The Confrontation
I knocked on the door, harder this time. “Liam, we need to talk.”
He opened it, resistance band in hand, flushed and sheepish. “You saw, didn’t you?”
“Yes, Liam. Care to explain why you’ve been hiding your workouts?”
He sighed. “I’ve put on weight—nine kilos. I felt embarrassed and didn’t want you to see me struggle.”
I blinked, caught between laughter and disbelief. “You’ve been locking yourself away, not to hide something from me, but to hide you?”
He nodded. “I didn’t want to burden you. You’ve been dealing with so much already.”
I placed a hand on his arm, softening. “Liam, after 25 years, do you think I’d care about a few extra kilos? You don’t have to hide from me. Let’s face this together.”
A smile broke through his embarrassment. “You’d work out with me?”
“Why not? We’re in this together.”
A New Chapter
From that day forward, Liam stopped hiding. We started jogging together, laughing at our clumsy attempts at fitness routines. What began as a secret turned into a shared journey that brought us closer.
Every so often, I tease him about his “bathroom phase,” and we both laugh. It’s a reminder that love isn’t about perfection—it’s about trust, support, and the moments that strengthen us as a team.
Sometimes, the secrets we hide are the very things that bring us closer.