Split

What?

I took the day off of college the next day to spend time with Dennis, and we'd wasted most of the day away just lazing around the house.
I'd almost told him twice about Kevin, wanting to be able to explain myself before someone else could tell him, but I'd chickened out.
I hated keeping it from him but I just couldn't bring myself to say the words.
"What's wrong?" He asked after a few attempts to start a conversation.

I was handed the chance and had no reason to back out now, "um... there's something I need to talk to you about... and it might be difficult to hear," I huffed a humourless laugh, "it's going to be really hard to say... but I don't want to keep it from you. When you were gone, I tried so much to get you to come back... I wanted to do anything I could to bring you back..."
He was looking at me with a deep frown creasing his forehead which made my chest tighten even more.
"I... I've made a mistake. And I feel really guilty and I wish I hadn't done it but... I... there's no easy way to say this... I slept with Kevin."

He blinked at me, not expecting those words to leave my mouth, "what?"

"Barry suggested that-"

"That you sleep with someone else?"

"No! Well yes... he said it was possible that you were here because of... I mean..."

"Sex? And you believed that?"

"No-"

"So all that stuff you said about me not being a bad person was a lie?"

"I told him that I didn't believe that-"

"But you still did it," he leaned away from me slightly.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to try anything to get you back, if I'd known that it wouldn't work then I'd never have done it!"

Barry took the light momentarily to join the conversation, "Will you listen to her?" Dennis looked agitated but didn't say anything, "she only did this for you, because she loves you. You should have seen how miserable she's been this whole time because she was worrying that she'd never see you again, and yes she made a mistake, I may be a little to blame for that, but she feels guilty and she's told you."

"So that makes it okay?" He snapped back and Barry sighed.

"If it was the other way round and you thought that doing that one thing was the only way you'd see her again, even if it betrayed her trust, wouldn't you do it?"

Dennis scowled, "I think I need some time out of the house."

I got up to stop him as he left but Barry gave me a reassuring smile, "it's okay, sweetie, I'll talk to him."

I listened as the front door closed behind him and slumped onto the sofa.
Well that could have gone better.