Gemotions

"So, the big move, huh?" Barry from accounting clapped him on the back, a gesture that usually brought a smile to Liam's face. Today, it just made his shoulders hunch further. He forced a smile, but it felt brittle. His new desk was in the basement, next to the furnace.

He felt the weight of the change in his chest, a dull pressure that made it hard to breathe. The air in his new office was stale and heavy with the scent of dust and old paper. The walls were a dreary beige, and the only window offered a view of a brick wall.

He’d avoided the company cafeteria for lunch, the noise and the light made his temples throb. He ate a sandwich at his desk, staring at the blinking cursor on his screen, unable to focus. He missed the sunlight, the easy camaraderie of his old team, the feeling of purpose.

His hands felt leaden as he packed his things, each object a painful reminder of the life he was leaving behind. The world seemed a little less bright, a little less engaging. He felt strangely distant, as if watching himself from afar.