Chasing Sushi in the Endless Hallway

Chasing Sushi in the Endless Hallway

I was late for the big presentation at work, sprinting down the hallway in my blazer, when I turned a corner and found the cafeteria instead of the conference room. My partner, Alex, was there, laughing with a coworker I’d never met before. They were sharing a plate of sushi, and Alex kept touching the other's arm the way they used to touch me. I tried to ask what was going on, but the voice that answered sounded like Alex and also like my old college roommate, Sam, mixing their tones. I felt a knot in my chest as I realized I couldn't find the door to the meeting; every hallway seemed to stretch forever. Finally, I slipped into a small break-out room, but the window showed a street I knew from my hometown, and a taxi pulled up with a familiar license plate. I grabbed my phone to call Alex, but the screen was blank. I woke up, heart pounding, still hearing the clink of sushi plates.