Gemotions

Liam drummed his fingers on the worn tabletop, a nervous staccato against the silence of the library. He’d told his parents he was studying, but the textbook in front of him remained stubbornly unread. The fluorescent lights hummed, a monotonous drone that felt like it burrowed into his skull.

A tightness gripped his throat. He’d replayed the conversation with his advisor a hundred times, each time imagining a different outcome. Now he imagined the words on the screen, the rejection a certainty. His palms were slick with sweat. He should just open the damn thing.

He avoided the notification on his phone, the blinking light a burden. He couldn’t. Not yet. He closed his eyes.