A Secret Night Out With A Colleague

I've been working as a nurse at the same hospital for over ten years now. I'm married to John, and we have two kids together. But something happened last night that's completely out of character for me. It started when I went to grab some late-night snacks from the vending machine after my shift ended. That's where I ran into Alex, a colleague who's only been here about six months but has become one of my closest friends outside of work too. We both were tired and looking forward to getting home, yet there was this weird spark between us that night. Before I knew it, we had driven out to a secluded park on the outskirts of town. The moment we parked, everything just shifted. There was a connection, something that neither of us could ignore. We sat in the car for what felt like an eternity before finally agreeing that this was real and not some silly fantasy. It wasn't long after that we were sharing more than just stories about our days. I keep thinking about how out-of-the-blue it seemed at first, but also how perfect and right it felt once we gave in to the moment. Part of me worries it's because I've been stressed with my work lately and this was an escape from reality. Is that normal? Does every person have a little bit of forbidden territory within them? I'm torn between being thrilled about what happened and scared about how to proceed without hurting anyone, especially not John. What should I do if it happens again or if Alex reaches out to me first? Am I the only one who ever feels this way?