The Way We Were

October Seventh

"Sweetheart, it's time for school." An annoying voice was whispering in my ear as an annoying tapping was against my shoulder.

"Go away." I groaned as I turned over, half asleep.

"Audrey c'mon, you've been sleeping all morning. Nikl is gonna be here any second." Daniel laughed, shaking me awake.

"What are you talking about all morning?" I mumbled, opening my eyes slowly to see Daniel with a towel wrapped around his hair, presumably from taking a shower.

"You slept on the couch all night. I found you passed out with an empty bottle of red wine and a typewriter next to you." He grinned.

I sprung awake, sitting up abruptly. "I've got it back Daniel! Inspiration! What you said last night, you said "marry the night." And it set everything off. I wrote a song, you have to hear it!" I grabbed the sheets of paper with typewritten lyrics on them and ran to the piano.

"I even wrote music to it, but everything will be synthesized and this is just the piano version." I grinned, as I sat down and began playing the notes on the paper. But before I could even play anything, the door's buzzer went off. I sighed and got up going to answer it.

"Hello." I answered.

"It's Nik." Nikolas yawned.

"Come on up." I replied, buzzing the door. I unlocked the door and walked back into the living room where Daniel was already making himself at home, turning on the t.v and sprawled out on the couch.

"I thought we were supposed to be working on next season's sketches?" I smirked.

"Hold on, I'm just checking something." He chuckled, after flipping through channel after channel, he stopped on an channel that TMZ was on.

"Audrey Cobain was photographed sharing an intimate lighter flame with a co-star of her latest film, Factory Girl. As they cozy up, they share an intense and romantic gaze into each other's eyes. Will a Mr. Jack Huston become her new boy toy and should Caleb Followill, Audrey's Fiance, be concerned?"

"Who's Jack Huston?" Daniel growled, giving me the death glare.

"He's just a co-star, and my neighbor. He lives downstairs." I shrugged my shoulders.

"Who lives downstairs?" Nikolas walked in and shut the door after himself.

"No one. C'mon, let's get started." I shook my head, going to greet Nik with a hug.

"Audrey's got a boyfriend." Daniel smirked.

"No I don't!" I hissed.

"Who?" Nikolas laughed.

"No one." I replied.

"Okay. Lack of communication; check. Leave Nikolas out of the loop; check. Are you guys gonna kick me out of Versace now? And you don't even notice my new suit." He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head, laughing.

"Say, check you out. What's this? A custom slim fit Gucci suit. You never where suits, let alone designer." I smiled, looking him up and down.

"It's part of my transformation. I introduce to you the "new" Nikolas." He smirked, turning around to show off his new look.

"I like it." I smiled.

"Same here." Daniel laughed.

"And you know, I've been living in the dark for so long I hadn't even noticed that my wardrobe was lacking style. If I want to be taken seriously, especially now working with you, I need to stop dressing like a commoner and dress like I'm supposed to. Elite." He smiled a devilish smile.

"Well Nikolas, you look amazing. It's such an improvement." I hugged him again before ushering him to the living room.

"What about you? Does Lady Gaga have any changes yet?" He smirked, unbuttoning his jacket before sitting down.

"Not yet. But she is writing music again." I grinned, "I wrote one last night, I stayed up all night to do it. It's beautiful."

"Well at least you both are having success with your transformations. I haven't done anything. I feel hopeless." Daniel sighed, laying down.

"Well, you are drinking again. That's...sort of a change." I laughed.

"What you need is a break from Chanel." Nikolas leaned back into the sofa after picking up a book of mine from the table and looking at the cover.

Daniel looked up at him. "What do you mean?"

Nikolas tossed the book back down on the table, "Oh please Daniel. This isn't Hemingway. You can't get away with being an androgynous couple all of the time. She's stealing your soul Daniel, you two need some separation, you're always together." Nikolas shook his head.

"What do you mean androgynous? Stealing my soul?" Daniel sat up, furious but at the same time worried.

"You two could not be more alike." Nikolas smirked, "you dress alike, act alike, sometimes you even talk alike."

"Dress alike? What is this Nikolas? What are you trying to say? What are all of these a-likes?" Daniel was frantic as Nikolas remained calm and kept his smirk.

"Are you really that naive Daniel? You dress to match or to compliment each other. Once, when she wore a Burberry skirt, you wore the matching pattern as a dress shirt. And Daniel, that hair, why is it when you decided to grow out your hair and dye it black, she coloured hers the same? And when you talk, your eloquence is equal to hers, the way you describe things or tell a story. The words, the mannerisms. There are definite similarities dear brother, I think you should watch yourself before Chanel has you both wearing the dresses."

Daniel was speechless, he looked at each of us and was without words.

"Now, Audrey do you have your sketches?" Nikolas asked.

"Yes." I smiled, getting up to go to my room. When I came back with my book, Daniel was still in shock until he looked at me.

"Is it really that bad?" He asked in a whispering voice.

I half-smiled, "You need to start being your own person Daniel. And especially start being your own man."

Daniel looked back to Nikolas and nodded, "You're right."

"Aren't I always?" Nikolas gave a short laugh.

"Then me and Chanel won't spend as much time together. And I'm cutting my hair! I need to be a man, I won't let anyone try to rule my life. No more matching outfits and stupid parties at country clubs. I will change." With a burning intensity in his eyes, Daniel smiled. That intensity was the same in Nikolas', 'though his was constant as of lately.

"Perfect." Nikolas smiled.