CHAPTER 2
"So, how are you holding up? Really? You have been so brave with this whole ordeal, but this has got to be hard on you, right?" Will asked. He pulled his left hand out from under the purple throw blanket covering him and Karen and grabbed her right hand. It was cold and tiny, and she responded to his warm touch immediately as her thumb began making tiny circles around his knuckle. They had been sitting like that for over an hour, discussing their favorite things and recalling fond memories of their best friends, Grace and Jack. Will's serious question disrupted the light-hearted mood, and Karen hesitated before answering.
"What? What are you talking about? I'm fine." She punctuated the last two words by ceasing the motion of her hand and focusing her gaze on the fireplace in front of them. Her face betrayed her words though, as her frown lines became suddenly deep and her bottom lip quivered ever so slightly. Will sighed and pulled her closer to him on the couch. They sat like that, with his arms circled around her slight shoulders and her legs drawn up towards her chest, for what seemed like an eternity before she spoke again.
"Sometimes I wonder if being alone is supposed to be this hard…I'm trying not to give up hope but…God, Will. It is such a damn struggle waking up every morning to an empty bed. And of course, I worry about him. All the time." Although Karen was completely calm as she spoke the words to Will, he could tell that she meant every word.
"Wow. You really do love him." Will made sure that he made the sentiment a statement and not a question, but Karen answered it anyway.
"Will, when I say I love Stanley, I mean it," she replied, still not meeting Will's gaze. He wasn't quite sure why, but when she said this, Will couldn't help but feel disappointed. This caught him off guard, and for a second he was lost in his own thoughts. Was he…could he actually be…jealous? Of Stan? Of the fact that Karen had just confirmed her love for another man? His arms around her loosened and he shifted on the couch, preparing to stand up and leave Karen sitting on the couch alone. But before he could, he felt Karen's tiny hand encircle his wrist. He looked down at his wrist and at her hand around it. Her wedding ring looked heavy and awkward on her slim and delicate finger. As if she sensed what he was feeling, Karen took her other hand and cupped it under Will's chin, tilting his face up to meet her gaze.
"But I don't think I have ever romantically loved Stan. I have a bond with him that's like a brother, but I have never been able to picture spending the rest of my life with him. I've never been able to look him in the eye when I say 'I love you.'" She put special emphasis on those last three words, and for a fleeting moment, it was almost as though she were saying them to Will. He didn't break their eye contact as he slowly nodded. She gave him a half smile and released her hold on him before standing up off the couch to stretch and yawn. Will couldn't believe she was being so open with him about this. He doubted she had ever shared that information with anyone else, even Jack and Grace. He pondered why she would open up to him and not them as he took in the sight of her in the firelight in front of him. Her features looked so soft, almost angelic as she sat down on the floor in front of the fireplace and curled her legs to one side. Without really even knowing why, Will slid off the couch and down onto the floor next to her. She looked slightly surprised to see him there, and they exchanged shy smiles as she began to slowly rub his back.
"Do you know how long it's been since I had sex?" Karen asked rhetorically, mostly just to break the silence. She sighed and Will laughed, but didn't venture further into the subject. Karen loved the feel of his muscular back under her palm. She was beginning to realize, slightly reluctantly, that she loved everything about Will's body. She noticed him staring intently into the fire, and took the opportunity to let her eyes roam. The sleeves of his black t-shirt hugged his perfectly formed biceps and in the dim light, she could just make out the chiseled shape of his pecs, even though he was slightly hunched forward to allow her full access to his back. Just as her eyes were beginning to travel south, to where his legs were folded Indian-style, Will twisted his upper body and grabbed her hand that had been caressing his back. She was slightly startled by this, but remained perfectly still as he raised her hand to his mouth and began to gingerly kiss each of her finger tips.
"W-Will, I didn't mean for you to take what I said as an…you don't have to…" Karen stumbled through the words, losing herself to the sensual moment, but also not wanting him to think she had asserted that her sex life was lacking just so that she could get some from him. But before she could get her complete thought out, he was wrapping an arm around her neck and pulling her face close to his.
"I know. But I want to," he answered quietly, before placing the most tender of kisses on her soft lips. Will had no idea what the hell he was doing, but he knew he didn't to stop, especially when she responded by enthusiastically reciprocating his kiss and deepening it even further.
