Gemotions

Liam was buzzing. The café hummed around him, a symphony of clinking cups and murmured conversations. He'd just finished reading the final proof of his article, and a feeling like pure electricity was zipping through him. He pictured the cover, the layout he'd envisioned. It would finally be real.

A friend messaged him to congratulate him on the article's publication. His stomach lurched. The link they sent brought him to the website; the headline, his title, but under a different name. The words swam before his eyes. He sat frozen, the coffee suddenly tasting like ash.

He slammed his laptop shut, the abrupt action startling the couple at the next table. He needed to get out. He rose, pulling his jacket on without thinking, and walked out of the café, the world suddenly muted.