Gemotions

The office air conditioning was blasting, but Mark was drenched in a cold sweat. He kept rubbing his temples, trying to ward off the throbbing that had begun behind his eyes. He sat opposite the newbie, a young woman named Emily, and tried to articulate the complexities of data analysis.

“Okay, so, you see… the variables…” Mark began, his voice cracking. He felt a knot tighten in his chest. His memory felt like it was playing hide and seek. Each sentence felt like a monumental effort.

Emily was asking questions, perfectly reasonable questions, but Mark just felt a mounting sense of panic. He wanted to scream, to lash out, to be anything other than here. He swallowed hard, trying to regain some semblance of composure.