What if you knew a secret that would break someone's heart and possibly pull the two of you apart but you had to tell them anyways? That's exactly the situation I found myself in at a party last year. I remember the night vividly. The music was loud, the drinks were flowing, and the party was in full swing. I was having a good time with my friends, laughing and joking around.
But then, I saw something that made me pause. I saw Daniel's girlfriend, Sarah, kissing another guy in the corner of the room. My heart sank as I realized what was happening. Daniel was one of my closest friends, and I knew that this news would devastate him.
I didn't know what to do. Should I tell him what I saw? Or should I keep quiet and let him continue on in ignorance? I knew that telling him the truth would break his heart, but keeping the secret would mean betraying his trust. As the night went on, I couldn't shake the image of Sarah and the other guy out of my head. I knew that I had to talk to my friend, but I didn't want to ruin his entire year.
The next day, I invited Jack to meet me at my house under the lie I wanted us to play video games. We sat down with the drinks I got the both of us, and I took a deep breath.
"Daniel," I said, "I need to tell you something."
He looked at me curiously. "What is it?"
I hesitated for a moment, then decided to just come out with it. "I saw Sarah at the party last night kissing another guy. She didn't know I was there".
Daniels's face went white, and for a moment, he just stared at me in disbelief. "What? Are you serious?"
I nodded, feeling a knot form in my stomach. I had expected this reaction, but it still hurt to see my friend in so much pain. For a few moments, he just sat there, processing the news. Then he looked up at me, his eyes filled with tears. "Why didn't you tell me last night?" he asked.
I sighed, knowing that this was the question I had been dreading. "I didn't want to ruin your night," I said. "And I didn't know how to tell you without hurting you."
He didn't say a word to me, he just stood up and left me there without saying a word. I didn't know what just happened, I just lost a friend. I waited for about 3 hours and then I called him on the phone, but he didn't pick up. I thought about going to his house but I wanted to give him his space.
I heard a knock on my door later that evening, I was Daniel with a food pack in his right hand.
"I broke up with her", he said as I let him in. We didn't say another word to each other, we just picked up the gamepads and went on playing the game. It was an awkward silence for about ten minutes into the game. Daniel finally turned to look at me and said, "Thanks man, I know you got my back plus I should have seen this coming".
I gave him a smile and told him he'd be okay. We continued playing the game, our friendship has only grown stronger since then.