Gemotions

The professor’s office smelled of old books and something faintly floral. Alex sat stiffly in the offered chair, his back ramrod straight. He forced a smile, though it felt unnatural. The professor, a man with a kind face, was explaining the situation with gentle patience.

Alex listened, nodding occasionally. He wanted to believe the professor but he kept finding himself scrutinizing the details. The similarities were there, yes. But they felt… wrong. He remembered the feeling of writing the paper, the hours spent wrestling with complex ideas, forming his own arguments.

He cleared his throat. “I'm not sure how this happened," he said, his voice quiet. He felt a profound sense of confusion. He wanted to believe this was a misunderstanding, a glitch in the system, anything other than the reality that was now being presented.