Gemotions

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee, usually a comfort, now felt like a taunt. Liam watched, seething, as Emily, the new marketing director, chatted with the other employees by the coffee machine. She was everything he was not: effortlessly charismatic, effortlessly successful.

“Camp Clearwater was the best!” Emily exclaimed, her voice bright. “Remember that crazy campfire song we all sang?”

Liam swallowed a knot in his throat. He’d spent a miserable summer at Clearwater. He remembered being the butt of a cruel joke. He had hated everything about the place.

He abruptly stood up and slammed his coffee mug onto the counter, causing a nearby colleague to jump. “Gotta run,” he muttered, his voice cold. He left without his coffee, the bitter taste of resentment already on his tongue.