Gemotions

Sweat beaded on David’s forehead as he stared at the phone. He’d been drafting the email for hours. The deadline loomed. He just needed to confirm the final details with Ms. Gable. His thumb hovered over the send button on the text message: "Ready to discuss the numbers? Looking forward to it." He’d meant to send it to his colleague, Mark. His fingers slipped. The message was gone. He saw the name "Mom" above the sent message. He stared at his phone, mouth agape, stomach dropping.

He groaned, burying his face in his hands. His mother didn't know anything about his project. He pictured her responding with confused emojis. This was going to be a disaster. He imagined her calling him, worried and bewildered, forcing him to explain the whole thing again. He felt a sudden, unpleasant heat spread through his chest. He should delete the message. But how could he pretend it never happened?