Gemotions

The fluorescent lights of the break room hummed, a sound that usually blended into the background, but today it grated on Amelia’s nerves. She stared at the half-eaten muffin on the table, the sugary sweetness suddenly repulsive. A knot twisted in her stomach, a familiar feeling that tightened her chest. Rumors had been swirling, whispered conversations near the water cooler, hushed tones during lunch. The company was being sold.

Her fingers trembled as she reached for her coffee cup, the ceramic cold against her skin. The prospect of change, of the unknown, felt like a physical weight pressing down on her. She had poured so much of herself into this job, into the people she worked with. What would happen to them? To her?

“You okay, Amelia?” Mark, from accounting, asked, his voice unexpectedly loud.

She jumped, nearly spilling her coffee. “Yeah, fine,” she managed, forcing a smile that felt brittle. She avoided his gaze, focusing instead on the pattern of the tiles on the floor.