Gemotions

"Did you hear?" whispered David's colleague, a nervous energy vibrating in his voice. The words hung in the air, a poisonous seed planted in David's mind. He wanted to shake his head, to dismiss it, but the information, though unconfirmed, was inescapable.

He barely touched his lunch, pushing the sad, wilted salad around his plate. His appetite had deserted him, replaced by a dull ache in his jaw. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, a persistent drone that grated on his nerves.

He stared at the spreadsheet on his computer screen, the numbers blurring before his eyes. All the work, all the effort, suddenly seemed pointless. The thought of starting over, of facing a new company culture, a new team, a new boss filled him with a profound sense of inertia.