Bianca

It didn’t take long to figure out where our party was sitting as we stepped into the Italian bistro. The four men were so loud, they were grabbing all the attention in the restaurant. I would have found it annoying, but the other diners seemed to find it amusing, waving in their direction and laughing at the noise they were making.

I knew them. Alessandro, Carlo, and Adolfo, plus an older gentleman who must be their dad.

I’d never spoken to them in my nearly four years at Yale, and I never planned to. I could quite happily continue avoiding them like the plague and feel good about it. 

I’m sure I looked just as nervous as Dad as I pulled down on my dress one more time. It was silly, I knew, because the moment I pulled it down, it would ride back up again, yet I’d formed this habit in the space of thirty minutes since I put the dress on and left my dorm room. 

I felt a wave of jealousy seeing them at the table. They were laughing and talking as if they were all the best of friends. Seeing them together, so close, made me wonder if one of the rumors about them was true. People said that the triplets did everything together, from eating, to studying, to even sleeping with the same girls.

“Come, let’s sit,” Dad urged as he practically dragged me to the table. 

“Dante, sorry we’re late,” Dad said as we arrived at the table.

“No worries. We’re always late, you see. It’s the Italian blood.” Dante laughed, but the boys were silent.

I felt like all eyes were on me, almost as if the hungry bears had found their dinner. Carlo had his finger close to his mouth, Adolfo just stared, and Alessandro was clearly looking at my legs. Again, I pulled the dress down, thinking this deal better go through. Otherwise I would end up finding out if the rumors were true just to save Dad’s life, at this rate. 

Dante and Dad seemed oblivious, patting each other on the back like old friends.

“This is my daughter, Rose. She spent a little too much time getting ready for the night, and now I see why,” Dad said, winking at the boys.  Then, it was as if he remembered my real name. As he corrected himself.

“No, her name’s Bianca. I just call her that because she’s so beautiful. Don’t you agree?”

I rolled my eyes, annoyed. The only reason we were late was because he insisted on stopping at the store to buy more “water.” Not in a million years would I be interested in jocks like them.

They were no match for Ben, the only guy I’d ever dated in college. Well, pretty much the only guy I’d dated in my whole life. He was the type of guy who knew what he wanted in life and was willing to work for it. Carlo, Adolfo, and Alessandro thought that because they were good at sports and one of them was the team captain, they were hot property. They were beautiful on the outside with their square jaws and piercing eyes, but on the inside, they were shallow. That I was sure of.

I wanted nothing more than to get through the night and for Dad to get what he needed from their dad. Tomorrow I would do what I should have done from the start, which was call Uncle Floyd and Nan to tell them Dad was here with me.

“Bianca, what a beautiful name. It suits you. Then again, I can see why your dad calls you Rose too. You are completely stunning. Isn’t she, boys?”

They nodded slowly, still staring as if they were trying to seduce me with their eyes. I turned and looked away, feeling shy. 

“I can’t believe our kids are at the same school,” Dante continued. “Who would have thought? All these years. Sit down, please.”

Carlo stood up and pulled out my chair, indicating for me to sit down. He had manners, that I couldn’t deny. The other two remained silent and watched the two men converse. 

“I couldn’t believe it either. You know me, always on the road,” Dad said a little too loudly. It was clear by the way he was slurring his words that he was drunk.

“Of course,” Dante replied agreeably. “What is it you’ve invented now?”

I nearly choked on my water as Dad’s plan finally clicked. He was going to con Dante, not ask him for help. I’d been so preoccupied with getting ready and Dad coming back into my life that when he said deal, it just didn’t register. Now that it had, I wished I’d put my foot down and said no.

“Are you ok?” Carlo asked. I simply nodded as I wiped my mouth, waiting for Dad to spill out the lie he’d formulated for Dante.

“It’s an app,” Dad said. “All the kids will be using it. I need to show it to you. I will after dinner, for now, let’s eat.”

Dante hesitated, then turned to me. “Back in high school, your dad was always inventing something. It’s good to see he never gave up on his passion. Do you share the same passion?”

I shook my head, and I was about to answer when Adolfo did it for me. 

“No, she’s a philosophy student. She always has her head in a book.”

What?

He knows who I am?

That was news to me. I met Adolfo’s eyes, but his gaze was too strong to hold. I couldn’t help but feel even more self-conscious as I noticed he was smiling at me, smirking as if to confirm he knew who I was. I couldn’t get the thought of how out of my head.

“Oh good, the study of knowledge, reality, and existence. Interesting. It’s better than what my boys are studying,” Dante said as he curled his mouth. I couldn’t tell if he was proud or annoyed about their behavior at Yale.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I pretended to be completely naïve, unlike Adolfo, and act as if I didn’t have a clue what they were studying. 

“Oh? What are they studying?” I asked Dante, avoiding the boys’ stare.

“Women and ball!”

Everyone at the table laughed. Everyone apart from Carlo, that is, who brushed his hand across the top of my knee and rested it there, rubbing light circles against my skin with his thumb. 

“What is your thesis on?” Carlo asked, smiling as he continued to caress my skin. The worst part was I wasn’t even moving, which meant I’d essentially given him permission to do it, and that annoyed me even more.

“Ethics,” I blurted out as my eyes darted to Dante.

“Ah, you should work on that with my boys. They lack the understanding of ethics. You should all exchange numbers before the night is done.” Dante nodded, satisfied with his idea, but I had the impression that he wasn’t suggesting we exchange numbers—he was telling us to.

“Sounds like a great idea,” Dad said before I could answer. “Our kids studying together, just like we did back in high school.”

“Yes, I would like one of my sons to be with a good girl rather than some of the women they bring home. Bianca, you seem like one of those girls,” Dante said to me.

I didn’t know why he would think that when we’d hardly spoken, but he’d clearly already decided I was the type of girl his sons should get to know better. I just wish the feeling was mutual.

The conversation changed, and Adolfo waved his hand. He didn’t want my number at the end of the night—he wanted it now. I recited my number, instantly regretful as the three of them entered it into their phones. Carlo’s hand had gone from brushing my knee to slowly moving up and down my leg, his fingers trailing up to my thigh. I could have told him to stop, but I didn’t. 

I’d often wondered what it would be like to feel another man’s hands on my body. Until now, it’d been nothing but a fantasy. Even Ben hadn’t touched me like this, and I found myself hoping I’d be part of the twenty-five percent.