Singularly happy

Oh, to be young, single, beautiful and loaded! Aubrey Miles is all these. And she’s not letting the grass grow under her feet to enjoy her single blessedness to the hilt.

Aubrey’s basking in the attention Troy Montero is showering oh-so-generously on her.

"He may be an Amboy (American boy), but his values are Filipino," gushes Aubrey. "He’s the complete gentleman – never pushy about his intentions. I always have my way with him. For instance, when we are supposed to go somewhere and I suddenly have to attend to something, he never complains. I’m also that way with him. I understand. "

But while admitting that she finds her rumored boyfriend extremely attractive, Aubrey vehemently denies they have gone as far as living in, months after they became close on the set of Maalaala Mo Kaya. They can even go to the house she shares with seven of her relatives and see for themselves, Aubrey challenges doubting Thomases.

"I’m afraid of being left alone," Aubrey explains her misgivings about living in. "The guy might leave me out in the cold."

Perhaps she has been so traumatized by her own parents’ separation – her father abandoned them when she was 16 – that Aubrey is wary of living under one roof with a man.

But she’s not afraid to love. Aubrey says she gives nothing short of unconditional love the minute she sets her mind to it. That’s why it takes her a long time to finally say "yes" to a suitor.

Pets, it seems, make better companions for her at the moment. Aubrey has a Husky she calls Dreams, which she can’t find time to accompany for a perm in a salon. In-between promoting Regal Entertainment’s Singles, taping ABS-CBN’s Home Along da Airport and reading the script for her upcoming Gil Portes project, A Beautiful Life, Aubrey hardly has time to sleep.

But she’s not complaining. The roles she is getting are calculated to leave a strong impression on moviegoers. In Singles, she is Susie, the practical working woman who seduces men.

Aubrey, who has played seductress many times, says she misses playing such roles after being cast in the youth-oriented Kuya with the likes of Oyo Boy Sotto (her co-star in Singles), Richard Gutierrez and others.

Two years in showbiz and seven movies to boot have given Aubrey the confidence to advise aspiring young stars about behavior on the set.

"I tell them to relax, and not to let my presence intimidate them," reports Aubrey. Obviously, she’s not comfortable about her younger co-stars’ uneasiness towards her on the set. Aubrey would rather be friends with everybody, even those who regard her as some sort of hard-to-negotiate obstacle course.

After all, Aubrey knew how it was to be green in the ears –a sophomore voice student taking her first tentative steps in showbiz. Back then, it was she doing the adjusting, she who had her doubts and fears.

Today, those ifs and buts are gone. Aubrey is even thinking of branching out into other areas of shwobiz.

"I’m a visual person, and I have ideas about shows which I have suggested to my directors," reveals Aubrey.

Experience has given Aubrey the confidence to conduct mini 101s about showbiz to aspiring young stars.

On the set of Kuya, Aubrey told her younger co-stars to "Relax, and not let my presence intimidate them." Seeing how the young ones are afraid to go near her can be unsettling. So Aubrey is the first to help them overcome their fears.

After all, Aubrey knows how it is to be green in the ears as far as showbiz is concerned and feel tense about it. Back then, she was a sophomore voice student who had her usual doubts and fears which she confided to her manager, Dondon Monteverde.

Today, those ifs and buts are gone. In fact, Aubrey has even thought of branching out into fields beyond showbiz. One of her pet projects is a business with good friend Ara Mina, also a co-star in Singles.

"The idea came up during one of those shooting lulls," says Aubrey. "I won’t tell exactly what kind of business it is, but it will be something that has to do with good grooming. And we’re using both our names — AM — for the business."

The grand launch for the business, continues Aubrey, will be in July or August.

"That’s better than just putting money in time deposit," mulls Aubrey.

Another offshoot of those frequent conversations with Ara is a plan to manage talents someday. Aubrey figured that if Ara can manage her younger sister’s showbiz career, she (Aubrey) too, can. But a name has yet to crop up, and Aubrey is in no hurry.

Still another uncharted, but exciting field for the 22-year-old Aubrey is directing concerts. Aubrey is brimming with ideas about such things as production design.

"I’ve tried suggesting ideas to my directors, and happily, they’ve adopted them," Aubrey says with unabashed pride. So she plans to start applying her ideas on future shows of hers.

Is Aubrey this driven because she has found an inspiration in the 31-year-old Troy?

"We’re okay and I’ve had a crush on him since he entered showbiz," Aubrey admits. But, like most people, Aubrey’s driving force is still her family.

"I asked my mom to stop working since she has problems with her uterus," relates Aubrey, who also gave her mother another gift – a car of her own.

"I feel good sharing what I have with my family," she adds.

Now, she’s seriously mulling the possibility of buying the five-bedroom house her family is renting in Corinthian Hills. And, in the remote possibility that her schedule will allow it, Aubrey plans to go back to school — not to finish her course at the Conservatory of Music, but to take up business administration to complement her sister’s course — marketing.

At the rate she’s going, Aubrey Miles has every reason to stay as she is — single, and having a ball every minute of her life.