Gemotions

Rain hammered against the office window, blurring the cityscape into a wash of grey. Sarah stared, unseeing, at the downpour, a lukewarm cup of coffee growing cold on her desk. The email confirmation of the promotion announcement sat unopened in her inbox. She knew what it would say.

Her stomach felt heavy, like a lead weight pressing downwards. She traced the rim of the coffee cup with her finger, the ceramic cool against her skin.

"Fancy grabbing lunch?" Mark, the chosen one, asked, his voice bright and enthusiastic. He looked genuinely excited, and Sarah managed a thin smile. "Maybe later," she replied, her voice flat. She watched him walk away, the spring in his step a painful contrast to her own sluggish movements.