He was heading to Bali with a few of his guy friends the kind of trip people talk about for years afterward. Beach clubs, motorbikes, and bad decisions. I wasn’t invited, which didn’t bother me at first. It was “boys only,” and we’d only been dating officially for six months. Still new, still exciting. Still figuring each other out.
I offered to help him pack the night before. Just a small gesture something intimate and practical. We sat on his bed, folding shirts and rolling socks, talking about his itinerary. I smiled when I saw him throwing in sunscreen, allergy meds, and even backup contact lenses. The kind of thoughtful over-packer I adore.
Then he pulled out his toiletries bag, zipped it open, and laughed.
“Just don’t look too closely. You might find some things you don’t like!”
I laughed too. Until he added,
“Kidding. Nothing scandalous. No condoms or anything.”
That stuck with me.
Later that night, he misplaced his headphones. He went downstairs to check the car, and while he was gone, I opened his carry-on to help him look. And there they were.
Three condoms. Right in the side pocket of the bag he swore was “clean.”
When he came back, I handed him the headphones and asked about the condoms, trying to stay calm. His response?
“Oh those? They’re not for me. Mike’s always too embarrassed to bring any. I figured I’d help him out.”
I asked why he didn’t just say that earlier. Why the joke? Why hide it?
He shrugged.
“Didn’t think it mattered. I didn’t want to make it a thing.”
But it was a thing. Especially when you know that the person you love once had a habit of being the kind of guy who doesn’t say no when it matters most. He’d told me he had cheated in every relationship before this one. He’d said I was different. That he didn’t feel tempted anymore. That he wanted to be better.
And for a while, I believed him.
I drove him to the airport the next morning, and the silence in the car was unbearable. I couldn’t stop thinking about how easy it is to break trust with something as small and stupid as a foil wrapper in a suitcase.
He asked if I still trusted him. I said I wasn’t sure. He said he understood.
Before he left, he kissed me and said,
“You’re the only one I want. I promise.”
But here’s the thing: it’s not about whether he does cheat.
It’s about how close he’s allowed himself to stand to the edge.
It’s about why he thought he needed a parachute at all.
And now I’m here, at home, staring at my phone, wondering if love is enough to ignore my gut.
Comments
Thanks for submitting to the Two Hot Takes Podcast Subreddit! We’d like to remind you that all posts are subject to being featured in an episode of the Two Hot Takes Podcast. If your story is featured you’ll
get a nifty flair change to let you know and we’ll drop a link so you can see our host’s take on your story.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
Backup of the post’s body: He was heading to Bali with a few of his guy friends the kind of trip people talk about for years afterward. Beach clubs, motorbikes, and bad decisions. I wasn’t invited, which didn’t bother me at first. It was “boys only,” and we’d only been dating officially for six months. Still new, still exciting. Still figuring each other out.
I offered to help him pack the night before. Just a small gesture something intimate and practical. We sat on his bed, folding shirts and rolling socks, talking about his itinerary. I smiled when I saw him throwing in sunscreen, allergy meds, and even backup contact lenses. The kind of thoughtful over-packer I adore.
Then he pulled out his toiletries bag, zipped it open, and laughed.
“Just don’t look too closely. You might find some things you don’t like!”
I laughed too. Until he added,
“Kidding. Nothing scandalous. No condoms or anything.”
That stuck with me.
Later that night, he misplaced his headphones. He went downstairs to check the car, and while he was gone, I opened his carry-on to help him look. And there they were.
Three condoms. Right in the side pocket of the bag he swore was “clean.”
When he came back, I handed him the headphones and asked about the condoms, trying to stay calm. His response?
“Oh those? They’re not for me. Mike’s always too embarrassed to bring any. I figured I’d help him out.”
I asked why he didn’t just say that earlier. Why the joke? Why hide it?
He shrugged.
“Didn’t think it mattered. I didn’t want to make it a thing.”
But it was a thing. Especially when you know that the person you love once had a habit of being the kind of guy who doesn’t say no when it matters most. He’d told me he had cheated in every relationship before this one. He’d said I was different. That he didn’t feel tempted anymore. That he wanted to be better.
And for a while, I believed him.
I drove him to the airport the next morning, and the silence in the car was unbearable. I couldn’t stop thinking about how easy it is to break trust with something as small and stupid as a foil wrapper in a suitcase.
He asked if I still trusted him. I said I wasn’t sure. He said he understood.
Before he left, he kissed me and said,
“You’re the only one I want. I promise.”
But here’s the thing: it’s not about whether he does cheat.
It’s about how close he’s allowed himself to stand to the edge.
It’s about why he thought he needed a parachute at all.
And now I’m here, at home, staring at my phone, wondering if love is enough to ignore my gut.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
If you can’t trust him there’s no reason to be together. Relationship is cooked. Serial cheaters don’t just stop.
Oh honey.
He’s cheated in every other relationship. How much do you want to bet he told every girl before you that she was “different”? That she made him want to be better?
He’s going to a place literally notorious for sex tourism. A place he could stumble on a willing participant within walking distance from his hotel. With friends that likely were present whenever he cheated and apparently didn’t care enough to stop being friends with him.
I don’t want to be that guy but….c’mon sister. There’s a reason your gut is screaming at you that something’s wrong here.
The biggest bullshit I’ve ever heard. I’m sorry babe. Time to say “have a good trip and I’ll never see you again!”
He’s definitely going to cheat again. But also, how is packing extra contact lenses overpacking?
You have a nice way of writing.
That being said, if you already don’t trust him, what is the point? Are you going to spend the whole relationship looking over his shoulder?
I have the same gut feeling because my fiance put a boundary on his phone. He said I should trust him and that is why I can’t look at his phone. But now because I can’t, I don’t trust him.
I think you gotta trust your gut OP or continue to tread with caution.
Who packs condoms for their friend? Do guys actually do that?
AI again. 🙄 And a lazy one, too. It’s been over a week of spamming an identical format here, go somewhere else.
Girl hes cheating. I would bet all my money its that obvious to us on the outside. Move on
Ngl had to double check if i was in a writing subreddit lol
Also… the fact you had to check his bag, that should be your answer already. Grown ass men aren’t too embarrassed to bring condoms with them
I read this story on here a couple weeks ago. I remember that OP referring to it as a “cosmetics bag” or something similar. OP’s bf had the same “don’t look in there, lol” routine.
You might really be the only one he wants, you might really be the one he comes home to, but you might never be the only one he is with.
I wouldn’t trust him. He didn’t take your concern seriously, now it’s up to you to decide whether to wait for him with open arms, or to pack your bags and lock the door behind you.
They probably have private investigators in Bali
They sell condoms in Bali
Dating is sorting.
You’ve dated this guy for 6 months and now you know–in your gut–that he’ll look at you and lie to you.
This reads like a writing exercise or an AI effort, with the crafted dialogue and flourishes like “how close he’s allowed himself to stand to the edge” and the parachute thing which is strange.
But the point made is well taken–a guy who has cheated in every relationship probably means “you’re the only one I want.” Yeah. OP is the one he wants when she’s standing in front of him. And if by “love” OP means the early excitement of dating, which is still strong in the first 6 months, that is certainly not enough to base a life on. The kind of love that is worth building on is what people DO, how words and deeds align, how that affection and attraction is a basis for respect and trust.
He is a constant cheater. He’s done nothing to change that habit. He’s gonna cheat