let me love you ~ michael jackson & ariana grande

back to reality

                             January 25th, 1994

Ariana

I clean up the living room as I wait for Michael to come home from a meeting with the attorneys. The Chandler's are still going at it with their accusations against him. I wish they would just give it up already, tell everyone that they're money hungry monsters.

The living room is neat and in order so I pour myself a glass of lemonade, Dede is up in her room playing. I sit down and sip the yellow liquid, it's pretty refreshing.

The sound of the door unlocking is audible, Michael steps in, shutting the door behind him. It takes one look at his face to see that he's sad. "Michael..."

He hangs his coat up in the closet with a gloomy aura, gently closing it. His state concerns me. I repeat his name again, I'm met with a bone crushing hug from him.

"I love you." He mutters in my ear.

"I love you too." I hold Michael in my arms tightly. "What did the attorneys say?" I pull away to face him upright.

Michael scoffs and sits down. "Well, they've finally came to a conclusion. One that I had no part of but if this is what it takes for all of this to be over, then I'll just have to do it."

"What is it?" I question, placing my hand on top of his.

"Giving them money." I'm instantly enraged. "I have to pay them between 15-23 million dollars, they're still figuring out how much. They have the option to go though with a criminal case but chances are they won't." My eyes and mouth are now agape.

"The plan is to pay them off? Michael, that's ridiculous. That makes you look guilty. You can't do that." I sit myself down next to him.

"I'm aware that it makes me look guilty, Ariana!" His loud voice startles me. "But what other choice do I have? If I want this to all end, I have to do this. I can't fight anymore, I'm too weak to keep doing this..." Hs breathes sporadically. "What if you pay them and they still decide to open up a criminal case?" I ask.

"They won't, Ariana. I know they won't because they're doing what everyone around me has said. They're taking the money and running, they have no real evidence besides that drawing Jordan drew. Apparently the photos ended up being a perfect match." Michael says bitterly.

"But they weren't, Michael! I saw the drawing with one of the attorneys while you were being photographed and the description was all wrong, as well as the little notes he wrote down. Jordan claimed that you were circumcised which was a dead giveaway that he doesn't know what you look like naked at all! This is making me so mad..."

The both of us are quiet for a couple of minutes. Our lives have completely gone to shambles and with Michael paying off the Chandler's, I don't know if we'll ever be okay again. The public will obviously think that Michael paying them off means he's at fault and from their point of view, it certainly looks like that.

"I'm so tired, Ariana." Michael admits, dried tears stuck to his face.

"I know you are. I am too." I hug him, he bury's his head in my shoulder while I grip onto him tightly.

"He has the whole world thinking I'm some pedophile. It hurts so much for people to think I'm like that." Michael sobs harshly.

"What matters is that everyone who truly knows you, knows you wouldn't do any of those heinous things he accused you of, Michael."

He continues to weep on my shoulder. "Never leave me, Ariana. Promise to never go."

"Michael, you already know I'll always be here."