Since You've Been Gone. (boyxboy)

Chapter 34: Deception

"It hurts doesn't it"

☆

Jasper gives Beth a curious look. "Ed. What did he tell you?" 

"Does it matter?" Beth shouts back. "He was right. I shouldn't have been so blind. It's not like I didn't know your track record, even before 'He' came along. You've always been a fuckboy. I just didn't realise you went for men." 

Jasper feels his fists ball tightly at the thought of his friend's betrayal. "That piece of shit. What does he get out of all of this?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Beth laughs a little hysterically. "He's jealous. I can even see it. He wants to be you. The way he dresses…" she dares to step closer to Jasper.  "The way he looks at me." She looks him in the eyes. She wants a reaction; she wants him to hurt just as much as she does right now. "He was good. Very tender, he knew what turned me on." Beth smiles wickedly. Her words were working to a tee when she saw Jasper's face tense up. "It hurts doesn't it. To know you have been betrayed." 

Jasper backs away from Beth. He turns his back to her, determined not to use his balled up fists. "How long?" 

"So now you care." She laughs. 

"Answer the fucking question. How long?" He repeats, his voice getting louder.

He can hear Beth sigh behind him. "Just the one time." 

"When?" 

"You are such a fine one to quiz me Jasper. You have been involved with another man for nearly ten years." Beth's voice comes over cold and causes Jasper to turn back around. 

"When? Was it before the pregnancy?" Jasper swallows the nervousness he suddenly felt in his bones. The doubt that for some reason had always been there. Things had never really added up.

"What does it matter?" She tries to dismiss the question again, but knows exactly what Jasper was fishing for. 

"Is it mine?" He now looks down at her, his eyes not once wavering from hers as all she can do is stare back, paralysed to speak. "You see Beth, we were using protection. I may be a lot of things but with that I am not careless.  We didn't stop using condoms, not until after you told me you were pregnant." 

"Is that all you care about? Whether the baby is yours or not? What about the fact I cheated? What about me?" 

"Answer the fucking question!" Jasper now loses the plot as he shouts into her face. It causes her to burst into tears, like a reflex action. 

"I don't know, I don't know!" She bawls as she reaches forwards and grabs at his clothes. "Please, we have both made mistakes, but we can work it out. Please Jas. I love you." 

Jasper takes his hands and uses them to prize her grasp away. "I felt bad for what Tom and I have done. I felt like I owed you the truth. You deserve someone who would love you the most. I would still be there for the baby, but now you're telling me that you don't even fucking know if it's mine? That's a fucked up secret to keep from me." 

Jasper pushes past her to the bedroom. He pushes hard on the door, making it swing open and rebound back onto Beth as she follows him. She stays in the doorway, her tear filled eyes watching as he proceeds to get on his hands and knees and partially disappear under the bed, only to re-emerge a moment later with a dusty looking case. He hauls it onto the bed, before opening the clasps. "Jasper, don't leave me. Please. Where will you go? Don't go to him." 

Jasper turns to Beth, still standing by the door. He emits a laugh as he shakes his head. "I'm going nowhere. This is for you." 

"Me?" Beth's eyes widened in surprise. "You're kicking me out? You're the one who wants to end it."

"It's my apartment. Not yours." He reminds her as he heads around to the closet and opens the louvre doors, unhooking a bunch of her things, which he slaps on the open case. 

"You can't do this. I'm pregnant!" She says as she pulls the clothes from the case in order to hang them back up again. 

"Go to Ed's. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to let you in." He watches as she hangs up her clothes once again. "You have five minutes. If you want to take an empty case it's up to you." He leaves the bedroom with a coat hanger just missing the back of his head. 

He heads back into the living area, that rage still boiling within him. He knew he was no saint. He knew he was guilty of many things, but there was a difference between them. He felt guilt, remorse, he was trying to do right, whereas Beth was comfortable with her deception. If she was going to keep her secrets hidden, what else was she capable of?

"You will regret this." The sound of a case being pulled by a hassled female echoed on the wooden floor. "I will tell your mother." 

"And which part will that be huh? I'm sure your truth will be music to her ears." Jasper heads for the door and opens it. "Now get out." 

She looks at him with such fire as if she would explode as she crosses the threshold, with the final sound being the door slamming closed behind her.