22. Liam
22
LIAM
B ianca breaks down again and collapses onto the couch, her body trembling with sobs. The sound tears at me, making my chest feel like it’s in a vice.
"Hey, it's gonna be okay," I say, moving closer. My hand hovers over her back before I rest it there, rubbing small circles.
Alex kneels in front of her, his voice softer than usual. "Bianca, your mom loves you. She’ll come around."
"No, she won't!" Bianca cries out. "You don’t understand. She threatened to never speak to me again if I continued seeing three men at once back in college."
James sits beside her, a firm yet gentle presence. "We’re not the same people we were back then. Maybe she’ll recognize that."
Bianca shakes her head vigorously. "You didn’t see her face just now. She looked... disgusted." Her words cut through the air like a knife.
"People change," Alex insists. "She might need time to process this."
"Or maybe she'll never get over it," Bianca snaps back, wiping her tears furiously with the back of her hand.
I lean forward, capturing her gaze with mine. "Bia, your mom’s opinion doesn’t define who you are or what makes you happy."
"But it matters to me!" she shoots back, eyes blazing. "She’s my mother! I can’t just ignore how she feels."
"We get that," James says calmly. "But you also can’t live your life based on someone else’s standards."
Her shoulders slump as fresh tears fall. "I just... I don’t know how to make her understand."
Alex reaches out, taking one of her hands in his. "You don’t have to do this alone. We’re here for you."
She looks at him, then at me and James, searching our faces for something—reassurance, hope, maybe both.
"You all say that now," she mutters, voice cracking. "But what if this gets too hard? What if I have to choose between you and my mom?"
Pain is etched on Bianca's face, and it rips through me. I lean closer, trying to reach her. "Bianca, you know this is worth fighting for. We all do."
She shakes her head, fresh tears spilling over. "It’s not just that," she whispers. "I’m scared. Scared of losing her and of losing you all again."
Alex grabs her hand. "We won’t let that happen."
I bite my tongue, trying to suppress the growing fear inside me. The last time she was scared, she ran. What if she does it again? What if all this talk is just a prelude to another heartbreak? I force myself to stay silent, but my mind spirals.
Images of the past flash through my head—her smile when we first met, the laughter we shared, and then the emptiness when she disappeared. It’s like a wound that never fully healed, and here I am opening it up again.
She sniffles and looks at us with those eyes that have haunted me for years. "How can you be so sure?"
Alex squeezes her hand tighter. "Your mom's opinion doesn’t define our relationship."
But what if it does? What if her mother’s disapproval is the final nail in the coffin? The thought gnaws at me.
Bianca looks down at her hands, lost in thought. I can see the turmoil brewing inside her, and she’s on the verge of breaking again; I can feel it.
And that terrifies me.
Is history about to repeat itself? Will she vanish again without a word, leaving us to pick up the pieces? The thought sends a jolt of anxiety through me, my heart pounding in my chest as I watch her struggle with her emotions.
I wish I could read her mind, see if there’s any hope left for us in there, some sign that we can make it through this. But all I see is doubt.
She cares so deeply about her family, and I know she would do anything not to be cut off from her mom. That doubt, that fear, it’s a powerful force, and it threatens to pull us apart all over again.
Alex and James meet me for lunch hours later at my request. I lean back in my chair, watching Alex poke at his salad like it's a puzzle he can't quite solve. James sips his iced tea, his gaze shifting between us. The hum of lunchtime conversations surrounds us, but my mind is locked on Bianca.
"I’m worried she’s gonna bolt again," I say, setting my fork down with a sigh.
James raises an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing. "You think she’s that spooked?"
Alex chuckles, but there's a sharp edge to it. "I saw her face when her mom walked in this morning. She looked like a deer in headlights."
"Exactly," I say, leaning forward, my voice dropping. "I know she's stronger now, but the pressure from her mom... it could be enough to push her away."
James nods slowly, his fingers drumming on the table. "Yeah, I get that. Her mothers opinion means a lot to her."
Alex surprises me by speaking up, his usual carefree demeanor replaced with seriousness. "And she’s scared we’ll fall apart if things get tough."
"You’re agreeing with me?" I ask, half-joking, trying to lighten the mood.
He shrugs, a forced smirk playing on his lips. "Hell must’ve froze over."
James shakes his head. "So, what do we do? Just sit around and hope for the best?"
I glance between them, the weight of the decision we need to make. ""No," I reply, sitting back in my chair. "We should break things off before they get any more serious."
Alex looks at me like I've lost my mind. "What? Are you serious, man?"
I nod, my gaze steady. "Dead serious. Things have already moved so fast, and the longer we fool ourselves into thinking this is going to work, the more it will hurt when it doesn’t."
James sighs, rubbing his temples. "It’s definitely been a fucking whirlwind."
Alex slumps back, crossing his arms. "So that's it? We just cut her off? Like she’s just been some kind of... temporary fix?"
I glance at him, acknowledging the gravity of the decision. "It’s better than dragging this out and ending up even more messed up." The truth of it hangs heavy in the air, a bitter pill we all need to swallow. But the uncertainty of knowing how much Ayanna’s approval means to Bia gnaws at me.
James leans forward, elbows on the table. "Think about it, Alex. Bianca’s mom showing up like that—it’s a sign that we’re walking on thin ice here."
Alex scowls but doesn’t argue, the tension palpable.
"We’ve been down this road before," I say, my voice steady and unyielding. "It was chaos then, and it’ll be chaos now if we keep pretending this can work. We can't afford to let this spiral out of control again."
Alex takes a deep breath, staring at the table. "Fine. But how do we even start that conversation with her?"
"Simple," James remarks. "We just let her know that it isn't working out. Liam is right, we need to put a stop to this before anyone gets hurt even more."
Alex shakes his head but finally nods. "Alright. But we do it together."
"Agreed," I say.
James looks around the table, his eyes meeting mine last. "We’ll tell her tonight."
I lean my head back, staring at the ceiling, my thoughts a tangled mess. Alex breaks the silence first. "So, we all agree then?"
James nods. "Yeah."
Alex exhales sharply. "This is gonna fucking suck."
I lean forward, elbows on my knees. "We just need to be clear and firm. No mixed signals."
James looks at me, his expression hard. "You think we don’t fucking know that?"
"Just making sure we’re on the same page," I reply, my voice steady.
The waiter brings our check, and we each throw down some cash without another word. I glance around the table, noting the tension etched into each of our faces. This conversation is far from over, but for now, we have a plan. As we stand to leave, I catch Alex's eye, and a silent understanding passes between us. We’ve got each other’s backs, no matter what.
As we step out of the restaurant, the sun casts long shadows on the sidewalk, painting the scene in shades of gold and gray. Alex turns to us, adjusting his sunglasses with a practiced ease.
"So, my place tonight?" he suggests, his tone casual but his eyes deadly serious.
James and I exchange glances. We both nod. "Yeah," James says, "that works."
I add, "Let's just get this over with."
Alex pulls out his phone, his fingers moving swiftly over the screen. "I'll text Bianca to meet us there. No point dragging this out."
We continue down the street, our footsteps echoing off the buildings. The scent of fresh coffee wafts from a nearby café, mixing with the salty tang of the ocean breeze, creating a bittersweet contrast to the heaviness in the air.
"Fuck," Alex mutters under his breath as he taps away on his phone, his frustration palpable.
James sighs deeply.
"Hey," I interject, trying to keep my voice steady and in control, "better to end it clean than let it fester. We need to handle this like adults."
"Yeah, yeah," Alex replies, pocketing his phone with a resigned look.
The three of us fall into a tense silence as we make our way to our cars. The weight of what’s coming presses down on me like a physical force. My mind races with what I’ll say, how I’ll say it without sounding like an asshole.