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Absence did not make the heart grow fonder. At least that was Bitty’s experience. He had known that a relationship with a professional hockey player was going to be difficult, especially when he was still in school and forced to stay in one place while Kent was always somewhere else. It had been an unpleasant thought and once the excitement of their relationship coming into being faded, it had worried Bitty more than he wanted to let on, but in the end he had come to terms with it. He trusted Kent. He loved Kent. That should be enough to overcome distance.
If only it was just distance.
When the rumors first started coming in they had stung for a few moments but he had been able to write them off as that: rumours. Kent had a reputation among the NHL and people were going to make stories based off of that reputation whether they were true or not. He trusted him. He loved him. Then the pictures started. They were innocent enough – an arm around the waist, or a whisper in the ear. Not enough to truly classify as cheating but it was enough to make the sting last longer. It was enough to prompt Eric into asking, in a soft timid, voice what exactly was going on. He could not say he was entirely pleased to hear ‘I do have a reputation, Bittle’ however it was followed by a series of kisses and an even softer I love you and it was enough, for a while. But they kept coming, those rumors and those pictures and they kept hurting. Bitty did not want to be the boyfriend that caused problems, but he couldn’t keep doing this. He understood why Kent wanted to keep their relationship quiet, but he couldn’t handle any more pictures. So he’d asked, and he’d gotten a promise. He loved him. He trusted him.
But then he woke up, and there it was on the computer. Another picture. Another hand around a waist, and another whisper in an ear. Maybe it meant nothing to Kent, but it meant something to Bitty. Kent had promised. Bitty had trusted him. But Kent had a reputation, and apparently that reputation was more important.
“Eric wait— ”
Kent reached for him and Bittle dodged. Stepping out of his grasp and shaking his head, “I can’t, not like this. Not anymore.”
Bitty turned his back on him, walking towards the door.
“But I love you.”
He stopped and hung his head, swallowing back the tears that were welling in his eyes, “Good Bye, Parse.”
He loved him too. He did. He loved him. But he didn’t trust him. Not any more.