She smashed her lips against his, feeling adrenaline coursing through her veins as their skin made contact. Without even thinking she had thrown her arms around him and closed the space between them in one fluid motion – once again igniting a spark that could not be ignored. She felt his hands wrap around her waist and squeeze tightly for a fleeting second before he slid his hands up to her shoulders. He kept them there as he pulled his face away from hers. He frowned, his eyes searching her face for a moment before he sighed.
"Karen…" he spoke her name softly, gently. He shook his head slowly as his eyes left hers and when he spoke again, his voice was full of resignation.
"I can't do this. You're a friend…I'm gay," Will searched for the right words. "You are so beautiful…but I just don't feel that way about you."
Karen stared blankly back at him, not moving or speaking. She wasn't even sure she was breathing. God, how foolish she felt! Why would she have ever thought that Will could possibly feel about her the way she felt about him? She knew he was gay – of course she knew that, everyone did – but over the last 4 months they had grown so much closer, gotten to be so much more than just friends. Or at least she had thought so.
After what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only a few silent seconds, Karen exhaled and forced a smile.
"Lord, Wilma, did you think I was going to propose or something?" she asked him sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "I don't feel that way about you either," she stated matter-of-factly, as if it should have been obvious.
"Then why did you just kiss me?" he asked her, confused now.
"Well, honey, I mean we've always had a physical relationship…we were just having a good time and I thought we could have some fun, but if you're going to get all weird about it…" she explained. Karen was a quick cover when she needed to be. She had plenty of years' experience of hiding her feelings. This was a no-brainer.
"Right…" he agreed, but there was still an obvious confusion in his voice. She turned away from him, her throat tightening and the familiar sting of the formation of tears beginning behind her eyes.
"Listen, honey, just forget about it," she choked out, her back towards him. Will took a step towards her, his hand outstretched, but stopped himself before his skin made contact with hers. Without saying a word, he sighed, turned, and headed for the door.