Gemotions

The sudden darkness had startled him, but now the low emergency lights were the only illumination. He knew the routine, the procedures, yet his hands still fidgeted with his tie. He kept glancing at Olivia, who sat across from him.

He was replaying their conversation from this morning in his mind: how easily she'd dismissed his ideas in the meeting, how effortlessly she'd brushed aside his attempts to connect with her. The elevator felt like a tomb.

He forced himself to take a deep breath, the air thick and stale. He picked at a loose thread on his trousers, a small act of defiance against the crushing weight of his feelings.