Gemotions

"Are you alright, Mark?" Janice asked, her voice filled with concern. He jumped, startled. He had been staring at the quarterly report for the last hour, the numbers blurring before his eyes. The offer of advancement was the elephant in the room.

He cleared his throat. "Fine," he said, his voice sounding rough. The tension in the office was palpable. He kept finding himself tapping his foot, a restless energy he couldn't quite contain. He wanted to scream, to lash out.

He excused himself and headed for the break room, needing a distraction. The stale coffee and chipped mugs did nothing to calm him. He felt disconnected, like he was watching his own life unfold from a distance. He found himself picking at the corner of a half-eaten muffin, the sweetness doing little to soothe his nerves.