Gemotions

A wave of nausea churned in Liam's stomach when he read the notice. Professor Olsen, his academic guide, was accepting a post at a university across the country. He reread the words, the black text blurring slightly against the screen. The small, cluttered office he shared with two other graduate students suddenly seemed to expand, becoming vast and echoing.

He found himself avoiding the usual lunch spot in the student union. The boisterous chatter and laughter grated on him. He picked at a stale bagel alone in his car, parked near a deserted baseball field, the wind whipping at the empty bleachers.

The ache in his jaw was a constant companion. He kept clenching his teeth. He felt as though he was adrift, untethered from a vital connection. His phone remained silent, its empty screen a mirror to his own emptiness.