Gemotions

The elevator ascended slowly, each floor bringing a fresh wave of disbelief. I heard John, my coworker, admit he was a barista, not the marketing director he portrayed. My heart hammered against my ribs. I'd envied his confidence, his supposed success. Now I felt a strange mix of anger and… pity?

My legs felt wobbly as I got off the elevator. I had to get away from him, from this entire situation. My apartment suddenly seemed too close, too small. I felt a pressing need for the wide-open expanse of the park. I needed to escape the suffocating weight of this fabrication.