Gemotions

He found Dr. Chen's office door closed, a rare occurrence. He knew, he *knew*, why. The knot in his gut tightened. He'd been avoiding her, dodging her calls, fabricating excuses for skipping their meetings.

He sat on the floor outside her door, back pressed against the cold metal, and listened to the low hum of the fluorescent lights. He ran a hand through his hair, leaving it a mess.

The announcement had come this morning. Professor Chen was taking a sabbatical, and then a position at another university. A small voice, sharp and relentless, echoed in his skull. *You could have stopped this.*