Friends

Chapter 25

A/N: Chapters 26-34 are on Patreon along with other exclusive scenes if you want to check those out!

Jasmine's POV:

"You slept with your ex?" Kahina, my therapist, says, her eyes widening in disbelief.

"Yes," I murmur, my eyes on the floor, the weight of shame pressing down on me.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Kahina asks, her voice softer now, a hint of concern replacing the initial shock.

"I was embarrassed. And I felt shame and guilt," I say, my throat tight as I struggle to admit it aloud.

"Interesting," she says, leaning forward slightly, as if trying to gauge whether I'm being completely honest.

"Why is that interesting?" I ask, a little defensively, though part of me knows she's not judging me—she's trying to understand.

"Tell me more about the experience," she presses, her tone neutral but probing for the truth.

"You want to know everything?" I ask, half-expecting her to back off, but her gaze remains steady, waiting for me to open up.

"We can leave out the vulgar details. When did you unblock him? What did you text him? When did you two hang out? And what happened afterward?" Kahina asks, her eyes narrowing slightly as if searching for the key piece of the story.

"I unblocked him right after I hurt Marc," I admit, the words coming out heavy, like the confession itself is another kind of betrayal.

"How did you hurt Marc?" she asks, her voice quiet now, as though the question is one she's afraid to ask.

"I told him that if he didn't like what I was doing, he didn't have to be here. He could just leave. And he pointed out that that's exactly how Kendrick used to talk to me. I hated it then—so why would I talk to him like that?" I explain, the words leaving a bitter taste in my mouth as I recall the hurt in Marc's eyes.

"And this made you unblock Kendrick?" she asks, the disbelief in her voice tinged with confusion.

"I know I've said this before, but it doesn't feel good being the problem. It doesn't feel good being the toxic one. I've been trying to unlearn these bad traits, but it makes me feel like a bad person. So I pretended I was just going out to clear my head. I unblocked Kendrick and told him I was bringing back his stuff," I say, the words feeling like a confession I didn't want to make.

"What did he say to that?" Kahina asks, her voice calm but expectant.

"He said, 'Bet.' Then I went over to give him one of his phone chargers. And one thing led to another," I say, my face flushed as the memory of it feels a little too fresh.

"Let's not do that. You can do that out there, but let's not do that here," she says, her voice firm, cutting through the tension in the room.

"Do what?" I ask, my heart racing, unsure of where this conversation is heading.

"Lie. You didn't go over there just to return his charger. That's a ploy. You'd had him blocked for weeks, and if he needed a charger, he would've asked for it by now. You went over there for something else. Why did you really go?" She leans forward, her gaze sharp as she watches me closely, waiting for me to come clean.

"I seriously went over there just to return his charger!" I say defensively.

"Jasmine, this only works if you're honest. I want to help you, but I can't help you if you don't want to help yourself. You're paying me to help you heal. But if you want to lie and waste your money, I'm not going to stop you," she says, her voice stern but with a hint of concern, as though she's hoping I'll see reason. I hate this. I hate how she can see through me, how she can cut straight to the heart of my feelings. But I can't avoid it. I've been lying to myself ever since I unblocked him. Never thought of even realizing the truth. I hesitate, I think for a few seconds while the silence consumes the room.