Mister Nobody – Part 20 | A shadow lies amongst us

Lisa jumped slightly, startled by the loudspeaker. But it wasn’t her flight and she let out a sigh of relief, giving Michael a tiny smile.

“Sorry…”

“It’s OK.” Michael glanced at his watch. “We still have some time, baby girl.”

He tilted his head and watched her quietly for a moment before placing his arm around her shoulders and pulling her into him, kissing her temple. He felt her exhaling a long breath and then resting her head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head, trying hard to forget how sad he was. And slightly upset, too.

They were sitting in the indoor hall near the Departures area, at the airport. They had traveled together from Santorini to Athens and, in a few minutes, they would have to part ways. Michael’s heart shrunk at the mere thought of letting her go back into the den of the beast. She would be all alone again. He hated the idea of not being able to come and go as he pleased, wherever he wanted, of being forced to stay behind. He didn’t like it when he was not in control. Not one tiny bit.

Lisa’s flight to Memphis would take off in less than an hour, while Michael’s trip back to Scotland would see him on board in a bit more than three hours. He would be home in a relatively short time, while she would be facing quite a long trip, with two stopovers: London and Houston. He hated the idea of her traveling alone for almost twenty-four hours. And he would have paid to be at least in London with her, since it was the city that had seen their relationship thrive again after their divorce.

They were savoring their last moments together by just sitting quietly, blending in the crowd. Something that still had the power to amaze him. How many times he had dreamed, when he and Lisa were together – as husband and wife or lovers, before and after their marriage – to just take her out for a walk, hand in hand, without having to worry about brigades of people and paparazzi surrounding them, scrutinizing them, closing in on them. They had lived their married life always in the spotlight, hunted and pressured from all sides, from the inside and the outside. Only after their divorce, when the tabloids apparently were not interested in depicting him as a man involved in a normal relationship with a woman – and their respective entourages no longer felt threatened by the powerful, interracial married couple that Michael and Lisa once were – they had been able to live their complicated, stormy relationship in relative privacy for several years. Of course, privacy hadn’t meant peace, but at least it was something. Without all those years spent loving and pining over one another, maybe they wouldn’t even be together again now.

But this was different. Now, they had been experiencing first-hand what it truly meant to be treated like a regular couple and live like one. Well… Almost, given Lisa’s name.

At last! Michael had been forced to escape, change his identity, his appearance and grow older but, somehow, he had finally managed to get there. A piece of cake. He smiled to himself at the bittersweet irony of it all.

For years, while in hiding and although he was healthier and stronger than he had been in a very long time, he had felt his age weighing on his shoulders. Surprisingly enough, the moment he had finally found Lisa again in Peterhead, those solitary years that had made him feel so fatigued and old had started to slide away. It had been like shedding another layer of skin. His greying hair and those wrinkles around his eyes meant nothing, and he felt as young and energetic as he had been when he was forty. Lisa had that effect on him, that was no news. She was his youth serum, and so much more than that.

He glanced down at her, noticing her chest rising and falling slowly, her eyes half-closed and transfixed on something invisible. One hand was resting right over his heart, as it would often happen since they had gotten back together again, her other hand was on his thigh. He opened his mouth to ask her what was going through her mind, but then bit his tongue, not wanting to spoil their quiet moment.

The first time he had seen Lisa up-close in Peterhead, he had been shocked. She was not well. She looked worn out, tired and way too thin. It was as if time, pain and grief had conspired together to beat the shit out of her. Traces of that sorrow were painted all over her face, in her sad and remote eyes, on her body. Something that had always made her, her, was gone – and Michael had been mourning that missing part, unsure it would ever come back.

She certainly looked better now. He still saw the irreversible change in her behavior and attitude, but something resembling that old spark was back in her eyes more often than not. Whenever they joked and laughed together, talked about what they were going to do with their future, daydreaming together. Whenever they made love… It was there. What he had always remembered about her was still there in some way, and its comforting familiarity made his soul expand to the point that he felt like he could absorb the entire universe into himself.

He planned to keep that spark in place forever, no matter the cost. He and Lisa had suffered way too much. It was finally time for compensation. They deserved it. They had all the right to fight for their happiness, after all that pain. They had the fucking right to be happy. Together.

“Babe…” He brushed her chin with his fingers.

“Uhm?”

Those stormy blue eyes looked up, shiny and full of wonder every time they stared at him. And there was something else there, too. Something that he could not discern was swirling into their depths, and he wished he could name it.

Not being able to avoid more intimate contact, Michael kissed her warm lips, a light touch that lingered there for a moment. He tasted her, inhaled her, breathed her. And then he smiled.

“You know what? I just got an amazing idea. Like, right now.”

Lisa smiled back at him.

“Oh my, my… You just got an amazing idea, like right now? I don’t know if I’m supposed to be thrilled or worried…”

“You should totally be thrilled.”

She snorted and rested her head back on his shoulder, looking up at him lovingly. All the while, her hand brushed his chest hypnotically, once again over his heart.

“Go on then, you big numpty… I’m all ears.”

He grinned and it was apparent that he was pleased with himself. How he loved those cute pet names that she gave him!

“Alright, then… are you ready?”

“Sure. I’m all tingly inside.” Lisa repressed a smirk.

“I was thinking… you know, since two months is a long-ass time…”

“Yes…” A flash of sadness in her eyes and he kissed her again, just to make it go away.

“And since I don’t like doing nothing…”

“Yes… Come on, baby… what is it?”

“I was thinking… I wanted to ask… Would you move in with me? Like, permanently?”

She pulled back and looked at him squarely, frowning. She was so pretty, even when she glared at him like that.

“What you mean, move in with you permanently?”

“I mean that I’d like to take this couple of months to find the perfect house for us. For the two of us… and the kids. All of them. A home. A real one. In Peterhead or around there… wherever you wanna live, Lise. With me, obviously. Staying in two houses is nonsense. Move in with me… forever.”

He was still grinning, his thoughts racing a mile a minute. The more he spoke, the more his idea became real, validated, full of possibilities. How good it felt to have a purpose again, after so many years of just existing.

Lisa reached over and lifted his photochromic glasses for a second, staring right into his eyes with a frown. Michael chuckled. She was so cute when she was surprised!

“Are you serious?”

“You know me. I am always serious.”

“My ass.”

He laughed.

“No, really. I am. Totally serious.” He kept staring at her intently. “I need to do something for us, while you’re away. I want to. I don’t know if you get that…”

His grin slowly subsided and his gaze seemed to sadden. It became remote. Lisa blinked slowly and put his glasses back in place, his dark eyes once again disappearing behind that light blue screen.

“I do… I know exactly what you mean.”

“Well, then… take it as an official proposal. Would you like for us to go living together when you come back? I want you to be able to think that you’re coming back home to me… to our home.”

He should have asked her at the villa, but honestly, the idea of a new house had just popped into his mind. Lisa bit her lips and, for a moment, her eyes fell on the ring on her finger. The ring he had given her on Christmas day.

“You want me to get down on my knee and ask you again?”

He hoped he didn’t have to, but he was ready to do it if necessary. She just shook her head. Her eyes seemed to sparkle.

“No, no need to get on your knees… Yes, Michael. I would love for us to live together… again… I’d love to live with you. I’m fucking excited at the idea of moving in with you.”

He could barely repress a full-blown smile. They were in public, after all. He cradled her face in his hand and got closer to her, stilling his movements for a second and finally kissing her, slowly at first, then with more passion, angling his head and leaning more into her. Feeling so young again.

Takeoff!

Lisa pulled back with a sigh.

“Mike… let’s not…”

“I know…” He licked his lips and sank back into his chair with a huff. “…You’re right. It’s just…”

“Yeah, I know…”

“It’s all your fault…”

She snorted and rubbed her forehead, closing her eyes.

“It has nothing to do with me.”

“It does. I wasn’t like this at all before I met you.”

“Oh, please…” Lisa chuckled and took a bottle of water out of her purse, taking a sip. “You just needed that inner beast to be –.“

Good afternoon passengers. This is the pre-boarding announcement for flight 77L to London. We are now inviting those passengers with small children and any passengers requiring special assistance to begin boarding at this time. Please have your boarding pass and identification ready. Regular boarding will begin in approximately ten minutes. Thank you.

Her words died on her lips, and she and Michael just stared at each other helplessly. Then she closed her eyes for a couple of seconds and gulped down the sudden pang of anxiety bubbling in her chest. Her fingertips felt frozen all of a sudden.

When she opened her eyes again she saw him swallow, his Adam’s apple moving up and down. He squared his jaw and took her hand, as if reading her mind, then kissed her fingers.

“I love you, Lisa Marie. I do love you.” His widening eyes behind the lenses conveyed the emphasis of his statement.

She exhaled.

“And I love you, too. With all my heart. I swear, I do.”

She hoped that her words and how she said them could express how deep her feelings ran and their essential intention. She also hoped their words could create a rope able to keep them united and connected, now that the time to part ways had come.

“OK…” She breathed out, getting up. “…Let’s go.”

He, too, stood up and took her trolley.

She didn’t say anything else. She just took his hand, just like they always had done since they had fallen in love, and together they started walking to the gate.

Separations sucked. Lisa knew that even too well. They both did.

Good afternoon passengers. This is your captain speaking. First, I’d like to welcome everyone on Flight 77A. We are currently cruising at an altitude of 33,000 feet at an airspeed of 400 miles per hour. The time is 2:25 pm. The weather looks good, and with the tailwind on our side we are expecting to land in London approximately fifteen minutes ahead of schedule. The weather in London is clear and sunny, with a high of 16 degrees for this afternoon. If the weather cooperates, we should get a great view of the city as we descend. The cabin crew will be coming around in about twenty minutes to offer you a light snack and beverage. I’ll talk to you again before we reach our destination. Until then, sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of the flight.

Lisa leaned her head back in the seat, anxiously waiting for the cabin crew to make its appearance. She needed a drink, and didn’t care that it was so early in the afternoon. For the first time in months, she felt utterly lost and lonely and knew that she would need time and space to adjust and keep herself in check. But she could do this. She had done it for years, after all. Besides, it was nothing definitive. She would be back in eight weeks, and Michael would be there. Waiting for her.

She had nothing to be worried about, except… well, Michael being all by his lonesome, her business, her ex-husband, the court, possibly the church. And the press. But she could do it, and she would. She knew what her priorities were.

When she had first left for Scotland, Lisa had been running away from her life. She knew that she needed space and solitude to try to put the pieces of her soul back together. Tattered and bruised, she had found the strength to move what she considered a step in the right direction, focusing on her wellbeing. And she had found Michael in the process. Again.

It had been a miracle. Nothing in her life had even been so miraculous.

This was nothing compared to the condition she was in before Ethan Murphy made his appearance in her life. Lisa looked at the clouds outside as Greece became a distant, blurred detail on a much broader painting.

After saying goodbye to Michael, she had started to walk to the boarding area, documents in hand, ready to go. Then a sudden instinct had forced her to spin on her heels, leave her trolley there and run back to him like a maniac. Turning and noticing his sadness had been more than enough: his shoulders slumped, his head low and those huge, sorrowful eyes looking up at her, his entire stance conveyed infinite unhappiness.

Lisa had propelled herself back into his arms and he had caught her as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and they had kissed and kissed. Without saying a word, he had cradled her face in his warm hands and dried her tears with his thumbs.

“Don’t cry, baby girl… don’t cry,” he had repeated like a mantra, in between gentle kisses. Her hands fisted in the fabric of his coat and shaking, she had told him how much she loved him.

“I’ll come back to you. Don’t you go anywhere. Wait for me, OK?” She had whispered the words against his lips, noticing that he too was shaking.

His voice had broken a little.

“I will.”

After one last kiss, she had finally been able to pull away from him. And now, she was flying back to the States without him.

The sadness and powerlessness she had seen on his face had been startling not only because of their current predicament, but also because they reminded her of a way more traumatic event in their life.

Neverland, December 1993

“Where is he?”

“Ma’am, he’s in his quarters but has asked not to be bothered.”

“I swear to you, he wants to see me… Please, just let him know I’m here.”

Lisa tried to sound as calm as possible, noticing the slightly panicked look in the security guy’s eyes. She had been granted her entry to Neverland and the main mansion, as usual – since she was Michael’s girlfriend – but he was nowhere to be found, and now she was somehow being put in the position to throw her weight around. She hated doing it.

Tall and massive, the security looked at her for a seemingly endless moment, clearly debating if he should follow her instructions or not. He seemed insecure about what to do and that put her even more on edge. Michael had called her a few hours earlier, telling her about the strip search, and he had never sounded more shocked, humiliated, enraged, and saddened.

After the call, Lisa had propelled herself out of the house and driven straight to the ranch, arriving a little after midnight. It didn’t matter that he had asked her not to come, telling her that it wasn’t necessary, that he would be OK. She hadn’t listened. She didn’t want to hear any macho talk right now. She knew that he needed her. Besides, she was worried sick and just couldn’t stay away – she had to be with him, by his side. That was her place, her role. She had left the kids with Danny and driven up to the ranch in the middle of the night.

“Please… just tell him that Lisa Presley, his girlfriend, is here, OK?”

Her tone became more assertive and the security guy relented.

She was left waiting in the living room for about ten minutes, and the maid cautiously asked her if she needed something, anything. If she wanted a cup of tea, some water. No. Lisa just needed to see Michael, see how he was, be with him.

Eventually, the security guy came back, quietly nodding his head, and the staff magically disappeared, allowing her to move around the house as she pleased. When she entered Michael’s private quarters he was sitting in the dark, on the wooden staircase that led to his bedroom, wearing red pajama pants and his usual white t-shirt. Familiar, comforting clothes, to find solace in a very unfamiliar, un-comforting situation.

Lisa dropped her purse and marched over to him, kneeling in front of him and taking him in her arms. His body remained stiff, and she just waited for him to relax, all the while rubbing his back. When he finally put his arms around her, holding her tight, she kissed his neck softly, as if he was a precious and fragile being on the verge of breaking into a million pieces.

Michael pulled back, watching her with unintelligible eyes. They were puffy and red, and she knew that he had been crying. He looked exhausted, smaller. Almost withered into himself.

“Why did you come?”

“Because I love you,” she cradled his face in her hands. “And I am so fucking sorry you had to go through this alone.”

His eyelids fluttered closed and he winced as if he had been slapped. His face reflected all the pain and shock he had endured. Then it became a weird concoction of grief for what had happened and relief for finally having her here with him. As his face became butty in her vision, Lisa realized that her own eyes had welled up. She took him into her arms again.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

Without even knowing how, she managed to keep her voice very calm. Michael shook his head, burying his face in the crook of her neck and inhaling her scent. 

“Not now… please. Just…”

“It’s OK. I’m right here. I got you.”

They stayed like that for a very long time. Eventually she rose to her feet, took his hand and guided him upstairs and to his bed. As he lay down, she quietly took off her clothes and, wearing only her panties and one of his t-shirts that he had carelessly tossed on a chair, joined him under the sheets.

Long minutes passed. Her head resting on his shoulder, her hand on his chest, Lisa listened intently to his breathing and heartbeat until they finally became regular, calm, steady. She leaned up on her elbow, intercepting his eyes in a slice of moonlight coming through the window. He was staring absently at the ceiling, his gaze unfocused. His face was a perfect, beautiful mask. Her heart bled some more.

“They treated me like… I don’t know Lise, it felt like a freak show.” He scrunched his forehead and squared his jaw, still not looking at her. “I was their Elephant Man. I have never felt more humiliated in my entire life. I’m a monster to them.”

Lisa swallowed, staring at him without saying a word. There was nothing she could tell him to make this go away. His eyes found her in the moonlight.  

“I had no control over anything. They were taking pictures of me… Of my body. I was standing there naked in front of them thinking… who are these people? This ain’t real… It can’t be… I’ve done nothing wrong. This can’t be happening to me.”

Her hand came up and caressed his cheek, feeling his stubble against her skin.

“This ain’t really happening… It can’t be,” he repeated almost mechanically, his voice expressing all his disbelief. “They took pictures of my…” He had to swallow. “They took pictures of my genitals, Lisa. They photographed my ass, my legs, every part of my body… It was out of control. And I couldn’t stop them. I couldn’t even say anything.”

Lisa realized that she was gritting her teeth, the red haze of pure, undiluted rage slowly descending like a veil over her eyes. On the outside, she kept her fury in check – but inside, the burning inferno was devouring her. Michael was right. He had never been more humiliated in his entire life. And it had happened deliberately.

Her heartbeat becoming deafening in her ears, it suddenly occurred to her that this was what complete powerlessness tasted like, and that it was the first time Michael experienced it in his adult life. And she knew he hated it. Having full control over his environment, his music, his dance, his business, his privacy – everything that involved him, everything that made him, him – was his only way to cope with the difficulties and uniqueness of his life. Lisa had started to understand how complicated and tiring his level of celebrity and fame could be. Sometimes she would feel exhausted just by looking at him as he dealt with it. And she was sure that everyone else would crumble under that pressure. But not him. Not Michael. 

As phenomenal and extraordinary as his life looked, it was also incredibly alienating. His way to cope with it was all about managing it and controlling it first-hand as much as he could. Possibly, it was also what he had been taught to do since he was a kid.

Lisa could only imagine how frustrated he must feel now, realizing that he had lost that control in the bat of an eyelid, that he had been thrown to the lions like some helpless prey. How hungry they were for his flesh. How powerless he had felt.

“What do you need, Michael?” She asked softly. “Just tell me what you need.”

He just looked at her, not really surprised by her question, his eyes back at being remote and indecipherable. When he spoke, his voice was back at sounding calm and even.

“I want all of this just to go away.”

Lisa smiled, all the sadness in the world painted on her face.

“I wish I could do that for you. I really do.”

“I know…” He sighed, his eyes showing a hint of his usual gentleness for a moment. And then it was gone, again.

“What can I do for you, baby?” She repeated the question and touched his cheek. “Whatever it is, just tell me. I’ll do anything in my power to make you feel better.”

He just stayed quiet, pondering over her words. She thought he would never answer.

“OK, then… Take off your clothes and get on all fours.”

At first slightly taken aback, Lisa felt her insides tingle. She almost marveled at her body’s ability to completely disconnect from her brain when it came to this man.

She and Michael loved to have sex, and they made love every time they had the chance. Every now and then, she had seen a hint of his commanding nature in bed, but he had never fully expressed it to her. Not yet, at least. He had been dominant, sure, but not domineering. Passionate, but never rough nor forceful. He was a fantastic lover, extraordinarily skilled and generous, and their chemistry had been mind-blowing since their very first time. Sex with Michael was intense, passionate, sweaty and oh so satisfying. It was the result of their innate connection and mutual trust.

And because of that profound connection they had, Lisa knew what he needed and why. He wouldn’t be lashing out at her, but needed her and their emotional attachment to help him regain some measure of control.  Michael was about to unveil another facet of the extraordinary human kaleidoscope that he was.

“Fuck… Oh, fucking shit…”

Lisa was breathless, her forehead resting against the mattress as Michael rammed into her again and again. She blindly reached out for the headboard and pressed the palms of her hands there, pushing back against him as he kept pounding into her. Trapped between pleasure and pain, her body glistening with sweat and almost limp after several orgasms, she moaned, and her voice came out hoarser than she intended. Or imagined.

“You like that?” Michael snarled in between gritted teeth. “You like it when I give it to you hard? When I’m gruff like this?”

“Oh yeah, baby… oh my God… Fuck me, daddy. Don’t stop…”

They had been going at it for hours now. It hadn’t been sweet and it hadn’t been slow, but surely it had been overwhelming in the best possible way. Lisa had never been taken like that in her entire life. She had never felt so loved, desired and wanted by a man, both from a physical, mental and emotional point of view. And she had never come so hard.

Michael’s possessive, domineering streak had finally emerged in all its glory and she hadn’t had yet the time to tell him how much she loved it. How much she loved seeing him let himself go entirely, allowing himself to be who he truly wanted to be or felt the need to be with her. How sexy and manly he was, how heady and intoxicating were the sensations and emotions that he could evoke with his voice, movements, words, and actions. In all honesty, Lisa realized that if he wanted to fuck her like that for the rest of his life, she surely would not stop him.

She knew that his heavy-handed streak was running free because of the demons. Because of the darkness, the pain and humiliation he had endured. She had no idea if what they were doing was healthy in its motivations, but it was her only way to give back to the man he loved some of the control he had lost. She could only hope that it would at least make him feel better.

“Shit…”

Michael withdrew from her body and Lisa whimpered, collapsing onto her stomach and breathing heavily. She turned her head and watched him as he stood by the bed, his skin flushed and sweaty, hair wild, chest rising and falling rapidly, muscles tensing and twitching. He was so gorgeous, and his dark eyes hid something that she couldn’t comprehend.

“We can stop, if you want… I told you…” His ragged breath, his voice sounding an octave deeper than usual made a number on her, and she shivered.

Yeah, he had told her – you can stop me at any time, Lisa. If you don’t like it, please just stop me. If I’m too hard on you, if I’m too rough, please say it. I don’t wanna hurt you, baby. I love you. And if you don’t like it, it’s OK.

But she did like it. Gosh… She liked it so much.

She smiled and her hand disappeared between her legs as she started to play with herself.

“I think you just rearranged my internal organs, but… no… I don’t wanna stop…”

She blinked and watched in fascination as he reached down almost subconsciously, stroking himself with an amused look on his face. It was such a huge turn-on for her to see him taking care of himself, to hear him talk dirty to her.

“You can keep going if you are up to it, big guy… for as long as you need me to, I am here for you… You can do whatever you want to me… You can have me any way you want, daddy…”

He stepped forward and she sat up, grabbing him by the hips as he kept stroking himself slowly. She pulled him closer.

“Oh yeah? Then let’s get this going… Open your mouth, baby…” He bit his lip as her hand covered his and he held himself out to her. “…And keep playing with yourself while you do it. Let me see everything… how you like it… there you go, baby girl… show me…”

And she did.

She did everything he asked her to, trusting him completely with her body and her heart, knowing well that it didn’t matter how rough and demanding he was – she was always safe with him. He was generous and giving, always. It was just his nature – mercurial and unpredictable, gentle and assertive at the same time. And she loved him with every fiber of her being.

When he finally allowed himself to climax, when she finally felt him tense, his muscles getting rigid before he jerked and spasmed into her, sighing and moaning, filling her and giving her everything he had, she barely realized what was happening before she started to come with him, whimpering, her fingernails digging into his back, her teeth biting down on his shoulder. She somehow registered his moans and grunts and her name mixed with some incomprehensible words. After what seemed forever, his body finally relaxed on top of her and she held him in her arms, kissing his ear, caressing his damp hair.

“Oh, baby, that was the best fuck I’ve ever had…” She nuzzled his neck and smiled, her eyes closed. “Thank you for that…”

For the first time that night, she heard him chuckle. His face stayed buried in the crook of her neck, his hot breath caressed her skin.

“I fucking love you, Lise, so much…” He was back at being soft. Gentle.

He pulled back and stared at her, his huge, dark eyes soulful again. There he was, the man she had always known. He was slowly starting to come around, despite his ego having been bruised and tattered, his self-esteem diminished. 

Lisa framed his face and watched him intently, her soul expanding with his mere presence, the scent of his skin, the feeling of his body on her, of his heart so very close.

“You are everything to me,” she said. And she meant it.

The moment Lisa landed in Memphis and turned on her phone, the message alert went off and she smiled. And then her phone beeped again. And again. And again.

“You there yet?”

“Call me when you land.”

“Checked your flight. U should arrive sooner than we planned. Call me”

“Lise… I miss you real bad, girl”

“U there yet?”

She laughed. He was nuts! And yeah, he was getting frantic, as it usually happened when he felt a bit left out of the loop. She called him right away, and the phone rang just once before he picked it up.

“Babe.”

“Hi, love.” She couldn’t repress her syrupy tone and heard him giggle at the other end of the line.

“Damn, I was starting to get worried.”

Lisa checked her watch and frowned.

“Why? I’m ahead of my schedule.”

“I know, but I missed you. I wanted to talk to you. How are you, baby? You tired?”

She sighed.

“Yeah, I’m exhausted. All I wanna do is take a long shower and lie down on my bed… or any bed, really.”

“Aw, thanks for the visual… Now I know what I’ll be thinking about later tonight when I’ll be jerking off all alone in my bed.”

She burst out laughing, and he laughed with her.

“Oh my god, Mike…” She grabbed her trolley from the conveyor belt. “…You really are something else.”

“I know. But I do miss you for real, Lise…” His voice sounded more serious, and Lisa’s walk slowed down. She tuned into him instinctively.

“I miss you, too… So much, you have no idea.” She took a deep breath. “But you know what? It’ll be over soon. I’ll be back before you start missing me for real.”

“But I really miss you already.”

“No, I mean, really, really miss me.”

“Uh-uhm, OK. I trust you… Just hurry up, alright?”

Those simple words filled her heart with pure joy.

“Mike, I gotta get out of here and get a cab. I’ll call you back ASAP, OK?”

“It’s fine… Just go home, baby. Enjoy your shower, get some sleep. Call me when you’re well-rested and comfy, OK?”

Lisa smiled.

“Alright, love.”

“And check your phone when you hang up. I’m sending you something right away.”

“OK, crazy man. I love you.”

“I love you too. I hear from you soon.”

Two minutes later, her phone signaled a new incoming message.

It was the picture Michael had asked a passerby to take of the two of them, in Peterhead, to show Lisa that she didn’t have to be afraid. That nobody was going to recognize him. He had changed too much. He was safe.

It was their first picture together after their reunion and after their first night together in Scotland, when their worlds had collided once again and had been turned upside down in the process.

In the photograph, they were sitting on the bench, wrapped in their heavy coats, cheeks reddened by the cold wind, eyes shiny and bright. Michael’s arm was around her shoulders and he was pulling her into him, closer to his body. Now, Lisa could guess those features she knew so well under the well-trimmed greying beard, behind the lenses of his glasses. Strands of curly, salt and pepper hair were visible despite the newsboy hat pressed over his head, and he was smirking that irresistible smirk that always managed to melt her, staring right into the camera. He looked cocky. Confident.

And she… well, certainly more unsure-looking, she was leaning against Michael’s now more massive, muscular body as if it was her Holy Grail. Because it was. She loved his body mostly because it was the keeper of his soul. A soul that had always been her damnation and her salvation.

On her own face, Lisa saw the love she felt for him, her amazement at what was happening, her wonder and delight at having him there, finally and incredibly. But she also saw a shadow – a dark shadow lingering behind the blue, like oil spreading in the crystalline waters of the ocean.

Feeling chills run down her spine, she locked the screen of her phone and carefully placed it back into her purse.

Chapter song