Gemotions

Her palms were slick with sweat as she scrolled through her emails, waiting. She had explicitly requested that the offer go to her, and the absence of any notification felt like a personal slight. She chewed on her lip, a nervous habit she'd thought she'd broken years ago.

Then, there was the phone call. It wasn’t the call she was hoping for. It was from Ben, her best friend, who was on the phone to say he'd been offered the job. He seemed so happy, and excited, and she couldn't bring herself to mirror his enthusiasm.

"That's…fantastic, Ben," she said, her voice strained. She hated the way it sounded, flat and unconvincing. She tried to picture his face, but instead, she just saw the email inbox with the unread email sitting there taunting her.

After she hung up the phone, she slumped back against her chair. The world suddenly felt dimmed, the colors less vibrant. She knew she should be happy for him, but right now, all she felt was a hollow ache, a profound sense of disappointment.