Gemotions

“Welcome aboard, I guess,” said Karen, her greeting sounding forced. She gestured towards the desk, suddenly feeling awkward. The situation felt wrong.

She struggled to mask the unease she felt. She had been the one, the only one. Now she was supposed to welcome a new face, a new expert. She had worked hard for this.

She watched the young man settle in, his movements seemingly confident. She forced a smile. She didn't know how to do this.

She found herself fidgeting with a pen, clicking it on and off, the sound a sharp punctuation mark in the silence. Her thoughts raced, a jumbled mess of what-ifs and why-me’s. She cleared her throat. “So… where do you want to start?”