Since You've Been Gone. (boyxboy)

Chapter 24: A lie for a lie

"Please can we change the subject?"

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"What's all this?" Beth questions, pleasantly surprised at the visual of Jasper drying up the last few of the dinner plates.

"You cooked, it's only fair I clear up after." He smiles at her, hoping to convince her that he was only doing such a thing out of kindness, not to mask the truth. That he had had sex with his former lover and was cleaning up, in order to cover his tracks and shift her attention away from the cleaner than usual bathroom. She would never know.

"Well it's about time." She rolls her eyes as she takes off her shoes and heads for the sofa. She lets her weight fall heavily upon it with a groan. "I guess Thomas has gone." She wonders, seeing no sign of anyone else.

"Yes, not too long ago." Jasper didn't really want to think about it. How he had gone. That word 'gone' seemed so final.

Beth sits up a fraction, looking over the back of the sofa though the open doorway to the kitchen. She can just see Jasper drying a wine glass with dedication. She pulls both her lips into her mouth in thought, feeling the bite of guilt pecking away at her. Should she tell him? "Jas, leave that a minute." She says all of a sudden, as if her mouth had made up her mind about what she should do.

Jasper puts the clean glass on the counter top and heads to where she is sitting. "What's up?" He says as he stays standing, still with the tea towel in his hand.

Beth moves over a little to one side, patting the space next to her. "Sit next to me for a moment."

The action makes Jasper feel uneasy as he cautiously edges towards the space made for him. "What is it? Is it the baby?" Jasper's body fills with dread, dropping the tea towel instantly. "You said your checkup went smoothly."

"What? No, yes it did." Beth replies, a little surprised but also comforted by Jasper's commitment to the prospect of parenting.

"Don't keep things from me Beth, if there's something wrong..."

"Look, just leave the baby for a moment." She snaps. "I want to talk about us." She tries to reignite Jasper's interest as she takes one of his hands in hers, subconsciously rubbing her thumbs over his raised knuckles.

Jasper looks down at her action. Just a physical reminder of his unfaithfulness to the women he was going to marry. Whom he was supposed to love above all else. He looks back up at her face. She looked afraid and Jasper hated to admit it, but it got him where it hurt. "Beth I must tell you something..."

"No. Me first." She interrupts. She visibly swallows as she looks down once again. "I'm sorry about Thomas. I shouldn't have invited Ellen. She purposely was trying to seduce him. I had this crazy notion that he was gay and that you..." she dares to look back up at him. "You were with him, in a, y'know sexual way." She can feel her body subconsciously hold a breath, waiting for Jasper to fly off the handle, like he had done about disagreements in the past, but he appeared more cautious than anything.

"And what conclusion have you come up with?" He asks, feeling a charge of adrenaline surge within his chest. His moment of wanting to rid his guilt if only a little, about his and Thomas' past was now paling into the background, against what Beth was seeing, compared to what was actually staring her in the face. A glimpse of the truth about him and Thomas' relationship. Something he should have admitted from day one.

"Ellen says she can tell these things. She said it was the way he looked at her. She says it was obvious that he was taken by her.'' Beth felt foolish for even thinking up such a scheme. That was the last time she would let Ed influence her thoughts.

"And me Beth? What conclusion have you come up with about me?" Jasper asks, still poker faced as he waited for a response.

"Plesae Jas, I feel so stupid. I know you don't like men. You're marrying me." She emits a laugh of embarrassment. "Please can we change the subject? You said you wanted to tell me something."

Jasper didn't know how he felt at that moment. Was it a relief that she was oblivious to what was under her nose? Was it luck that his moments of weakness would remain undiscovered, or was it that ever present guilty feeling of betraying her trust. "Beth... Tom and I... " His eyes gravitate towards Beth's stomach. His child, their child, unborn and innocent. They didn't deserve a father like him. He needed to do what's right by the child. "I want to be here for you more. I've told Tom I won't be helping him at the house anymore."

"Oh!" Beth looks at Jasper with surprise but was glad on hearing the words. "Is he ok with that?"

He knew Thomas was far from ok. Thomas was hurting. He was hurting. But he would rather bear the pain than let his desires for Thomas cloud the path he was destined to take. Him, Beth and their baby. "He understands." Is all Jasper says as he leans in and gives her a hug.

Beth falls into the embrace. It was as if she had been longing for it. For the first time in a while she felt like things would really be ok. Jasper would never know about Ed and now she had him all to herself once again. What could possibly go wrong?

But Jasper felt far from at ease. Someone was putting ideas into her head. Someone was too close to the truth and he had an idea who. He just needed to figure out why.