9. Bianca
9
BIANCA
I pull up to my apartment, my nerves on edge from the shitstorm my day has been thrust into. My fingers tap the steering wheel as I sit in the car for a moment, trying to steady my breath. It’s not working. I take a deep breath and get out, the slam of the car door echoing in the parking lot. I head inside, thinking a glass of wine and a call to Aliyah is the only thing that might save me from spiraling.
Once inside, I kick off my heels and pour a generous glass of Chardonnay. The familiar scent of oak and fruit fills my nose as I take a sip and dial Aliyah's number.
"Hey sis, what’s up?" Aliyah answers on the second ring, her voice bright and full of energy.
"I think I'm about to get fired," I blurt out before she can say anything else.
"Whoa, whoa. Slow down. What happened?" Her tone shifts instantly, all business now.
"Remember Alex, Liam, and James, those three guys from college?" I pace back and forth in my snug living room, clutching my glass of wine like it's my lifeline. My nerves are frayed, and the Chardonnay isn't doing much to calm them.
"The ones you had that... peculiar setup with? How could I forget?" Aliyah laughs lightly, the sound a brief respite from my spiraling thoughts. "So, they're part of this mess?"
"They're not just involved. Liam and Alex hired me to design their new property," I say, my voice trembling slightly.
"Oh shit, what? They hired you?" Aliyah sounds as shocked as I felt this morning, her voice rising an octave.
"Yeah. And guess who I ran into at a bar last night? James. And we went home together."
"You've got to be kidding me," she exclaims, incredulous. "So you slept with him?"
"I did," I admit, as shame and exhilaration flood through me again. The memory of his touch, his commanding presence, it's all still so vivid.
"Damn, Bia! So, what’s the problem?"
"Liam and Alex showed up at James’s place this morning while I was still there. James isn’t friends with them anymore. And I literally ghosted all of them back then."
"Oof," Aliyah winces audibly. "That's... unfortunate timing."
"You think?" I drain my glass and pour another. "Now they think I've been seeing James all these years and that's why he ditched them and why I ghosted them."
"But you explained everything, right?"
"I tried! They said they’d think about whether or not they’ll fire me."
"Wow. Okay, so worst-case scenario: they fire you. But best-case scenario: you show them how amazing you are at your job and they get over themselves."
“Aliyah, I’m freaking out. What if they really fire me?” I ask, sinking further into the couch, the glass of Chardonnay now half-empty in my hand.
“Bia, calm down. You’re not helping yourself by spiraling like this,” Aliyah says firmly. “You need to do something about it. Sitting there crying won’t fix anything.”
“I know, but what can I do? It’s such a mess.”
“Well,” she says thoughtfully, “if you don’t want to get fired, you’ve got to make them recognize that firing you would be a huge mistake.”
“I tried explaining everything to them already.”
“Yeah, but clearly that wasn’t enough. Think bigger.”
I take another sip of wine, the tension in my shoulders slowly easing. “Bigger how?”
Aliyah is silent for a moment before she says, “What if you sleep with Liam and Alex?”
I nearly choke on my wine.
"Aliyah, are you out of your fucking mind?" I almost shout, the wine sloshing dangerously close to the rim of my glass. "I’m not about to sleep around just to keep a job. That's insane!"
"Relax, Bia," she says, unfazed by my outburst. "It’s not the same thing. Liam and Alex are technically your exes. You've already done it before."
I open my mouth to retort but nothing comes out. She has a point, even if it’s one I’m not comfortable admitting. I take another sip of wine, the cool liquid doing little to soothe my frayed nerves.
"Look," Aliyah continues, "it’s obviously too painful for them to be around you right now. That’s why they need time to think about it."
I scoff, shaking my head. "You really think that's the solution? More sex?"
She sighs heavily on the other end of the line. "Do you still have feelings for them?"
The question hangs in the air between us, and my heart races in response. I stare at the wine glass, the light reflecting off its surface creating tiny rainbows on my coffee table.
"I don’t know," I admit quietly, almost to myself.
Aliyah doesn’t push further, but her silence speaks volumes. She’s giving me space to process, something I desperately need right now.
I slump back on the couch, staring at the ceiling. "I still find them attractive, Aliyah. God, do I find them attractive. And I miss what we had... but it can never be the same. Not after the way I left things."
Aliyah sighs on the other end. "You know what your problem is, Bia?"
"Oh, please enlighten me," I say, rolling my eyes even though she can’t see it.
"You overthink everything," she says. "Sometimes you just need to act."
"Act? And do what exactly?" I ask, exasperated.
"Maybe this is the only way. If you're seeing all three of them, none of them can be jealous. It levels the playing field."
I let out a humorless laugh. "That’s... insane."
"It’s not insane. It’s practical," she insists. "Think about it: if you're involved with all three of them again, they won’t have a reason to fire you. They’ll be too busy trying to win you over."
"They’re not that petty," I argue weakly, but even as I say it, I know there’s some truth to her words.
"They might not be petty, but they’re definitely competitive," Aliyah says pointedly. "And if they think they have a shot with you again, they’ll behave."
"And what if it backfires? What if they think I’m just playing games?"
"Then at least you tried," she says simply. "Better than sitting around waiting for them to make a decision about your job and your life."
I take another sip of wine, mulling over her words. The idea is crazy—absolutely bonkers—but there’s a strange kind of logic to it too.
"You’re really something else, you know that?" I say with a half-smile.
"I’ve been told," she replies smugly. "Now go show them who’s boss."
I hang up and sit there, letting myself imagine what it would be like to be with all three of them again. It’s reckless and maybe even stupid, but when have they ever made me think straight?
“Fuck it,” I mutter, setting my now empty wine glass down with a decisive clink. Aliyah’s right. I’m not going to sit around and let them decide my fate without taking control.
I grab my phone after doing some digging in the documents Jessica sent me, I find their numbers and start a group chat with Liam and Alex. My fingers hover over the keyboard for a moment before I start typing.
Bianca: We need to talk. Can you both meet me tomorrow morning? It’s important.
I hit send before I can second-guess myself and throw my head back into the couch. The adrenaline from making the decision courses through me, mixing with the leftover buzz from the wine. It's strangely liberating.
I let out a nervous sigh after sending the text. My hands shake slightly as I set my phone down, the enormity of what I just did settling in. What if they think I’m being unprofessional? What if they think I’m trying to manipulate them?
My phone chimes, and my heart skips a beat. I grab it, expecting a response from Liam or Alex. Instead, it’s James.
James: Hey Bia, I really enjoyed last night. I want to see you again…soon.
I bite my lip, excitement coursing through me. Seeing James again last night felt good—too good.
I text back immediately: Yes.
The moment I hit send, I slump back on the couch, staring at the empty wine glass in my hand.
"What the hell am I doing?" I groan, the weight of my impulsive decision pressing down on me. This is crazy.
I pour another glass, the Chardonnay swirling in the bottle before filling my glass again. The familiar taste of wine doesn't do much to calm my nerves, but I drink anyway.
By the time I finally drag myself to bed, I’m filled with anxiety and a little buzzed from the wine. My phone pings just as I'm about to turn off the light. It's Liam.
Liam: We’ll meet you at our office tomorrow morning. We've come to a decision.
My heart races at his words, my pulse quickening with anxiety and anticipation. Great. Now I'll spend the entire night imagining all the ways this could go wrong, the scenarios playing out in my mind like a never-ending reel. I toss and turn, my thoughts a tangled mess of what-ifs and worst-case outcomes.
It’s impossible to fall asleep with all this chaos in my head, so I pull out my laptop and try to distract myself with some work. But every time I look at my sketches for the new property, all I see are their faces—Liam's intense blue eyes, Alex's easy grin, and James's quiet confidence.
The laptop screen blurs as my thoughts drift back to our college days. The nights we spent tangled together, lost in each other and forgetting everything else. And then, that last day when I walked away without saying goodbye.
I close the laptop with a snap, frustrated at myself for letting old feelings resurface so easily. How did things get so complicated so quickly?