I am writing a story about a young high school girl who develops an infatuation with an older teacher (in his 50s). The man is widowed but very passionate and dedicated, and the girl has undiagnosed Asperger's Syndrome. She is socially inappropriate and has no friends. She makes the mistake of thinking of her teacher in a romantic way because her own father has emotionally neglected her. She confesses her love to him and he explains that this cannot happen sexually. The teacher very quickly realizes that his student does not want a romance, but that she is severely confused and starved for love and affection. He sees that she just wants to be asked if she is all right and wants someone to hold her when she is upset (in a childish way). So the girls seeks the teacher as a fatherly figure and the teacher learns to see from her view of the world and she teaches him new things during his mid-life crisis. (ex: to just say what is on your mind and now care what others think). And the build an interesting relationship this way. The student is a complex character and I have a lot more to research with her. But I am not sure how to build the teacher's character. I know he is lonely because his wife is gone...I just do not know "what" specifically his student can teach her. I'm unsure of how to make their interactions change from student-teacher to more intimate and affectionate, more personal. I am not sure of the time frame (the 1970s)? Any ideas?
