just good friends (part 1)
being in a secret relationship with the world's biggest star was as fun and thrilling as expected, but protecting that secrecy proves much harder | 5.7k words | masterlink
pairing: thrad!michael jackson x stylist!reader
info: MDNI!!! partially inspired by the song "just good friends", secret relationship, jealousy, little bit of angst, mostly fluff, lots of pet names, making out
a/n: ig i'm finally writing mj stuff... no idea why it took me so long. also lmk if we want a prequel or something for this. requests are open!!!
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michael shrugged the sequinned jacket over his shoulders. he'd done multiple fittings with you for this exact outfit, but you still couldn't help but feel nervous.
you ran your hands over the tops of his shoulders, flattening out the fabric while staring at him through the mirror. his stoic face scanned his figure in a deep analysis. with an inhale, he turned to catch himself at various angles. the natural lighting in the room bounced of the black sequins, their reflection hitting the roof and walls around you.
the painfully loud silence made the moment stretch out for eternity. if you paid close attention, all you could hear was your breathing and the faint sounds of new york city traffic penetrating the closed hotel window. it must've been only 30 seconds but it felt like an hour of silent critique and panic at the thought of him suddenly disliking the outfit.
"hm..." michael hummed lowly. he pulled at the cuffs of the jacket, feeling the fabric beneath his fingers, assessing the shapes they created. you stepped back from him, giving him the room you knew he needed while getting accustomed to the jacket.
"what do you think?" though you'd known him for a little over two years, having been hired shortly after thriller was released, you still couldn't help but feel nervous while awaiting his approval.
he took a second to respond, standing motionless before the mirror. he sucked his lip in, gnawing at it gently. the butterflies in your stomach made an appearance at the sight. your eyes were trained on his lips with such focus that you didn't notice when michael's eyes snapped back to you. a giggle broke the silence, forcing you to match his gaze through the mirror.
"you're blushing, y/n." michael's grin was audible in his voice.
"oh shut up," you playfully pushed at his chest before covering your cheeks with your hands. "i'm not," you said despite the heat emanating from your skin.
"it's ok, honey, no one's around." michael stepped towards you, placing both of his large hands against the back of your hips, just above your ass. with a gentle tug, he pulled you towards him. it didn't take much convincing for you to be pulled into him. michael had always been magnetic, and ever since you two fully gave into your mutual attraction, your resistance to his magnetism was wearing weak.
"it's just that my boyfriend looks so damn sexy all dressed up like this." at this, it was michael's turn to blush. the few tendrils of long curls curtained over his eyes. as in alignment with his recent choice to go for a new look following the success of thriller, michael had decided to grow out his hair. it was during this process you realized just how good he looked with every hairstyle he tried.
"i'm just wearing the clothes you choose for me," he shrugged humbly.
"and it just so happens that i know what my man looks good in. guess it's a win-win for both of us." a smile poked at your lips as the distance between your lips closed. michael, greedy as ever, tongued at your lips playfully. though you wanted to give in, you knew just how far things would go and how weak your restraint would be if things went any further. you shortened the kiss and pulled away, much to michael's dismay.
he hummed a sound of disappointment in response.
"we can't get started because we both know we ain't gonna be able to stop," you tried to reason. michael dramatically rolled his eyes. "we're on a tight schedule, babe, let's keep this going."
reluctantly, michael withdrew his hands from your hips and faced the mirror once more.
"yeah, the jacket's good. these alterations feel a lot better compared to the last fitting," michael nodded with confidence. you nodded back, finally relieved to hear his approval for the outfit.
"but now that i'm done, what are you wearing tonight?"
your eyes wandered to the bathroom door where your dress was hung up in a garment bag. "i don't even know how you snagged an extra ticket for me. i would've thought that they'd only say yes to bill being with you."
"well, i consider me and bill to be one person for every invitation..." a cheeky grin grew on michael's face. "leaving me with a plus one, which'll be you."
you spun to face michael as he walked towards the bathroom door, unzipping the garment back. revealed was a gorgeous black velvet sleeveless dress with a corset-structured top and an a-line skirt. michael sucked in a sharp breath, imagining how gorgeous you'd look in it.
"it's kinda useless to give me a plus one if i can't even be your plus one. it's pointless if we're trying to keep this whole thing between us a secret." you couldn't hide the disappointment in your voice.
michael turned, looking at you with the hint of a frown on his face. "but i still want you to be there. it's as close to normal as we'll get without making this public."
with understanding, you nodded, walking towards him. sure, you didn't want to be sneaking around, hiding from every peeking eye and camera, but it was the situation that you two agreed upon to best protect your privacy. though the public was mostly unpredictable, you both knew for certain that the media would eat you alive. stories would be spun, unfounded opinions would be made, privacy from paparazzi would be at a premium. at the end of the day, michael wanted to protect you. and if that having next-to-no one know about your relationship, so be it.
you stopped right before him, leaning your whole body weight against him, your arms tightly wrapped around him. at the suddenness of your movement, michael hummed amusedly. his arms found themselves around your waist once more. though the sequins felt scratchy against your face, you didn't dare move, feeling so at peace with the small circles he drew against your back.
"baby, you should get dressed. we have to be there soon and bill's waiting downstairs for us." the vibration of michael's voice rattled your spine, sparking goosebumps all over your body.
"yeah, i know." you placed one last kiss on his cheek before pulling away and grabbing your dress off its hanger.
as you fidgeted with the zipper on back of the dress, you looked at michael through the mirror and said, "you gonna leave so i can get dressed?"
in response, he stepped backwards, furthering himself into the bathroom. he didn't match your gaze through the large mirror, he stared at you directly. "wasn't planning on it." a smug smile appeared on his face. he was proud of himself for that one.
butterflies spiralled in your stomach that felt like electricity. with a concerted effort, you hid how turned on you were. it's not that you wanted to, it was just that you knew that you were already on the verge of making the michael jackson late for a special event.
"well turn around at least."
"i've seen you naked before," he said with a matter-of-fact tone. you pretended not to notice how he looked you up and down as he spoke.
"would you just-" you said while swatting your hand at him.
"there's that blush again," michael said as his eyes quickly scanned the room, unsure of where to stand given how many mirrors there were. he opened his mouth as if to say something else before making up his mind on what to do. you just stood there, watching him through the mirror as he decided to step into the shower (facing the back wall) and pulled the curtain closed behind him in one swift motion.
"you're such a drama queen," you laughed. his goofy behaviour behind closed doors was one of your absolute favourite things about him.
"i better stay in here before you start undressing and i start changing my mind about going to this charity event." you could practically hear the smile on his face. you started to breathe a little harder as you pulled the tight fabric up onto your body. you could hear from behind the curtain that michael had begun to hum a tune you didn't recognize. rather than comment on it, you smiled to yourself and continued on.
"alright, freaky. can you come zip me up?" your sentence was barely over when the shower curtain was ripped open loudly.
when michael's eyes caught onto your body, he stood frozen for a moment, drinking you in. when his eyes flickered to your face, your smile broke him out of his trance and he made his way over to you.
his warm fingers grazed over your skin so lightly you weren't even sure it happened. a jolt of electricity shot up your spine as michael tilted his head down to your ear and whispered, "you're the most beautiful woman i've ever seen." his lips brushed the top of your ear as he spoke.
his right hand grasped the zipper and pulled it up at a painfully slow pace. meanwhile, the backside of his left fingers delicately trailed across your exposed collar bone, down the front of your shoulder, then your bicep... elbow... forearm. as michael's hands moved in opposite directions, he planted small kisses behind your right ear, down your neck and across the top of your shoulder.
when his fingers reached your wrist, you realized the sound of the zipper was gone, indicating he must've finished. you didn't move, you didn't say anything.
with fingers curled around your wrist, he pulled gently, prompting you to turn around and face him. his grip remained as his other hand snaked over your hip and around to your lower back.
"you better behave tonight." your voice barely above a whisper. you wanted to reach up and scrunch the shirt below his jacket to pull him closer to you, but you knew better than you mess up your hard work.
michael didn't even say anything. he just tangled his fingers into your hair, his palm cupping your jaw while his thumb drew abstract shapes against your cheekbone. instinctively, you tilted your head in an attempt to close the gap between your lips and his.
like the tease you knew him to sometimes be, he pulled away by a millimeter, just enough to maintain the gap between you two.
"i'll try my best," he matched the whisper of your voice. his eyes starred deeply into yours, a smirk growing once more as he observed the effect he had on you.
eventually, the two of you made your way to the black suv where you met up with bill. he had organized for you to meet him at the back entrance of the hotel so as to avoid too many prying eyes. after all, it was a private event with less than 100 people, so the less that knew about your attendance the better.
when bill propped the door open, michael stepped behind you to let you in first. bill extended his hand out to you and with his signature tight-lipped smile said, "you look great, y/n."
"you're very kind," you said as you took his hand and stepped into the suv. "thank you, bill."
with each new york city block that was passed, michael's leg began to bounce impatiently. in silent notice, you placed your hand atop his thigh. the motion stopped instantaneously while he looked over at you over the rim of his aviators. for only a moment, you saw nervousness in his eyes. even after all this time it still surprised you that michael was nervous about doing certain things. he was such a brave man in your eyes.
you shot him a reassuring smile and nod, which he returned. michael then looked away to watch with curious eyes at all the sky scrapers that towered over the car. when you directed your attention forward once more, you caught bill's eyes in the rear view mirror. turned out he'd just seen that whole interaction happen. there was an unreadable expression in his eyes. you figured it was something between pride and relief.
despite what you'd heard about new york traffic, the car arrived at the event centre before you knew it. the mansion hosting the party was so big you couldn't even fathom how one person lived there. it could've easily been an office for a small company.
thankfully the gates sheltering the mansion from the public were far enough away that even zoom lenses wouldn't be able to identify you through all the thick flora. this made you feel more comfortable in taking the arm that michael offered out to you to help you up the multitude of marble front steps. you could actually feel the difference in how his tense shoulders relaxed with your touch. he considered you genuinely magical for that power.
"you doing ok, michael?" you asked with a soft voice.
walking ahead of you and at the top of the stairs were a couple of celebrities you'd seen on tv. though you knew that working for a celebrity (much less dating one) would mean you'd come into contact with some high status individuals, you didn't really think you'd see some of the people you'd idolized on screen as a kid.
"we should go say hi. make our rounds, y'know?" he said as you approached the top of the stairs. the giant wood doors were open, showing a bunch of people you recognized inside. you suddenly felt overcome by nervousness. even with your arm tucked into his, surely people would've raised some eyebrows. as that thought popped into your mind, you pulled your arm away from michael's and tried to subtly smooth out your dress with your hands.
as michael stepped inside, people's heads begun to turn. some came up to him to greet him, while others invited him to come drink with them. with michael caught up in greeting people, you took the opportunity to stray from his pace and meet up with bill who was a few steps behind.
"let's let him do his thing. we can go get a drink," bill suggested. he placed a hand on your back and guided you to the back of the room as if he'd been there a million times.
the drinks, of course, were free. which you suddenly realized was about to be a problem if you had to deal with the sight in front of you all night. michael was swarmed by a dozen young women, all clad in dresses fresh off the runway. they all flashed their eyelashes at him, touching his arms, laughing at something you were sure wasn't even remotely close to a joke.
"he's a real ladies man, huh?" you commented sarcastically. you couldn't help but feel jealous at how comfortable those girls felt around him.
"yeah... but he's only one lady's man," bill said, nudging your shoulder with his.
you took a sip to hid the smile on your face from bill's comment. with the refreshing taste of champagne now in your mouth, you said, "was that your attempt at a dad joke, bill?"
"depends. did you think it was funny?" as you came to know bill over your time with michael, you learned that he was very good at making people feel comfortable and relaxed. a skill that was in use frequently when around michael.
staring back at the piranhas still circling michael, you nodded in contemplation. "i really wish we didn't have to do this. i know he perpetuates it to protect us, but sometimes i wish he wouldn't bring me to these so i didn't have to see all of this. just makes me feel awful."
bill made a sound of understanding. it stayed silent for a moment. the only sound around was the music blaring on the dance floor and the chatter from the people around you. once you'd had enough time to look around the room, noticing everyone and everything going on, bill spoke. "do you know how much he talks about you?"
you looked at him and shook your head.
"he won't shut up. sometimes when he hasn't seen you in a while he'll start telling me stories about you. and of course, i've heard them all before, but i think he does it just to prove that he remembers."
you smiled, imagining him recounting all his favourite memories. "really?" bill nodded. "i never expected any of this to happen when he hired me to be his stylist."
"why not? for one, your work speaks for itself. and for two, behind all that work is an even more spectacular woman. michael's always loved creative and talented people. and based on what he's told me, you see the man behind the records. you treat him like a real person. that's all he's ever wanted. you always know what to say to him, make him feel better, give him encouragement.
"he goes to all this trouble because he really cares about you. and i know he'd rather give it all up than let the media tear you down the way they did to him. he's a smart man. you just gotta trust him."
you thanked bill and hugged him with gratitude.
the music began to pick up as an open invitation to the dance floor. you immediately recognized the tune as a song that michael had recently shown to you as one of his new favourites. with a smile, you started scanning the room, trying to find him if only to tell him with your eyes that it was his song. the smile began to fall as you realized you couldn't see him anywhere.
just as panic started to rise in you, you felt a hand tap your shoulder.
"michael!" you exclaimed with relief. "i was looking for you. they're playing your song!" your thumb jabbed over your shoulder to the dj.
"well, i need someone to dance with, don't i?" he tilted his chin down seductively.
"maybe not right now. better let people get drunk enough so they don't remember what they saw." you emphasized the sentence with a sip of champagne.
"soon enough then." michael said, draping his arm around your shoulder, squeezing you into a hug. you couldn't help but giggle and place a hand on his chest.
of course, that was the moment that a young, blonde actress decided to interrrupt.
"michael, you haven't introduced me to this gorgeous girl yet!" you knew she was no where near close enough to michael to be making such statements. this was a power move.
her eyes smile said 'welcoming and kind', but her eyes said 'back off'. a trained actress, to be sure. you cleared your throat and steadied yourself with a sharp inhale. "i'm y/n y/n. i'm michael's stylist."
"ah, so you're responsible for making him look so sexy tonight," she said, placing her hand on his chest, right where you just had.
michael laughed uncomfortably, wiggling enough to get her hands off him.
"mmhm," your response was accompanied with a tight-lipped smile.
"he looked real cozy with you when i came in... makes me think there's something more. maybe someone has a little crush." the actress elbowed michael's side.
"i'd be flattered if that were true, but we're just..." your sentence came to a screeching halt at the realization that you and michael never discussed how to divert attention when people started to assume things about your relationship. you had to improvise and fast. you settled on: "just good friends."
your eyes flicked at michael and saw that he flashed you a reassuring smile. he thought your response was perfect.
"well that's good news. means i can steal him for a dance without someone wanting to off my head." she didn't even finish her sentence before she had grabbed michael's hand and whisked him off into the thunderous music.
"bill, in another universe i'd have much less tolerance and restraint." your fingers tapped rhythmically against the stem of the glass.
you watched as the actress cozied herself against michael. she had turned to press her back against michael's chest. her eyes were closed in pleasure as she swayed from side to side. michael kept up with her, just enough for her not to freak out over his lack of enthusiasm. as the song swelled into its chorus, michael continued the motion while introducing a slight rotation. with her eyes still closed, she'd never even notice that they were spinning.
after they stopped spinning you realized that michael was doing it so that he could look at you while still dancing. he could tell the very moment when you realized what he was doing; he saw it in your eyes.
a devilish smirk grew on michael as his hands cupped her hips, securing them against his. they swayed and swayed and swayed. the actress, at the will of her intoxication by alcohol, the music, and/or michael's attention, threw her hips back, grinding against michael's lap. ordinarily, you knew him to be far too shy to engage in such behaviours in a public space. but now, one hand was reaching across to rest on the front of her thigh, his other placed on her lower stomach.
with a sharp inhale she tossed her head back so it rested against the top of michael's shoulder, her jaw agape. that was a feeling you understood, having experienced many times (and often, many times in the same day). it was simply the effect michael's touch had on people. his gentle but firm grip could turn anyone into putty. as memories of michael's touch flashed through your mind like a film reel, goosebumps grew on every spot his hands frequented. your stomach, your hips, your thighs, your shoulders. you felt like you were on fire.
then... you watched with searing eyes and burning jealousy as he tilted his head down and kissed her neck. his gaze was locked on you, never dropping or blinking even once. you had to bite your lip to distract you from the throbbing you felt between your legs.
the actress finally came to and spun within michael's hands to face him. her arms draped over his shoulders, one hand fondling his growing curls. she leaned in to whisper something in his ear that made michael chuckle. the song seemed to continue forever and your patience was wearing thin. taking a quick survey of the room, you noticed that most others at the event had become aware of the red-hot passion growing in the centre of the dance floor.
they had their fun, but you decided enough was enough. with eyes locked on the couple, you marched through the crowd until you came face to face with them.
"michael, can i steal you for a moment." your voice was dripping with venom.
"michael and i-" the actress's head snapped towards you, her eyes shooting daggers at your interruption.
"that's nice," you cut her off and grabbed michael's wrist, dragging him out of the crowd and back towards bill.
"who are you and what have you done with my girlfriend?" michael wasn't upset. in fact he was amused.
you realized what you'd just done and ran your hands over the side of your head. "i'm sorry, i just couldn't take it anymore."
bill, the ever-aware person he was, stepped in front of you two, sheltering you from curious eyes.
"take what, baby?" michael took your hands into his, genuine concern replacing his amusement. he'd never seen you in this state before.
"first off, she was far too comfortable with you. out there dancing like that in front of everyone, as if that wasn't the first time she's ever met you. and then the way you were touching her," you shook your head. "you only touch me like that... and now she gets the same treatment?"
"i was doing that to show you how i'm gonna touch you when we eventually tell the world about us. it had nothing to do with her, i don't even know what her name is," he shooed a hand in the actresses general direction. "i wanna love you out loud for the world to see, but until we're ready for that, this is what we gotta settle for."
"i don't-" you took a breath to come back to reality. he was right and you knew it. "i don't know what came over me. i've never gotten that jealous before in my life."
"let's go home." michael tapped bill on the shoulder and informed him of the change in plans.
"but wait, you're gonna leave this party? we just got here." you were excited at the thought of having a relaxing night at the hotel with michael, but you didn't want to steal him away from his celebrity duties.
"i've made a generous donation, said hi to everyone i need to. my appearance has been made. now let's go home." that smirk made a reappearance as he grabbed your hand and placed it inside the crook of his arm.
michael must've noticed your head frantically looking around, clearly nervous about the number of eyes that saw you leaving arm in arm. "head up, baby. let them wonder."
"who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?" you turned the phrase back on him, surprised by the sudden bravado that took over michael.
he just laughed as he slid his dark aviators over his eyes. you and michael became a ball of giggles as you walked down the front steps and into the car. you saw bill in the rear view mirror shake his head at the young love blossoming behind him.
by the time the hotel door shut behind you two, you were doubled over in stomach pain from laughing so hard.
"ahhh," michael sighed as he dropped the jacket off his shoulders and fell backwards onto the king size bed behind him. "y/n, i'm so happy we left that event. this is so much more fun."
"ugh! don't ruin the jacket! it's too expensive for the floor." you began to bend down to grab the jacket, but due to the restriction of the tight velvet fabric around your body, you weren't able to reach as far down as you needed to.
the bed squeaked and you saw from the corner of your eye as michael noticed your struggle and came to help. he grabbed the jacket off the floor and quickly hung it up in the tall closet by the front door.
"does it look ok?" you were a little concerned about the state of the jacket that you had worked so hard to design. but then again, you felt the same about every outfit you coordinated for michael. all of your outfits felt like a work of art, like your children. saying you were proud of your work was an understatement.
"baby, it's fine. we were out for a couple hours, it's not like i drag it through tar." though michael was glad you cared about your work so much, the same level of care he had about his music, he wished you'd stop letting it control your life as much as it did. the latter of that sentence was easier for him to say than do himself.
you sighed, knowing he was right. with a satisfying kick, you discarded your heels and squealed with excitement as you sprawled out on the freshly pressed linen of the bed. though michael was now rid of the jacket that you thought he looked stunning in, somehow in just a plain white t-shirt and slacks he looked even better yet.
beside you, you felt the mattress sink as michael laid down facing you. "did i tell you how beautiful you looked tonight?" he adopted a sultry tone that you knew had a history of ending in trouble between you and michael.
rolling onto your side, your head propped up on your palm, you stared back at your boyfriend, who now had a tired look in his eyes. "mmm, i think you said it a couple times," you tapped your chin, feigning contemplation. "but it wouldn't hurt to tell me one more time."
michael scooted closer to you and ran his hand up and down over your waist and hip in slow stokes. after the third stroke down your hip, his fingers curled around yours. he pulled your hand to his lips, and placed a gentle kiss without breaking eye contact. "you look like an angel that came down from heaven. i don't know what i did to deserve such a talented," he kissed your wrist, "smart," then your forearm, "funny," then your bicep, "kind," then your collarbone, "understanding," then your neck, "gorgeous..." his lips hovered a centimeter apart from yours. your skin crawled in anticipation. you needed him bad. "lady in my life. i'm so lucky to have you, y/n."
"kiss me already-" you started.
as if unlocking the magic words, michael's lips crashed against yours. it was both greedy and gentle, in a way that only michael knew how to do. out of pure relief, you sighed into the kiss. your hands found themselves tangled into the hair at the base of his head.
his tongue pressed at your lips, begging for entrance. in one swift motion, your lips parted and tilted your head back to allow him deeper access. his tongue snaked carefully around your mouth. it was as if michael needed to memorize the structure of your mouth by touch alone.
michael's hands worked magic into your skin, every inch he touched made your skin feel like it was on fire. with a final firm squeeze on your hip, his grip loosened and slid his hand up towards your jaw. his hands were so big that his thumb could tug gently on your chin while his ring and pinky fingers swirled circles into your hair just behind your ear.
you understood very early on in your relationship with michael that he was relatively inexperienced and shy in this realm. and in an attempt to ensure his comfortability throughout this new exploration, you let him control the pace.
and he did just that. he pressed down on your hip to force you flat against the mattress. with both hands now free, you explored his torso with tender hands. even through the shirt you could feel his toned muscles, developed from hundreds of hours of rehearsing and performing.
as much as michael enjoyed your wandering hands, as indicated by moans that escaped him, his disposition to being ticklish impeded his ability to enjoy the experience. the way he squirmed under your touch only made you need him more. though his effect on you was undeniable, his response made you certain you had the same effect on him.
his hands tightly gripped on your face and hip, yours up and down his arms and back, lips still moving in perfect synchronization. with michael's legs straddling one of yours, you felt his hips begin to roll into you instinctively. with each thrust you felt a bulge grow against your thigh. the pace of your breath picked up out of both shock and desire.
michael's lips pulled away from yours, just barely enough for him to say, "you ok?"
it took you a moment to find your voice, but when you did, you said, "mmhm. you?"
he nodded, and pressed another kiss to your teple before resting hs forehead against yours. "with you? always." you smiled at his sappiness. "but we have to be up early for my interview tomorrow. i think we should head to bed."
once michael heard your sound of agreement, he kissed your forehead again and pushed himself off the bed. you smiled to yourself when you saw the prevalent print on the front of michael's trousers, confirming your earlier suspicions. as he walked towards the bathroom he continued to adjust his pants, looking for an ounce of relief.
the door clicked closed and you stood up to replace the dress with something more comfortable. with the dress hung up in the closet right behind michael's jacket, you rummaged through michael's suitcase to find a spare of his classic white tees.
after tugging it over your body and opting to sleep in just your underwear, you snuggled into the king size bed. the plushness of the mattress felt like a cloud as it cupped and cradled your body. you laid still to appreciate your new found comfort. in that moment you noticed how the familiar scent of michael's was released from the shirt.
you pulled the fabric up to your nose and inhaled deeply. the subsequent dopamine release felt comparable to a hit of cocaine (or so you imagined). you giggled quietly to yourself, so beyond happy with this life you ended up with.
it wasn't until michael joined you under the covers with his arms securing you against him that you noticed just how tired you were.
"i'm glad today's over. i've been looking forward to this all day," you said with a smile.
"me too. i'll take a quiet night with my baby over a flashy pr event any night."
"speaking of that event though. we gotta do something about that touchy and entitled girl."
"if i can't dance with you then no one can!" you harrumphed.
michael chuckled at your theatrics. "i think it's only fair."
you huffed a dramatic sigh, despite the smile on your face.
"i forgot to mention earlier that i really liked that phrase you used about us."
"which one?" with all the jealousy and anger, specifics of your encounter with the actress had faded.
"just good friends. it's got a nice ring to it." you could practically hear the gears turning in michael's head.
"well, i just figured it fit. we were close friends before we became anything more and it quells any suspicion." your eyes fluttered shut as your tiredness caught up to you.
"you're right. it works for now." michael's voice progressively got quieter. you swore you heard michael add on, "but not forever." though you'd never be sure as you drifted off into your dreamworld.
