Chapter 83

They clink their glasses again, the pitcher already noticeably lower than it was five minutes ago. The sunlight spilling through the windows makes the orange juice glow like liquid gold, and the whole room feels warm, lazy, and safe in that late-morning, no-responsibilities kind of way.

Simone takes a long sip, then casually drops the bomb.

“So…” she says, leaning back in her chair with a wicked little grin. “How is the sex part gonna work?”

Naomi nearly chokes on her mimosa. “Simone!” She reaches over and playfully smacks her arm. “You’re ridiculous.”

Simone laughs, completely unbothered. “What? I’m just asking! This is important logistical information.”

Lila snorts into her glass.

Simone keeps going, clearly committed now. “Like — is it gonna be all three of you all the time? Or sometimes just two of you? And what about jealousy? Boundaries? Schedules? Google calendar invites?” she adds, deadpan.

Naomi shakes her head, laughing, but then her expression softens into something more thoughtful. She tilts her head slightly, staring into her glass.

“You know…” she admits slowly, “I actually didn’t think about it that in depth yet.”

Simone’s brows shoot up. “Oh, you definitely need to.”

Lila nods in agreement. “Yeah. That’s one of those conversations you don’t want to figure out mid-feelings.”

Naomi exhales, rolling the stem of her glass between her fingers. “I guess I’ve been more focused on the emotional side — honesty, communication, making sure no one feels second or left out.”

Simone leans forward, gentle now instead of teasing. “Which is amazing. But the physical and emotional stuff overlaps whether we like it or not. It’s better to talk about expectations before anyone accidentally steps on a landmine.”

Naomi laughs softly. “You’re not wrong.”

She takes another sip, then nods to herself. “Okay. Yeah. That’s definitely a conversation I need to have with them.”

Lila raises her glass. “Look at us being mature and emotionally intelligent.”

Simone clinks hers. “Growth.”

Naomi smiles, warmth spreading through her chest — not nervous, not scared — just aware that this thing she’s building deserves care, intention, and honesty.

“And probably a shared notes app,” Simone adds.

Naomi groans. “Absolutely not.”

Naomi sets her glass down and leans back into the couch, the laughter easing into something softer. She looks between Simone and Lila, really looks at them this time, and her smile shifts—less playful, more sincere.

“Hey,” she says quietly. “How have you two been?”

Simone blinks. Lila pauses mid-sip.

Naomi exhales, rubbing her hands together. “I’ve been so caught up in my own mess lately that I haven’t really checked in on you guys in a while. And that’s on me.”

Lila’s expression softens immediately. “Nae…”

Simone tilts her head. “You don’t have to apologize.”

“I know,” Naomi says, nodding. “But I still want to ask. How are you? Like—actually.”

There’s a brief pause, the kind that happens when people realize they’re being genuinely seen.

Lila goes first. “I’ve been okay,” she says. “Busy. Tired. Trying to balance everything without burning out.” She shrugs lightly. “You know how that goes.”

Naomi smiles knowingly. “Unfortunately, yes.”

Simone lets out a small sigh. “I’ve been good too… but also just taking stock of things. Work’s great. Life’s fine. But I’ve been realizing how easy it is to pour into everyone else and forget to check in with yourself.”

Naomi’s eyes soften. “Yeah. That sounds very familiar.”

Simone reaches over and squeezes Naomi’s knee. “But we’re okay. And we know you love us. You don’t disappear—you just go quiet when you’re carrying a lot.”

Lila nods. “And we’re still here. Always.”

Naomi swallows, emotion flickering across her face. “Thank you,” she says quietly. “I just want to do better about making sure you guys feel as supported as you’ve always made me feel.”

Simone lifts her glass. “Then consider this check-in successful.”

Lila clinks hers against it. “Group maintenance accomplished.”

Naomi laughs, the tension melting out of her shoulders. “I really don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Simone grins. “Probably still be rich and dramatic—but lonelier.”

Naomi snorts. “Rude. But fair.”

Naomi lifts her glass again, the faint clink of crystal cutting through the easy hum of the room. She studies Simone and Lila the way she studies potential investments—curious, attentive, already seeing patterns.

“Alright,” she says, lips curving. “How’s the dating life going? And don’t give me a PR answer—I own too many buildings to fall for vague statements.”

Simone snorts immediately.

Lila laughs, glancing at Simone. “Honestly?”

Naomi nods. “Always.”

Simone leans back, stretching her arm along the couch. “We might as well be together.”

Naomi raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Lila shrugs, relaxed. “We spend more time together than with anyone else.”

Simone points her mimosa at Naomi. “Especially since you and your wives have been off filming, emotionally imploding, or building empires.”

Naomi laughs. “Excuse you—those hotels don’t buy themselves.”

“But seriously,” Simone continues, softer now, “we cook together, crash at each other’s places, show up for everything. Dating other people feels like… unnecessary admin.”

Naomi smiles, that knowing entrepreneur smile—the one she gives when someone unknowingly describes a solid business model. “So what I’m hearing is: consistent time, shared routines, emotional safety, no unnecessary overhead.”

Lila blinks. “When you say it like that—”

“That’s a relationship,” Naomi finishes lightly.

Simone laughs. “Damn. When did you get so good at breaking things down?”

Naomi takes a sip. “Years of negotiating leases, managing staff, and watching people lie about what they actually want.”

Lila bumps Simone’s shoulder affectionately. “We just… work. No pressure. No labels. Just comfort.”

Naomi’s expression softens. “That’s how my best investments started too,” she says casually. “Quiet. Stable. No rush. The loud ones usually collapse.”

Simone smirks. “Are you comparing us to real estate right now?”

Naomi grins. “I own apartment buildings, hotels, restaurants—and trust me, the ones that last are built on solid foundations, not flash.”

Lila raises her glass. “I’ll drink to that.”

“So…” she says slowly, dragging the word out, a playful smirk curling at her lips. “Have you two, you know…”
She makes a tiny circling motion with her finger in the air and gives them an exaggerated wink. “Wink wink.”

Simone nearly chokes on her mimosa. “Naomi!”

Lila’s face instantly heats up. “Oh my god—”

Naomi laughs, leaning back into the couch like she just dropped the funniest bomb. “What? I’m just asking. Market research.”

Simone recovers first, narrowing her eyes. “You are absolutely ridiculous.”

Naomi tilts her head, studying them both a little too intently. “Wait,” she adds, curiosity sharpening her grin. “Are you guys even attracted to each other like that?”

Simone pauses, lips pursed like she’s actually thinking about it. Then she shrugs. “I don’t know if the mimosa is doing the talking or not… but at this point, I don’t think it really matters if it is or isn’t.”

Her eyes drift — slowly, unapologetically — giving Lila a once-over. Top to bottom. And then, very clearly, they linger a beat too long.

Lila notices immediately.

She lifts a brow, amused, then gently takes Simone’s chin between her fingers and tips her head back up. “My eyes are up here, love.”

Simone clears her throat, cheeks warming. “Sorry. I—uh—can’t help it.” She glances at Naomi, then back at Lila, more honest now. “But to answer your question… yeah. I can say for sure I’m attracted to Lila. I mean—look at her. She’s beautiful. Inside and out.”

Lila freezes for half a second.

Then she lifts her glass and chugs the rest of her mimosa like she needs emotional backup. She sets the empty glass down a little harder than necessary and looks at Simone with wide eyes and a crooked smile.

“Well,” she says lightly, trying (and failing) to hide how flustered she is, “that’s the first time I’m hearing that out of your mouth.”

Naomi beams like she just won a reality show finale. “Ohhh, this morning just got interesting.” 😏

Lila reaches for the pitcher without breaking eye contact with Simone, casually refilling her glass before finally lifting it to her lips.

Lila leans back against the couch, one leg tucked under her, fingers wrapped loosely around her glass as she studies Simone with a slow, thoughtful smile.

“So…” she says again, softer this time, not teasing—curious. “You’ve really just been sitting on that this whole time?”

Simone lets out a breathy laugh, shaking her head. “Yeah. Pretty much.” She glances down at her hands, then back up at Lila. “I didn’t want to mess up what we already had. You’re my person. My safe space. I didn’t want to cross a line and lose that.”

Lila’s expression shifts—surprise giving way to something warm and steady. “You wouldn’t have lost me,” she says gently. “You could’ve just… told me.”

Simone shrugs, half-smiling. “Easy to say now.”

Naomi snorts from the other end of the couch. “This is why people need emotional check-ins and alcohol. Preferably together.”

Lila laughs, then reaches out without thinking, resting her hand briefly on Simone’s knee. The touch is casual, but it sends a visible jolt through Simone, who stills for half a second before relaxing into it.

“Okay,” Lila says, voice lighter again. “So let me ask you something then. Is this a recent realization, or have you been quietly checking me out for months?”

Simone groans, covering her face. “Oh my god.”

Naomi’s eyes widen dramatically. “Oh this is good.”

Simone peeks through her fingers. “If I answer honestly, will you promise not to bully me?”

Lila raises her brows. “No promises. But go on.”

Simone drops her hands and exhales. “It’s been… a while. I just didn’t want to admit it to myself. You’re smart, you’re funny, you take care of everyone without making it look like work, and—” she gestures vaguely again, “—you look like that all the time.”

Lila feels her cheeks warm but doesn’t look away. “You could’ve said something sooner.”

“I know,” Simone admits. “But I didn’t think you saw me that way.”

Naomi lifts her glass. “Ladies, this is what we call mutual miscommunication. Very common. Very tragic.”

Lila laughs, then softens, her thumb brushing lightly against Simone’s knee. “For what it’s worth,” she says quietly, “I’ve thought about it too. I just didn’t know if you’d ever go there.”

Simone’s eyes widen. “You have?”

Lila nods. “Yeah. Especially lately. It’s felt… different. Closer.”

The room settles into a comfortable pause, the kind that doesn’t need filling. Naomi watches them, smiling softly now, clearly pleased but choosing—for once—to let the moment breathe.

Simone finally lifts her glass again. “So… what do we do with this information?”

Lila doesn’t answer right away.

Instead, she studies Simone—really studies her. Her gaze drifts slowly, openly, no attempt to hide it this time. Simone feels it immediately, straightening just a little under the attention, suddenly hyper-aware of the way she’s sitting, the way she’s breathing.

Lila shifts forward, resting her elbow on her knee, her chin settling into her palm as she looks at Simone like she’s deciding something important. The room seems to quiet around them.

Naomi notices. Of course she does.

“Oh,” Naomi says lightly, already smiling into her glass. “I know that look.”

Lila finally breaks her stare and stands, smooth and deliberate. She offers Simone her hand.

“Excuse us for just a second,” Lila says, glancing toward Naomi with a polite smile. “I need to talk to Simone really quick—if you don’t mind.”

Naomi lifts both hands in mock surrender, grin widening. “Please. I live for private side conversations.”

Simone hesitates only half a second before taking Lila’s hand. Her pulse is already doing gymnastics.

They walk toward the adjacent room, the energy shifting with every step. Lila opens the door, guides Simone inside, and gently closes it behind them. The click of the door suddenly makes the space feel smaller. Warmer. Charged.

For a moment, they just stand there.

Too close.

Too quiet.

Lila turns to face her fully, arms folding loosely, eyes searching Simone’s face. “You really meant that,” she says quietly. “About being attracted to me.”

Simone swallows, heart thudding. “Yeah. I did.”

“And you weren’t just… mimosa-confident?” Lila teases softly.

Simone lets out a small nervous laugh. “No. I wish I could blame it on that.”

Lila nods slowly, processing, then steps closer — close enough that Simone can feel her warmth, smell the faint citrus on her skin.

“You know,” Lila murmurs, voice lower now, “I don’t like half-truths. If we’re opening doors, I need to know what you actually want.”

Simone meets her eyes, steady despite the nerves. “I want to see where this goes. Without pretending I don’t feel it.”

That’s all it takes.

Lila’s expression softens into something warm and unmistakably real. “Good,” she says quietly. “Because I don’t feel like pretending either.”

The space between them disappears.

Their lips meet in a soft, tentative kiss at first — the kind that asks permission instead of taking it. When neither of them pulls away, the kiss deepens naturally, confidence replacing hesitation. Simone’s hand finds Lila’s waist without thinking. Lila’s fingers curl lightly into Simone’s shirt.

It’s warm. Easy. Surprisingly right.

They break apart just enough to breathe, foreheads brushing, both smiling like they just surprised themselves.

The door opens a little too quickly.

Simone and Lila step back into the living room like they’ve just been caught doing something they absolutely were not prepared to explain.

Simone’s hair is slightly messier than when she left. Lila’s lips look… suspiciously glossy. Both of them are trying very hard to look normal.

They fail spectacularly.

Naomi looks up from the couch mid-sip and freezes.

Her eyes narrow slowly.

Then she lowers her glass.

“Oh,” Naomi says carefully. “Interesting.”

Simone clears her throat. “What’s interesting?”

Naomi tilts her head, studying them like a scientist examining fresh evidence. “You two look like you just ran a marathon. In a broom closet. Emotionally.”

Lila tries — truly tries — to keep a straight face.

She fails.

Simone presses her lips together, cheeks already heating up. “Nothing happened.”

Naomi’s eyebrows shoot up. “Nothing?”

She gestures vaguely between them. “Because the energy coming off you both says everything happened and now we’re pretending it didn’t.”

Lila lets out a nervous laugh. “Okay, maybe… something happened.”

Naomi gasps dramatically and clutches her chest. “Gasp. Shock. Betrayal. You left me unsupervised during the best part.”

Simone groans. “Naomi—”

Naomi scoots closer on the couch, eyes sparkling. “So. Which one of you kissed first?”

Both Simone and Lila answer at the exact same time.

“She did.”

They freeze.

Slowly, both of them point at each other.

Naomi absolutely loses it, laughing so hard she has to lean back against the couch. “Oh my god. I love this. I love this.“

Lila shakes her head, embarrassed but smiling. “It just… happened.”

Simone nods, rubbing the back of her neck. “Yeah. One second we were talking, and then the next—”

Naomi cuts in immediately. “Say no more. I know that look. That’s how all the best chaos starts.”

Simone drops onto the couch beside Naomi, hiding her face briefly in her hands. “This is so embarrassing.”

Naomi slings an arm around her shoulders. “No. This is iconic.”

Lila sits on Simone’s other side, noticeably closer than before. Their knees brush. Neither of them moves away.

Naomi notices immediately, of course.

She smirks. “Well… guess my house really is a romance incubator.”

Simone groans again. “Please stop.”

Naomi leans in, stage whispering. “I will absolutely not stop.”

Lila finally laughs, shaking her head. “You’re impossible.”

Naomi raises her glass toward them with a grin. “To accidental makeouts and emotional plot twists.”

Simone peeks up. “We are not toasting that.”

Naomi clinks her glass anyway. “Too late.”

The room fills with laughter again — lighter now, warmer, buzzing with that unmistakable feeling that something new has officially started.

And Naomi?
Naomi is having the time of her life.