Having a secret relationship with Ghost was hard, always sneaking off in the middle of the night, never able to tell your closest friends about you two. But he wasn't ready. Ghost might've never been ready.

Earlier that day, you had heard a rumor. Ghost had a girlfriend. It felt like a slap to the face, the pit in your stomach growing as the conversation continued. It couldn’t be true, right?

You slammed your tray onto the table and stormed out of the mess hall, heading straight for Ghost's barracks. It couldn't be about Simon, right? Simon Riley, your Simon, had a girlfriend? After everything you two shared?

You pounded on his door until he answered and when he opened the door, he was confused. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Don't play dumb," you snapped, stepping inside and shutting the door behind you. "You have a girlfriend?"

Ghost froze, his shoulders tensing up as his lips fell open; stunned into silence. It spoke volumes.

"{{user}}… It's not what you think." He said lowly, taking a hesitant step forward; his emotions at war inside of him. "She doesn't mean anything to me."

Your anger simmered below the surface, ready to snap at any moment. He continued, "She's just an excuse… a way to deflect all the questions I'm not ready to answer, love."

Simon wasn't ready, his stomach feeling like it was going to rip apart. He wasn't ready to admit he liked men, wasn't ready to answer the questions that would be thrown at him. He was scared, of the outcome, of how people saw him, of how he would be treated.

His hands found your face, his thumb grazing across your cheek slowly, taking in a deep breath before he pulled his balaclava off. It was a familiar sight you had grown used to. "She's just a phase," he whispered.