As soon as Kyle returned from France on Young and Restless, Claire (Hayley Erin) could tell that he wasn’t telling her the complete story about exactly what had gone down between him and Audra (Zuleyka Silver) while they were trapped on Cane’s estate. So naturally, she pressed him to come clean — and when he confessed to kissing Audra as part of his plan to trap her, Claire was aghast. “To be honest, I think Kyle is just really curious how deep of a hole he can dig,” portrayer Michael Mealor jokes to Soap Opera Digest. “It’s one of those things where you think you’re doing the right thing until you see everyone’s reaction, and then you go, ‘Oh… yeah.’”

Ruled by Fear

When Kyle came home, he knew he had to admit to some of what went on between him and Audra in Nice, but he wasn’t completely transparent with Claire until she pushed him into it. “I think, honestly, he was scared,” Mealor allows. “He was worried to confess everything to Claire, because leading into this, when Audra approached Kyle to be a part of this fragrance competition on social media, Claire was apprehensive about it. She knows Kyle and Audra’s history. And she has never really been in this situation because it is Claire’s first serious relationship, and so those kind of feelings of jealousy come up.

“Kyle can see that,” he continues, “and he doesn’t want to burden her with that. He’s trying to protect her from that. But Kyle forgets that Claire is a lot stronger than she lets on. She had this terrible past, and so she can handle the good, the bad, and the ugly. But Kyle doesn’t give her that chance. Unfortunately, he makes the decision for her. And so, because of that, he thinks that, you know, what happens in Nice will stay in Nice, and he thinks he can get away with it.”

The Naked Truth: Kyle (Michael Mealor) tried to keep quiet about how far he went trying to trap Audra (Zuleyka Silver) in France.

The Truth Hurts

Naturally, when Kyle finally told her the whole truth, Claire was furious, so he suddenly decided that the only way to make things right and prove his undying love was to propose. “It’s the logical reaction, right?” Mealor says with a laugh. “Like I said, Kyle doesn’t think it’s going to be as bad as it is, until he sees the reaction. That’s when the reality sets in of, ‘Oh, wow, yeah, no. It is just that bad times 10.’ When he does come clean, he knows it’s going to hurt, but he doesn’t realize how much.

“He has to prove to Claire how in love he is with her and only her, and how much passion he has for her,” he adds. “And you know, Kyle, being a man of large gestures, at times, goes all the way and goes for the proposal. He’s just so blinded by his desperation and his panic, but also his love, that he can’t see how bad of an overreaction that is.”

Mr. Fix It

Despite it clearly not being a particularly ideal time for a marriage proposal, Kyle is convinced that if he can just find the right words, he can win Claire back around again. But he has to act fast. “Kyle is flying by the seat of his pants, and I think he’s pulling out all the stops that he can in the shortest amount of time possible,” Mealor previews. “He knows it has to be immediate, so he doesn’t have time to create this extravagant, romantic, Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce-type engagement.”

He also needs to keep his bride-to-be in mind when planning something of this magnitude, and consider what kind of proposal she might want. “I think he’s going, ‘What would Claire appreciate?’” The actor explains. “She appreciates the simplicity. So all I have time for is the simplicity. Let’s go for that. There’s a small amount of planning that’s happening, but it’s really by the seat of his pants. I really think he’s fueled by his fear that he’s going to lose Claire.”

Putting a Ring on It: How will Claire (Hayley Erin) react when Kyle pops the question?

With Y&R being a soap opera, Kyle and Claire obviously aren’t going to simply get engaged, tie the knot, and live happily ever after, so Mealor promises plenty of twists and turns yet to come in their beleaguered relationship. “Just wait,” he chuckles. “We’re only getting started.”