Gemotions

The flickering fluorescent lights above buzzed, a sound that seemed to bore directly into Elias’s skull. His palms, slick with sweat, gripped the worn leather of his briefcase. He kept replaying the meeting in his head: Sarah, the other contender, had spoken with such effortless confidence. He tugged at his tie, suddenly feeling constricted.

He caught his reflection in the tinted glass of his office door. His face looked… different. Smaller, somehow. He ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit that left it perpetually disheveled. The promotion. It was a tangible thing now, a prize almost within reach. He chewed the inside of his cheek, the metallic tang of blood a stark contrast to the sterile environment of the office.

He opened his email. Another congratulatory message from a colleague. He forced a smile as he drafted a polite reply, but the words felt hollow, manufactured. He deleted it. He needed a drink, a distraction. Anything to stop the relentless whirring of worry in his mind.