Act IV [Epilogue] – You can be at peace

Neverland Ranch, June – Late at night

Michael wrapped a towel around his waist and raked his fingers through his still drenched hair, slicking it back a bit. Then, almost distractedly, he glanced over at the mirrored wall and found his reflection looking back at him. His eyebrows sprung up a bit.

Well, that wasn’t so bad. He thought he looked much, much worse, especially since he was utterly tired, sleepy and also a bit starved. And maybe if he kept working at this rhythm, he would finally be able to slim down a bit. He couldn’t complain, of course, as he was in pretty good shape for his age, but he had been heavier for a while and wasn’t always comfortable with it.

However, it had its benefits…

Rolling his head over his shoulders and trying to ease the tension he felt in his upper back, he decided that he didn’t need to dry up after the shower. It was indeed a very warm night – way warmer than usual – considering that it was only late June. What the heck was happening to seasons the way he had known them for his entire life?

Whistling softly to himself, he walked out of the bathroom and into the master bedroom, ready to lie down for a few hours before going back to rehearsals the following day. He was pretty sure he’d be able to sleep just fine as, lately, his insomnia seemed to have gone on permanent vacation.

She intercepted him on his way out of the bathroom, before he could even turn the lights on. She grabbed his hand and he twirled around almost immediately, as fast and effective as usual. However, this time she had the benefit of a surprise attack, and was able to push him against the wall near the door.

“What the hell…”

He couldn’t say much else, because her lips found him right away and whatever words he was about to utter just got lost in the kiss.

Michael recovered quickly. The moment her arms closed around his neck, his hands were already pushing her bathrobe down her shoulders, finding the naked skin of her back, running up and down her arms, making her feel as if she was suddenly connected to an electric socket.

She had to pull back from his mouth for a moment and take a deep breath, because her head was spinning. She saw his eyes in the dim light and they were dark and sparkling.

“Lise… what are you doing?”

“Kissing you?”

He smiled.

“I thought you were busy downstairs…”

“Oh, they don’t need me. They’re attached to that stupid console like there’s no tomorrow and I don’t think they even noticed I’m gone… But I did tell them I was going to bed…”

“You think they will stay up all night?”

“I hope not, or we’ll need to have a little conversation tomorrow…”

Well, Michael was sure Ben and Riley could take care of their Play Station just fine, and then go to bed without their mama needing to intervene and make a scene because they couldn’t control themselves. They were old enough to know better, after all. Which meant that he had Lisa all for himself.

He massaged her shoulders, loving the feeling of her long hair against his skin. Loving that she had decided to come back to him, even though she had initially told him that she’d let him rest for a while. Suddenly, he didn’t feel that tired or sleepy anymore.

“What about the other kids?”

“They were all tuckered out. They’re already asleep… all of them…”

“Well, that’s…”

“Magnificent, I know… Come here…” She grabbed his head and pulled him down to her, and they kissed some more. Deeply. Passionately. “I didn’t like spending the whole day without you…”

Oh, he had missed her too. He was happy to be busy rehashing his little piano & vocals show, and usually during the day he could immerse himself in his art and not think much about everything else. However, his priorities had undoubtedly changed with time and, quite frankly, he was relieved that this would be his last official performance. He couldn’t wait to move on to new, exciting activities. Film-making, maybe. Or producing. The sky was the limit, and for once he didn’t feel any pressure to decide what to do next, how, or when.

Earlier that evening, Michael had felt relieved when his people had told him that Lisa was waiting for him in the garage. As a matter of fact, he was thrilled that she was there on her own, with her car. Little things, trivial things, were the most exciting to him and she had peppered his life with plenty of those, since they had finally decided that running away from each other was nothing but a recipe for disaster. From that moment on and despite some inevitable bumps along the way, everything had gone just perfectly. Like it was supposed to go all along.

He had finally been able to remember, with utmost clarity, that when it came to his relationship with Lisa there was something even better than taking. It was giving.

He was happy. They were happy. And they felt safe.

“God, Michael… It’s crazy what you do to me… even after all this time…” Lisa kissed him quickly again, then pressed both hands against his chest, holding his body against the wall. “Stay there, daddy… Just relax…”

Her mouth descended on his neck, his collarbone, sending jolts of pure pleasure straight to his groin. Her hand dipped too, touching him through the fabric, and found him more than ready for her. In zero time. Damn, his woman truly was his youth elixir and still had the ability to seduce him with just one touch, one kiss, one look.

Michael just stayed there, his back resting against the cool wall, his breathing already labored. He stood still and watched her leave a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses down his body.

She crouched down right in front of him and he only regretted that he hadn’t had time to take that bathrobe off her. He bit his lip.

“Take it off… I wanna see your body…”

She smiled at him, her beautiful features distending, and did as asked. She was always so obedient when it came to sex. And he loved that she was way less compliant when they were outside their sexual bubble. Her headstrong attitude, inner strength and utter ability to look out for him not only were a relief, but also kept him in check. Finally, he was able to appreciate it fully.

“Like that…?”

The soft fabric slid to the floor and disappeared in the darkness, leaving her naked body fully exposed to him. Just perfect.

“Yeah… Just like that.”

Damn. How gorgeous she looked. Even more so now than he could ever remember. And, judging from the look in her eyes, she too liked what she saw when she removed the towel, so far, he had been able to keep wrapped around his waist.

“Your turn, mister…”

Her hand closed around him, stroking him, and he reached down, caressing her face. Loving how she took a moment to just kiss his fingers, then take them into her mouth, making him very much aware of what would happen next.

He swallowed and covered her hand on him with his own, guiding her movements on himself. The pressure, the lazy rhythm. He didn’t want this to end too quickly. In fact, he wanted to keep doing this forever.

Lisa’s cheeks looked flushed, her eyes were glazed over. Trapped in a spiral of arousal. Michael knew very well what turned her on, and theirs was always a shared pleasure.

“Open your mouth, baby…”

Once again, she obeyed and within a few seconds, he had to let go of himself in fear of coming right away. He also had to take several deep breaths, trying very hard to keep a modicum of self-control as she sucked him in a way that wasn’t comparable to anything else. No other woman had ever been able to shatter him so profoundly during sex – not before or after meeting her. She reached around and held onto his ass, prompting his hips to guide the rhythm of that intimate kiss, and it was his turn to oblige the lady. How could he not? He would have snatched the moon from the sky for her.

Soon, the quiet, dimly lit bedroom was filled with heavy breathing, soft moans, and the sizzling temperature that would always accompany their intimate encounters. Their lovemaking always felt new – never dull. Constantly exciting. Fierce, pure love did that to a couple.

Michael was beginning to sweat and knew that his tight control was about to snap. Lisa down on her knees, her beautiful breasts exposed, her aqua eyes staring up at him as she went down on him, almost did a number on him and he had to exhale slowly. She sensed his struggle and her mouth left him for a moment. Her hand, however, took its place and she began stroking him just perfectly.

“You know…” Her voice sounded husky, sexually charged. Just the way he liked it. “I could make you come right now, if only I wanted to… I know you’re almost there, big guy…”

Oh, he knew. She was right. However, not everything needed to be said out loud all the time. Only the things that really mattered. And his little temptress, at the moment, had to be put back in check and remember the dynamics of their lovemaking. The game they had been playing so flawlessly – and satisfyingly – for so long.

“Yeah? Or maybe…” Reaching down, he took her hand and pulled her up and into him, reversing their positions, pushing her chest against the wall, his body adhering to hers. “…Maybe I could.”

Moving against her as he kissed the back of her neck, her shoulders, as he nibbled at the soft skin of her back, he made her aware of the power she still had over his body.

Her eyes closed, her lips parted, Lisa reached back and found his steel again. Damn…

“Oh, God… I love to feel your weight on me. Your body against mine…” She turned her head slightly, her lips an inch away from him. Her voice reduced to a whisper when she spoke again. “Fuck me. Do me from behind… Fuck me hard, baby…”

A few hours later, they were in bed, their limbs entwined as they distractedly listened to the silence coming from the mansion. Riley and Ben must have gone to bed. Lisa thought that it was kind of funny that two teenagers had gotten tired of their video games before she and Michael were finally done with their grown-up activies. The older folks in the house weren’t that old, after all.

Speaking of which…

Pulling back from Michael’s chest ever so slightly, she kept her hand on his abdomen and caressed his skin. She absolutely adored how natural he looked now. A little heavier – which she loved – his hair short, his face makeup-free and often stubbly, he looked just as relaxed as he felt inside. Finally. And if she had a tiny bit of merit when it came to the obvious serenity he felt, the happiness deriving from it would probably last her for a lifetime.

“You know what I was thinking?”

“I am surprised you’re still thinking…” Michael beamed up at her. “I thought I had finally managed to fuck your brains out.”

Lisa had to laugh.

“Yeah, fat chance. Remember what the doctor said? It could be this way up until the end of the second trimester…minimum…”

“Hey, I am not complaining! In fact, I hope it keeps going ‘cause I love it. I love it that you’re pregnant and horny…” He turned and pulled her down for another kiss. “…I love you…”

“I love you too…”

Their sex drive and physical connection had always been sky-high since they had made love for the first time, but it had gotten even worse – or better – since they had found out they were expecting. Again! Just like the first time, it had happened by accident because things had indeed changed and they no longer repeated the same mistakes of the past.

Ten years earlier, when she had gone to his ranch because she needed solace and comfort in a moment of her life when she had felt utterly lost, she hadn’t imagined she and Michael would end up getting back together. Not even when they had begun to fuck again. Each time it had happened, during that week that they had spent together, she would always try to tell herself that it was nothing but routine. Desire. Longing. To just get off her high horse and stop having any particular expectations. Whenever she and Michael were close or alone in the same room, planets would simply collide and making love was almost inevitable. It was nothing more than that.

She had somehow been able to keep up that bullshit mantra even when it had become clear that, the more they spent time together on their own, the more things kept changing. Finally, the horizon had started to clear up. The fog had slowly disappeared and, at one point, all that remained was the rawness of what they felt for one another. The irreplaceable turbulence of their love. Desperate at times, but ultimately fateful and impossible to put aside or be forgotten.

Even now, so many years later, she couldn’t believe she had found the balls to leave him there, pretty much repeating the same mistake she had made the first time around. Risking breaking his heart – and her own – all over again.

But the point was that she hadn’t made the same mistake, because she had come back just a few hours later, Riley and Ben in tow, and they had never left Michael since.

She still remembered how shocked he had looked for hours.

“What?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t expect you to be back so soon… Or at all. I guess you keep surprising me, that’s all…”

Lisa had stepped closer. She had rested her hand over his chest. Making sure that he was indeed there. A living, breathing being, and not just a figment of her memories. The same Michael that had been such a prominent part of her past could be part of her present. Of her future. Of her forever-ness. She wanted him to be. And she wanted to stop being afraid of acknowledging it.

“I just thought that maybe we could all stay here for a while… if you’ll have us…”

His turn to reach out, stroking the side of her face. He had tilted his head to a side, his entire posture relaxing.

“It’d be amazing. How long?”

She had barely been able to suppress a smile. Her heart had been hammering into her chest like crazy.

“I don’t know… Until the end of the summer? This place is so beautiful. Maybe we could even celebrate your birthday here… and have a family party…”

“Family, huh…”

Family, indeed.

Since then, little Lewis had been the first of many surprises.

Lisa had gotten pregnant a couple of months later and, about one year after she and Michael had gotten back together, their baby boy had come into this world. Shock, happiness and delirious joy were everything she remembered feeling. And Michael… well, to say that he was ecstatic would have been an understatement. Lisa still remembered his words when she had woken up in their bed after finally getting home from the hospital. He was just sitting there, holding her hand, staring at her with eyes so full of love that she had felt like crying.

“It was just meant to be, Lise. I see that now. We didn’t need to push anything. We just had to let things happen naturally. It should have been this way all along.”

That had been the staple of their newfound relationship. To never force, never force, and never let anyone intrude on what they had. They had earned their little family, they had fought tooth and nail for it, bled for it, and would no longer allow anybody to disrupt the harmony they had finally been able to find. They had let their relationship flow and grow naturally, organically, and it had been the right choice. Ten years later, everything still felt like the beginning of an endless journey.

“Lise? Are you falling asleep on me?”

Her name floated to her through the colored lenses of her memories. She snapped out of her daydreaming and smiled.

“No, but you distracted me. So, let me ask you again… Do you know what I was thinking?”

Michael turned to his side and stared at her. Almost illuminated by the afterglow of their lovemaking.

“What were you thinking?”

“That today is June 29. This means that you’ll turn fifty-two in exactly two months from now, my love.”

Michael rolled his eyes.

“Oh, gosh. Don’t remind me how old I am, please…”

She chuckled. It was too funny how miffed he got by the mere idea simply because it was all make-believe. He was OK with it. He always made sure to let her know how much he loved his life – their life.

“Are you effin’ kidding me? Look at you! You look like a damn king. So gorgeous and strong and splendid…” Her voice dropped an octave and her hand, too, dipped from his stomach and down to his belly, disappearing under the sheets. Michael jumped slightly.

“Watch it, woman.”

“I can handle it, don’t worry…”

She definitely could – and she did just that. Enjoying how quickly he reacted to her touch.

“You know, at times it’s hard to believe you’re with me for anything but sex…” His eyes were mischievous, and his body looked utterly relaxed. His cock… anything but.

Lisa laughed.

“You really think I stayed with you for so long just because your dick game is so good? I mean, it is… don’t get me wrong… but that’s not the only reason.”

“Then what is it?” Michael’s voice had now taken a color she knew very well. Deep, low, slightly raspy.

Letting go of him for a moment, she caressed his face as she shifted, needing to see his eyes.

“You. You are the reason.” She buried both hands in his hair and held his head close to her. “You’ve always been the reason.”

He blinked, his face softening.

“Lise… Would you…”

“Marry you?”

“Yeah…”

So perfectly in sync.

“Yes.”

The question had floated in the air for a long time, but neither one of them had ever allowed it to be more than a quiet undertone. Neither one had found the courage to say what they knew was true. Yet, in a way, they had never completely stopped being husband and wife. It was their best-kept secret.

And now it was time for it to change. Finally, they were ready to cross the finish line. To face their lives the way they had always been supposed to be. Every other option would simply not be acceptable.

The love they felt for one another deserved it all. And hadn’t they been able to achieve that in this reality, they would find a parallel one to start again. Until they finally made it right.

End.

For Michael.

1958 – ∞