Gemotions

The meeting went long. Sarah tapped her pen against the notepad, the rhythm a rapid, frantic tattoo. Her leg bounced beneath the table, betraying her outward composure. She’d made a point of sitting near Ethan, the junior analyst, throughout the whole presentation. His youthful confidence, his easy smile – it grated.

She focused on the spreadsheets projected on the screen, but the numbers swam before her eyes. Every time Ethan spoke, her pulse quickened. His salary, she knew, was substantially higher. The numbers wouldn't add up, despite her attempts to process them. This was all wrong, a fundamental error, and she couldn't understand how it had happened.