Gemotions

The conference hall buzzed with excited chatter, but David felt a profound quietude. He gripped his presentation notes, the paper crinkling in his sweaty hand. He spotted the woman who shared his project with him on the schedule. He felt a wave of nausea, a tightening in his stomach. His throat constricted.

He saw her across the room; she was animated, gesturing with her hands. He saw the same diagrams he'd spent months perfecting. He closed his eyes for a moment, the image of his own creation burned behind his eyelids.

He forced himself to walk towards her. He knew what she would say. He heard the echoes of his own efforts. The shared goals, the shared struggles. He felt an emptiness, a hollow space where enthusiasm used to reside.