D I S S E M B L E
verb [dih-sem-buhl]

To conceal one's true motives, thoughts, etc., by some pretense; speak or act hypocritically.

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You kicked the pebbles on the ground and stomped in every puddle you stumbled upon. You were infuriated, but like every time you assume that he has a logical excuse.

You stopped suddenly, digging into your bag and taking out your phone, that almost slipped and fell out of your hands. It's 10:36 PM, way past the time he had committed to.

You dialed his number and waited for him to pick up. To your least surprise, he didn't answer the phone, making you far more frustrated than you already were.

This is the third time that you and Dennis had planned a non-depressing evening out and that it was completely unsuccessful. He either had come late or forgotten the timing or date, or entirely forgot that you had a planned outing.

He is attentive and observant, he is crazy for cleanliness and symmetry and you know that he's extremely organized. Something's up with him... It's bugging you dearly.

"This is Dennis, leave a message," His voicemail instructed and you rolled your eyes.

"Hi 'stranger'! Call me back when you decide to stop being an ass!" You mocked then ended the call.

You spotted a diner, with a flickering sign saying 'Bob's Burgers and Brisket' and smiled slightly. You licked your lips then walked towards it, swinging the door opening once you reached.

*****

You knocked on the door a couple of times and waited silently for it to open it when it didn't, you jiggled the handle. To your surprise, it was unlocked.

You pushed it to open slowly and you peeked inside. It was dark and gloomy, with no sign of anyone living inside. You huffed then squinted your eyes so that they would adjust to the dark.

"DENNIS?!" You yelled out to know if he was home, "For the love of... I'm going to scold him." You've told him on various occasions to switch on the lights, make some coffee and open the windows. It's an evening routine you complete and he himself offered to take care of it in the first place. Well, that was old Dennis anyways... the one you were sure loved you.

You started walking down the hallway and-

CLICK!

You turned back and stared at the main door blankly. Dennis stepped inside cautiously and you rolled your eyes. "Where were you?" You questioned, without greeting him first.

"I um..."

You paused then rushed to the door and locked it, "You didn't lock the door Denny! Someone could have robbed our house!"

"I'm... sorry," He answered flatly then continued to walk to the kitchen, taking out a cloth from his pocket and cleaning his hands before opening the refrigerator.

You crossed your arms and squinted your eyes at him. He didn't say another word about his whereabouts or about how he was feeling.

You raised your eyebrows and rubbed your face, "You forgot about our date tonight, Dennis. This is the third time and I'm starting to feel a little suspicious."

You noticed Dennis discreetly tense up and you felt far more confused than you were at the start. "I was busy completing  some work commitments," He responded.

You smiled and nodded your head mockingly, "Oh like what?"

He shrugged his shoulders and fidgeted with his hands, "Work commitments... It's extremely detailed."

"Oh really?"

"Do you think I'm lying or joking?"

You furrowed your eyebrows, "What? No of course not, I just-"

"Why are you interrogating me?"

You clenched your jaw and shook your head slowly, "We live together and you don't have any care for me all of a sudden, and I'm 'interrogating' you?! What is wrong with you?"

You stormed out of the room, furious about his attitude. What's worse is that he didn't bother following or consoling you.

"You could at least make the effort to explain yourself to me," You rested a hand on your hip and held your forehead.

He sighed deeply then stood with his shoulders straightened and his hands behind his back. "I have business to attend to. It's complicated and you won't understand the gravity of such a situ-"

"Try me, Dennis," You snapped at him and he clenched his jaw. He shoved beside you adn walked to the couch, lifting up the cushion and taking out a folder from under.

He held it out to you for a moment then threw it to the dining table, making all the paper clippings and documents slip out.

"Wh-What's that Dennis?" You asked with dread and he crossed his arms, his biceps almost ripping his shirt sleeves.

"A file."

You rolled your eyes and walked to it, "No shit! What's in it?"

"Open it and see," He said flatly.

You did as he said and examined it's contents in shock. There were candid pictures of people, their medical records, social media histories, financial details... basically their entire lives and it horrified you.

"What... the hell is this Dennis," You stated more than questioned and he took a breath before answering.

"I'm working on this assignment on seeding out the individuals working with illegal organisations and-"

"Wait this is Nicholas... And Stephanie, wait-" You shook your head, "What are they doing in here?! You're spying on them?"

"No I'm-"

"What the hell Dennis..."

"I'm doing something good for the community-"

"N-No NO, this is outrageous and I can't-i don't-You could have told me!"

"Why would I do that?!" He yelled and you chuckled sarcastically.

"Because I'm a part of your life and we're in a relationship!" You shouted, "Your shit is my shit, whether you like it or not."

He scoffed, to your complete surprise, "You are only a helping hand on my vision [y/l/n]."

"What?"

"Why do you think I moved in with you so quickly?" He questioned and you tilted your head to the side with pure confusion, "I needed you for the details of your co-workers. The success of my assignment depended on-"

"Are you high Dennis?" You asked as you walked towards him, "Did you bang your head somewhere?! What the hell is wrong-"

"I don't love you and I have never loved you!"

You froze, swallowing hard and shutting your eyes. "Y-You're lying... right D-Dennis?" You stuttered, "Please tell me you're j-joking."

"No I'm... I'm sorry but I'm not [y/n]," Dennis replied, making you look to the ground, "I trust that you're angry at me-"

"Get out."

"If you didn't work there I wouldn't have done it-"

"DENNIS I swear if you say another word before stepping out of my house, I WILL end you," You threatened viciously.

Dennis raised an eyebrow then sucked in a sharp breath. He grabbed his car keys and his jacket then walked to the door.

"Send my stuff over-"

You glared at him then after a long moment of it, you ran a hand through your hair. You watched Dennis walk out of the house and shut the door behind him.

He didn't apologise, he didn't attempt to at least since your threat and that... that told you everything about the situation.

You just wasted three months of your life with him, and there's no way of getting that time back.