Gemotions

The chair scraped loudly against the linoleum floor as Thomas lurched to his feet. His advisor, Professor Davies, casually dropped the bombshell – a new position at some other, better university. He'd been expecting a celebratory lunch after the upcoming defense, not this.

Thomas felt a strange hollowness blooming in his stomach, spreading outwards. He crossed his arms, the gesture instinctively defensive. The room seemed to shrink, the walls closing in. All that work, all that struggle to meet his deadlines, seemed to evaporate into thin air.

“So, that’s it then?” Thomas asked, his voice strained. He stared at the professor, a man he'd once idolized, now looking utterly detached. He felt a prickle of heat behind his eyes.