50 Shades of Drake 1 and 2

50SOD II: Chapter Seventeen

    Robyn. Like the bird, but with a "Y." Beautiful. Regal. Exotic. Certified pop princess who went by her edgier middle name. In that regard, they were alike. Right off the bat, a similarity. Light skin, long reddish hair, hazel eyes, tall. Lean but thick where it counted. She knew how to play up to the cameras, knew how to come off as being this innocent, doe-eyed little thing. But she had a fiery personality to anyone who knew how to spark it.

    She played the innocent role for years. He used to wonder if she was ever that innocent ingenue she seemed to be when the cameras were rolling. There was nothing innocent about her by the time he met her. She was a firecracker. And when you recklessly played with firecrackers without educating yourself on how firecrackers should be played with, injuries were bound to happen.

    Their relationship started off casually. Her request, not his. When he was first starting out as a rapper, she was the first A-list star to give him the time of day. Early on, that had been a huge appeal for him. He blamed that on the industry. When you are the hottest new artist in the game, it becomes difficult to tell who wants to get to know you for you, and who wants to get to know you so they can take advantage of you. But with an A-list star who has their own name, their own fame, and their own shit together, it's quite simple. An A-list star doesn't generally need to use someone else to their advantage. They gain their own advantages. Which would mean, by default, that if an A-list star is trying to get to know you, they're trying to get to know you for you. That was his thought process, anyway.

    She gave him a little bit of attention. In those days, he was a sucker for it. A little bit went a long way. He took whatever attention she was willing to give him and he didn't complain. She didn't take him seriously in the beginning. He couldn't blame her. Even at the start of his career, he'd been rumored to be with several B-, C-, and D-list female celebrities. He was rumored to be a playboy. Truth be told, in those days he wore his heart on his sleeve - but from the gossip columns, you wouldn't know it. Gossip columns painted him out to be the biggest player out there. Most likely, his boyish good looks, witty charm, and trademark sense of style had something to do with that.

    Whatever the reason, Robyn didn't take him seriously at first. She kept things casual. Light-hearted. "No titles," she said in her Barbadian accent. "No titles, no worries." They were both allowed to see other people. And they both did see other people. She volleyed back and forth between him and a popular R&B singer at the time. When her relationship with the R&B singer turned serious, she didn't stop seeing Aubrey. And in truth, that was red flag number one.

    He had his own crash-and-burn relationships going on at the time. But there was something about Robyn. His Robyn. There was something about her that he couldn't shake. She didn't put up with any bullshit from him. That was something that he loved about her. In a world where you could have literally just about any woman you set your eyes on, it was a good feeling to know that there was a woman, or women that still existed who could tell you "No." And his Robyn, his firecracker, didn't hesitate to tell him "No." She didn't hesitate to keep him in check. She didn't hesitate to let him know whenever he stepped out of bounds.

    It wasn't long before he became addicted to that. It wasn't long before he needed that in his life. That was where things get a bit murky, because at this point in time, he was no longer satisfied with just being a casual acquaintance. At this point in time, he wanted something more serious with her.

    Her relationship with the R&B singer hit a rocky road. Aubrey had an in. He had a shot, and he didn't waste it. He was there for her. A support system that came with sexual healing. They tried their hand at a relationship. The industry, along with their own personality flaws, got in the way. Some of his friends were for the relationship, while others felt that she was a bad influence on him. She was a bit on the wild side, you see. Experimental in nature. An extremely free spirit. She would try most things once. If she liked it, she would try most things more than once.

    Back in those days, Aubrey was a chameleon. Highly adaptable to the environment and people around him. Absorbed their bad habits, and their good ones. The bad habits seemed to be the ones that lasted, though.

    They tried their hand at a relationship, but there was too much working against them. For starters, she kept an open line of communication with her ex, the R&B singer who'd gotten violent with her. She still visited him on occasion, including when he was locked up. Which never sat right with Aubrey. He requested for her to stop communicating with her ex. Out of respect for him. He didn't think that the request was outlandish.

    But then again, she was a free spirit, remember? Free spirits didn't like being told what to do. That one request was the end all. Their relationship ended. Mutually. They were civil about it, still praised each other in interviews. But more than a year would pass before they gave it another shot.

    Whey they gave it another shot, their time together was amazing. This time, they hid their romance from the public. Each one would drop a hint here or there. He would drop a song with lyrics that referred to her in a vague way. She would show up to his Coachella performance or one of his concerts and upload a video to her Instagram, a video where she was singing and dancing in the audience to one of his songs. But mum was the word in terms of interviews. Keep everyone guessing.

    It worked. For a long time, it worked. They were able to live in a bubble unharmed by gossip columns. She was a wild child who was working on herself, trying to tame her own wild ways. Being around him seemed to help with that. He was, in essence, her stabilizer.

    So, what, you may ask, would ruin such a beautiful relationship? If you're able to keep the press and the public out of your business, and just enjoy each other, what could possibly go wrong?

    The answer to that question is a lot more simple than you might think. Because, you see, his little Robyn had quite the addiction.