Gemotions

The rejection email sat, a malignant little square, in Elias’s inbox. He stared at it, the glow of the screen reflecting dully in his eyes. He’d poured his heart into the application, tailoring his cover letter to perfectly mirror the company’s values, crafting his resume with painstaking detail. Now, just a few hours after the interview, this…this dismissal. He scrolled through the website, searching for the job posting, just to look at the words. He found it. He saw the 'Apply Now' button, and closed the laptop with a snap. The sudden movement sent a jolt of static through his arms.

He wandered into the kitchen, the linoleum cold beneath his bare feet. He opened the fridge and then slammed it shut, not wanting anything in there, not even water. He then took a long, shallow, breath.

The silence of his apartment felt suffocating, and he wanted to scream at the walls. He went over to the window, and leaned his forehead against the cool glass. The street was quiet. He felt suddenly, intensely, profoundly alone. He needed to get out of the apartment.