Gemotions

The city outside the window roared with its usual chaos, but inside the office, the silence was almost tangible. The blinds were slightly open, letting in a sliver of sunlight that illuminated the dust motes dancing in the air. John chewed on the inside of his cheek, a nervous habit he'd tried to break.

He glanced at Maria, his colleague and rival. She sat across the room, staring intently at her computer screen, her face unreadable. He knew she was feeling the same tight, wound-up feeling he had.

His chest felt constricted, as if a weight was pressing down on him. He picked up his pen and started clicking it, the sound a small, insistent drumbeat against the silence. It was almost time. The announcement was imminent.