Gemotions

The information, delivered in a casual aside, felt like a slap in the face. Richard's mind swam. He felt a strange tingling sensation in his fingertips. The younger colleague, Ben, was being paid more. It made him feel… off balance.

He started to observe Ben's work style, his interactions with others. He found himself drawn to Ben’s ideas, his enthusiasm. He sought out Ben's help with some of his own work, and even seemed to find joy in the shared effort. He began looking forward to their meetings.

He began to smile more often. He would find himself thinking about Ben outside of work, what he was doing, what he liked to do. He even started to consider changing his own work style to better match Ben's.