brr10

“You don't think it’s too sexy for a first date?” Aubrey asked, standing in all different angles in front of her massive closet mirror.

Emma shook her head enthusiastically, “It’s perfect. I love this dress on you, Aub. Your boobs look amazing in it.”

She laughed, “Oh, thanks.”

“No problem. What shoes are you going with?”

“The bronze Choo stilettos, I think.”

“And the bag?”

“My new brown Chloe bag, you know the one with the big padlock on it. I am obsessed with that bag; I won’t go anywhere without it.”

“That bag is seriously amazing, isn't it?”

Aubrey smiled, “It takes my breath away.”

Emma giggled and hugged a throw pillow to her chest, “It’s supposed to be cool tonight.”

“Okay; fur shrug?”

“Oh, perfection.” Emma agreed happily, “You know how to dress, darling. You are amazing.”

“Thanks.” She smiled, “What should I do with my hair?”

“Pin your bangs back into like a little flat mohawk; it’s very romantic.” Emma suggested, “Or you could just pull your hair back loosely, but I think you should leave it down, let it frame your face. What time is he picking you up?”

“Six thirty, then the show starts at eight,” She nodded, grabbing a bobby pin off the armoire and disappearing into the bathroom for a minute. Emma heard the blow dryer turn on and she grabbed Ocean Drive magazine off the side table, flipping through it.

“Hot hair, babe.” Emma smiled, “Aub, you're going to blow his mind.”

“That’s the effect I’m going for.”

“Hah, this coming from a girl who supposedly does not want a boyfriend; yeah, right.”

She smiled, “I never said I didn’t want a boyfriend; I said I just didn’t want to fall in love again.”

“Again? Honey, you were never in love in the first place.”

11:30 PM

“That show was amazing,” Justin said as they walked out of the theater. They’d just seen the revival of A Streetcar Named Desire starring Natasha Richardson and John C. Reiley; the show had been absolutely stellar.

“It really was.” She said, “Blanche…Natasha Richardson just is Blanche. I can't get over how amazing the show was.”

“Yeah, I think that’s one of the best shows I’ve seen since Closer in London.” He agreed, “So, what now? Do you want me to take you home or are you in the mood for something sweet?”

She smiled as he put his hand on the small of her back, “Serendipity?”

He laughed, “You read my mind, Aubrey.”

“I love Serendipity.” She said, “When I was kid, I had every single birthday party there until I think I turned sixteen…sixteen was a blow out at the Rainbow Room.”

“The Rainbow Room? Dear God.”

“I know,” she giggled, “That was the hot place growing up, where else could I have had it?”

He smiled as they crossed the street. She was so comfortable around him as he held her hand.

“What I want to know,” she said, “is how you managed to get orchestra seats to a show that every knows has been sold out since it opened.”

He laughed, “I have some connections.”

“I couldn’t even get tickets!” She exclaimed, “You must be so connected.”

He shrugged and waited for the light to change so they could cross the street, “I can call for a car if your feet are hurting.”

“No, I’m fine,” she said pleasantly, “My friend Ginny got me started on yoga for your feet; it’s amazing. I could wear six inch heels for an entire week if I wanted to, painlessly.”

He laughed, “That is amazing.”

“It really is.” she giggled, “So what do you get at Serendipity?”

“Well,” he said as a matter of factly, “I alternate between iced hot chocolate or a mint chocolate chip sundae, cause once I like something I just can't get enough of it. And what about you, Princess?”

She giggled, “I'm an iced hot chocolate fan myself, but I have to say I love their chocolate suicide sundae; I’m a complete chocolate fanatic.”

He laughed warmly as they approached Sixth Avenue, where Serendipity was situated next to a furniture shop. They walked down the small flight of stairs to the entrance. The host recognized both Aubrey and Justin led them to the Aubrey’s table in the back corner.

“Tell me something about you.” He said after they ordered.

She smiled, “What do you want to know?”

“I don't know. Anything.”

“Okay,” she thought for a moment, “I’ve done equestrian since I was five years old, but I quit when I went to college.”

“How come? Lost the zest?” He joked with a smile, sipping his water.

“Well, that, and I just stopped liking it.” She said, “I guess I am kind of fickle like that.”

“That’s not being fickle; you did it for a good thirteen years.”

“That’s true.”

“Where did you go to college?”

“Wharton.” She said, “Both of my parents went there.”

“Ahh…Wharton is amazing.” He said, clearly impressed.

“Where did you go?”

“Nowhere.” He said, “Being on tour doesn’t really give a lot of time to do the academic thing…I graduated high school through my tutor and that’s where it ended for me.”

“College is an amazing experience; I feel bad that you missed it.”

“Yeah, sometimes I regret it, but then I look back on what I've done instead, and I clearly see why I didn’t go. I got to travel the world with my best friends; I had a great time, and I made like a ridiculous amount of money doing it.”

She smiled, “Good for you.”

“I know,” he said, “Money changes everything.”

She nodded, “It’s expensive to be so rich.”

He laughed warmly, “Hell yeah, it is. Wait a second, though. I hate talking about money, but how did you come into it?”

“My great grandfather was one of the first to break into the stock market with oil and steel in the late eighteen hundreds,” she explained, “My grandfather carried on the legacy, but my father didn’t get so much into the actual business, rather he took more of the physical stock part of the company, dealing with investors and everything; besides that, my grandfather had a lot of other good investments, and when he passed away, like, fifty years ago, he left it all to my father, on top of all the really profitable investments that we already had.”

“I see.” He said.

“Yes.” She said, “So, while I do have a trust fund and an allowance, I’m not out parading around like some other trust fund babies.”

He laughed, “Yeah, I didn’t peg you as the sex tape kind.”

She laughed out loud, “I’m flattered.”

“You're a lot more refined that that.” He said, “I actually have to admit that when I’m around you, I really try and be proper…not that I’m usually not, but being around you makes me wanna get my act together.”

She giggled and sipped her water, “Well thank you. You're just full of compliments now aren't you?’

“Oh, yeah.” He smiled, “So how was Paris?”

“Oh, lovely, I guess. I had a better time shopping than I actually did at the party I went to.” She said, “I love Paris. It’s turning fall over there, so the leaves are changing and all. It is just beautiful. Have you been to Paris?”

“A couple times,” he said nonchalantly, “I don't speak very good French.”

She laughed, “My mother is French and so was my nanny; I grew up speaking it.”

“Of course,” he chuckled, “So you're a born and bred New Yorker?”

“Absolutely.” She said, “I lived in the same high rise up until I went to college. I love New York; I love the seasons…just, everything about it. You're an LA person, aren't you? I don't know how any one could compare LA to New York. It just isn't possible.”

He smiled as the waiter brought their frozen hot chocolate to the table; they agreed to get one and share it, since it came with two straws anyway. “This is so amazing.”

She nodded and smiled as she sipped.

“LA, though,” he said, “Is just a totally different kind of vibe.”

“Yeah; the air smells like silicone and smog.”

He laughed, “Pretty much, but that’s what it makes it unique. Like in LA, the vibe is so…like, free. Like you just do what to do. Here, though, if you're out, you're out and there’s no way to get in.”

She giggled, “You said it, not me.”

“Did I already mention how gorgeous you look tonight?”

She smiled, “Yes, but not with that adjective.”

“Well, there’s only so many words I can use,” he smiled, “Beautiful, stellar, gorgeous, amazing, hot, classic…let’s see, what else is there? Oh yeah, knockout. Did I mention that you are a total knockout?”

She laughed warmly as she sipped the iced hot chocolate from her straw, nodding. “I think so, but you shouldn’t hesitate to tell me again.”

“This iced hot chocolate is seriously whooping my ass, and it’s that much better because I’m sharing it with you.”

She smiled at him, leaning closer towards him. He smiled and she could smell the sweet chocolate on his breath. Now, Aubrey was not the type for any kind of PDA; she rarely liked to even hug people in public, let alone kiss some boy in the back of Serendipity over a gigantic serving of iced hot chocolate.

He smiled and she leaned in to kiss him. That first kiss told her pretty much everything she wanted to intimately know about him.

He pulled back a minute later and smiled at her, kissing the corner of her mouth, “That was the best kiss ever. I swear. On my top ten list, you're numbers one through ten.”

She nodded, kissing him on the cheek back, “Totally ditto.”

He laughed as they both sipped their respective straws. Aubrey’s mind was blown; he couldn’t get up for his legs were weakened by her touch. This was all too good to be true.

He smiled at her as they kept sipping the frozen hot chocolate. He finished it off after she proclaimed she couldn’t drink anymore. He laughed at her and finished what was left.

He paid the check and grabbed her hand. They did end up taking a car back to Aubrey’s house; it wasn’t that her feet hurt, it was that she was tired and jet lagged and just didn’t feel like walking eight blocks home.

Like the gentlemen he was, he walked her up to her penthouse on the top floor. When he picked her up, he should have known she was a Park Avenue Princess; she lived in the top floor penthouse.

“Thank you for everything,” she said, “I had a fabulous time. We have to do this again.”

“Absolutely.” He agreed enthusiastically, “I’ll drop everything for you.”

She laughed, “I would invite you in, but…”

He nodded, “Why rush a good thing?”

She smiled and kissed him on the lips, “You are amazing.”

He smiled and kissed her back, “I should get going.”

“Wait…well…what are you doing tomorrow?”

He laughed warmly, “Well, whatever you're doing.”

“Are you free for dinner?”

“I am.” He replied, “You pick this time.”

She smiled, “I feel honored – I get to pick the restaurant?”

“Yup.” He smiled, “Anywhere you wanna go.”

“Okay.” She said, already conjuring up ideas in her head, “I will see you tomorrow. Pick me up at seven?”

“Seven, yes.” He replied, “Good night, Aubrey.”

She smiled and pecked him on the lips one last time. “Good night.”