Tangled Webs

As Karen walked into the room with the tray of breakfast, her eyes scanned the space until they landed on me. I could see the shock and anger written all over her face, her gaze lingering on the fact that I was lying in Matt's bed, wearing his pajamas. Her eyes narrowed, and her lips pursed, as if she was trying to hold back a retort. Matt, oblivious to the tension, smiled at her. "Thanks, Karen. I appreciate it." Karen's gaze flicked back to Matt, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flash of possessiveness in her eyes. She set the tray down on the bedside table, her movements stiff and awkward. "No problem, Matt. I just...dropped by to bring you some work." Matt's eyes met mine, and I could see the amusement there. "Actually, Karen, I think we're going to take it easy today. Celine's not feeling well." Karen's eyes snapped back to me, and I could see the disapproval written all over her face. She didn't like me being here, and I couldn't blame her. I was a complication, a disruption to her neatly ordered world. As Karen turned to leave, Matt called out to her. "Karen, wait." She turned back to him, her eyes still flashing with anger. "Yes, Matt?" Matt's voice was calm, but I could sense a hint of warning there. "Let's talk about this later, okay?" Karen's expression softened slightly, and she nodded. "Okay, Matt. Later." As the door closed behind her, Matt turned to me, a concerned look on his face. "I'm sorry about that. Karen can be a bit...protective of me." I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Protective?" Matt nodded. "Yeah. We've been together for a while now." I felt a pang of disappointment, but I shouldn't have been surprised. Matt was a catch, and I had known that he was probably already taken. As I looked at Matt, I saw that he was watching me, his eyes intense. "Celine, I need to tell you something," he said, his voice low. I raised an eyebrow, curious. "What is it?" Matt took a deep breath, his eyes locked on mine. "Karen and I...we're not just dating. We're serious. We've been together for a long time, and I care about her deeply." I felt a stinging sensation in my eyes, but I refused to let tears fall. I had known that Matt was probably taken, and I shouldn't have let myself get caught up in the fantasy of us being together. As I looked at Matt, I saw that he was watching me, his eyes filled with concern. "Celine, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lead you on." I shook my head, trying to clear the cobwebs. "You didn't," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I just...I needed to remember that I'm not available for complications." Matt's face softened, and he reached out to brush a strand of hair out of my face. "I'm sorry, Celine. I really am." As I looked at Matt, I knew that I needed to get out of there, to put some distance between us. But as I sat there, surrounded by the intimacy of his apartment, I couldn't help but feel a sense of longing. Longing for something that could never be.