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Breakfast in bed

But Matt didn't want to nibble on me...


Published by: Paul Carter and Jessica Gibb
Published on: 2 February 2012

When I needed cheering up, there was only one person I knew who could make things better.
‘Come on, spill it,' my best mate Tom, 35, smiled.
‘Things aren't right between me and Matt,' I sighed. ‘He just seems so... distant.' And I'd no idea why.
Matt, 25, had literally swept me off my feet when we'd met at a club in Blackburn a year earlier. ‘Fancy a drink?' he winked.
There was something about his cheeky smile that I couldn't resist - that and his muscles!
Before I knew it, Matt had dragged me on to the dancefloor and was spinning me around. He danced straight into my heart.
We were inseparable after that. And when I wasn't with him, I
was with Tom.
‘So, when am I going to meet this new boyfriend of yours?' he teased one night.
I'd known Tom since I was 13, as we'd lived on the same street. He was like a big brother to me.
Every weekend was spent clubbing, then we'd crash at his and spend Sundays eating bacon sarnies.
Both men were so important to me, I hoped they'd get on. But I needn't have worried. When I moved in with Matt after three months, I invited Tom round.
‘So you're the other man in Jodie's life,' Matt joked.
‘Suppose I am,' Tom laughed. I passed them cans of beer and they got on like a house on fire, were ribbing each other about football.
We'd go clubbing together, but I still liked my time with Matt.
Only now, Matt would sit at the opposite end of the sofa to me and had gone completely off sex.
‘Maybe he's gone off me?' I panicked to Tom now.
‘Don't be daft, you're gorgeous!' Tom insisted. ‘He probably just needs some space. Your relationship's been pretty full-on.'
‘You're right,' I sighed. ‘Do you think you could take him out?'
‘Sure,' Tom smiled. ‘I'm going out with the lads from work this Friday, I'll invite Matt.'
It did seem to perk Matt up. I heard him humming as he got ready. It was gone 4am before he crept into bed.
He kissed me. ‘I love you,' he whispered. My heart soared.
Next morning, I woke up smiling and leant across to cuddle Matt. But he leapt out of bed.
‘I'm going for a shower,' he said. It hadn't worked after all.
Soon, we were arguing about everything. One day, I packed a bag and stormed into the living room, where Matt was watching football.
‘I'm leaving,' I croaked.
‘If that's what you want to do, then fine,' he sighed eventually. ‘Let's have some time apart.'
There was only one place I wanted to go to... Tom's.
‘I've left Matt,' I said.
‘You can stay here as long as you like,' he smiled.
Come the weekend, Tom disappeared.
I didn't mind, but I was lonely. ‘Sorry,' he yawned when he got home again.
‘Don't suppose you heard from Matt?' I asked.
‘Nope, sorry,' he said.
The longer time went on, the more I missed Matt - especially at weekends when Tom did his disappearing act. After a month, I decided enough was enough.
And one Sunday morning, when I woke up alone again, I decided I had to do something.
I jumped in the car and drove to McDonald's. Sausage and Egg McMuffins were always our favourite Sunday morning treat...
When I arrived at our old flat, I let myself in quietly and crept upstairs. My heart was thumping as I pushed open the bedroom door.
‘Ma...' I started. Then I stopped dead in my tracks. There were two people in our bed! I flicked the light on. The blood drained from my face as Matt and Tom sat bolt upright.
I could see their clothes scattered everywhere. Tom's mouth opened, but no words came out. Matt was a picture of calmness, though.
‘We're sleeping together because we love each other,' he said, matter-of-factly.
‘What?' Matt was my boyfriend and Tom was my best mate - they couldn't betray me like this. And they weren't gay! I'd have known! But then my eyes narrowed as Matt took Tom's hand.
Anger coursed through me. I pulled open the McDonald's bag and grabbed the muffins...
‘How long?!' I shouted at them.
Their silence tipped me over the edge. I hurled the muffins at them. Eggs slopped on to the bed and sausage patties hit their cheeks.
‘Ugh,' they cried.
‘How long?' I demanded again.
‘A few months,' Tom admitted. I felt sick. They'd been at it while me and Matt had still been together!
I launched the coffee as they dived under the duvet to avoid the scalding liquid. Then I ran out of the room in tears.
All those nights I'd cried to Tom about me and Matt, he'd just been waiting to steal my boyfriend from me! And I'd sat in his house moping while they'd been having sex!
‘How could I not have known they were gay?' I sobbed to some other friends.
‘We had no idea either,' they assured me.
But, five months on, the hurt and shame still burns inside me. Tom begged me to remain friends, but I told him there was no chance.
They betrayed me in the worst way possible. I lost my boyfriend and best mate. I'm too scared to meet anyone else - what secrets might they have in their closet?
And one thing's for sure, I haven't had a McDonald's since. The whole thing just leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

Matt Chambers, 25, said: ‘I realised after time that I probably didn't love Jodie in a physical sense. That's when I fell for Tom.'

Tom Reade, 35, said: ‘I've always been very protective of my sexuality and kept it a closely-guarded secret, even from my own family. Jodie should get over it.'


Jodie Moffett, 25, Heywood, Greater Manchester