On cheating.

I didn’t like that conversation with Eric. Well, I mean, duh. Of course I didn’t like it, but it wasn’t because of anything Eric did or said. It was the topic itself that left me in something of a somber mood. This didn’t escape the girls when I went back to them.

“Okay, what did he tell you?” Sarah asked me, hands on her hips. “Do I need to beat him up? Do you WANT me to beat him up?”

I chuckled softly, her offer cheering me up a bit. “No, no. It’s nothing like that.”

“Then why does it feel like you’re suddenly down?” Mila asked me, cupping my cheek.

“It’s… a little complicated?”

“Why don’t we take a break in the food court and you can tell us in more detail?” Diana suggested. The others agreed it was a good idea, so to the food court we went.

We ordered some drinks, some sandwiches, some hotdogs and got some tables and chairs together to sit down and eat. I only managed to take a sip of my soda before the girls started asking their questions again.

“So? What did Eric want?” Alice asked.

“...” I let out a sigh. I didn’t know if I should be telling them, but he didn’t ask me to keep it a secret and I would be stupid to disregard the opinion of 6 other women on this topic. “Eric is seeing a girl he met on a dating app, but since he only sees her once or twice a week, he’s worried she’s cheating on him. He wanted advice on what to do.”

Noelle sighed and shook her head, feeling sympathy despite herself. “What did you tell him?”

“A bunch of stuff I don’t think was of any help, so I offered to check for myself.”

Grace nodded. “Meaning you plan to meet her and read her emotions?”

“Yeah. I’ve been getting better at that, so I think it’s possible.”

“Does he have any reason to believe she’s cheating, though?” Sarah asked.

“He says she gets together with other friends, and that worries him. Honestly, it could all be in his head, but…”

“But then again, it could be real,” Mila said, crossing her arms and pouting. “I’m not gonna pretend like women cheat any less than men do.”

“Aren’t there studies that say men cheat more?” Noelle asked.

“Because men admit it, women don’t,” Grace said.

“I have friends who I know have cheated on their boyfriends,” Mila said, scowling. “I’ve seen how easily they lie to their faces. It makes me want to throw up.”

“Those friends wouldn’t happen to be at this table, would they?” I asked with a wry smile.

“Oliver, don’t make me smack you in the head,” Sarah said.

“Ah, is that what got you down?” Alice asked with a small, sympathetic smile. “You started thinking about how you would feel if one of us cheated, didn’t you?”

“...” I rubbed the back of my neck, suddenly feeling even more uncomfortable. “Yeah, kind of. But it’s more like… The idea in general just hurts to think about. How do you girls even deal with me?”

“We’re not gonna have this conversation again, will we?” Grace grumbled.

I chuckled and shook my head. “No, I suppose not.”

“What we have is consensual, cheating is a breach of trust. It’s that simple,” Sarah said, then let out a heavy sigh. “I want to say Eric is just being paranoid, but it’s not exactly a great sign that his girlfriend is hanging out with other friends without him.”

“But you girls do that, too,” I told her.

“My ‘other friend’ is your sister, though,” Noelle said, and Alice nodded in agreement.

“Mine are Maria… and your mother, weirdly enough,” Diana said. “I don’t hang out with coworkers much, if at all.”

Mila, Grace and Sarah looked at each other first before Grace continued, “And we practically stopped going to parties altogether.”

“Oh yeah, why’s that?” I asked them.

“Because they got boring, basically,” Sarah said. “Parties were a place to dance, drink and flirt. Going to one when you have a boyfriend is kind of pointless, and a bit of a red flag if you still go to them without him.”

“It’s not like it’s irrefutable evidence that a girl is cheating, but…” Mila grimaced. “That’s where I’ve seen it happen.”

“...”

I admit that, to me, it was a relief that the girls weren’t going to parties anymore, but I didn’t want to be the type of boyfriend who stopped them from doing what they wanted, so I never told them it made me uneasy. Then again, our connection helped immensely in that regard. Considering what Mila was saying, it was easy to see why Eric would be nervous.

“Why do people even cheat?” Noelle asked with a scowl on her face. “Like, why betray the trust of someone you care about?”

“Plenty of reasons, none of them good,” Diana said. “Do I need to remind you where I work? You can often tell when people are there with someone they shouldn’t. Working at a bar you see the start of it, even. I’ve seen women with wedding rings leaving with men they just met and men calling their girlfriends to say they’re staying over at a friend’s house while having their hand in another girl’s ass.”

“...”

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“...”

In no time at all, I wasn’t the only one in a sour mood.

“Oliver, let’s get married already. I’m not gonna find anyone better,” Mila said.

“Give it a couple more years, at least. You know, in case you do.”

“Fine.”

“Wait a fucking minute, who said you’re marrying her? I called dibs like three weeks after we met,” Sarah said.

“Okay, that’s not fair, some of us weren’t even there yet,” Alice argued.

“You knew him for a year before I met him. Should’ve jumped on him sooner.”

“Argue all you like. I practically have his mother’s blessing already,” Diana casually said.

“So eloping is the only choice left, then,” Grace considered, holding her chin.

“Maybe if I announce on stream I’m getting married…” Noelle muttered.

Okay, this suddenly got dangerous.

I stood up from my chair, drank the last of my soda and set down the cup. “SO! Shall we continue?”

“Ah, yeah!”

The girls all finished their meals and we went back to shopping. We didn’t get even 50% of the list done. It was a big house, after all.

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