The Treatment (The Program #2)(27)

“Really, James? Second base?”

He turns away from me. “I don’t blame him,” he murmurs.

“They’re nice.”

“Thanks.”

“Besides, it was my fault anyway. I was an ass**le. I practically gave you to him.” And although he’s trying to sound like he’s being reasonable, a tear spills over onto his cheek and he wipes it quickly so he thinks I won’t notice.

I drape my arms over his shoulders, and he turns his cheek against my shirt, his hands on my hips. “I’m sorry,” I whisper, wishing I could take away the betrayal he must feel. “Realm knew I wasn’t into it. He knew I was nuts for you.” James sniffles and pulls back enough to look up at me with a small smile. “You didn’t like it?” he asks.

“No.”

“Because you love me?”

“Yes.”

“And you won’t kiss him again?”

I smile. “Never.”

He licks his lips. “But you’ll kiss me now?” I answer by bringing my mouth to his, kissing him softly.

He’s slow to respond, his body tense. I can feel his arms shaking as he wraps them around me. He’s all raw nerve endings, and then James, my James, practically collapses and cries into my hair, saying how sorry he is for almost losing me.

I go downstairs for dinner as James runs to the store for supplies with Cas, opting to skip the meal. Really, I think he’s avoiding Realm, but at the moment—considering what we’d talked about earlier—that’s probably a good idea.

I make it into the kitchen and Dallas is the only one there, frying up something that smells like charcoal in a pan. When she notices me, she shrugs. “I burn everything.” She lifts the pan. “Chicken?”

“Uh . . .” I peek into the skillet and shake my head. “No, thanks. Do we have any mac ’n’ cheese left? James isn’t cooking for us tonight.”

Dallas sets the burned food aside. “I figured.” She reaches into a cabinet to pull down a box of macaroni and cheese and then grabs a pot and fills it with water. Once it’s going, she turns to me. “Is he okay?” She sounds truly concerned.

“He’s not a huge fan of my and Realm’s friendship.”

“I suppose not. And I’m guessing from the reaction to the file, your past wasn’t exactly what you thought it was.”

“James was trying to protect me,” I say defensively. “And if you’re going to gloat—”

“Gloat? Sloane, I don’t want you to be miserable. And I definitely don’t want James unhappy. Do I personally think the two of you together is a bad idea? Yes. I think you love each other to a fault, but in a world like this, being one half of Romeo and Juliet is stupid. I’ll take my chances staying single.” I can’t help it. I laugh. I take a seat at the table, and Dallas grabs a couple of sodas from the fridge and gives me one.

Sometimes I don’t totally hate her.

“Realm’s the one who told me James and I were together before,” I start. “I mean, I had guessed it because I found a picture of James with my brother, but I didn’t know for sure.

It was tortuous, because James would switch between hot and cold, flirting and ignoring me on a daily basis. We worked it out, though,” I say. “So I call bullshit on that file.”

“Huh,” Dallas says, sipping from her drink. “Sounds like it. James would lie to protect you. Which leads me to my next question.” She twists the tab on her soda can until it pops off.

“How do you know Realm?”

Heat rises to my cheeks. “We met in The Program.” She laughs. “Well, obviously. But are you friends?” She pauses. “The kind with benefits?”

I pick up my drink, trying to look casual. “We’re just friends.” But even I detect the tightness in my voice, the obvious pitch of lying. She chuckles, and I look up to see her smile.

“Yeah,” she says sarcastically. “Me too.” Right then the niceties slip away, both from my face and her posture. “But my friendship comes with benefits,” she adds, grabbing her soda as she walks back over to the stove where the water has begun to boil.

She leaves me sitting here with a mix of jealousy and embarrassment. It had never really occurred to me that Realm was with anyone else, that he had a life outside of The Program. But he did. He does.

And Dallas made it clear it doesn’t really include me anymore.

I sit on the unmade bed of my empty room, the window cracked open to let in a breeze. James is showering in the bathroom down the hall, the steam slipping out from under the door. I’m still on edge from my talk with Dallas, my brain and my heart at odds about what I should be feeling. Realm didn’t come to dinner, it was just me and Dallas—eating in silence except for when she asked me to pass the hot sauce.

I just don’t understand why Realm never told me about her.

All that time in The Program, all the nights playing cards. He never mentioned her name. Why? And what does it mean now?

Is she his girlfriend? Is Dallas his James?

“You’re not falling asleep already, are you?” Startled, I glance up and see James standing in the doorway, a towel tied around his waist, his blond hair wet and brushed back. He’s smiling wryly, a sort of infectious smile that seems to burn through me. “So guess what I got earlier,” he says.