A/N: Enjoyed reading the comments for that delightful first date!
Guess my secret for writing Alice and Becky is that they are a tad younger than Jade and Tori are in typical high school JORI stories. So, I lean toward making them more awkward and adorable. They don't have that one foot in the adult world yet, but they are straying away from being simply "kids."
Each update I put out now is kind of wistful because we are winding things down and reaching conclusions!
Little shorter than I wanted this chapter, but this week has been surprisingly hectic.
Weather finally broke so the heat has buggered off and leaves are falling; now I feel SPOOKY SEASON is upon us!
Mia was returning home from a lunch date with Ryan before he had to go back to work. She waved at Jenna and Billy in the store briefly as they were occupied with customers. Ascending the access stairs to the apartment, she heard some familiar voices. Miles was seen sitting on the couch laughing with her mom's old friend, Andre.
"Hey, there she is!" the uncle acknowledged. "How we look downstairs?"
"Um, a few people but it's pretty quiet," Mia replied.
When company came around, Miles excused himself for a bit to say hi and catch up.
"Well, better get back. You take care, 'Dre and thanks."
Miles smiled as he touched his niece's shoulder on the way back down.
"Thanks for what?" she pondered to herself.
Suddenly, the wind was knocked out of her when another familiar voice wrapped her arms around her.
"BABY GIRL!"
"Oh..." the teen groaned. "Aunt Trina!"
The woman released the girl and regarded her.
"Still a knockout."
"Treen!" chided Tori. "Can you let my daughter get settled in. Barely two feet in the door and you pounce on her."
Trina frowned as she smushed her face against the reluctant Mia.
"It's a CRIME that I only see this wittle face now and then!"
The older sister finally relinquished the tall girl, and she sat down in the chair. Trina joined Andre on the couch.
"What brings you guys here?" Mia asked.
"Some big news!" Andre nodded with a smile.
Mia looked at her mother, waiting for the tea.
"Remember that potential buyer I was talking about?"
Her daughter nodded.
The musician pointed up like he was bidding at an auction.
"You? Really?" Mia titled her head. "Why?"
"My label keeps getting on my back about time off!" Andre began. "They're more interested in sending me to this way and that. I tell them I need a few days with family and friends back home. I convinced them to let me off more often if I got my own space in L.A. So, if inspiration strikes, I can go compose and record."
Mia blinked, blown away.
"So, you're gonna turn up here into a studio?"
"It's more than that," Trina explained. "It'll be a respite from all the traveling, too. So, when we blow back into town, we'll have a place of our own."
The aunt reached over and touched Mia's knee.
"Best of all, we'll be closer to the people we love...and also Jade."
"Hey!" pointed Tori.
Andre laughed, slapping the back of the couch.
"Beats some stuffy hotel. We've seen more than our share of those, and that tour bus makes you claustrophobic after a while." He stretched and put his arm around his lady. "We could use a quiet little slice of domesticity...with some state-of-the-art equipment of course."
Trina kissed his cheek.
"By the way, Tor...how was that survey by the city?" he asked.
"Don't worry, 'Dre" the Latina smiled. "This building can more than handle your power needs."
Trina shrugged.
"Hey, we don't need to overload the grid, okay!"
"Can't have my fiancée reading in the dark," Andre smirked.
Mia gasped and she glanced at Tori for confirmation.
"Are you serious?"
Her aunt proved it by showing the diamond ring.
"No way!"
"How's that for keeping this place in the family?" Tori grinned.
Both Mia and Trina got up at the same time to hug.
"Congratulations!"
"Thanks!"
She looked over at Andre and smiled.
"Guess I have a new uncle now, huh?"
He stood up and mussed up Mia's hair into a mess that obscured her face.
"Uncle Andre" he said, trying it out. "Or, maybe...Undre...no, that sucks. I got it! Call me Uncle Dre!"
Tori's face lit up.
"Ooh! I like that!"
"Come on!" grinned Trina with a pull of the hand of her temporarily blinded niece. "Come into the kitchen. The light's WAY better; you've got to see this rock!"
The old friends just looked at one another, chuckling.
"So, you're sure about all of this?" Tori asked.
Andre raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"You really want to live above a music store?" Tori folded her arms.
He shrugged.
"Oh, yeah, ever since I was four years old."
Tori eyed him.
"It might not be big enough...down the road."
Andre shook his head.
"Oh, hell no, chica. We already discussed it. We decided we don't want kids. Believe me, we love being the aunt and uncle. That life's just not for us."
He nudged her arm.
"But I'm glad it worked out for you because that is one cool kid you've got."
"Thanks, Dre" Tori sighed.
They hugged and just held on for a bit.
Tori and Andre were tight from the very beginning. He never wavered from being one of her dearest friends. They went their separate ways professionally and personally but like family does, they always find their way back to each other. Before, Tori only saw him and her sister as often as her parents. It was going to be awesome that they will have more reason to stop in Los Angeles and be able to hang around longer.
This idea was percolating in the back of Andre's head for months and he was actively looking in the West Hollywood area, but he couldn't find anything available that suited his needs. And when he did come across what could be a viable recording space, he would still have to find accommodations for him and Trina to stay. This was the best of both worlds. For years, they were always on the road going from studio to studio, venue to venue, hotel to hotel. They only experience that feeling of home when visiting their friends and family.
Now with this place, they could take root for once. It was the closest thing they had to something they could call "home."
Andre was already brainstorming. He and Trina would overtake the master bedroom, naturally. Meanwhile, Mia's old bedroom would be turned into a recording booth. It wasn't too big or too small. And they would have to line the walls with sound-proofing material. Much of the apartment would be relatively intact, kitchen and living room to function as normally. They really wanted to maintain all of the accoutrements of a living space. Over by the wall that Andre was looking at right now could be a good spot for a desk, which would house a computer and a mixing board for editing.
And it wasn't unusual to have a piano in the living room, even if you weren't a musician by trade. He could picture this and while it wasn't what he expected in his youth; Andre was happy the way the chips fell. Making music was something he could see himself doing for the rest of his life. And even more unexpected, Trina Vega (his best friend's big sister) he could see growing old with. Life threw the man some curves but looking back, he wouldn't have it any other way.
"Our strange family just keep growing," Tori smiled, shedding tears of joy.
"And getting stronger," Andre added. "Should I stop calling you chica? Is hermana more appropriate?"
Tori's grip tightened.
"Never stop calling me chica!"
Mia and Trina could be heard laughing and carrying on as they returned from the kitchen.
"Really? The projectionist was a peeping tom? Gross!"
"What are you guys talking about?" asked Tori.
Mia stiffened and her eyes darted toward her auntie.
"Oh, nothing!" Trina waved her hand. "Just showing Mia something I saw on TikTok."
She turned back to Mia when nobody was looking and gave her a wink.
(Don't worry, Baby Girl! I've got your back.)
"Hey, mom?" Mia scrunched up her face. "Does this mean we can still have parties on the roof? Like New Years?"
"Absolutely!" the tan woman beamed.
Andre folded his arms with a grin.
"Just don't ask me to DJ or anything! I want to party, too."
It truly was a perfect arrangement because of the presence of the record shop. Andre being seen around it wouldn't be weird. If asked, he would say the store was co-owned by an old friend. That way, he can keep his little hideaway on the down low. Andre adored his fans, and he made sure to be the best when he was around them, either at concerts or even a kid asking for his autograph at a restaurant. But the man needed to get away from it all when he wanted to.
He felt a sense of pride, keeping this building's connection to music alive. This store originally founded by the son of a celebrated jazz musician, to have it revived for the next generation of music lovers was great. And now he would be right above it, representing the latest line of music makers. It just made so much sense. Tori told Andre in the past that Sam was cautious around new pop music, being more of a curator of the old school. Andre hoped that if Sam were around, he would appreciate the music he makes in the years to come. Dre liked mixing and matching genres: R&B, rock, rap, techno, anything to make something new and exciting.
And it was rather poetic that both Sam and Andre asked a Vega woman to marry them. Tori wished with all of her heart that those two get many more years together. It boggled her mind how she never envisioned them as an item and now they were together, they matched so well.
Mia had reservations about the idea of moving when it came up, but she had softened to the idea when it was clear she didn't have to say goodbye completely to the old place. It would remain in some capacity. And she really did like her time living with Alice and Jade. Mia had the family she was born into and there was Alice's back in Massachusetts. What her and Alice started off with was special and the bad memories were worth the good ones they got. Now this new family unit, an amalgamation of the Vega-Larsons and the Wests, sounded really nice. And Mia prayed they would have much more good times than bad.
Andre and Trina walked to the kitchen discussing some ideas for their soon-to-be abode.
Tori smiled at her only child and kissed her on the temple.
"Are you crying, mom?"
"No," she sniffed with a smile. "Maybe."
Mia hugged her back.
"Here I thought I'd have to be strong for you."
"This place means a lot," the teen admitted. "But...it was you and dad that made it special."
Tori covered her mouth and gave into the tears. Mia was having a hard time keeping it together, holding tighter onto her mother.
"I love you so much, Mia. Not that I'm wishing kids on you or anything," she chuckled. "But I hope you feel a love this deep one day."
"I love you too, mom."
Mother and daughter were disconnected for a while, but their bond had rekindled this past year. Mia's breathing calmed while in her mom's arms. Something about her hugs since that time...they've gotten stronger. If Mia didn't know any better, it felt as though her dad was hugging her along with Tori.
A smile of serenity came across the tan girl's face.
A/N: I like how a lot of you guessed right, Andre moving in or turning the apartment into a studio. This was always the plan and I'm glad we were on the same page. Just made the most sense!