~Michael's POV

I've been in the studio all month preparing to release my album "Off The Wall" in a week. With "Rock With You" and "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" topping charts all over, I probably have spent more time here than Quincy. He says the album is perfect, but the perfectionist in me won't be satisfied. The studio phone interrupts my thoughts as I put tweaks on my title track "Off The Wall." I groan outwardly, tossing my head back in pure annoyance. "Hello?" I answer. "Hi, this is ABC 20/20. We scheduled an interview with you. We already did one with your brothers and parents. Our crew is outside and we can't seem to get in the building." The interviewer giggles. I run to the studio door and hold it open for everyone and lead them to the studio. "Where would you like us to set up Mr. Jackson?" I look around the studio, "I guess around the soundboard, and please don't call me Mr. Jackson..." I go back to tweaking my music as they hook up their lights and cameras, and one person hooks up my microphone, She was pretty cute. "Hi." I grin, I know how girls are when it comes to me so I like to play around with them. My heart only belongs to Rayne though. She blushes and maintains eye contact with the wire of the microphone. "You're really cute." I smile. "Thank you.." She giggles bashfully. "Is this what you do, go in people's shirts and tape wire to their chest?" I joke. She giggles again, "only if I'm told...I'm just an intern here with their college program." I nod. "Nice." She had big curly hair so I ran my fingers through it softly. "I have a weakness for girls with curly hair." I smile, as she giggles with every touch. "Maybe you'll be able to touch it again later." She smirks as she stood from connecting my wire.

"Maybe.." I smirk.

"Ok I think we're ready." The interviewer smiles. I turn to face her, a false smile plastered on my face.

"At your concerts, there are hundreds of people in the audience yelling, "Michael! Michael!" What do you feel like?" She asks

"When their all holding hands, and everybody's  rocking.. And All colors of people are there and all races, it's the most wonderful thing... Politicians can't even do that.." I say

"Do you ever get embarrassed? So many people are watching you on and offstage. Does it ever bother you?"

"I do all the time..."

"Do you?"

"Well I wouldn't say all the time, but I.. I get embarrassed easily and uh.. I don't know. The- the most I'm comfortable is on stage more than any place in the world. Being around everyday people, and stuff, I feel strange. I do.." I chuckle. I feel my cheeks start to become flushed.

"You get shy?" She grins.

"Yeah.." I smile back.

After about another 10-15 questions we wrap up the interview and they begin to disassemble everything. "You said you interviewed my parents and my brothers??" I ask nervously. "Yeah we did, they had nothing but great things to say about you!" She says. I sigh deeply, at least we can still act like we're a close family. "Thank you for the interview Michael." The girl who helped with my microphone smiles, handing me a piece of paper with her name and number on it. "Hopefully, you'll use this." She whispers with a wink before they walk out. I knew she wanted me. I give her a quick smile. I wasn't going to call her, but she watched me until I shove the number in my pocket and went back to work.

~Rayne's POV

"You'd be perfect for movies Ray." My dad repeats, he's been trying to put me in his movies for months now. "Dad, I'm not interested in the celebrity life that comes with it.. I like people not knowing who I am. Besides, I'm not an actor. There are so many actors that would kill for you to put them in your movies." My dad rolls his eyes, "yeah, but they're not my daughter." He playfully whines. I giggle as I get ready to take a jog around the neighborhood. "Bye dad."

I was stopped by a white guy jogging next to me. He looked really familiar. "I know you.." He smiled, "You were at Diana's party right?" I frown. "Yeah! Awesome you remembered." He flashes another smile "look, I don't wanna be too forward or anything, I'm not really good at this kinda thing.. Do you wanna go out on a date?" He asks. I smile sweetly, "oh, I'm sorry.. I can't, I'm dating someone. I think I told you that already." "We don't have to call it a date... Maybe a friendly outing?" He says. I giggle, crossing my arms. "We're not friends, I don't even remember your name." "It's Jack" he smiles. "Well Jack.. I can't go on a date with you I'm sorry." I say politely. "Michael is not the most faithful guy you know? All of his brothers are the same way. Be careful." I nod my head, unconvinced and continue to run. That's the second time someone has said something to me like that about Michael. Am I missing something? Is this a sign? I shake it off for now and continue my run.

When I arrived back home, Michael and my father were in the kitchen talking. "Hey." I say breathlessly, pecking Michael's cheek. I frown as I look at his hair. He giggles, "it's a Jheri curl. New look." "Is it supposed to look wet like that?" I ask touching it. He nods laughing. "Well ok.. I'm gonna go take a shower, I'll be back." I smile.

After my shower, Michael sat in my room. "Close your eyes." I instructed. "Ray, it's been months." He protests. I don't say anything, I simply give him a look and he knew what it meant. He slams his face into a pillow. "I feel deprived of my rights as a boyfriend." He muffles into the pillow. I shake my head, giggling, "you're so dramatic Jackson." I pull a shirt over my head and onto my body, covering my bruises. One day I'll let him see them so he understands why I'm so adamant about him closing his eyes, but not just yet. "Ok, you can look now." He sits up and I stand in between his legs before taking a seat on his lap. "How was the studio today? I feel like I don't see you as often anymore." "I know, because it's crunch time, the album releases next week. I'm so nervous." He explained. "Don't be nervous, you've got two chart topping singles. There's nowhere to go but up!" I assure him. "Yeah well, ABC did an interview with me and they said they did one with my parents and my brothers.."

"How did that go?"

"Pretty well, considering she said they had nothing but nice things to say.." He says out the side of his mouth. He stands with his hands in his pocket. "Oh yeah, I got asked on a date today.." I smile, amused at his reaction. "What?" He says raising his eyebrow.

"By Jack. He's really interested in me."

"Well, what'd you say?" He said nervously.

"I said no. Why would I go on dates with anyone other than my boyfriend?" I smile standing in front of him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He removes his hands from his pockets and places them on my waist, placing a kiss on my lips.

"Well I mean, we can't go on dates without me wearing a disguise, I'm sure you wouldn't mind a normal date now and then." He shrugs. "My dates with you are never normal, and normal is boring. Plus, he's not my type.. I'm not the biggest fan of white guys.." Michael giggles, "I've gotta go and check on mother. She's been under the weather the past few days. I'll come see you later. I love you Rayne, more than anything. You know that?"

"I love you more Mike." I smile.

"Doubt it." He smiles, kissing me once more before he walks out. I sigh, grabbing my pen and paper to draw.

***

My dad comes upstairs "hey, dinners ready.. what's that on your floor?" He frowns pointing at it. I look and see a crumpled paper on the floor. My dad closes my room door as I frown when I read the paper. "A phone number? Who is Patricia?" My heart was racing, my mind was instantly going left. I was fuming. I quickly slipped on some shorts and shoes and walked to Michael's.

Tito opened the door, "Hey Rayne." "Where is Jackson?" He frowns. "Upstairs.." I walked past him focused on his room door, calling his name as I walked towards the door. With no second thought I open his door to see him fresh out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist. "Ray what the heck is going on?" He flinches in fear. My mind was angry but my eyes couldn't stop scanning him. "Rayne.." He calls again snapping me out of my trance. "Huh?" "What's going on?" He asks again his eyes shifting. "Um... I uh.. could you put a shirt on?" I sigh, covering my eyes. He places a shirt over his wet chest causing his muscle prints to come through his clothing, I just had to attempt to ignore him. "Who is Patricia?" I ask trying to sound more angry and less aroused. "Who?" He says, confusion written on his face. "Patricia." I repeat, lifting the crumpled paper. He takes it out my hand and reads it giggling. "Oh this? I was planning on tossing this in the trash. She's nobody. How'd you get this?" He frowns. "You must've dropped it in my room. Why'd you take it?" I say interrogating him. "Well, I kinda didn't have a choice.. She-" "she forced you to keep it?" I may be overreacting to this, but all I've been hearing for the past month is how Michael isn't as faithful as I think he is, I'm not trying to get hurt so I need to watch my own back. "Michael, don't lie to me. Were you planning on calling her?" I ask calmly. He chuckles, "God, no. What do I need her for? I don't even remember who she is." It was something unsettling about his answer to me. I just didn't believe him.

"Why did she give her number to you in the first place Mike?" I ask still as calmly as before. He stammers for a while, "I.. Uh. Well- I um.. I may have given her the wrong impression.."

"What do you mean the wrong impression?"

"I may have flirted a little with her.. But it was all out of fun." My eyes could not roll any further back then they did. "You flirted with her out of fun?" I toss the number at him, "Have fun Michael." "Rayne, why are you making a big deal out of this?? It meant nothing, if anything it was just a way to stroke my ego. I was just playing around."

"Well Michael, stroke your ego because obviously I don't do it enough for you! I'm not the kind of girl to play games, my heart is filled with love for you, not a desire to see if I still got it." I place my hands on my hips. "Ray it was a joke." "With all the things I've been told this past month about you, about how people think you think of me.. I would hope you would've been a little considerate." "Ray I-" I put my hand up and walk out the door, not wanting to hear anything else about the matter. Tito, Jackie and Randy run off from Michael's doorway as I exited. I guess they wanted to act like I didn't see them. I simply look at them and shake my head.

~Michael's POV

I sat on my bed, trying to understand what just happened. It was just a joke. Marlon came in and sat next to me. "I blew it." I said quietly. "You didn't blow it Mike. But you do need to fix it." Marlon responds. "I don't know how, It was just a joke. I didn't mean for it to bother her. I didn't even think she'd find the number. I swear I was gonna throw it in the trash."

"You know people are telling her false things about you, you have to be careful with her right now. Her brain is rattled by so many different things. Now that you've done this.. She doesn't know what to believe." Marlon explains. Even though it made sense, I didn't do anything. "Well she decided to believe others over me." I argue.

"Are you really going to point the blame at her now? You messed up."

"No I didn't. She blew it out of proportion.." I say convincing myself.

"Classic Mike, pointing the finger when he knows where the blame really lies... Fine, don't say I didn't try to help." Marlon scoffs, a light chuckle released from his lips.

"I never asked for your help Marlon." I roll my eyes.

"Fine." He slams the door and leaves in my room. I didn't mean to go off on Marlon, I'm just frustrated that this even happened. But I'm not about to take a blame for something that never happened. I convinced my self it wasn't my fault and it wasn't. I decide to try and call Rayne before I went to bed.

"Hello?" She answers almost like she was crying, causing my heart to sink.

"Rayne.. I'm not apologizing, I just want you to know, that it wasn't my intention to hurt you or do anything with that girl. It was just a joke. You shouldn't have been believing people over me. How are we supposed to work if you don't trust me?"

"Are you serious right now? You can't even face the fact you were wrong?" She scoffs, "now you're pointing fingers at me like I did something wrong...I won't deal with this tonight, I'm done talking about it" she hangs up before I could get a word in.

Do you think he messed up? Or is Rayne throwing this whole thing out of proportion? What do you think will happen next? ☺️☺️☺️

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