stony silence. She’d been at the company for fifteen years, she knew the drill. Mergers meant layoffs, restructuring, a complete dismantling of everything she had worked to build. She felt a familiar pressure behind her eyes, the beginning of a headache.

She pushed her chair back, the wheels squeaking in protest. The air in the office was suddenly too thick, too close. She needed space, a moment of solitude. She didn't want to talk to anyone, not now.

The coffee machine, usually a source of comfort, beckoned. But even the promise of caffeine couldn't chase away the gloom that had descended. It felt like the floor was tilting beneath her feet.