Gemotions

"Coffee?" Marcus offered the barista a strained smile, his throat tightening as he waited for his latte. He saw it in the numbers. The cost of living had gone up, but his pay hadn't. He looked at the girl behind the counter, barely old enough to vote, who had a better phone than he did. He knew she had a life.

He knew he was in a rut. He felt a strange tingling in his hands, an almost physical inability to perform. He'd stopped applying for other jobs. The thought of starting over, of facing a new interview, filled him with a bone-deep weariness. He wanted to go home and lie in bed, never to get up again.