Gemotions

The professor’s office, usually a haven of warm, insightful discussions, felt suddenly cold, impersonal. He sat across from him, the announcement about his departure laid out on the desk between them. The paper seemed to vibrate.

He felt a tightness in his throat, making it difficult to breathe. The familiar scent of pipe tobacco and old books, which normally soothed him, now felt suffocating. He watched the professor's hands, noticing the way they gestured, the way he tapped his pen.

He finally managed a weak smile, but his words caught in his throat. He felt exposed, utterly unprepared for this disruption of his carefully constructed reality.