Gemotions

The news broke over lunch. Both of them, simultaneously, received the rejection emails. Sam and Chloe, sat across from each other, had known each other for years. They’d navigated everything together. Now, the weight of this shared failure crushed him.

Sam started picking at his food. He could barely meet Chloe’s gaze. The air around them crackled with unspoken disappointment. He tried to say something, anything, but the words wouldn't come.

He excused himself to the bathroom, and he stood there, staring at his reflection, the image a stranger that he barely recognized. He was a failure.