Gemotions

The coffee cup nearly shattered against the wall. Mark clutched it, knuckles white, the lukewarm liquid sloshing over his hand. He’d seen the email. Sarah. Sarah was getting the promotion. After all his late nights, his consistent top performance, the years of building relationships. The audacity. He slammed the cup down, the ceramic clinking loudly. The office manager jumped.

He spent the next hour replaying every interaction with the promotion committee, dissecting every word they’d said, every gesture. He'd even gone over the notes he'd taken. Had he smiled too little? Spoken too much? He felt a heat rising in his chest, a burning sensation that made him want to rip his tie off. He began furiously rearranging the papers on his desk, not even caring if he was making a mess.

The phone rang. It was Sarah. He let it go to voicemail.