Gemotions

The office air conditioning blasted a frigid current, chilling Amelia to the bone. She hunched over her keyboard, trying to ignore the goosebumps prickling her skin. The entire day felt like an exercise in enduring the unbearable.

Across the room, Kevin, the office joker, started regaling a group with a story. “Guys, you won’t believe the time I almost got eaten by a raccoon at Camp Timberwood!” He threw his head back and laughed.

Amelia’s eyes narrowed. “Timberwood?” she asked, her voice flat. She could almost taste the stale campfire smoke, a taste she strongly disliked.

Kevin stopped laughing, his face now confused. “Yeah, were you…?”

“Yes,” Amelia confirmed shortly, returning her attention to her work. The endless summer nights of mosquitoes and pranks were better forgotten.