She seemed to glide into the room after her encounter with Michael. Her heart was still swooning from his smile and her head spinning from his aroma.

She smiled to herself, making her way back to the chair that was in her mom's room.

"Mmhmm" her mother side eyed her.

Tayler instantly looked up with a confused look.

"What?" She questioned.

"Mmhmm, you know what I mean. Don't play stupid, you like that man"

"Mom, you're bugging. Nobody likes him" she countered and continued to finish her half eaten breakfast.

"Listen, I may have been born cute but not crazy. Now I know my baby and you my darling are smitten. Is that a better word for you?" She held a cheeky smile.

"Mom, I don't like him, smitten, intrigued, nothing about that man. He was just being nice and I was just being nice back" she responded.

"So if he gave you an invitation to pound town, you would accept?"

"Mom!"

Her and her mother often spoke like girlfriends due to their strained but yet different relationship, but now she was just crossing the line. She was still coming to terms with her feelings for Michael and still convincing herself that she didn't like him; though she did. But one thing for sure, in her long line of heart breaks she knew she had to take her time, especially with someone like Michael's type.

Her mother wasn't buying what her daughter was trying to sell. Her being a woman herself, she could tell by her daughter's body language that she was taken to Michael. But she knew, and deep down she knew they would be a nice match. After just one meeting, she sensed that Michael was a genuine sweet guy that so happened to be famous. She could see the media and everyone around him was wrong about him and often put his life on display and idolized him because he was something God like. But she knew that it would take a normal every day woman like her daughter who was hardworking and wasn't impressed by the flash and glitz to bring some normality to his life. He deserved someone real and she felt that was her daughter.

Plus on the other hand, it wouldn't hurt that her daughter ended up being with someone as successful as Michael. It was definitely something worth bragging about if she ever had the chance to. Besides someone who would be financially secure, she knew that her sentence with this cancer would make her daughter more vulnerable and increase the heaviness of loneliness that she knew her daughter felt on a daily.

She spent her life taking care of everyone, though her kids may have a different idea of their childhood. Joy spent her life raising her siblings then went onto raising her children and felt that her having the company of men and partying was her way of making up for the time she lost between being an older sibling and being a young mother at the age of 16. Every time she looked at her daughter, she could tell that's exactly where she was headed. She was lonely and once Joy was gone, she knew that it would eat her baby girl alive and this was a way for her to ensure her daughter did not put her life on hold by being afraid of living.

"Listen baby, come here" her mother called to her.

Sensing it was a time for a mother-daughter moment, she reached her shaky hand out to her daughter and stared at her.

"Now I know you don't want to accept it, but your mother won't be here forever and with this cancer eating away at me, I definitely won't be here much longer. I know I wasn't the best mama and I let things happen to you that shouldn't have, but I want you to forgive me and use my story as a tale of caution. I look at you and see me, but you're more successful and definitely more selfless. But, I want your story to be different, you have to stop taking care of others before yourself"

Her daughter sighed and shifted her weight, she was obviously annoyed by this repeated conversation.

"Now hear me out" she continued.

"I've spent my life taking care of my siblings then I had your sister too young and I continued to have baby after baby and I guess I went about doing things the wrong way and put others before y'all some times but I didn't know how to be a mother" her voice cracked a bit.

"I tried the best I could, but I couldn't keep putting my life on hold. I know it sounds selfish but I wanted to live after missing out. Then I look at you and I see you're missing out cause you're here, you're working, and then you're taking on your sister's kids. I know it's a lot. Baby when you were traveling abroad and went to school, I was so proud cause I felt like finally my baby gets to see and do things I only imagined. But now you're here with me, I feel bad and responsible so I want you to take it from me"

They stared at each other with tears in their eyes, their hands forming a tight seal.

"When I am gone and even now, I want you to live. Fall in love, go out, laugh, cry, travel, take chances. You're too young to not have a normal life. You have no babies, no attachment, nothing. Live for you baby. I know it's scary but you have to get out there, I want you to. And no matter what decisions you make, you make them for you and be happy. I'll understand and everyone around you soon will too"

They continued to stare and then they begin laughing at the flow of tears on their faces.

"I love you little girl"

She sighed and held her mother so close, not wanting to let go.

"I love you too mommy"

She held on longer, she wanted the little girl within her to feel the warmth of her mother that she often longed for. At 27, she finally got the mother she always wanted. But sadly, she was dying.

She couldn't help but think, it was all thanks to Michael.

They always say how magical he is, and she was starting to believe it.

~

"Hello" the sleep in her voice apparent.

"Are you sleep?"

She instantly recognized the voice and became annoyed.

"Bye Michael" she become louder.

He chuckled into the phone. But her face stayed still as stone.

"Do you think I'm playing with you?" She said with all seriousness.

It had went on to almost the second week since she gave Michael her number and he had never called, until now, at 3 a.m. She knew it was silly to wait by the phone, but when she was home that's essentially what she did. She kept busy with other things and went to work but she was often met with disappointment when she came home and found no messages or missed calls, not even messages left for her through Ms. Grace, the babysitter.

She really thought they had hit it off. She thought about their encounter on the daily and this was just a big smack in the face with reality, she knew it was too good to be true. She knew that he owed her nothing and that they didn't even know each other but she fell hard and fast to her dismay. It hurt her to think that she was just a game to him when she thought so highly of him.

She was not to be played with and she was about to let Michael find out just why.

"Look can I just have 5 minutes of your time?" He requested.

"No, goodbye Michael" she repeated.

"I truly apologize, it's not like me to break promises-"

She interrupted him "I say no and you keep talking? I swear the one thing y'all men will have is the audacity"

As he continued to try to speak to her, she had to admit hearing his voice was soothing to her rage. She never had that feeling before, nobody has ever had that kind of power over her. It was exciting, yet scary. However, she didn't want the feeling to end so she did agreed to let him talk. She just wanted to hear what he had to say.

"I am truly sorry for not calling. But I sprained my ankle in a dance rehearsal and I had to perform at the soul train awards the next day and I got caught up with doing that. I know it's not an excuse but I promise you, I did think of you."

"A sprained ankle? Really Michael? How stupid do you think I am?"

"I don't think you're stupid, but it's clear you don't watch tv. If you watched the show, you'd see that I had to perform in a chair"

She sat and thought for a minute, if he truly did hurt himself, the proof was on tv. But the thought of Michael Jackson performing in a chair was something that never crossed her mind or something she never thought plausible because of him being an electric performer.

But she had to admit, with everything going on she didn't have time to watch tv. Besides, she wasn't into those award shows like that anyway, she would only watch to see the performers she truly wanted to see.

"Even if that were true, if I was on your mind, why didn't you think to call?" She questioned.

"No excuse" he quickly replied.

She sighed.

"Look, I don't know if I made myself clear the first few times we met but I am nothing like you're used to. I'm not one of those yes men or those women that just let you walk all over them and do whatever you want. Just because you're handsome, got some fame and money does not mean I'm going to be waiting by the phone all the time like some helpless puppy. You got that?" She said extremely fast, almost out of breath.

"You think I'm handsome?" He cracked a smile.

"Forget it" she groaned.

"I'm just joking. Although we do have to address the fact that you think I'm handsome, but I just want us to start over officially. I promise, not to break anymore promises and if I do you can break my knees like the thug you are"

He chuckled and she couldn't help but join in. She couldn't stay mad at him, her curiosity fanned away the flames of anger and his voice calmed the beast within her. Besides she knew better than to be upset about a phone call. That was foreign to her as she didn't care for the male species, but she couldn't help it. She liked him too much and the idea of him not liking her or not wanting to talk to her, killed her.

"Deal" she sighed.

"How's your ankle? I hope you're ok" she asked.

"It's fine, I'll be back on my feet in another few days. Enough about me, what are you up to?"

"You're really going to ask me that at 3 in the morning? What do you think I'm doing, I was sleeping. Something you should be doing"

"You're right. But I just can't sleep right now, too much on my mind. Besides, you're one of the things keeping me up" he flirted.

"Yeah right, I bet you tell all the girls this at 3 in the morning"

"No just the ones who make a habit out of yelling at me every time they speak to me"

She laughed at her behavior. She knew it was true.

"I apologize, I know I can come off a bit too strong or just do the most at times but it's just how I'm wired. I don't like the idea of my feelings being hurt or being played with so I lash out. I've been through too much" she said as she laid on her stomach.

"No need to apologize. Since we're being honest. I like you how you are, you're my little spicy mami"

"Spicy mami? Have you been watching telemundo or something?" She cackled.

"Yeah, too much? No but seriously, I like that about you. That's what attracts me to you, you're strong and you just say what you're feeling. As much as you may view it as anger or doing too much, I see it as vulnerability. You're not afraid of your emotions and I like it. It makes me want to figure you out more. Don't worry, the more you fight, I won't pull back"

She giggled a nervous laugh, he had the back of her neck heating up. She didn't know what to say after that but she felt she needed to say something to keep the conversation going, even though she wanted to sleep. But as of right now, Michael was the only thing she needed.

"I really just want to start over and get to know you and I promise you won't regret it" he went on.

"I would like that, but next time I'm changing my number" she said with all seriousness.

"Ok so what do you want to talk about?" He asked.

As much as Michael talked on the phone with various people, he still hadn't figured her out yet so he didn't know what to talk about. Right now he was a teenager again laying his bed, trying to keep his voice down so his brothers won't hear him on the phone with a girl.

Talking to her was just refreshing, it felt different.

But he liked it.

"Look, we're not 14 anymore. But I see we do need to break the ice so let's play 21 questions and after that I get to sleep because I have to be up with the kids in a few hours"

"Ok, let me go first. What attracts you to me and be honest" he asked.

He didn't want to be too forward, but he figured he only had a few questions to ask her before she went to sleep so he knew he had to choose his questions wisely.

"My, my, my. A little excited aren't we? Let's see what attracted me to you???? Uhhhhhh.Mmmm" she drug out her response.

"Tick, tock, grandma. You'll be older than me by the time you answer"

"Not funny, but who says I'm attracted to you?" She smirked.

"You never said you weren't" he said.

"Besides, I see the way you look at me" he added.

"Boy please I'm cock-eyed"

He laughed.

" I knew something was wrong with you. But your mom told me all those stories, I know you like me. You have to for you to body slam your brother over me. Also, are you looking for a job? I need to beef up my security detail anyway"

They shared a laugh and she mentioned herself calling in sick to avoid the sea of fans, he often encountered. She even laughed about the idea of  getting trampled by the mob.

"Listen, its 21 questions, you have to answer honestly and not answer a question with a question so please answer the question. I just want to make sure I'm not getting mixed signals here" he pleaded.

She smirked and thought quietly before responding.

"Michael, I am attracted to you because of your eyes. I am a good reader of people, your energy it's pure. When I look in your eyes I see fire, passion, I see how genuine you are. You don't even know me or my
mother but yet you talk to us and in those few minutes it's like you treat us like you know us. No matter how big your star is you treat people like people. I encounter celebrities all the time at my job and they act like jackasses. Like we owe them something but you talk as if you owe us and I think that's attractive"

There was a pause. She was scared to breath, has she said too much? She thought.

"I knew you liked me" he chuckled.

"You're a bug" she giggled.

"You're alright" she rolled her eyes.

"Well if you give me the chance, I can be better than alright" he challenged.

"We'll see" she said.

The two sat on the phone just like that. Chatting and laughing on the phone with occasional flirtatious statements bouncing back and forth between the two. The conversation was a mixed between deep thought provoking think pieces to childish questions like what's your favorite color? Before they knew it, their 21 questions were up but they had been so deep in conversation, they didn't even notice. The two had let their guard down and spoke like they knew each other forever and the way they carried on, it seemed like they had.

The conversation carried till 6 in the morning, but even ending the conversation was hard for them to do. They wanted to talk more, but she had to get up soon to get the kids ready for school and she had to work that night. Also, Michael had his own responsibilities as the king of pop. However, he promised to call later that day before she went to work.

The two adults went to bed like two love struck teenagers with a smile on their faces and their hearts beating madly. They didn't know what to expect from this new found friendship but whatever it was they were both ready for it.