Three

          "You actually met him, right? Can you believe that?" Maria hollered once Aubrey walked inside their shared apartment, making her laugh.  "Did you know anything about that?"

           "No, if I did, I wouldn't have talked about him the way I did in the interview. I'd have been too shy," Aubrey answered as she sat down on the dark grey couch. Maria threw herself beside her, ready for some girls' gossip. "You won't let me sleep until I tell you everything, will you?" Aubrey giggled, looking at her best friend.

           "You know me well," Maria beamed, giving Aubrey her entire attention. Aubrey nodded and started telling the curious girl in front of her everything.

           "You know, I still think I'm dreaming. A day ago, I was just a fan who only went to his concert a year ago and she considered that day the best one in her life. Tonight, I had dinner with him and we sang together! He even took my number! Can you believe that?" she gushed excitedly.

            "I can actually believe that," Maria laughed at her best friend. "Are you seeing him again?" she wondered as they both got up. Maria walked over to the kitchen to get herself a glass of water and Aubrey followed her.

            "He told me his sister likes my music and he asked me if I could meet her. I guess you can say we're seeing each other again," Aubrey told her as she took off her heels.

            "Is your life turning into one of the fanfictions you used to read about him?" Maria smirked, earning a smack on the arm from Aubrey.

            "We do NOT speak of this now," Aubrey warned her, but Maria's smirk turned into a devilish smile. "What you're thinking about shouldn't even exist in that sick mind of yours." Aubrey was aware of her best friend's thoughts.

            "Do you want me to miss the opportunity of embarrassing you?" Maria grinned. She was not actually planning what they were both thinking about, but she loved teasing her.

            "If you ever see him, don't mention that fanfictions thing in front of him!" Aubrey said, looking at Maria.

            "I believe you should buy my silence." Maria folded her arms.

            "Are you actually blackmailing me?"

            "Me!" Maria scoffed. "Never!"

            "I owe you one. When I get the chance to embarrass you, I promise to hold my tongue," Aubrey promised. Maria thought about it for a while then nodded.

            "Fair enough, Miss Devlin." Maria formally shook Aubrey's hand.

            "You, best friend, are one hell of a manipulative bitch." Aubrey giggled, causing Maria to giggle as well. This was absolutely normal between the two of them. All of what happened was not a serious matter. They were used to playfully teasing each other in that way. They had been best friends for almost four years and they managed to develop a good relationship with one another.

            Their friendship started when Aubrey decided to move to LA and she kept looking for an apartment mate since it would have been pretty expensive for her to live on her own. Aubrey found Maria's post online, searching for an apartment mate and they talked for a bit, then Aubrey decided to move in with her. Ever since they moved in together, they became best friends.

            Both Maria and Aubrey dreamed of making it big in Hollywood, but their dreams were slightly different. While Aubrey wanted to be in front of the cameras, Maria preferred being behind it. Maria wanted to be a famous make-up artist and photographer. It had been her dream ever since she was first introduced to make-up. On her fourteenth birthday, Maria received her first professional camera and ever since that, her camera was her number one companion anywhere she went. After years of hard work, Maria was able to collect 35k followers on Instagram and modelling agencies were starting to call her to be one of the make-up artists on their fashion shows.

________________________

            "We're repeating that again, Aubrey." Aubrey was in the studio, recording one of her songs. It had been two days since she last saw Jordan and he hadn't called or messaged her. She did not have his number, but he had hers. Even if she did have his number, Aubrey was not going to call him first. She was not much of a conversation starter and she did not want to impose herself on him.

            "Can we take a break, please? I'm exhausted," she requested from her manager and he agreed. She removed the headphones and placed them on the stand in front of her, before leaving the recording room.

            "Good job." Her manager, Austin, high fived her once she walked out.

            "Thank you." She smiled at him and went to sit in the break room. "I'm hungry, is there anything I could eat here?" she asked him and he pointed to a paper bag of food waiting for her on the table. "You're the best." She grinned and hurried to eat; she was starving.

            "You have been gaining followers like crazy ever since your interview with Cheryl Gardens, especially after singing with Jordan. You gained around 60k followers in the span of three nights," Austin informed her.

            "Yeah, I noticed." She nodded then took a bite from her burger.

            "Maybe you should try to get close to him," Austin suggested, causing Aubrey to look at him with confusion.

            "Why would I do that?" she wondered.

            "It will make you more famous and in a short period of time," he reasoned, but she shook her head, rejecting his suggestion.

            "That's cheap... I'd never do that," she told him. "Yes, I want to be famous and make it big and be known, but I don't want to do that in a way like this. I prefer working hard."

            "You're a great girl, kiddo." Austin smiled at her, "Others would throw themselves at him if they were given your opportunity, but you're different."

            "Thank you, I just believe that easy comes easy goes. If I receive success on a silver platter then it will quickly fade away, but if I strive to make a name for myself, I know I'll forever be remembered," she said, looking at him.

            "Good afternoon." Both Austin and Aubrey heard the voice of the producer, causing them to look up at him. They greeted him then sat back down on the couch while he sat on one of the chairs. Aubrey did not like Edmond, her producer. He always managed to make her feel uncomfortable one way or another, but she did her best to brush it off, not wanting to grow any animosity with the man who would produce her album.

            "How is it going?" he asked, taking a cigar out of his fancy pack.                 

            "Everything is going better than expected," Austin replied. "We're just resting a bit so Aubrey can give her vocal cords a break," he added.

            "So the album will be out around July?" he questioned. He was a very practical man, he was not a fan of wasting time or money. He was also a greedy materialistic bastard who thought that he could buy anything with his money, even women.

            "Yes, it may even be out around June," Austin assured him. Austin's phone rang, so he excused himself and went to answer it. His girlfriend was calling.

            "So Aubrey... how is fame treating you?" Edmond started a conversation with Aubrey.

            "It's been treating me well, thankfully," she replied, cleaning her hands with wipes.

            "You haven't seen the ugly side of Hollywood, have you?" he smirked, making her shift uncomfortably in her place.

            "No. Hopefully, it will be nice to me." She was trying to stay optimistic.

            "Oh, I can certainly ensure that," he pointed out, bringing his cigar close to her for a moment; she hated its smell.

            "How would you do that?" she asked him, innocently. Edmond was taking advantage of the fact that she was alone in the room with him.

            "Maybe we can please each other in specific ways and you'll definitely get your fair share of benefits. We can start by going on simple dates, I don't want to overwhelm you," he suggested and she mentally cringed. Edmond was a man in his late forties with light hair and a bit of chubbiness in his belly.

            "Thank you... but I'd like to face the hardships of Hollywood too. I also can't date a married man now, can I?" she politely rejected him. From the outside, he was composed, but from the inside, he was raging fire.

            "You're such a respectable woman, Aubrey. That might get you in some trouble, but good luck on your journey." His words held indirect threats that she could not recognise. "Have a good day," he said as he got up and left.

            Aubrey was aware that she could get all the fame she has ever dreamed of if she used her body, but she was not like that. She was not cheap. She held so much respect for herself and could not imagine selling her body for the sake of fame. She was willing to work hard to achieve her dreams; she was never a believer in easy roads. She believed that they were nothing but a lie laced with traps she could not see under the influence of illusion, but the moment she would open her eyes, she would realise that she was doomed for life.