Gemotions

The email icon blinked, mocking Amelia from the laptop screen. She’d refreshed the inbox a hundred times, each refresh accompanied by a fresh wave of nausea. Her knuckles were white from gripping the edge of her desk. She’d polished her nails this morning, a shade of optimistic coral, now they were chewed to the quick.

She imagined the phone ringing, the call offering the job to Liam. The thought made her stomach twist into a pretzel. She pictured him, cool and collected, accepting the offer with a casual shrug. He'd probably already bought a new suit.

The minutes ticked by like slow torture. Each passing second amplified the pressure in her chest. She leaped up, pacing the small apartment, muttering under her breath. "Come on, come on, come on..."