What Was He Thinking?

He's in the midst of a fight with her, and tells her (another) lie? Not just a little 'I'll slip this in while you're not paying attention', no, he makes a big deal about it (she said) - he told her he had only come over here because she had been here, that he would not have come here if she hadn't been here first. The problem is though, that he has messaged me asking if he could come over before she turned up.

Why did he say that? Probably he didn't want to inflame her further, by admitting that he had wanted to come and see me (ie before she had been here) - because that would add to her thoughts that he wants to come back here/runs back here when they fight. And maybe that's not why he asked to come over, but neither of us will ever know, but that's most likely what he thought she would think it meant, and thus the lie - trying to protect her from herself.

But surely he should have learnt, from all the times he tried to do that in the past, that lying to protect someone only ever ends up in that person being even more hurt? And particularly with her because he knows how important the truth is to her?

Looks like he is still in the habit of saying whatever he needs to say (whether it's true or not), to the person in front of him, to try make the world work his way. Thought he would have learned about that by now too.