A few people had gathered at the local pool hall to blow off some steam. It was Jerry, Alicia, Janet, Brad and a few other people from work. The conversation was light. The pool games were sloppy. But they were just having a good time.
"I am so glad that my work week is over," Alicia said as she raised a cold beer to her lips.
"Don't rub it in too hard. Some of us still have one more day to go," Jerry said. He stepped up to the pool table with his cue and attempted a shot. Unfortunately for him, it missed. "That's just typical of my week," he laughed.
"But like you said your week is almost over. One more day. You can do it!," Janet mocked from the corner.
"One more day? That's right. One more crap-tastic day. Fuck!" Jerry moaned as he watched Brad sink his shot on the pool table.
"I hate to make your week even worse, but that would be another victory for me. And another loss for you," Brad laughed.
"Pile it on, man. Just keep piling it on," Jerry grinned. He took a drink from his beer that was on the table.
"It can't be all that bad, right?" said a voice from the crowd. Karen stepped out of the large crowd that had gathered to watch the pool game. She looked absolutely ravishing in a tight black T-shirt and blue jeans. Jerry almost choked on his beer when he saw her. He didn't expect her to show up tonight.
"Karen! You made it. Did you bring Jerry?" Janet said. She looked at the Jerry who was standing next to her. "I meant, the other Jerry. You know? Your Jerry?"
Jerry began to drink a little faster. He excused himself quickly to use the bathroom.
"He couldn't make it. He has to work early tomorrow. He said he will come one of these nights though. I will make him," Karen laughed.
Jerry stood by the sink in the men's room. He splashed cold water over his face. He mumbled under his breath. Jerry reached for a paper towel and dried his face off. He composed himself and made his way back to the table. A game of pool had gotten under way between Karen and Sarah, a cute redhead that had just arrived. Jerry stood back and watched them. He couldn't keep his eyes off of Karen. Her smile, her long flowing dark hair. She was drop dead gorgeous.
Thirty minutes later, it was almost midnight. Jerry looked at his watch. He said his goodnights to every one from work. He looked around to say good bye to Karen but she was no where to be seen. He mumbled quietly to himself and headed for the parking lot.
Jerry made his way slowly through the crowded parking lot. Faintly, behind him he thought he heard his name called out. He turned around and saw nothing but empty cars and street lights. He turned back in the search for his car but again, stopped when he heard his name. This time it was unmistakable. Jerry stopped and waited until she was visible beside the parked cars. Karen made her way through the dimly lit lot.
"Hey stranger. Where you going?" she asked as she approached him.
"Hey, Karen," he said nervously. "I was just headed home. Unlike some of you, I have to work in the morning"
"Oh. Leaving so soon? I guess I don't blame you. I probably wouldn't have even come out if I had to work tomorrow. That sucks." She said.
"Yeah. I just wanted to get out for a while. Blow off some steam, you know?" he grinned at her.
"What time do you work tomorrow?" Karen asked.
"Eight fifteen until five. Not too bad. At least it's an eight hour day," Jerry remarked.
"So were you just going to leave and not say goodbye to me like that or what," Karen grinned.
"Don't be silly. I looked for you, but I couldn't find you. I figured you were at the bar or in the bathroom. And there was no way I was going to go looking in there for you," Jerry joked. They both laughed.
"I wouldn't have minded," she smiled.
The sexual tension was clearly in the air. Jerry looked around and saw that no one was around in the parking lot. They were alone. Without even realizing it, Jerry realized they were moving slowly closer together.
"I wouldn't have minded either, you know," Jerry whispered.
"I know. Next time, maybe you can join me," Karen grinned back at him. "Have a good night, Jerry," she smiled at him. She opened her arms and Jerry moved forward. They embraced tightly. Jerry's hands moved slowly up and down her back. She shivered in his arms. They pulled away for a moment and looked in each others eyes. Out of nowhere from a row down, a car door slammed. Suddenly they jumped back away from each other. "Good night. I will see you later," Karen said quickly as she turned away and disappeared into the parking lot.
"Good night, Karen," Jerry said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys. Silently he made his way to his car and drove home.
About twenty minutes later, Jerry arrived back home. He unlocked his front door and entered the living room. He locked the door again. He moved through his dark apartment and made his way to the bathroom. Quickly he stripped his clothes off and turned on the shower. Reaching to make sure it was a good temperature. He stepped in and closed the shower curtain. He stepped under the water and closed his eyes as it sprayed over his face and through his brown hair. He sighed contently as the water made his body feel good.
As much as he tried to deny himself, Jerry could still feel her in his arms. She felt good. He couldn't get the image out of his head of them in the parking lot. He wanted to kiss her. He almost did. If anyone had seen their warm embrace, anyone that didn't know them they would have looked like lovers.
Jerry ended his shower and dried his naked body. Quickly he wrapped around a towel around himself and moved to the bedroom. He proceeded to do his usual bed time routine. He made sure the alarm was set. He returned to the bathroom to brush his teeth and then back to his bedroom. Jerry turned off the over head light and crawled into bed to drift to sleep with thoughts of Karen in his head.
Jerry's alarm clock rang at 6 a.m. the next morning. He struggled to crawl out of his bed. He took a quick shower and brushed his teeth again. He dressed for work at lightning speed and headed out the door, all the while mumbling quietly to himself. "It was only an 8 hour shift. You can fucking do it." He dragged himself to his car and unlocked it.
Time stood still as the minutes turned to hours, but in Jerry's head they seemed like days. But after the barrage of stupid questions and incompetent bosses, Jerry's endless day finally ended. He was moving at a quick speed when he clocked out. He said goodbye to the few friends that were working at that point, but wasting no time heading for the door.
Jerry had no plans for the start of his weekend. But he knew the last place he wanted to be was stuck at work. Three long days away from work was just what he needed at this point. Of course, just like when he was stuck at work it seemed Jerry had no luck. He hit every red light from work until the moment he pulled into his parking lot.
But finally he was home. Jerry stepped out of his car and moved up the sidewalk until he was heading in the general direction. He stepped through the archway of his first floor apartment. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. From behind him, he heard that familiar voice.
"So how was work?" the voice said.
Jerry dropped his keys as he turned around. Karen was sitting on the bottom step smiling up at him. Jerry bent down and picked up the keys as he turned to face her.
"Karen? What are you doing here?" he asked, fighting back a nervous stutter.
"I thought I would surprise you. And there was no way in hell I was going to surprise you at work. So this was my next best option. I hope that it is okay?" she asked.
"Of course it is. A definite pleasant surprise to see you," Jerry said as he unlocked the door. "Would you like to come in?"
"I thought you would never ask," Karen said as she stood up. She followed Jerry into his apartment. They stood in the living room. Karen fidgeted slowly in her shoes. She looked at Jerry. "Can I ask you something?", she asked nervously.