Chapter Text
“Wait, wait, wait,” Lara says, getting off the couch and standing over to where Daniela is sitting. “You’re fucking kidding me, right? You’re telling me that the two people who have been stumbling on their shit because they don’t know what to do about having feelings for me are dating each other?”
“They’ve been together for seven years,” Daniela says. Megan and Yoonchae are just laughing because let’s face it, this situation is so bizarre. “Sophia and I actually hooked up a couple times but then we were more a friend vibe.”
“Oh my god,” Lara says, putting her hands in her face. “She’s totally said my friend Dani. That you guys like to go to karaoke in K-town?”
“We do,” Dani says. “Holy shit, wow, they’re acting so childish and weird. What in the world? Whyyy wouldn’t they just communicate who they’re both sleeping with and y’all could have just… avoided all of this mess. I’m sorry you got hurt, Lara. I do think there’s still a chance you can actually have them both. They just can’t do the math. FUCKIN gay people!”
“What now, though?” Megan says. “Should she text them?”
“I’m gonna take the night,” Lara says. “I have to give them some space, right? Let them figure their shit out. I have to trust that they will realize it’s me… right? Either way, neither of them have treated me very well today, so…”
“Do you want to date them?” Dani asks. “Have you considered that? You’re into both of them and you’d date them? Together and separately?”
Lara stops for a second and considers it.
“I think so,” Lara says. “I like them both a lot. Equally too. I mean, technically in different ways because they’re different people but I don’t like either of them more or less than the other. I have been saying I don’t want a relationship but part of that was that I was putting guards up because I am afraid. I didn’t want to get hurt by some loser who isn’t emotionally available or would want to cheat. These guys are already together and I think I am aware they wouldn’t cheat.”
“Okay then that’s that,” Yoonchae says. “Sounds like you know. Don't be afraid to open your heart, Lara. You deserve happiness. But think through things first, of course.”
“Yeah, I’m going to go home and sleep,” Lara says. “It’s been a long day. If they haven’t figured it out by tomorrow morning, I’ll say something.”
“I’m gonna head out too,” Yoonchae says, getting up and nodding at Dani and Megan. “You lovebirds can hang out. I’m bringing my snacks with me.”
Lara gives everyone a hug and heads out. She has so much to process on the drive back. She can’t believe that this whole time the partners that Manon and Sophia had been respectively referring to had been each other. But it made complete sense. Sophia had said her girlfriend had been helping out with a magazine cover story. Of course, Manon is a model. That makes sense! Manon had said her girlfriend is in grad school too. Man, it had been in front of Lara and she hadn’t done the math.
She parks once she gets to her place and starts laughing. But then all of these worries start taking over. Even if they figure it out, maybe it won’t work out. Maybe they’ll still want it to be just the two of them. Lara shakes the thought off. Hopefully, Sophia and Manon decide they do want Lara to still be part of their lives, as a romantic and sexual partner.
***
Meanwhile, in the Bannerman-Laforteza household, Sophia is still in the bath listening to music when Manon finishes texting Lara and puts her phone away. She sits in their bed, rests her head against the bedpost and sighs. It had been a dream too big, that she could expand her heart and make space for one more. Her heart and mind belong here, with her Sophia, in this apartment they have bought together, decorated together, started building and calling a home. They have been there for each other through thick and thin, from their early 20s, to now. This is a formative relationship that hasn’t stagnated, it’s made space for growth for both of them, and Manon understands that even without Lara, she’ll find a way to continue to be happy. Sophia has always made her happy, and she has work—she is due to fly in January to Paris for a shoot, she loves Europe—she also has hobbies. She loves cooking, poetry, and reading. She journals a lot on her journeys. She can make playlists and cry over sad music. She’ll get through this heartache. Plus, she and Lara can still be friends with benefits, it’s fine, it’s not settling.
Manon sighs again. She spots a candle on their nightstand and picks it up. It’s apple—too much of a fall scent for this winter—but she knows it’s Sophia’s favorite candle so she looks around for her lighter and lights the candle. When she carefully takes the candle and opens the door to the bathroom, she says, over the Ariana Grande song Sophia has been listening to on the bathroom speakers, “Hey love, I brought your favorite candle, it’ll go nice with the bath.”
“You’re the best,” Sophia says from behind the curtain. Manon can see foams of bubbles floating around the air, some on the ground. She smiles fondly. Bits of Sophia’s head appears behind the curtain, Manon can see her resting her head against the back of the tub, laying pressing the water, eyes closed.
As Manon places the candle carefully on the sink, the Ariana song switches to something else. Something that’s vaguely familiar, the beat is something Manon remembers from a recent dream or something because what is this. Manon has done the thing she came to the bathroom to do but she lingers for a second longer because a second later, vocals start in the song. “Woaaah… girl it’s been a long time.”
Unmistakably, this is the song Manon heard this evening. It’s Lara’s voice. Lara’s song. Her Lara… her Lara who… how does Sophia have this?
Manon freaks out and closes the door behind her. She doesn’t leave the bathroom area though. She leans against the bathroom door and pauses to think for a second.
This is an unreleased song, one Lara finished yesterday or maybe today, Manon doesn’t remember those details. But this is the same song. Behind the door, Manon can hear the words of the chorus - “One night, you look at me different / Lately, you've been what I'm needing / Red hair, you're changing up the color / Homegirls, but I wanna be your lover.” There’s no doubt in Manon’s mind this is the same song. How would Sophia have access to Lara’s song. Unless.
Unless, unless. Unless they knew each other. Lara wasn’t even showing this song to many people, she’d said Manon had been the second person after Megan. Is she going around showing friends? Not a lot of time has passed since Manon and Lara saw each other today. Manon knows Lara must be seeing other people. And Sophia.. Sophia realized today that she might feel more for her classmate from her musical theatre class. They can’t possibly know each other… Unless… unless unless unless.
Fuck, Manon thinks. I’ve been stupid haven’t I.
Lara goes to school. Lara’s at a PhD program. At a fucking music PhD. Sophia goes to the university that has the best arts program in the country. Lara and Sophia are in the same school. In fact, they probably have the same musical theatre class. And poor Sophia thought she had to stop seeing her friend for Manon when Manon has actually coincidentally been…
“Oh my god,” Manon says out loud. “Holy shit. We’ve been sleeping with the same person. We’re into the same person.”
Manon can hear Sophia sobbing in the door as Lara’s song finishes.
“What the actual fuck,” Manon says and starts laughing. In her mind, as relief washes her over completely, she thinks, “Oh Fi, I love you so much. We’re gonna get through this. Wowww.”
***
Sophia feels a little better as she gets out of the bathtub. Manon has really made this such a loving environment—with the bath and the bath salts and the apple candle. She puts a towel around her hair and reaches for the bathrobe that hangs on the bathroom door. In the bath she thought a lot about Lara. That she has to let her go. That she has to do it for her and Manon, to make sure they have a future together. Sophia can’t just run away with some other girl, nor can she dream of somehow introducing Manon and Lara and have them fall in love.
She trusts her heart to move forward, move on, forget Lara. There’s just one musical theatre class left, it won’t be that bad.
When Sophia pops out of the bathroom. Manon is sitting at the edge of the bed, a big smile on her face. Like, she’s holding back a laugh.
Sophia tries not to be offended. Manon knows she’s sad, this isn’t the time for jokes, not the time to make fun of anything.
“What’s so funny?” Sophia asks in a serious tone. She walks over to their closet and picks out her cozy outfit for the evening. A giant black zip up and black sweatpants.
“I figured something out,” Manon says. “I think. And I just love you so much. And I think you’re the sweetest, most selfless person ever and I love everything you do for us.”
“Okayy,” Sophia says, still unamused. “Why are you laughing though?”
“You were listening to a song in the bath,” Manon says. “The one that’s like ♩homegirls but I wanna be your lover♩”
Sophia’s stomach does a flip-flop. She’d been so happy Lara had sent over the song. It was going to be her way of keeping Lara close as she started to let her go. She hadn’t realized Manon had heard it, had noticed it enough to sing it back to her.
“Uh, maybe,” Sophia says nonchalantly. “It’s just something on my playlist.”
“Except it’s not, right?” Manon says. “It’s an unreleased song. By someone at your university. The girl you’ve been seeing. The one you’re… sad over.”
Sophia turns around, half-dressed.
“Manon I don’t understand what you’re implying,” Sophia says, and before she can do anything about it, the tears uncontrollably roll down her face. “I told you I’m not pursuing it because it would be too much for us, too beyond our rules that we’ve set, I—I’ll be fine. I want us to be okay first and foremost.”
Manon gets up.
“Hey, hey, baby, it’s okay,” Manon says and pulls Sophia into a hug. “I’m telling you that you don’t have to be sad over this. Over her. I’m telling you you can have her, you can date her.”
“Wait, what?” Sophia says, pulling her head out from Manon’s shoulder and looking up at her girlfriend. “What do you mean? Are you breaking up with me?”
“No,” Manon says. “Come sit down.”
She pulls Sophia over to their bed. Sophia, who looks delectable in a big hoodie and Calvin Klein boxers.
“Before I knew you were sad,” Manon says. “When you came home, I was actually going to tell you that I’ve started to have feelings for the girl I’ve been seeing. That maybe you and I can try to open up more than we have, make room for others in our lives.”
“But Manz,” Sophia says. “That would mean even less time for us when we already—”
“I know Fi,” Manon says. “And when I saw what you’d decided. That you’d ended things with your friends for us, I realized I’d been selfish. I was going about it the wrong way. But the thing is… I realized. From that song you were playing.”
“Why do you keep bringing up the song,” Sophia says. She wants Manon to forget it. She wants it to be a part of her without Manon getting hurt. She doesn’t want to hurt Manon but she still wants to hold on to Lara. She is scared Manon will tell her she can’t listen to the song anymore.
“Because,” Manon says. “I’ve been shown that song as well. In fact I was shown that song today.”
“What are you saying?” Sophia asks, confused as ever. “Manon that was not me showing you the song.”
“No, no,” Manon says, laughing. “Not by you. By the maker of the song. By… the girl I’ve been seeing.”
“Wait you know Lara?” Sophia asks. And then she processes. “Wait, your friend with benefits, the person from the apps. Is Lara? Lara Raj? From my class?”
“Isn’t that crazy, Fi?” Manon asks.
“What the fuck?” Sophia asks, finally realizing what Manon has been trying to tell her. “You know Lara. You like Lara. You’ve… kissed… you’ve had sex with Lara.”
“And all those things are true about you and Lara as well, right?” Manon asks.
Sophia nods, slowly.
“Oh wow,” Sophia says. “And you think, you think we could try dating her?”
“Yeah,” Manon says. “I think so. Like, we’d have to take it slow and carefully. We probably shouldn’t just all start to date and expect her to easily fit into our dynamic, right? That wouldn’t be fair to her. But we could all meet and talk. And then maybe we could keep dating her individually and get to know her, but we can all do get togethers sometimes?”
“This is all assuming Lara even wants to date us,” Sophia says. “She might think we’re insane. It might even be too late for me, I sent her a pretty direct text.”
“I have faith, “ Manon says. “But it’s pretty late and I know you guys are all very stressed with school. Why don’t we reach out to her in the morning.”
Sophia nods, and rests her head against Manon’s chest.
Everything is going to be okay.
**
After stirring all night and being unable to focus on sleep and having all sorts of weird dreams, Lara finally decides once she senses that sunrise is about to happen that she’s over all of these attempts to sleep and decides to finally get up. She reaches for her phone on her nightstand and sees that it’s 6.50 AM. She also notices that she’s not the only one who’s been unable to sleep. She has some very interesting notifications:
6.01 AM: Manon Bannerman has added you and Sophia Laforteza to a group chat “Insane Coincidence”
Lara’s heart starts racing faster. Thank god they figured it out, she thinks, and opens the chat.
Manon (6.02 AM): Lara, I’m so sorry about last night. I should have explained further or just, given things more time. Because guess what I figured out? You and my girlfriend have known each other the whole time!! Isn’t that wild?
Sophia (6.03 AM): ksjhdksjadhasjkdashd
Sophia (6.04 AM): Sorry. And Lara I’m sorry about my weird as hell text. I should have talked to you. I should have talked to Manon. What are the odds, right??!!! I want to make it up to you.
Manon (6.05 AM): And honestly this group chat should only be for logistical reasons. We don’t want any weird dynamic between us and you, and I’m not even gonna say “we” anymore. I’d love to see you and talk to you, and I’d love for Sophia to be there as well, at least the first time, so we can set some ground rules or whatever. And then, we should continue as we have.. I mean not just FWB, but I’d love to take you on a proper date.
Sophia (6.09 AM): Me too. And I’ll also coordinate that in a separate text to you. But just for today, we can all convene like Manon said. Would you like to come over to our apartment? Sorry for these early texts. We’ve not been able to sleep and have just been giggling all night. You’re probably overwhelmed with all of this information that we even know each other.
Lara reads over the messages twice and can’t help but giggle.
Lara (7.02 AM): You guys!!! I figured this out last night. DANI told me!! Dani and Megan have continued to see each other, so. BUT YEAH!! Send me your address I’d love to come over tonight. I have a class but then I’m free 2.30 onwards. How’s 5?
***
Sophia is about to vacuum the living room for maybe the 16th time when Manon says, “Sophia stop, it’s okay, she doesn’t care if there’s a crumb on the carpet, we’ll be okay.”
“Sorry, sorry,” Sophia says. “I’m just so nervous.”
“I know,” Manon says, squeezing her girlfriend’s hand. “Me too. But it’s all good. She likes us, it’ll be chill.”
They hear Lara’s car pull into the driveway and share a look. Manon makes a motion with her hands and mouths “aaaaa” and then the two of them scurry over to open the door.
“Hi!” They both practically scream as Lara locks her car and walks over to their door. Lara’s wearing a form fitting black dress that goes up to her knees.
“Holy shit you guys,” Lara says. “Look at you both, you’re such a hot couple oh my god.”
Manon and Sophia self consciously open their arms as Lara walks in and hugs each of them.
They let her in.
“Isn’t it so funny,” Manon says. “That we all know each other.”
“Yeah we’ve all fucked each other,” Sophia says with a nervous giggle. “Come, come sit in the living room.”
They don’t move though. They stand there. Lara takes them in. Manon is wearing a durag, a jean jacket over a black crop top and a lighter shade of jeans for pants, with rips across the thighs. Sophia is dressed more feminine, in a pink dress that shows off her ass particularly well.
“I just wanna say," Lara says. "I'm into you, Manon. And I'm into you, Sophia. I was sad when each of you told me you couldn't see me. So, yeah I'm here, putting my heart on the line, and telling you I want you. Both of you. But I also do want to get to know you individually, so let's take it slow and date, yeah?"
"Yeah," Manon says, smiling. "I'd love to date you, call you my girlfriend. All of that."
"Come sit," Sophia says, pointing to the living room she worked hard to clean. "But I also want to date you, yeah, I like you Lara. Not to be cheesy but I have really gay feelings for you—"
"Same," Manon says.
"Yeah, me too," Lara says. "But forget the living room? Sorry. I know it's not my house but I was just thinking we could go straight to your bedroom? I know we have a lot to talk about, but can we just resolve this fucking tension. Also you guys look so hot.”
“You too,” Manon says and laughs. “That sounds good to me. Fi?”
Sophia nods. They each take Lara by one of her hands and take her to the bedroom.
Lara pushes them both against the wall. Sophia gasps. Manon smirks.
She has a hand pressed against Sophia’s chest while she leans against Manon and kisses her, holding her chin with her free hand. Manon moans into the kiss while Sophia breathes heavily. Lara breaks the kiss and grins at Manon. Manon grins back, and nods at Lara towards Sophia. Lara lets go of Manon and kisses Sophia. First slowly, and then it gets deeper. Lara can feel that next to her, Manon has taken off her jacket.
Manon comes up behind Lara and starts kissing her back while Lara still kisses Sophia.
“A sexy little Lara sandwich,” Manon says. Lara breaks off her kiss with Sophia and leans against Manon. Sophia unzips her own dress and Lara looks at her while still leaning into Manon as Manon kisses her neck.
“Come to the bed,” Sophia says, pulling them both over, by each hand. Manon has started to take her jeans off on the walk over, and Sophia helps Lara unzip her dress.
“I have an idea,” Lara says. “The two of you lay down. I’m gonna fuck you both at the same time, one with each hand.”
“You’re insane,” Manon says. “I love it. Fuck.”
“How did you guys figure it out by the way?” Lara asks, as she climbs into the bed and wraps each leg around each of the two’s torsos.
“Sophia was listening to your song and crying into the bath,” Manon says.
“Oh my god, Manooooon,” Sophia says, blushing.
“Y’all are cute,” Lara says. “Now focus. I’m about to make you mine.”