Girls in High Places

Chapter Eleven

Voices floated in and out of her subconscious state, her lashes fluttering with the need to awaken from her stupor. She groaned and distinctly heard a faint ‘I think she’s waking up’ in the background. It was followed by a waft of warm breath against her face and she frowned in response, recognizing that familiar odor of her mom’s jerk chicken that Cameron liked so much.

“Yup! She’s waking up,” came another excited voice…why it should sound that way was beyond Stacy’s comprehension, but first, she had to force her lashes open at least.

“Mmm…” She blinked once…twice and took note of her surroundings. She was lying on her mother’s bed, and as she turned her head to the left, she could see her sister grinning like she had just won the lottery.

“Are you awake now?” Lisa asked and Cameron’s voice – at the other side of the bed – retorted with a sneer.

“You can see she is, Lisa! What’s wrong with you?”

“Let’s tell Mom and Michael!” Lisa cried out and before Stacy could ask who this ‘Michael’ was; her sister had already bolted from the room.

Michael…

Of course. She had dreamed of meeting Michael in front of the grocery store. He was wearing some bum-like disguise and had said something about wanting to see her again. It was no big surprise that she had plenty of dreams that revolved around the Jackson 5 lead singer, in the past, but none had been as vivid and real as that. In fact, it had felt so real; she was still hearing his voice in her subconscious. He seemed to be saying something like…

“…not sure if she’s still upset with me…”

And she could hear her mother’s loud voice going, “You don’ worry about dat now, Michael. She be fine when she see you ain’t a dream after all.”

They walked into the room together with Michael looking a bit sheepish as he hovered behind her mother’s form. He was out of his disguise and without the heavy coat and ridiculous hat and sunglasses; he was the same, handsome young man she had fallen head over heels for. She felt her entire being flood with heat as their eyes met, her stomach fluttering with a thousand butterflies and her heart…oh more than likely to beat right out of her chest if she didn’t look away soon. Breathing was becoming difficult again.

“How you be, baby girl?” her mother asked, walking closer to place a hand against her forehead. She smirked knowingly and removed it, snapping her fingers as she motioned to her younger offspring. “All right, Lisa…Cameron…enough with de gawkin’! Help me git dinner ready, eh? We leave them two alone.”

“Why?” Lisa pouted, not wanting to let Michael out of her sight for one second. Like her big sister, she too was a huge fan of the Jackson 5. So maybe she liked Randy a bit more since he was closer to her age, but damn it, this was THE Michael Jackson actually standing in their tiny apartment! It was too good to be true! She wished she had a camera to take a picture, but she’d have to settle for showing off all the things she had made Michael sign since he arrived with his comatose sister in tow.

“Because if you don’ git out, girl, laad a maasi, I spank yer behind!”

Lisa whined and reluctantly allowed herself to be pulled out of the room. Cameron, who wasn’t really that huge a fan, but could still appreciate a celebrity of Michael’s magnitude being in their presence, had only asked the older teen to teach him a few dance moves. It was something Michael was willing to do even though Mama had told him to stop bugging their guest.

As soon as the door was shut behind the trio, the silence in the bedroom became oppressive and Michael blushed even harder as he wondered what to do or how to begin. He settled for looking at anywhere but at the girl lying on the bed – even though a part of him entertained jumping in beside her. It wasn’t a large room, but it was cluttered with colorful décor from Mama’s home country. Amongst the many miniatures statues and what looked like long rows of necklaces, there were a few framed pictures of the children, including one of Stacy when she must have been only five…the same year her father passed away. If his calculations were correct, it would mean that Cameron and Lisa were technically her half-siblings assuming Mama married another man. All the same, this wasn’t the time to be evaluating her family tree; he had to say something to break the growing tension in the room. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth to begin, but the girl beat him to the punch with a soft,

“What are you doing here, Michael?”

He swallowed tightly and tried to smile, replying shyly as if afraid she’d yell at him. “I…I…came to see you…”

“You’re supposed to be in Las Vegas,” she interrupted with a shake of her head. She moaned and slapped her hands over her face, and in a muffled voice continued. “You’re not here. You’re not here. You’re not…”

“Stacy…” Michael sat on the bed, reaching out for her hands to remove them from her face gently. He forced her to look up and felt his heart tighten with the depth of his feelings as he noticed the tears welling up in her eyes again.

“Oh…Stacy,” came the aching whisper as he leaned closer to tease her lips with a feather-like kiss. He relished in the gasp this elicited and growing bolder, he deepened their communion, sighing with pleasure as the familiar taste of her lips filled his senses and threatened to overwhelm him.

She responded shyly at first, still unsure if this was all a figment of her imagination, but as she felt Michael move even closer and take control, she closed her eyes and gave herself up to him, powerless to resist anyway. She whimpered (or was that him?) as his hand released hers to slide slowly down her chest to her stomach…down to her thighs…caressing lovingly and then…

“Whoa…no….” she gasped, pushing herself away from him with every fiber of her being. “Sto…stop, Michael,” she panted, red-faced and still hopelessly turned-on. “We can’t…my mom…”

“I know…” he replied in a shaky whisper, for he too wasn’t doing so well either. He’d have to control himself so he didn’t’ scare her off. “I’m sorry…I got carried away…it’s just that…it’s been so long and…and I’ve missed you so much, Stacy.”

She lowered her lashes, blushing darkly as he reached for her hands again to hold them tightly as if afraid she’d vanish if he didn’t. “I still can’t believe you’re here though,” she finally said, loving how warm and strong his hands felt around hers. “How did you…?”

Michael chuckled softly. “Marlon helped me, believe it or not.”

Stacy’s eyes widened. “Marlon?”

“Yeah…a surprise, huh? But he managed to get me out of there…booked a flight for me and everything. I had to wear the disguise though. He said he’ll come up with some excuse for my disappearance…something about me needing to get away from all the stress and finding my inner voice.”

Stacy giggled at the lousy reason but still thanked Marlon inside for what he had done. However…

“I called your mother about two days ago,” Michael replied as he noticed the question in her eyes. “I told her that I would be coming down to see you and at first she didn’t believe me and man, I could have sworn I was dealing with a police officer with all the questions she kept firing at me. When I finally managed to convince her that I wasn’t coming down here to kidnap you, she said fine. She gave me this address and even helped find a reliable driver to pick me up at the airport and bring me here.”

Stacy recalled her mother’s enigmatic comments in the morning and realized that Mama had known all this time.

“Your mother’s something special,” Michael said with a soft laugh. “She’s amazing and I love her.”

“Hey!” She nudged him playfully. “I thought you said you loved only me.” She had said this as a tease, not really wanting to believe it, but she was definitely not ready for the serious look that filled his visage as he stared into her beautiful eyes.

“I do love you, Stacy,” he finally said in a voice that deepened slightly and left no room for argument. “I thought being apart from you all this time would lessen my feelings but…it’s even worse. I couldn’t stop thinking about you and I was so worried that you were upset and that you hung up on me.”

“My mom…she tripped over the phone cord and the line got disconnected,” Stacy confessed, trying to control her thudding heart. This was all too surreal and she felt weak. She leaned forward to rest her head against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat before whispering. “You didn’t hear what I said on the phone, did you?”

Michael placed a tender kiss on her head, hugging her close to him. “What was that?”

She took a deep breath and said it aloud…loud enough that he could hear it for the first time. “I love you too, Michael. I do. I didn’t want to…but I really do.” She pulled back to look at him, now aware that he really needed to hear the rest of this. “I don’t love you like a fan does, Michael. I know you hear that all the time in all the places you travel to. But what I feel for you…is deeper…so deep I almost feel like crying for no good reason. I always want to be there for you Michael and in a perfect world…you and I would run off into the sunset and be happy together for the rest of our lives…”

“Stacy…”

“Shssh.” She pressed a finger against his lips, hitching in a breath to prevent herself from crying. She had to say this before she lost her resolve. “I know what you are, Michael…and I know who you can be. I love you…do you understand me? And it’s because I love you so much that I am letting you go…can you understand that, Michael?”

He felt his heart breaking as it slowly dawned on him what she was trying to do. Marlon had been right after all.

Oh God…no…

“I’ll change my name,” he began in a fevered whisper. “I’ll change myself…I’ll stop singing…I’ll…I’ll be whoever you want me to be, Stacy. Just…please…don’t…”

It was her turn to cradle him against her chest as he broke down in tears, his harsh sobs muffled against her uniform as his body shook with the force of his despair. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held on tight, and she suffered the crushing pressure on her ribs, sobbing softly into the rich, yet soft thickness of his hair.

In his mind, he blamed his celebrity for his misery, yet he realized that if it wasn’t for his fame, he would never have met her in the first place. It was a blessing and a curse all in one and he was torn between pursuing his dream and giving it all up to be ‘normal’ again.

He had no idea how long he cried in her arms, but by the time he was through, he felt emotionally drained…simply too tired to even think. He savored the feel of her warm bosom against his head, aware that they were now lying down on the bed, clinging tightly to each other for much needed inner strength.

“Are you breaking up with me?” he finally croaked in a thick whisper.

Stacy, who was rubbing his back gently, chuckled in response. “Were we even a real couple to begin with?”

“In my mind we are…were…” Michael replied. “We went on two dates…three…sort of.”

“Three?”

“Yeah…to The Voice…the concert…and the hotel room…” Michael looked up and smiled warmly. “That’s a date I’ll never forget. You were my first, Stacy. No man ever forgets that.”

She tapped his nose gently. “I’m honored, Mr. Jackson.”

He sighed and lay his head back on her chest, toying with the nametag fastened above her left breast. “We’ll still be friends, won’t we, Stacy?”

“Of course,” Stacy replied. “We’ll always keep in touch. I’ll always be here if you need me, Michael. You know that.”

He pursed his lips in thought as something else Marlon had said came to mind. “I’m only seventeen now…but when I’m twenty-five…I’ll come back for you.”

Stacy blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Michael sat up and stared into her eyes, not smiling as he stated it clearly. “I know you think I’m too young now, but when I’m older…and if I still have these feelings for you…I’ll come back and take you away from here.”

“Michael-”

“I’ll come back and marry you. I might become even more famous…or I might not…but whatever happens…promise you’ll wait for me, Stacy.”

“Michael, I don’t-”

“Please, Stacy. I’m begging you.” He hugged her tightly whispering into her ear with a desperation that brought tears to her eyes again. “Please…wait for me.”

She clutched him tightly and held on, not trusting herself to speak for a while. Eight years was a long time, but she could do it for him. She would definitely try to hold on for him if that’s what he wanted.

“I’ll wait,” she finally whispered. “And even if you find out your feelings for me aren’t the same…I’ll always love you. Always.”

He pulled back a little…a small, warm smile on his lips to match hers. Their foreheads touched before Michael leaned in to steal another tender, slow, lingering kiss. It would have gotten hot and heavier, if it wasn’t for Mama knocking on the door and interrupting them.

“You two need to git yer behinds out a dere! Dinner’s redy!”

Michael laughed softly at Stacy’s embarrassed groan. “Welcome to my world,” she teased, motioning for him to get off the bed. “So…how long will you stay?”

He stretched and pulled her to her feet, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind as they walked towards the door. He whispered into her ear and she blushed at his invitation, swatting his arm playfully.

“God, you’re naughty, Michael!”

“You know you love me like that,” he replied with a smirk as they opened the door, which led them into the warm and cozy confines of a family setting he missed dearly.

And as he watched Stacy bustle around the tiny kitchen, he daydreamed of the life he could have with the beautiful young woman if things were different. It would be a life away from the spotlights…from the screaming fans…the intense scrutiny of the media and all the pressures in-between. He knew he could be happy with Stacy, and he was willing to put their love to the test with this separation.

Eight years was indeed a long time, but he was willing to see it through. He really had no idea what kind of a life he’d have by then, but if it meant coming back to young woman from Harlem, when all was said and done, Michael knew he was in for a future brighter than he could ever imagine.

- The End -