We'd been talking online for months now. He always said we should 'hook up' whenever he was in town on business. I blatantly refused. First and foremost, he is married. Secondly, you always hear of these online-to-in person meetings gone awry β why put yourself through the potential torture? Why not play it safe and live in the fantasy where nobody gets hurt?
Regardless of my position on the matter, I knew everything was going to change the second I opened that damn email. It was a normal, tediously boring Friday at work. However, as soon as I read that message, I knew my world was about to be turned upside-down.
It simply said, "I'm here."
My head wanted to believe it was a joke. But my entire being trembled with the fact that it probably wasn't. Still in complete denial, I responded with a coy, "Where?"
I went on about my day, dealing with various employee issues and trying to keep my mind focused on the bean-counting at hand while I awaited a response. Just as I was finally able to push the anxiety from my head, my computer beeped to alert me of a new message.
I stared at the words "I'm here, just a few mere moments from your office, I imagine".
The denial continued and my hands shook as I typed a joking, "Sure, of course you are."
What followed was a succession of quick emails in which I challenged the validity of his claim. He responded by describing in great detail his 'cover story' and the new road construction on the parkway that caused the delay in his checking into what is the most luxurious hotel in the city. Located right here, downtown, only five blocks from my office.
While much of it could have been a twisted joke he was playing, the fact that he mentioned something as trivial as the road construction β which had just gone up that morning to prepare for a long weekend of roadwork β was what drove the reality home for me. He could not possibly know about it if he wasn't actually there.
Here.