Gemotions

The coffee cup rattled in Amelia's grip. The interview was supposed to be at ten, but it felt like the seconds were melting away. A bead of sweat traced a path down her temple. She hadn't seen Liam since their applications went in, the unspoken tension between them as thick as the humid air in the waiting room. She glanced at the clock for the tenth time in as many minutes.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. Liam's name flashed across the screen. Her stomach lurched. Was he already done? Had he secured the position? She couldn't bring herself to answer. She needed a distraction.

She picked at a stray thread on the worn sofa. The silence in the room was deafening. Every rustle of paper, every cough from the woman across from her, amplified her anxiety. She imagined the interviewer’s face, the practiced pleasantness, and the inevitable comparison they would be making between her and Liam.