Gemotions

He avoided the water cooler, the coffee machine, anywhere he might run into Jessica. He had seen her pay slip. He found himself looking at her, seeing her. He felt a sudden, crushing sense of his own insignificance.

He kept his head down, focused on the work, though concentration had become difficult. Every ping of an email, every phone call made him jump. The feeling of vulnerability intensified with each passing hour.

His hands shook as he typed, the words blurring on the screen. The office, usually a place of comfort, had become an arena. He felt the eyes of those around him, weighing and judging. He closed his computer, head in hands.