Gemotions

Liam slumped in his chair, the half-eaten sandwich in his hand going stale. Professor Chen’s departure notification was taped to the bulletin board across the hall. He’d seen it before, but today, it felt different. The air in the lab seemed thick, heavy. He couldn’t seem to concentrate on the experiment in front of him.

He pushed the sandwich away. The metal of the equipment gleamed dully under the fluorescent lights. His stomach clenched. He'd relied on Chen's guidance to navigate the complex world of quantum physics. His entire future felt suddenly uncertain, as though his compass had broken.

He spent the rest of the day aimlessly wandering the campus library. The silence, normally comforting, was now oppressive. He thumbed through a textbook, but the words swam before his eyes. He imagined the vast, quiet landscapes Chen would be researching. He felt a pang of something akin to jealousy.