What will his excuse be...?

[Exittotheright]

Took my OHs car yesterday to go shopping, not unusual, it's bigger and easier to put the bags in.
Stopped off to collect my DS from the train station and was a bit early so grabbed a free paper. Looking in the car for a pen to do the crossword and what do I find but two mobile devices in the glove box. Never seen them before and he's never mentioned them before. Obviously not switched on.

I knew we'd be popping out together this morning so I was trying to think of a legitimate reason to open the glove box.
He said he needed new tyres on the car so I offered to get it done today as it's my day off knowing the locking wheel nut for the wheels is in the glove box! He starts rambling on about where the locking wheel nut could be, might be in the boot etc and I pointed out it's often in the glove box so why not check there first as we're both sat in the car. He then starts saying I'm in the way, which I'm not so I make a joke about it and said I'm not standing out in the cold for him to look. He then practically laid on my lap obscuring my view of the glove box while he makes a fuss about looking inside. All very strange. The locking nut is the found and glove box quickly shut. The locking nut is then handed to me. No surprise then when I go back out the two devices are still in the glove box. I will be taking them in the house later when I get home to ask what they are for.
I can't possibly think of a genuine reason to have two extra mobile phones in the glovebox.
I really don't need any bullshit fucking excuses.

I'd still ask him as you've found them and are curious why they are there.

Neither were locked and it's just old messages/emails etc from an ex and family. Now I feel like a paranoid idiot

how do you know that was the last time they were used? cheaters become v good at deleting chat / browsing history.
Don't put them back & see what he says.

You missed the opportunity to just open the glove box in the car, you don’t need an excuse?
‘Where are the wheel nuts, maybe in here?’ - and open? Sounds awkward that you waited for him to open?

I would suspect they were being used for drugs, they’re the only people I know who have extra phones. If they’re smart phones there’s a way to cover the usage.

Ah, the curse of the mobile phones again. Why don't you ask him about them. All this undercover work. and maybe suspicions, is rather silly.

@MatildaonaWaltzer because the dates and times on both are set to 2014/15 from when the sims were taken out. Surely if they were used recently the date and time would have updated

@booboo24 I found an old phone of mine the other day and planned to take it to the electronics shop in town. Asked DH yesterday if he had any old ones lying around that he wanted to sell and he came up with FIVE (very very) old iphones!! He reckons a couple might have come from his mum. I also found another one of mine. Now I'm actually embarassed to walk into the shop with 7 old phones!

OP having a spare/old phone isn't strange of itself, but hiding it etc is!

Leave them causally on the table. See his reaction...

We cleaned out the loft during lockdown and I found 7 of my old phones. Dh found 4. I have 3 of them in my glove box as I’ve been meaning to take them into town for cash but haven’t got round to it. I still think you should ask him but don’t automatically assume the worst. Not every man cheats.

Thanks for the replies everyone.
Yes we all have old phones laying about and I wasn't overly concerned until he behaved the way he did this morning. I can't say they were exactly hidden.
I'm still going to ask him later why he made such a fuss about opening the glovebox and will watch for his reaction

You should have just opened the glove box yourself and handed the nuts to him and then 'noticed' the phones and said something. It's weird you were sitting in front of the glove box and dint open it yourself.

Anyway, sounds innocent. Put them back and forget about it.

@Exittotheright

Thanks for the replies everyone. Yes we all have old phones laying about and I wasn't overly concerned until he behaved the way he did this morning. I can't say they were exactly hidden. I'm still going to ask him later why he made such a fuss about opening the glovebox and will watch for his reaction

Maybe he was being passive aggressive because you were sat in front of the glove box and didn't open it. You made him lean over you to open it. Over exaggerating having to do it to let you know it was annoying?

Yay! Happy ending!

He was a bit short sighted in the song and dance over not wanting you to delve into the glove box - the locking wheel nut would need to be returned so you can just say you found the phones when you returned it.

I'm more concerned that your default position is that he's up to something. He may be, he may not, but that's no way to live. Incidentally if DH assumed that I was up to something because he found a couple of old phones I'd be beyond hurt, then furious

Another one here to find it strange why you didn’t just say “oh usually they’re in here” as you open the glove box and then find the phones. You made it much harder and drawn out then it needed to be.

Just get them out of the car and say you found them earlier and what are they. Job done.

And if he was up to no good then surely he would have moved them from the glove box when he saw them earlier?

Is it possible he could have changed the date and times in phones settings to make it look like they were from years ago?

I think this is possibly innocent? If he knew you were taking his car shopping he'd never leave a dodgy phone in there for you to find?

Ask him anyway since you think his behaviour was suspicious. Think about whether it really was though or were you projecting?

Good luck OP

Did he have a chance to take out the sims since this morning?

@2020wish

Is it possible he could have changed the date and times in phones settings to make it look like they were from years ago?

Surely if he was smart enough to fiddle about with settings he wouldn't be daft enough to leave them hanging about in the glove compartment

@Badwill no definitely not. I went back out shortly after.
I do think it's innocent and most likely these were collected from his mums recently. There's a bag of other bits in the boot too.

It's my suspicions and possible overreacting having been treated poorly in the past and gaslighted incredibly badly that has made me worry today. I had my suspicions then but didn't listen to myself so I'm a bit sensitive now.
I should have just dealt with it this morning and asked, or even yesterday when I saw them but when you've had someone cheat and make you think you're the one in the wrong and all the other shite that goes with it, it can be difficult to keep things in perspective.

I am so glad to see a happy ending here OP. And yes when someone has misled you it is easy to panic it's happening again.

If there's a bag of other bits in the boot, why weren't the phones in the bag...?

Was he faffing around long enough with the glove box to quickly remove the sims while you were sat there? He could easily have hidden them in his hand but couldn't have moved the phones without you noticing.

I would definitely talk it through with him and explain how you feel.