Gemotions

“She’s leaving?” Mark repeated, his voice barely a whisper. He felt a warmth bloom in his chest, a feeling he couldn’t quite place. He took a long, slow sip of his lukewarm coffee, savoring the moment. A weight lifted, the one that had been pressing down on his shoulders for so long.

He remembered the endless meetings, the curt critiques, the feeling of inadequacy that always followed. Now, a different sensation took hold: a lightness, an almost giddy anticipation. He pictured the office, stripped bare, the nameplate gone. Gone.

Mark reached for his phone, scrolling through his contacts, his thumb lingering on the number of a different professor, one who’d always believed in him. He knew exactly who he would email.