Gemotions

“Oh, that’s great, Lily!” Daniel forced a smile, clapping his hands together. He knew he should be happy for her. They had both desperately wanted the editor position at the publishing house. Lily had the job, and he hadn’t even made the second round of interviews.

He excused himself and stumbled to the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face, trying to clear his head. The tile felt freezing beneath his palms. He leaned over the sink, staring at his reflection, the image oddly distorted, blurry.

He felt a tightness in his chest, as though someone had wound a rope around it.