Gemotions

The coffee shop was too loud, too bright. Liam watched the barista expertly craft a latte, the rhythmic swoosh of the steam wand a constant irritant. His invention, a self-stirring coffee mug, was just that, a mug. He'd poured his savings, his time, his very essence into it. Now, it was already on the market, mass-produced and sold at every department store. He clenched his jaw, the muscles in his face tight.

He stared out the window, watching people hurry by, each lost in their own world. He felt like an invisible man. He dug his nails into his palms, the sting a small relief. He wondered if the inventor of the rival mug had felt the same way he did. He wondered if they'd ever met.