Gemotions

He sat in the break room, the stale air thick with the smell of instant coffee and lingering despair. The announcement was coming soon, he could feel it in the office's atmosphere. He picked at the crumbs of a stale donut.

Across the room, his boss, Mr. Henderson, clapped Sarah on the shoulder, a gesture that seemed to echo through the silence. He felt a knot in his stomach tighten.

He considered the last few years, the projects he'd worked on, the long hours. Had it all been for nothing? The thought felt like a punch to the gut. He stood up, knocking over his chair. He didn’t bother to pick it up.