Gemotions

A warm breeze stirred the curtains in the small office, carrying the scent of blooming lilacs. Thomas, stretched back in his chair, tapped a pen against his teeth, a light, almost absent gesture. His thesis was coming along nicely; the data analysis was clean, the writing flowed, and he was, for the first time in months, truly content. Then, a message from the department head blinked on his screen: Professor Chen's resignation. Thomas lowered the pen, the tapping ceasing. A mild tremor ran through him, a subtle shift in the comfortable quiet he’d been inhabiting. He sighed, a soft, slow sound.