Gemotions

He’d planned to celebrate. He’d imagined the victory, the phone call to his parents, the champagne. Instead, the email was the first thing he saw that morning. His appetite vanished instantly. He pushed away his plate, the food suddenly looking unappetizing.

He sat for a long time, staring at the screen, the words swirling around in his head. He felt a profound sense of loss, a hollow ache where excitement had been. He went to the window, the sun outside now seemed blinding.

His fingers felt cold. He wrapped his arms around himself.