BF found an old photo of a guy with his head on my chest, now he says I ‘micro-cheated’ before we were even together.

I am a 24 F and my BF is 25 M have been in a relationship for over a year. Recently he was going through my gallery and found a pic of a guy with me. He had his head on my chest. He was a friend but to the best of my knowledge, neither of us had any intentions or interests in one another. Of course I can’t speak for home fully. I wasn’t even aware that I had this pic. I genuinely didn’t think anything of it. He deleted the pic as soon as he saw it and deleted it from recently deleted folder. Just for context, The date on the picture was a little over a month before we became official.

He got upset but dismissed the matter. Days later he brought it up again and I explained that I didn’t have any intentions of being with this guy. I apologized saying it was wrong and it’s not right for someone to have access to me like that especially someone I have no intentions of being intimate with. I’m generally a very friendly person and I’m always hugging everyone, even the homeless. I knew it’s something that would be an issue in due time and it’s something I’ve been working on. We fought, he broke up, I went over to his house we made up and he apparently forgave me.

Days later he brought it up again and made me apologize for micro-cheating on him and being disloyal and that I betrayed his trust . I first explained that it can’t be any form of cheating because we weren’t official though we would go on dates and stuff. In the beginning he used to give slight hints of not wanting a relationship. But that’s besides the point, even then I didn’t want this person in the picture at all.

I proceeded to apologize for the micro-cheating, the betrayal and everything cause it was getting exhausting. But later it didn’t sit right with me and I told him I’m only apologizing for giving someone access to me like that cause I know it isn’t right BUT I’m taking back every other part of my apology that says I acknowledge the micro-cheating and being disloyal. As much as I do realise that it hurt him, I don’t think I owed him loyalty during the talking stage. I chose to be loyal to him in the time nonetheless cause he was the only person I was talking to but I don’t believe I OWED it to him.

Now he is saying he can look passed it and can’t view me the same. He can’t get the mental picture of another guy on my boobs. He feels deeply hurt and doesn’t understand how I feel I didn’t owe him loyalty. My thinking is messed up. Please advise me. How do I handle this situation? AITA?