I Lied to My Best Friend

Okay, so this is eating me up inside. I need to get it out. I lied to my best friend, Liam, about something big. It happened like, two years ago, and I still think about it all the time.

We were both into this girl, Chloe. We'd known her since middle school, but it wasn't until senior year that we both realized we had a crush on her. Liam was so obviously head-over-heels. He talked about her all the time, planned little 'accidental' run-ins, the whole deal. I liked her too, but I figured Liam had a better shot. He's always been more outgoing, more confident than me.

Then, one night, Chloe kissed me at a party. Just out of nowhere. I was shocked. And yeah, I kissed her back. It was amazing, even though I felt guilty the whole time. The next day, Chloe told me she wasn't ready for a relationship, that it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing. I was bummed, but also relieved.

Liam asked me if anything happened with Chloe that night. And I lied. I told him nothing did. I let him keep pursuing her, thinking he might actually have a chance. He asked her out like a week later, and she turned him down. He was crushed. I felt like the biggest piece of garbage in the world.

He's moved on now, of course. He has a girlfriend he really likes. But I still haven't told him the truth. I'm scared to. I don't want to ruin our friendship. But the guilt is just eating away at me. He deserves to know. I just don't know how to tell him after all this time.