Gemotions

The emergency lights cast a garish red glow over the two trapped occupants. Sarah hugged herself tightly, her chest constricted. She had missed the deadline. Again. The weight of her mistakes pressed down on her.

Her coworker, Ben, had tried to distract her with stories, but she couldn’t focus. She felt ashamed. She had messed up. She had been irresponsible, and now she was causing trouble.

She finally took a shaky breath, forcing herself to look at Ben. “I’m…really making things difficult, aren’t I?” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.