"Thank you, Michael Jackson."

Barbara Walters ended the interview with the typical words of appreciation and shook hands with him. Although Walters's uniform voice tone lacked sincerity and she sounded as if she had sealed a business deal, Michael smiled politely.

He wasn't stupid. Most of her questions were structured in a way to catch him off guard, for him to reveal his "eccentricities". Well, too bad for Walters, he said nothing worthy of that interesting nature.

A photographer sandwiched between cameramen and lighting crew stood up from the awkward squatting position she had been in for the past fifteen minutes. Cassie Woods stretched her legs. It wasn't a comfy spot to take shots, but she knew she had captured dozens of excellent photos. Michael's face positively illuminated with happiness when he talked about his children, and that was the time Cassie took the most pictures.

She took out the film from her camera to develop the images, beaming proudly at the results.

Cassie was a personal photographer. She wasn't working for a magazine or a publishing company, a friend of hers who did helped her got in here. It was a rare treat. The pictures she took would only be placed safe and sound in both her clients' and her own photo albums. Though in this case, Michael Jackson wasn't her client ... but it didn't felt right to her if the photographed didn't see the pictures.

Cassie packed a copy of the photographs into a large envelope and turned to look around for Michael, but he wasn't in the room anymore. She asked a staff nearby for his whereabouts, who told her that he had left.

Cassie gave a nod of thanks and exited the room at a quickened pace. Glancing towards both sides of the hallway, she spotted Michael walking down the right with his bodyguards alongside him.

Cassie jogged towards them. She almost called him by his first name but caught herself in time - it would be inappropriate, she thought, as she didn't know him personally and was neither a loving fan.

"Mr Jackson!" she said instead.

Michael stopped and turned around, so did the bodyguards. Seeing their identical, near-synchronized movements, Cassie had a mad urge to laugh, but she forced it down with a cough before saying, "Erm, sorry to bother you. I'm a photographer ..."

Retaining a composed posture, Michael was half-expecting her to fish out a name card and ask for more photos when she handed him an envelope.

Cassie explained the contents and her own job briefly. She ended by saying, "I thought you'd like to see them."

His facial features relaxed. She wasn't the gossipy press or media. "Thank you," he smiled gently. "Can I look at them now?"

"Sure, why not?" She gave a casual shrug.

Michael opened the envelope and took out several of the photos. He smiled instantly at the first portrait. It made Cassie warm and fuzzy inside whenever she saw people brightened up upon seeing her photographs.

She was amazed at how carefully Michael handled the pictures. Cassie was a careful person; she never tolerated folded paper and insisted that books must be plastic-wrapped, but Michael was a whole new level.

Fragments of the interview then went past her mind. Michael Jackson seemed a nice person. Cassie couldn't understand why the press painted him as a weird man. Barbara Walters wasn't pleasant either. Her questions were sharp and she was quite emotionless to Michael's answers.

"The interviewer wasn't very nice to you," Cassie said aloud.

Surprised, Michael looked up from the photographs and stared at her.

Cassie's eyes widened; Walters could be just nearby. "Oh God, I'm so sorry ... I shouldn't have - don't tell her I said that," she said quickly.

"No- no! It's okay!" Michael sounded amused. "She was really ... " He chuckled and shook his head, indicating that Walters was a hopeless case. He then lowered his voice and said secretively, "Don't tell her I said that." Cassie let out a small giggle.

 "So ... anyway," she said. "These photos are yours. I hope you like them."

She took a step back, giving him space. Cassie would love to talk to Michael more; after all he was famous and talented ... the celebrity title did have an effect on her, but she thought that he had had too many strangers in his life ... Cassie didn't want to be one of the intruders; she should be considerate. Michael was a human being, too. He needed privacy at times.

"The pictures are wonderful. You're very talented," he said, inserting the photographs back into the envelope, again with the same careful method. "I love them. Thank you."

Cassie felt overwhelmed by his compliment. With his status, she was way below him, yet Michael would take the time to look at her photos - and even praise her talent!

"Oh, I'm glad you like them! But there's still much to learn ... even though I'm already working as a photographer," she replied modestly. "Well, I gotta go now ... Bye, Mr Jackson."

Cassie gave Michael a little friendly wave which he returned, and they continued their own separate ways.

Holding the slightly bulging envelope in his hands as he walked and entered a lift, Michael replayed the conversation he had in his head. He found the girl to be thoughtful, honest, humble: traits that were a rarity among the individuals he had met. People didn't usually leave him alone, but she excused herself, afraid of potentially bothering him. He really appreciated that gesture.

He should have asked for her name or at least some means of contact ... Michael wondered if he might be able to walk back to the hotel room to find her, but when he stepped out of the lift to see rows of people and flashing lights in front of him, he knew that wasn't possible anymore.

- - -

A/N: The End. Yup, this story only has one chapter.

Just kidding. xD Well ... they're obviously gonna see each other again. ;)

What do you think of the first chapter? If you liked it, can you vote or comment to tell me that? That would be so sweet and it would definitely make my day. ❤️

Now, a free cup of coffee or tea for those who proceed to Chapter 2. ♥