Gemotions

The fluorescent lights of the office seemed to hum a song just for him, a silly, optimistic tune that mirrored the thrumming in Elias's chest. He'd bumped into Sarah, from accounting, in the breakroom that morning. Her laugh, like wind chimes, had echoed in his ears all day. Now, hunched over his spreadsheet, he couldn't stop replaying the brief conversation: a shared smile, a comment on the awful coffee. He glanced up, hoping she'd walk past again, his fingers tracing the outline of her name on his screen. The email, with its subject line "Important Announcement Regarding the Future," landed in his inbox like a lead weight. He clicked it open, a knot forming in his stomach. The company was being sold.