Five

         Normally, people love waking up peacefully, but when you have a best friend like Maria, you could say good-bye to that wish. When Maria saw Aubrey's phone ringing, she looked at it and jumped on the bed to wake Aubrey. Aubrey and Maria's friendship was so strong that none of them minded the other snooping in the other's phone. Maria and Aubrey slept in Aubrey's room the night before as they kept talking for so long while they were watching a movie and Maria was too lazy to go to her own room.

            "Wake up, Ree! Your future husband is calling!" The excitement in Maria's voice made Aubrey think about shoving her off the bed to continue her beauty sleep. She was too sleepy to identify Maria's words.

            "Shut up Ria..." she mumbled sleepily, pulling the duvet over her head.

             "Jordan is on the phone, lazy-head," Maria whined, shaking her powerfully. When Aubrey heard Jordan's name, she jolted up and snatched the phone from Maria's hand who was looking at her with a smirk curved on her lips.

            "Good morning," Aubrey answered the phone, hoping her morning voice was not too obvious. She has always hated her morning voice, saying that it sounded terribly raspy. 

            "Did I wake you up?" Jordan asked her with an apologetic tone.

            "No, actually you didn't, my friend, Ria, is the one to blame for that," she said, giggling a little, earning a slap with the pillow from her friend.

            "I was just wondering if you're still up to meeting my sister," Jordan told her. He was worried that she might have changed her mind. He chose not to call or text her immediately after meeting her on Thursday, giving her some space.

            "Of course," she replied, making him mentally sigh in relief. "I will finish working at the studio tomorrow around four. We can definitely meet after that," she added, running a hand through her hair. Maria was still sitting at the end of Aubrey's bed with a wide grin on her face. Jordan asked her about the name of the studio she recorded at then they hung up after she answered him.

            "Tell me tell me tell me!" Maria exclaimed, clapping her hands together excitedly. Aubrey rolled her eyes in response and got out of bed, refusing to feed the curiosity of her best friend just for the sake of teasing her. "Why you gotta be so rude?" Maria sang, following Aubrey around the apartment.

            "There's nothing to tell, Miss Nosy. I'm just meeting him and his sister tomorrow," she told Maria. "Now if you'll excuse me, let me take a shower," Aubrey said, slamming the bathroom door behind her.

            "We're not done yet!" Maria shouted from the outside then went to make breakfast for the two of them.

*******************

            Aubrey wanted to get ready on her own, but Maria insisted on dolling her up, even if it was against Aubrey's will.

            "I promise, I will make you look casual but cute!" Maria grinned. She wanted her best friend to look good while meeting her crush.

            "Don't go overboard, please," Aubrey joked, pushing her long light brown hair away from her face. She watched Maria as she went to her closet to pick a nice outfit for her. After five minutes of searching the closet, Maria settled on high-waisted black jeans, oversized off-shouldered powder pink pullover and a white scarf.

            "I think you have boots in the same colour as the pullover." Maria looked at Aubrey.

            "Yes," she replied, getting up to get the boots from the shoe cabinet. "Here," she said, showing it to Maria.

            "Perfect! Now, sit down." Maria clapped her hands together and Aubrey returned to her seat on the vanity's chair. Half an hour later, Aubrey's hair was styled in light waves and it was pulled away from her face. "Next step, make-up!" Maria exclaimed, making Aubrey laugh a little.

            "I swear, you're more excited than me," she said, looking at her best friend through the mirror.

            "Don't kill my vibes, Devlin." Maria rolled her eyes as she started applying make-up on Aubrey's face. "I will keep it natural, no need to cake your face when you already look stunning," she complimented her.

            "Thank you." Aubrey smiled. Maria did not lie when she said that she'd keep it natural. She didn't apply any foundation or concealer. She applied mascara, a thin line of eyeliner, lipstick and tint.

            "And I'm done!" Maria grinned at Aubrey.

            "I love it! Merci beaucoup, mon amie." Aubrey hugged her friend quickly. Maria had French roots in her family and ever since Aubrey found out about that, she spoke to her in French, using the few words she knew.

            Aubrey got dressed after Maria finished her job. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, making sure that she looked fine. She put on some perfume then she took her bag and left the apartment. She got in her car and drove to the studio. She did not have a lot of work to get it done there, but she still needed to make an appearance. 

            After she was done at the studio, she drove to the café where she would be meeting Jordan and his sister, Jessica. She arrived after a short drive as it was close to the studio.

             Jordan was a bit nervous as he was scared that his sister might mess the whole thing up, but he was only hoping for the best. He spotted Aubrey once she walked inside and he immediately smiled.

            "There she is," he told Jessica, pointing at Aubrey. Aubrey walked towards them with a huge smile on her face and Jessica immediately smiled upon seeing them.

            "You're so pretty," Jessica exclaimed once she saw Aubrey. Her voice was not loud or squeaky; she was only being nice. Jordan himself was not sure if that comment was genuine or an absolute compliment.

            "Thank you!" Aubrey grinned as she hugged the hazel-eyed-girl before her. "It's so nice to meet you," Aubrey said as she sat down beside Jessica while Jordan sat on the opposite side.
            "Same here! I'm so happy you agreed to meet me. I wanted to go to one of your concerts, but something always came up and prevented me." Jessica was being so natural that Jordan almost believed she was a huge fan.

            "You're definitely invited to my album's private listening party. Once I know when it will be held, I will tell you," Aubrey told her. She was being incredibly nice to Jessica.

            "I hope I'm invited too," Jordan commented, looking at the two girls.

            "Don't invite him." Jessica smirked at her brother.

            "No, he's fun! We should let him tag along." Aubrey laughed a little. Like any other siblings, Jordan and Jessica were always bickering with one another.

            "See! Someone is actually nice here." Jordan stuck his tongue playfully at Jessica. As they were talking together, Jordan noticed someone snapping a picture of them through the huge glass window of the café, making him sigh heavily.

            "What's wrong?" Aubrey frowned.

            "We're not actually sitting on our own." He pointed to the window. Aubrey saw the man with the professional camera and she immediately rolled her eyes.

            "Worst part of fame," Jessica said, playing with her straw.

            "At least we aren't being mobbed." Aubrey shrugged. For someone who was claustrophobic, Aubrey's huge fear was being mobbed or stuck in a tiny place. They decided to ignore whoever was taking pictures of them since it was something they have grown accustomed to throughout the years; especially Jordan. Aubrey was the newbie to this. Yes, she has been known among a good amount of people ever since she started making covers on Youtube, but paparazzi were never following her around during that time.

            Some fans came to their table, asking for pictures and they definitely agreed. Usually, the problem wasn't with the ones who nicely ask for pictures, but no one of them liked the ones who would follow them around, invading their private lives.

            "If you don't mind, maybe you could come over to my place and we can have dinner together one day," Jessica invited Aubrey over.

            "I don't mind." Aubrey smiled at her. Jordan saw the whole thing from a different view. If Aubrey went to his family's place that meant that his mum would see her earlier than he originally intended. He was not sure if he was ready for that or not. He was scared that things might be going fast and he was never fond of rushed things, especially relationships.

*****************************

             A few days later, Aubrey was in the booth, recording one of her new songs. She wrote the song by herself; she was proud that she was finally making her own music. While she was singing, she saw Jordan through the glass window. She did her best to contain herself, so she would not ruin the recording process and luckily, she was able to do that. Once she finished recording, she got out of the booth to greet him. He hugged her gently once he saw her, making her blush a little.

            "I didn't know you were coming." She smiled at him as they pulled back.

            "I hope it's not a bad surprise," he told her.

            "Definitely a good one!"

            "I like the song, by the way, you should actually record an acoustic version of it," he suggested.

            "We're actually planning to do that," she informed him.

            "Are you up for dinner? If not, it's okay. I know you didn't know I was coming, but I actually like your company," Jordan told her, making her cheeks turn into a light shade of pink.

            "I actually have nothing to do. Are you up for Mexican food?" She tilted her head to the side a little.

            "Absolutely!"

            "Austin, I'm done for today, right?" Aubrey asked her manager.

            "Yes, you're free to go," he said. Just when she was about to leave with Jordan, she saw Edmond. She did not understand why Edmond made an appearance a lot at the studio when he definitely had more important stuff to do. She hated his presence as he always made her uncomfortable.

            "You finished what you had to do today, Aubrey?" Edmond asked her.

            "Yes, I have been here for five hours," Aubrey answered him.

            "Jordan Hill, it's great to meet you." Edmond shook Jordan's hand. "I'm Edmond Samuels, Aubrey's Producer," he introduced himself.

            "It's great to meet you too," Jordan said. On comparing the two men together according to their looks, Jordan was definitely a winner. With his toned body, light brown hair, blue eyes and sharp jawline, Jordan was the definition of a handsome man.

            "Are you guys going somewhere?" Edmond asked, interfering in their personal lives. Aubrey was a very private person. "I thought you're not up for dating, Aubrey."

            "I'm not going on a date." Aubrey frowned.

            "You're quick to make assumptions, but we're just friends. Now if you excuse us, we need to go, my sister is waiting for us. Have a good day." Jordan ended the unpleasant conversation and left with Aubrey. They took Jordan's car and Jordan told her that he would drive her back to her car later.

            "Jessica is waiting for us somewhere? Wait, where are we going?" Aubrey looked at him in confusion once they were away from Edmond.

            "I only said that to end the conversation. I don't like him," Jordan said, walking with her to his car.

            "That makes two of us." 

            "Couldn't you find a better producer?" Jordan asked her once they got in the car.

            "When you're new, you kind of try to make the most out of any opportunity," she replied, looking at him for a couple of seconds. "It's not like I see him every day, but he honestly makes me uncomfortable," she admitted.

            "He is such a perv! I saw him checking you out," Jordan pointed out, causing Aubrey to cringe.

            "He asked me out on a date, but I refused," she said. "He made it clear that I'd be able to make it big if... you know... I agreed to spend a few nights with him." She tried to put it in the best way.

            "Oh God, he's horrible," Jordan mumbled. "How long is your contract with him?"

            "Two years. Three months have already passed."

            "You'll make it big in no time and record labels will offer you great deals," Jordan assured her. He made mental notes to run some research on Edmond. He was not too fond of him. He did not like the way he was eyeing Aubrey. As a man, he knew what Edmond wanted just by the looks of lust in his eyes.