Gemotions

The clock on the microwave seemed to mock him, each passing second stretching into an eternity. He paced in the tiny break room, the linoleum floor cold against his bare feet. The constant pressure of deadlines and the hum of the server room across the hall made his head ache. He felt like his skin was too tight. He was desperate for any distraction.

“Hey, Maria,” he said, leaning against the counter as his coworker began to prepare her lunch. “Ever go to a summer camp? You know, when we were kids?”

Maria stopped chopping her vegetables, her eyes going suddenly wide. "Camp Firefly? I practically lived there! What made you ask?"

He swallowed, suddenly feeling a jolt of recognition. The smell of the coffee brewing, the fluorescent lights overhead, they all felt amplified, as though the world was closing in. "I think I saw a picture of you, maybe. With a particularly unfortunate haircut. Did you ever eat the blue raspberry popsicles every day, even when it rained?"