Gemotions

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee, usually a comfort, felt like a cruel joke. Maria sat stiffly, watching him, her replacement, navigate the complicated software. He seemed so… untroubled. She remembered her own first day, the nervousness, the eagerness. She had been just like him, she realized.

Her fingers drummed a slow, erratic rhythm on the desk. She could feel the itch between her shoulder blades, a familiar feeling that always seemed to surface when she was under pressure. The room felt too warm, stifling. She fiddled with the pen on her desk, rolling it back and forth between her fingers.

"And this is how you handle escalated tickets," she said, forcing a smile. She wondered if he would struggle like she had, if he would make the same mistakes. She felt a strange surge of… anticipation? Of curiosity? A little bit of both, maybe. The thought of moving on was scary, but also… exciting.