The Way We Were

September Fourteenth

The next morning, I was awaken by all the commotion going on outside. I yawned as I pulled my body up and leaned on my elbows looking around the room. Caleb wasn't in bed, I assumed he was either downstairs or outside, so I got up and grabbed my robe and put it on. I walked from the bed to the window, pushing aside the curtain to look out. There was a large group of delivery men bring in props and decorations, which I also assumed was for the wedding.

The door opened and I turned around to see Caleb coming in. He held a small bunch of wild flowers and a Starbucks coffee. I smiled.

"When did you get up?" He asked, smiling back, closing the door behind him.

"Just now. All the noise outside woke me up." I replied.

"Yeah, the stuff for the wedding is getting all set up now." He walked up to me and gave me a kiss. "I brought you these."

I smiled and kissed him back. "Thanks."

"I love you." He quietly spoke. I put down the coffee and wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him again. "I love you too."

"Wanna go downstairs?" He asked.

"Yeah." I picked up my coffee again and held his hand as we left the room and down the stairs.

"Finally you're awake! We have so much to do!" Chanel grinned, she was holding a clipboard and pen.

"Can't I just enjoy my coffee and fiancé?" I laughed.

"No! You have much more important things to do first!" She laughed. Caleb started to laugh as he shook his head. "Thanks Chanel."

"I'm sorry, but Audrey in case you haven't you noticed, you're getting married tomorrow, guest r.s.v.p's are coming in like crazy, your agent is calling, everyone is trying to get a hold of you!" She held her head.

I started to laugh and sighed, "Fine, why is my agent calling?" I asked.

I don't know, you should call him." She shrugged her shoulders, handing my phone to me. I skimmed through the missed texts and calls, and called my agent.

"Ari Emanuel, who's calling?" He answered.

"Ari, it's Audrey. Chanel told me that you've been trying to get ahold of me?"

"Ah yes, babe, I've got some good news and some bad news. I'll tell you the bad news first; Marie Antoinette has been post-poned till the Spring of next year, there was a freak snow storm in Versailles, and weather reports are saying that France is in for a nasty winter."

"Post-poned?" I sighed, "That really sucks, I was really looking forward to that." I walked into the kitchen for some privacy.

"But! My dear, Factory Girl is starting earlier, so everything works out! The first production meeting is in October, so when you come back from finishing the Marilyn film, you're gonna be doing Factory Girl right after."

"Really?" I smiled.

"And babe, it's in New York. Your home!" He laughed.

"Wow, that really is perfect! Thanks Ari, I'm happy again!" I laughed.

"But, we also need to talk about your music." He said it in a sing-song tone. I rolled my eyes. My record label has been on my case about releasing a new album, or even a new song.

"Yes Ari, I know." I sighed.

"Babe, Interscope is just asking you to at least give them a yes or no on a new record." He replied.

"I know, but Ari, I've been swamped with Versace and all this other stuff...I'm suffering from writer's block. I just don't have inspiration anymore." I looked over to where Caleb and everyone else were.

"You have two weeks Audrey. Write a song, at least try to. If it's good, give Interscope a yes. But babe, I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow, don't forget about Factory Girl, and Interscope. Love you, see you in 24 hours." He ended the phone call.

I sighed and hung up. I walked out to the living room. "Okay Chanel, what do I have to do?"

"Okay, tonight, we all have to rehearse the wedding procession and all that jazz, you need to direct the decorators and tell them what exactly your vision is.

"My vision? My vision is earthy elegant. They should get that." I smirked.

"C'mon, let's go outside." She linked her arm with mine and pulled me outside toward the decorators and moving men.

"Well, I want the ceremony in the willow tree forest. I want white magnolias everywhere, and clear white lights hanging and streamed along and through the trees. And paper lanterns, white and dark purple ones, for the wedding colour. White chairs, draped in a white chair covers with a purple ribbon wrapped around it. I just want it to be elegant but still very natural and earthy. Lots and lots of flowers, and the willows will look amazing." I smiled, looking around.

"Perfect!" Chanel practically yelled. "Did you hear that guys? Elegant and earthy!" She walked off toward them. I just laughed and turned around, bumping into Nikolas.

"Oh, sorry Nik." I laughed.

"Sorry." He laughed, "It looks like Chanel has everything under control."

"Yeah, she's a force to be reckoned with." I smiled, watching her direct the workers.

"I was actually wondering if we talk about the club." He smiled.

"Yeah of course!" I replied. Nikolas and I had recently bought the old Studio 54 and decided that we'd go into business together and open up a club of our own. We've been drawing up floor plans and sketches and putting pictures together of what we wanted it to be. Our ideas are pretty stellar and we hope that the club will exceed our expectations. We plan on opening it before or on Halloween. Depending on what our contractor can do.

"The contractor called me and said that they've already started on the club." He grinned.

"No way! Really?" I smiled.

"Yeah, so they're gonna find us samples of the furniture we want, they really want our input. They said they're gonna stay as close to our ideas as possible. They just need a name now." He said, stretching and fixing his shirt.

"That's so mundane." I lightly laughed, running my fingers through my hair.

"Do you wanna go for a walk? See if we can come up with something?" He asked.

"Yeah, let's go." I smiled.



Nikolas and I had been gone for a long time. We had been sitting out in one of the fields for maybe an hour or more; he brought along his guitar and we smoked cigarettes as we just talked and laughed.

"So my agent is on my case about releasing a new record." I sighed, tapping the ashes from the end of the cigarette.

"So then why don't you release one?" He laughed, slightly coughing from inhaling the smoke.

"It's not that easy!" I laughed, "I just don't have inspiration anymore."

"What do you mean anymore? When did you lose it?" He asked.

I thought for a moment and looked around, making sure it was just the two of us. I began whispering, "I feel it started after Brian and I broke up. Last year."

"You mean Brian was your source of inspiration?"

"I don't know if he was my inspiration, but I don't have a muse. I don't have something that intrigues or inspires me. There's no passion anymore." I looked down and shook my head.

"Caleb doesn't inspire any music in you?" He slightly laughed as he began strumming the strings of the guitar.

I shook my head. "I mean I feel guilty! Should I? I mean, I love him and everything, but of all the boyfriends I've had, he's the first that I haven't written music about or was compelled to write anything. I feel awful."

He laughed again, "Audrey, don't feel guilty. I don't write all my songs about Edie. I've probably written maybe 3 or 4 songs either about or for her. Just because we're in serious relationships doesn't mean we have to write songs about it. Maybe you need to make your own inspiration."

"How?" I asked, picking at the grass and flowers.

"I don't know, reinvent yourself. Audrey Versace is the actress and designer. You need to find Audrey Cobain. Dude, maybe just make up some other name for yourself! Audrey, you're a method actress, you live in the lives of your character. Make up a character for yourself."

"You mean like an alter ego?" I furrowed my brow and kind of laughed at the idea.

"Exactly. You know how Beyonce had that whole Sasha Fierce thing going on? Give yourself an alter ego!" He grinned.

"What would I call myself?" I laughed, leaning back into the grass.

"I don't know, just pick a favourite something of yours."

"Food?" I bursted out laughing. He chuckled and shook his head, "No, not food...how 'bout a song?"

I thought for a moment, "I have a lot of favourite songs."

"Well just think about it for awhile. We need to focus on a name for the club now." He replied, flicking out his cigarette and then proceeding to lay down.

"I was thinking like Disco Heaven or something." I smiled.

"Isn't that one of your old songs?" He asked.

"Yeah, I love my older songs. They take me back." I looked off into the distance, making it seem dramatic. I just laughed at myself.

"I like it, but what about something like, The Factory or Haus of something...Haus spelled h-a-u-s." He replied.

"The Factory is cool, I really like that. But the Haus thing is cool. But not anything like Haus of Versace right?"

"No never, people will think it's part of the design house. Haus of-" He couldn't think of anything.

"Trying to find names for someone or something is so boring." I lightly laughed.

Nikolas was silent for a long time, thinking hard about names until he suddenly sat up and looked at me. "Sing the beginning of Bad Romance."

"What? Why?" I laughed.

"Just sing, I'll tell you when to stop." He urged.

I cleared my throat. "Um, okay...Oh-oh-oh Oh--Oh oh oh, caught in a bad romance.
Oh-oh-oh Oh--Oh oh oh, caught in a bad romance.
Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah
Roma-roma-mamaa!
Gaga-ooh-la-la!
Want your bad romance-"

"Stop. Now sing the beginning of Eh Eh, Nothing Else I Can Say." He quickly said.

"Nikolas, this is ridicu-"

"Just sing, please. I'll explain later." He sighed.

I sighed and then proceeded to sing again, "Cherry cherry, boom boom, Gaga-"

"Stop. Now what is it you say in the beginning of your song Monster?" He smiled.

"Don't call me Gaga, I've never seen one like that before." I replied. "Nik, why are you making me sing and do all this?"

"Don't you see? It's Gaga. That's it. That's the name of the club, and that is your new name. Gaga." He grinned.

"Gaga?" I repeated, thinking about it.

"Where did you get that from? When you released your first record, in almost every song, you'd say or sing it. Where and why did you start using it?" He asked.

I thought for a moment, "I got it from Queen's song Radio GaGa. Lee and I listened to Queen all the time and that was one of my favourite songs. I just started saying it I guess." I chuckled.

"And that is it! The club's name is going to be Haus of Gaga! And you will be Gaga!" He was really getting ecstatic about this.

I just smiled, "But doesn't Gaga just sound too simple? There should be something else in front of it. Miss, Mrs., Queen..."

"Gaga, Duchess of New York?" He laughed.

"Lady. What about Lady Gaga?" I smiled.

He smiled back and was silent. He nodded his head just smiled. "That's it." He whispered. "We have found names for our future. Now, Lady Gaga will write music for her and only her, Audrey Cobain is gone."

I smiled and sat up on my knees, outstretching my arms to hug him. "When I come back from England, I will be a new person."