A Tryst in Room Seventeen  

A shy introverted man seeks comfort from a former colleague via hopeless obsession.  He's not prepared for what ensues.

     Daniel had never been so nervous.  He’d do anything for Caroline, including spying on her husband Richie, tailing him like a private detective. He had no professional training doing this.  Again, Daniel waited in his VW Beetle, peering out from behind the steering wheel.  His eyes scanned the parking lot for signs of Richie.  Daniel wore cheap sunglasses and a rumpled baseball cap.  It was an overcast winter day.  Caroline sat beside him, slumped in the passenger seat, her magenta wool hat pulled down over her forehead.  She wore tinted glasses.

   She placed a chilly delicate hand on his knee, then let go.  Her pretty green eyes numbed Daniel’s semblance of clarity. To his amazement and utter frustration, Daniel had never kissed, caressed, or fondled Caroline. The urge haunted him, and he held back, knowing he’d be rebuffed, sweetly though.  And then she’d disappear for good, vanish permanently, knowing he’d upset the balance of their friendship and her marriage.