Valentine's Day Trifecta

Today's challenge: write a love scene in no fewer than 33 and no more than 333 words.

The only other restriction is that your response cannot use any of the 33 words listed below or any derivation of those words.

This helps me make sure I don't sink into the trite.

I remember the moment I knew. And he wasn’t even there.

I had just gone through the revolving doors, leaving the office and crossing the plaza. I slipped my sunglasses on to protect against the late afternoon sun.  Walking to the train, my mind was going faster than my feet as I mentally composed the email I’d send to my coworker as soon as I got home.

He’d been travelling all afternoon, and tonight he’d have a client dinner, so he couldn’t get the news of my day until he got back to his hotel and logged on late tonight. And I had so much to tell him!

Shopping at lunchtime I spotted that super-durable brand of umbrella he’d been looking for –   guaranteed not to turn inside out, even in the worst wind – at Macy’s but the price was steep, about $40. There’s the rampant rumor that our company will soon switch to his beloved Dunkin’ Donuts coffee in the cafeteria. Best of all, his faith in me bolstered my confidence. He’ll be so pleased and proud when I tell him I took his advice, voiced my suggestions and now I own that Power Point presentation.

Went through the turnstyle and boarded the train. One of my fellow commuters was reading Night by Elie Wiesel. I remembered him telling me how moving that book was.

It’ll be 6:30 when I get home. That’s only 4:30 in Los Angeles. He’ll still be in meetings so I can’t call. It makes more sense for me to try to remember to get all this down in an email for him to read before he goes to sleep. But damn, I really want to call him with this stuff.

Then it hit me – who feels such urgency to share such "stuff" with a coworker? Um … that would be no one.

“You know what this means, don’t you?” I asked myself.

Yes, I knew.  And it was both exhilarating and terrifying.