One At A Time

*Aubrey Plaza*

#24: Apologies, Aubrey, and Instagram Live

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Y/N's POV

The early afternoon sun filtered through the curtains, casting golden light across the apartment. I sat at the small kitchen table, scrolling through my phone, waiting for Aubrey to get home from her filming. She’d been on set for the better part of the week, and the grueling hours were starting to take their toll—not just on her but on us.

We hadn’t had much time together lately. Between my music commitments and her shooting schedule, the moments we spent in each other’s company were rushed, fleeting. But tonight, I thought, things would be different. She’d promised we’d have dinner, maybe even a little time to relax before I had to hop on Instagram Live to promote my new single. I missed her—missed us—so much it physically hurt sometimes.

The sound of keys jingling snapped me out of my thoughts, and the door clicked open. Aubrey stepped inside, looking as tired as I’d ever seen her. She didn’t smile, didn’t say anything as she dropped her bag on the floor and headed straight to the kitchen.

“Hey, babe,” I said, my voice hopeful, trying to get her to acknowledge me. “You’re finally home.”

She didn’t even look at me. Instead, she yanked the fridge open, grabbed a bottle of water, and slammed the door shut harder than necessary.

I blinked at the sudden tension in the air, already feeling the weight of it settle on my chest. “Long day?”

Aubrey exhaled loudly, her movements sharp as she twisted the cap off the bottle and took a long drink. “You could say that.”

Her tone was short, clipped, and my heart sank. Something was wrong. “Anything I can do to help?”

She finally turned to look at me, her dark eyes flashing with irritation. “Can you just…not? I need a minute, Y/N. Can you just give me some space?”

The words stung, sharper than I expected. Aubrey rarely ever snapped at me, but today she seemed like a completely different person. I could feel the lump forming in my throat, but I swallowed it down, forcing myself to stay calm.

“Okay,” I said softly, giving her the space she clearly needed.

Without another word, she left the kitchen and disappeared into the living room. I stood there for a moment, frozen in place, trying to make sense of what had just happened. It wasn’t like her to be so harsh. Sure, we’d had our disagreements before, but this…this was different.

I sat back down at the table, staring blankly at my phone, my fingers hovering over the screen as I debated whether or not to send her a message. But what would I even say? She was clearly overwhelmed, and maybe I had pushed her too soon after she got home.

Hours ticked by slowly, and my live session was creeping up on me. The thought of going live after what had just happened felt like the last thing I wanted to do, but I had commitments. I had fans waiting. I couldn’t let them down.

Finally, the time came. I set up my phone on the small tripod in the living room, trying to shake off the residual heaviness that still lingered from our earlier interaction. I didn’t want to bring that energy into the live session. I wanted it to be fun, positive—something to distract myself, if only for a little while.

The moment I hit “Go Live,” a flood of comments and hearts filled the screen.

“Hey, everyone!” I said, putting on my best smile, even though a part of me still ached from what had happened with Aubrey. “Thanks for joining me today! I’m so excited to talk about my new single with you all.”