He sounded so unlike himself, so formal. There wasn’t an ounce of cockiness or confidence in his tone. It made me do a double-take because I wasn’t used to this kind of Julian. He looked…tired. “I can drive you both home after we finish up at the pier.”
It was a kind offer and that was all I could really do because the two words Theo wanted me to say wouldn’t really come out of my mouth even if I wanted it to. Julian looked at me for a brief moment and then shook his head. “It’s okay. I’ll call Carlos to pick us up or book an Uber.”
“You’re a famous person, do you honestly think it’s that easy to book an Uber without being bombarded, Julian?” I asked dryly.
He smirked- and admittedly, I was relieved to see that familiar smirk- and let out a dry chuckle. “In case you forgot, we live in LA. A bunch of famous people live here too. People seeing celebrities is just ordinary.”
Julian turned his back on me and was ready to look for a clean towel for Violet to use. He didn’t even know where it was but he seemed keen on finding it on his own. “I was being nice with the offer to drive you home. Why can’t you just accept it?”
He stopped and stood still for a moment and then slowly turned around to face me. “Oh, and another thing Audrey, our agreement ends here. There had been other companies lining up to get us to sign with them. I’d rather choose from that pool.”
I stood there, rooted in my spot as I stared at him in disbelief. I felt Theo put a hand on my shoulder, fully aware of how I was going to take Julian’s statement but I shrugged his hand off of me as my legs moved forward and my mouth cried out, “Why are you being such a dick?”
Maybe those words shouldn’t have left my mouth, especially the last one considering that Julian was already pissed at me. His eyes darkened and I watched as he took a deep breath, as if he was trying to calm himself. “Did you even want to sign our band because you think that we’re actually good? That you actually- truly- want us to be with your company? And not just because we’ve made a name for ourselves already or because we’re in need of a label to sign us with.”
Their band was good. Granted, Julian was charming and insanely attractive and the others had their fair share of good looks too but appearance aside, their music was good. I just didn’t have it in me to admit it. Before I could say anything, the sliding door opened again and a dripping Violet stood outside and looked at us with her big blue eyes.
“Uncle Jules,” her voice sounded so quiet as if she was regarding the argument and tension that surrounded us, “where’s my towel?”
Theo was the one who moved, and signaled Vi to give him a moment as he hurriedly made his way to the bathroom in the ground level and grabbed the extra towels I had stashed there. He gave those to Violet, and ushered Violet upstairs when she wasn’t dripping anymore so she could change and Violet didn’t complain.
“Are you really not gonna answer me?” Julian asked, snapping my attention back to him. The blue in his eyes looked intense and the gray one looked so pale that it almost looked white in the bright daylight.
It was then that it occurred to me the reason he may be upset. Surely nothing would be more upsetting for an artist to find out that the only reason they were being signed by a label was for a personal gain and not the seriousness of their music. For them, their music and songs were everything and if there was another reason why they were being signed, it was unacceptable.
And Julian was an artist, true and through.
“You guys already got through the industry because of your music…”
“That’s not the answer I’m looking for, Audrey.”
I looked at him with exasperation but before I could argue or even say another word, my phone rang and it echoed throughout the house. I took my phone from the charging dock I had placed it on, leaving Julian behind in the kitchen. It was a call from my Mom, so I quickly answered as I watched Julian head upstairs to check on Violet.
“Audrey? Audrey?” My eyebrows furrowed in confusion at Mom’s panicked voice.
“Mom? What’s wrong? Did something happen?” I could feel my own heartbeat racing in fear of what was going on.
“Your Dad. We had to rush him to the hospital. He…sweetie, please come.”
Suddenly, I felt as if I was doused with cold water. My system began to shut down and I felt numb and paralyzed with fear. I could faintly hear someone coming downstairs but I could barely turn to see who it was. Someone was calling my name but the fear that I felt kept me from responding as my mind conjured scenarios that weren’t ideal.
Someone took my phone from me and I saw Theo talking calmly on my phone and then ended the call. He placed both hands on my shoulder as he looked at me evenly. “I’ll go tell Julian we have to go to the hospital. They can borrow my car. I don’t really care. I’ll drive you to the hospital. Just give me five minutes, Audrey.”
I wasn’t really sure how I was meant to respond with the fear paralyzing me completely. A few months ago, Dad fainted in the middle of a meeting and it was then we found out that he had low potassium levels and was advised to have a diet that would boost the levels. He was given medication but it couldn’t be taken every day since apparently, potassium was a tricky electrolyte to deal with.
Too little levels could damage the heart and too much could result in the same thing. And that’s why Dad decided to step down from his position so he wasn’t too stressed and Mom could take care of him and his diet. He used to skip meals a lot and it was through his diet that we could make sure his potassium level would be normal.
I felt someone tap my shoulder gently and Theo was there again, nodding slowly at me while handing me a denim jacket. Julian and Audrey were downstairs too, and I could notice worry in Violet’s eyes while Julian seemed curious. Theo spoke to Julian in a low and even voice.
“You have my number. Just call me when you can get me back my car, Julian.”
Theo gently pulled me out of my house, unlocked my car and made sure I was seated and had my seatbelt on as he slid into the driver’s seat. I wasn’t sure where we were but halfway through the drive, I turned to Theo and asked. “Do you think he’ll be okay?”
He glanced at me briefly and flashed me a reassuring smile. “Of course, he is. Your Dad’s as strong as a horse, Audrey.”
I could only nod and desperately held onto my friend’s words for reassurance. When we finally arrived at the hospital and he led me to where my mother was. Mom sat in the waiting room, her head buried in her hands and she looked nowhere near her neat and regal appearance. Mom hailed from the Upper East Side of New York so she always looked like she had a million bucks.
“Mom?”
She looked up when she heard my voice. “Oh god, Audrey.”
I was wrapped in her embrace and neither of us said a word as we hugged each other. It took us another moment to finally let go and Mom led me to one of the seats. The worry was clear in my mother’s hazel eyes and her hand was tightly wrapped on a rosary as she closed her eyes and uttered another prayer, a free hand reaching for mine to hold.
Of all the things that I adored about my parents, it was how deeply and truly they were in love with each other. They met when Dad was vacationing in New York and was attending a high society ball. A guy born and raised in Los Angeles and a woman bred in the high society of New York. One would think they’d clash but I’d never witnessed a love as true as theirs.