Mister Nobody – Part 15 | She’s out there somewhere now

“Did he call you back, ah… afterward?”

Lisa cleared her throat and swallowed, trying to sound as casual and unaffected as she could. While she was about to shatter into thousands of pieces inside. She was a visual person – and she could see the scenario that Janet had depicted right in front of her eyes. She could feel it in each one of her cells with an intensity that bordered on pain. And it obliterated her.

Janet sighed.

“Yeah… yeah, he did… The next day, after he sobered up. Of course, he was in a horrible mood and depressed, I could tell… but he had walled up once again. He did his best to sound cool and collected… But since my brother is dumb, he didn’t realize that I know him… Anyway, he apologized for the way he had… overreacted the night before. That’s the word he used. Overreacted. Can you imagine? He said that I was right and that you would be fine now that you had gotten him out of your system and blah, blah, blah. He was so full of shit, my bro…” She smirked joylessly. “So, yeah… he went on like that, somehow, for a few years… Tried to focus on new stuff… truly worked as an art dealer… a very elusive art dealer, that is. And then he began fixing old clocks… Fuck if I know why but, hey, if that makes him feel good, I’m all for it…”

Lisa snickered.

“Yeah… He has some at home, in Scotland… He told me that fixing clocks gives him the impression to control time.”

“Yeah… Humble as usual.” Janet giggled. “Anyway, he kinda settled into his new life and tried to move on until you filed for divorce. Then all hell broke loose… At first, he was like… I don’t know… a bit hesitant, wary, about the whole matter. But he was watching you, you know… He was trying to guess how you were doing, and if your divorce had anything to do with him. Trying to guess your next moves. Then…”

She shrugged and paused for a moment.

“…Then you went to rehab, and he flipped out. Believe me. You have no idea. Remember that old Energizer bunny commercial? Yeah, well… that was Mike at that time. He would just keep going… ranting… he was worked up as hell. He kept asking me how you were, where you were, if you were going back to Europe anytime soon, if you were back with Lockwood. He was truly disrupting my peace back then. At one point I even thought he would do the unthinkable and fly back to L.A. just to see you with his own eyes… ‘Cause you know how Mike is… He ain’t trusting anyone anymore. But then, thank God you moved to Scotland and he was able to reach you there. He was becoming really annoying.”

Janet laughed nervously, and Lisa saw her glossy eyes. She hadn’t been irritated at Michael’s obsessive-compulsive behavior – which was no news, since he had always been that way. She had just been deadly worried about her brother’s well-being.

“The point is… I was sure he would reach out to you at one point or another. I didn’t know how, I didn’t know when, but after you divorced… well, I just knew.” She stared at Lisa, who was still unusually silent. “But still… I’m sorry about what you had to go through… I really am, Lise.”

Lisa’s gaze dropped.

“Thank you. It was hell, but… I understand why it had to happen the way it did.”

She felt jumbled up inside. Glancing over at the veranda, she noticed Michael standing up by the poolside. He was only a few steps away from her. She could see him just fine, and yet missed him so much. Her skin craved his physical presence, his touch, the warmth of his body. Lisa thought there was no way she would ever completely recover from the dreadful sensation of emptiness that his absence had provoked. From losing him for so long and thinking it would be until the afterlife.

Right on cue, as if he had felt her, he turned and stared directly at her through the glass walls. Her breath stopped for a second the moment their eyes met. The shadow of a smile appeared on his lips and, immediately, he walked over to the French doors and opened them. He stood on the threshold for a few seconds, his head cocked to a side and his eyes still transfixed into hers, then resumed walking toward the couch.

Instinctively, Lisa stretched out her arms to him. Under Janet’s curious but unsurprised look, Michael placed his hands on the backrest of the couch and bent over, giving his woman a slow, lingering upside-down kiss on the mouth.

Lisa’s hand caressed the back of his head as she sighed into the kiss. She barely noticed Janet clearing her throat.

“Yo…! If you guys don’t stop re-enacting that Spiderman scene, I’m gonna leave.”

Michael let go of Lisa’s lips and looked up at his sister, smiling.

“Well then… I guess I’ll see you later, Dunk.”

“Oh, for God’s sake!”  Janet rolled her eyes and gave him a light punch on the shoulder. “Go away, you little shit! Lisa and I were talking!”

“Not my fault… she was calling me.”

He stood up straight and stared down at her, his fingers touching Lisa’s face distractedly, caressing her chin, her cheek. She grabbed his hand and kissed his palm.

Janet scoffed.

“Really? Are you two still going? I thought we were over this, but no. Here we go again. And it looks even worse than before… Get a freakin’ room!” Rolling her eyes one more time, she got up from the couch and stomped to the kitchen. “This is ridiculous. I’mma get some wine or something… Holy shit…”

Lisa laughed lowly and shook her head, still grasping Michael’s hand.

“Poor Janet…”

“She’ll be fine. She’s just being whiny. Did you guys talk about me?”

He smiled as she kept kissing his hand, finger by finger.

“Uh-uhm… yes, egomaniac. What else are we supposed to talk about?”

“My sister’s got a big mouth. I’m not even gonna ask what she said to you.”

“Great idea.”

“Princess, I’m gonna go take a shower… It’s getting late, and we gotta get ready for dinner.”

Michael was right. They had planned to go out for dinner with the entire family and he had been waiting for that moment with great anticipation and delight. Not even in his wildest dreams, he had imagined that it could happen again. It was something so simple and yet so improbable, given the circumstances. He, his kids, the woman he loved and his sister, all together, sitting at the same table. It felt unreal, and yet it wasn’t.

“Sure. Go ahead. Take your shower…”

His eyebrows furrowed. He could tell that Lisa was pensive and hoped Janet hadn’t said anything that could upset her. She had been going through a hard time, and even though he admired how brave she was when it came to facing this new reality that they were living, he couldn’t help but worry. He felt as if he was getting ready to catch someone walking dangerously close to the precipice. Someone unable to step back.

“Are you joining me?”

His hand dipped slightly and brushed over Lisa’s collarbone, under her shirt.

She smirked.

“Who knows… Maybe I will. If you’re real good.”

Eventually, Lisa did join him.

She walked into the bathroom quietly, noticing that Michael had left the door ajar for her. The air was thick and moist with steam, and she could guess his outline as he stood under the water jet, humming a song that she didn’t recognize.

That detail startled her a bit. It was the first time she heard him sing since his return. Despite the drastic change in his appearance, Michael’s singing voice sounded just the same. She closed her eyes for a moment as goosebumps rose on her skin, absorbing the fusion between past and present, remembering the countless times, during their long relationship, when she had heard him sing in the shower. Sometimes it was just a little humming, like now, some other times his was a triumphant, full-throated singing. It all depended on his mood. Right now, his soft humming was entirely in tune with this calmer, more mature, quieter version of him.

Without a word, she took off her clothes and opened the glass door. Michael stopped singing but didn’t turn around. Even though she couldn’t see his face, she knew that he was smiling.

She stepped into the shower and closed the glass door behind her back, then wrapped her arms around his torso, the palms of her hands resting on his chest, her forehead touching his back. She kissed his wet skin and pressed her body against his.

Michael let out a long sigh and finally turned, taking her in his arms and kissing her.

“Hey…” She breathed out when he pulled back.

“Hey yourself.” He tossed his head slightly and strands of wet, curly hair fell back on his forehead. Water drops trickled from his bearded chin. “Are you OK?”

He watched her with concerned eyes and Lisa reacted by kissing him again, gently nibbling at his bottom lip, her tongue sensually sliding into his mouth for a second.

“I am.”

She averted her gaze and started massaging his shoulders, his arms. Michael closed his eyes, his body relaxing under her touch. Well, most of it at least. A part of him did the exact opposite.

Reading his thoughts and glancing down at him, she smirked as she started lathering him.

“Keep that beast tamed. We don’t have time to get down and dirty.”

He laughed.

“Hey… I’m not doing anything!”

“Then stop rising body parts.”

“Well, it’s not me. It’s you. You’re a magician… lifting stuff without even touching it. You’re very talented, you know…”

“Yeah, well…” She reached down and touched him for real, her warm hand stroking, caressing his already pronounced erection. “My man always says that my sleight of hand is just… perfect.”

“Who’s this guy? I’ll have to kick his ass.”

His voice came out a bit more strained than he would have liked.

“Uhm… You don’t need to, believe me…” Reaching up, she pulled his head down for a kiss. “Mike… We don’t have much time now, but maybe I can do something for you. You gotta relax, baby… you’re so hard and stiff…”

She looked up at him with such feigned innocence that he had to smile.

“Lisa… my heart is the only part of me that’s soft when you’re around.”

His hand covered hers and he started to guide her movements. They were slow, purposeful. She loved when he did that, and he knew it. He knew how much it turned her on.

“You’re such a corny lunatic…”

“I know… that’s why you love me.”

“That is true… And guess what? That’s only one of your many qualities…”

Her husky voice and her hand working him forced him to close his eyes for a second. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and kissed her skin, while his other hand reached between her legs, stroking her, probing her. She was scorching hot, ready for him and her hips jerked forward suddenly, her body pressing against him. She sighed, finding his mouth again and they resumed kissing.

“Shit, baby… is this all for me?”

“For you… only for you…”

It was hot, just being like that, touching each other in the private microcosm of the shower. Like two teenagers getting their first hit, they found solace in one another’s body, in that physical togetherness that was also the bridge for their intense emotional connection. Each time felt like the first time. It was erotic, it was consuming, it was unbridled, and most of all, it was unavoidable. It had always been that way, and Lisa and Michael had both surrendered to it a long time ago.

Their slow, lazy movements intensified, becoming more driven by the minute, as they kissed and whispered their love and their passion, wrapped up in their bubble, together. He let go of her hand and reached around, stroking her ass, massaging and kneading, pulling her even closer to his body.

“God damn… I want you so much it’s not even funny…”

She pulled back, and he noticed that her blue eyes looked darker than usual. Hazed over. She kissed and nibbled his collarbone and chest, as her grip on his penis became tighter. He followed her lead and his movements on her, in her, picked up speed. He held her close, wrapping his arm around her, the palm of his hand spreading on the small of her back.

“Michael… oh, shit…” Her fingernails scraped his side and she arched against his torso. He shivered, and she held onto his shoulder, wincing. “That’s it. Don’t stop…”

“I’m not going to stop…”

Talking and breathing at the same time had become extremely difficult for him. Enraptured by her touch, he swayed slightly and had to lean back against the tiled wall, her body pressing against him. She let her ride his hand and saw her throw her head back. She was breathing heavily, moaning, and her grip on his dick tightened.

Bending his head, he kissed and nipped at her breasts as he kept moving his fingers into her.

“Come for me, baby… Take that edge off ’til I give you what you really need…”

He felt her body stiffen and tremble. Then she let go of him, wrapping both her arms around his neck and starting to shake, her climax so intense that she had to bite down on his shoulder to muffle her cries. He didn’t let up and let her ride her wave until she finally relaxed, becoming almost liquid into his arms.

Michael held her close and kissed her again and again, her lips, cheeks, forehead. Her closed eyelids. When she opened her eyes and looked up at him, her irises were pure cobalt. He swallowed and felt himself twitch automatically. Oh, she had trained him well…

Lisa’s lips trailed down, from his neck to his chest, his stomach, his belly, and her hands followed as she crouched down in front of him. He just watched her, letting out a deep breath and knowing that there was absolutely nothing he could or would do to stop her.

“Let me take care of you, love…”

She took him in both her hands and gently stroked him again. Then she began applying more pressure, quickening the pace. Michael swallowed.

“There you go, baby girl… That’s it. Just like that…” He didn’t even try to make his voice sound different from what it was. Shaky, unstable, throaty.

She knew his body like nobody else in the world. She knew what to do to please him, how to do it, and when. And so, when she went down on him, it was just what he needed. Warmth and pressure wrapped around his steel and around each cell of his body. Intense arousal was not the only thing he felt. As usual, with her, he also felt safe, secure, accepted: He felt loved.

He winced as her tongue and mouth touched him just the right way, and his hips bucked forward. She moaned and purred, never letting go of him. Michael’s head started to spin.

“God… Baby…”

He was about to come.

Instinctively he let go of her, letting her know that she could pull back whenever he wanted. Lisa kissed and licked him and finally looked up, right into his eyes.

“Come in my mouth… I need to taste you…”

Well, fuck. OK. Not that he could really stop at this point, especially after hearing those words.

When her lips closed on him again, Michael’s head jerked back and banged against the wall. He didn’t even register the pain and fisted his hand in Lisa’s hair, feeling the red-hot tornado erupt from the pit of his chest and swirl down to his belly, and finally to his groin. His eyes squeezed shut, he opened his mouth slightly as if to say something. But then he only groaned as he started to shake, her mouth never leaving him, but instead taking everything he had to give.

He didn’t even know how long it lasted, but it felt endless, the intensity of his physical and emotional reaction so powerful that his legs started to shake. He let go of Lisa’s hair just as her kisses began to move up to his flat stomach and his chest. One hand still caressing him gently, the other one brushing his neck, she rested her forehead against his chin and closed her eyes. She smiled.

“Princess… you almost killed me.”

God, he adored how she made him feel. He had almost forgotten what it was like, to be loved by her.

“There’s nothing about you that I don’t love… There’s nothing about you that I don’t want, Michael. Besides, you taste like heaven…”

“I love you so goddamn much…” He held her in his arms and kissed her thoroughly, his breathing finally calming. “…I don’t even know how I managed to survive for so long, without you…”

“Tell me about it…”

“Well… It doesn’t matter anymore. We’re here now.”

Lisa rested her face against his chest and sighed.

Somehow, they were able to finish their shower and get dressed, and Lisa took care of Michael’s tie as he smoothed down his vest.

“Stand still,” she smirked. “Stop squirming…”

Playfully, he reached around and caressed her ass.

“I just love your dress, that’s all… You look beautiful in it…” He leaned over and his lips touched her ear. “And you’re gonna look even better without it.”

She rolled her eyes and squirmed, secretly loving his touch and his attention.

“Stop it! Oh my God… you’re such a baby!”

He just giggled in return and she couldn’t help but smile, sensing his relaxed attitude and lightened mood. It affected her too, since Michael’s well-being often reflected in her comfort and overall happiness. And especially now, keeping him safe, happy and content was her number one priority, just like it had happened when they had first gotten together. Even though she had gone through hell, Lisa knew that nothing could compare to the loneliness and confusion he had to endure. And estrangement, something he most likely still felt. At least sometimes.

However, when Janet knocked and opened the door to their room without even waiting for an answer, they knew that something was wrong for real.

“Sorry guys, I really don’t want to intrude but… Mike, I think you need to speak to Paris… like, right now.”

Janet was dressed from head to toe and looked ready to go out, but her face showed insecurity and discomfort. Lisa knew that if she had come to Michael, it meant that she hadn’t been able to fix things on her own. And Janet was usually good at fixing stuff without her brother’s help, or anyone else, for that matter.

She let go of Michael’s tie and noticed his expression changing from playful to severe in the short span of an instant.

“Why? What’s going on?”

Janet shrugged helplessly.

“She changed her mind. She said she isn’t going out. She’s locked in her room and keeps telling us to just leave. That she’s tired and she ain’t having dinner with us. Or at all.”

Michael frowned.

“What? No way! What the fuck is going on here…” He spoke under his breath and walked over to the door. “OK, I was gonna wait until later to talk to her, but whatever it is that is wrong with her, it has to stop now.”

Lisa opened her mouth to speak. She wanted to tell Michael to leave it alone, that maybe Paris felt a bit conflicted after her last visit to Debbie, but she didn’t have the time to say a word. He was already walking down the corridor, marching straight to his daughter’s room. And his body language told Lisa that he was irritated.

“We’re not going out for dinner tonight anyway…” He mumbled as if he was talking to himself. “Not until the air is clear… Sh- shoot!”

Janet watched Lisa with powerless eyes, and she just shook her head in return, letting out a long sigh.

This was not what she expected when she had planned her surprise vacation.

Michael knocked on the closed door.

“Paris?” His voice sounded calm, but his heartbeat hammered in his ears.

No answer.

“Paris, please. Open up…”

“I’m sleeping, dad, I’m drained. You guys go and have fun and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Paris’ voice sounded muffled, but his hearing had always been excellent. And he could tell that she had either been crying or still was.

“Ah, no. You won’t see me tomorrow. You’ll see me right now. Nobody’s going anywhere until you open this door.” He tried his best to sound reasonable. “So please, open up.”

“Well, I am in the mood for talking and I’m not having dinner. I’m not hungry, so I’m staying home.”

Michael rolled his eyes.

“So is everyone else. We’re not going out, Paris. None of us is. I just want you to open this darn door and speak to me. I really need to know what is wrong with you.”

“Nothing is wrong with me, dad. Go away.”

Go away? Was she serious? His brow furrowed.

“Paris – just so you know, I’m not leaving. I’m gonna stay here and keep going until you let me in. Don’t make me look like a fool.” He sighed. “Baby… open this door and talk to me… Come on…”

A long silence followed and he rested his forehead against the cold wooden surface. Whatever his influence over Paris had been when she was little, it was obviously no longer there. And yet, after what seemed like forever, the door finally opened and he found himself face to face with his daughter. Her eyes were swollen and her hair wild.

“You’re not a fool and don’t look like one. Come in.”

“Well, thank you very much.”

He tried to smile, but Paris just turned her back to him and walked over to the table in the middle of the room, sitting on it and letting her naked feet dangle in the air. OK…

Cautiously, Michael closed the door and sat down on her unmade bed. The room was a mess. He rested his elbows on his knees and studied his daughter for a moment.

“What’s going on, Paris? And don’t tell me that it’s nothing because I know you…”

“Do you, dad? Are you sure you know me? Like, at all?”

Michael’s jaw clenched as he just kept staring at her. Without even noticing, his hand moved up to his tie and loosened it. Then he unbuttoned the first button of his shirt. This was going to be a long night for sure.

“Well… I think I do, but you tell me…”

His voice remained soft, and that detail seemed to hit Paris hard.

“Look… I’m sorry, dad. I know I’m being a horrible bitch to everyone, it’s just…”

Michael bit his tongue and fought the urge to reprimand her for her foul language.

“…The point is, I’m not even sure I wanna be here with you all. Maybe I should have just stayed home.”

A slap in the face would have hurt him less. His eyes widened slightly, but his expression remained stoically collected.

“Go on…” He cleared his throat. “I’m listening.”

Paris just shrugged.

“I mean… don’t get me wrong, I wanted to see you. I miss you, dad, you know that. I haven’t seen you in over a year. But sometimes I just… I just wonder who you are. Who you have become. There’s just this huge gap between what I remember about you and the guy you are now. You look so different… you are so different… I barely have any fresh memories of you. Sometimes I just don’t know how to deal with this. I want to be with you, but you’re like… Too many times you’re just someone I no longer recognize. Almost a stranger to me.”

Once again, he decided to stay put and let her get it out of her system. Even though it hurt him so much to hear her words. They hadn’t exactly come out of nowhere. He had been sensing Paris’ confusion and discomfort for a very long time. However, to hear her say the words out loud was way worse than he expected.

“And then… there’s Lisa. I mean, I get why she’s here, and I am grateful for what she did for us… I know we’re here because of her… that this was her surprise for you, but… Dad, she’s not family, and I don’t like to have her around all the time. Why can’t she just leave us alone?”

Michael narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips, once again unsurprised. Now, he only had to understand why his teenage daughter suddenly seemed so huffy and possessive, especially knowing that she usually wasn’t like that. As a matter of fact, by following Paris on her social media accounts he had had the feeling that she liked Lisa, and he still remembered how pleased he had been about that.

Paris looked down at her own hands, tightly clasped in her lap.

“You know… There’s something I haven’t told you. I went to see mom a few days ago.”

What?

Michael had not been expecting that at all. He felt a sudden rush of heat to his face and knew that it was not about embarrassment. What he felt were fear and concern. And the fact that Paris had just called Deb “mom” was not exactly comforting.

“Oh…” He cleared his throat again. “…Is she better?”

Her blue eyes glanced up at him and, for a second, he could see the eerie resemblance with her biological mother. It startled him.

“Yes. She’s finally better. Thanks for asking… dad.” Paris could not mask the hint of sarcasm in her voice. “I stayed with her for a few days, helping her through her therapies and stuff. We talked a lot. About you, about her, about your marriage… and about Lisa.”

“You told Debbie that you were going to see Lisa?” All of a sudden, he had a feeling he knew where all of this was going.

Paris kept staring at her own hands.

“Yes. Of course… I didn’t tell her about you, or about Lisa’s new partner… who, well… would still be you.”

Well, that would have meant crossing the line, so thank God for small favors. The last thing Michael wanted or needed was to have Debbie up his ass again. But he was not surprised that his former friend had taken the opportunity to badmouth Lisa, or him. Or that she had messed with his daughter’s head. He knew that was what had most likely happened. Paris’ behavior couldn’t be explained in any other way.

The only thing he could do was brace himself and get ready for the shitstorm.

“OK… Paris, I really, really need you to tell me everything Deb has said to you. Whatever it is. And I won’t accept anything less than that, so, please… speak up. I am listening.”

Chapter song