Watching | Michael Jackson *HEAVILY EDITING* ✓

Chapter 2. Coming Back

Michael's POV:

Why did she do this? How could she betray me like this? Why would she hurt me? She promised that we would always be loyal to one another. Not to mention my own brother being the cause. I guess you can't trust anybody. I'm laying in bed, my eyes red from crying all night after I barely managed to get home without being in an accident. I gave Lisa everything she wanted—a car, a house, clothes, love, attention—and she plays with my feelings and fucks my brother instead. Did I do something wrong to deserve all of this?

I get out of bed and head into my bathroom, trying to encourage myself to move again. I turn on the tap and wash my face. I look in the mirror and realize how weak I am because of one girl. She truly was the love of my life. An ache fills my chest as I think about the fact that I was planning to propose—thankfully I didn't buy the ring yet. Now my future is a mess, all because my brother was born seven minutes after me. Austin and I may look the same, but we are two completely different souls. Austin is evil, selfish, and unreliable. We've always been at each other's throats, always. And now, he's crossed the line.

I realize that I'm still wearing the same clothes as yesterday so I go through my closet and take out a white t-shirt, boxers, and black pants. I head into my bathroom, take a quick shower, and head downstairs. I watch some TV for a while when a news story breaks about an attack that sends shivers down my spine. Apparently, a man was found dead with blood spilling out of his neck just this morning in my neighbourhood. For some odd reason, the story makes me recall a moment from last night. I woke up in the middle of the night because I had trouble sleeping and decided to go out onto my balcony for fresh air. As I leaned against the railing, I remember looking out and seeing a silhouette of a person on the roof just across from my house. I blinked a few times to make sure I wasn't imagining it, but whatever it was was gone. I assumed that I was dreaming, but perhaps that strange occurrence had something to do with the attack. I try my best to push the thought away and decide to call my good friend Quincy Jones.

"Hello?" I hear Quincy say on the other end.

"Hey Q, it's Michael," I say softly as I lay down on my couch tiredly.

"Michael, how's it going, man? Is everything alright?" Quincy asks, I can tell he's somewhat concerned.

"Actually, I'm not doing too well at the moment. I discovered yesterday that Lisa has been cheating on me with Austin..." I trail off as the pain is too much to bear.

"Oh Michael, my deepest apologies. Why don't I come over and we talk this out?" Quincy suggests kindly.

"That would be lovely, thank you," I say as a small smile spreads across my face.

"Alright, well, I should be there in about fifteen minutes. I'll see you soon," Quincy says.

"Bye," I say as the both of us hang up. I then get up and try to make my place tidier. I quickly sweep the floor, throw away the empty cans of Coke and bags of chips, and sit back down on the couch, satisfied with my work. The doorbell suddenly rings, so I get up, and open it, revealing Quincy with a paper bag in hand.

"Hey Quincy, come in," I say with a smile as I invite him in, closing the door behind him.

"It's great to see you again Michael, how are you holding up?" Quincy asks as he places the paper bag on the kitchen counter.

"If I'm being completely honest, I don't really know..." I say trailing off and looking down at the floor.

Quincy then walks up to me, pats my shoulder and says, "Well, I know you're not much of a drinker, but I brought over some red wine and some sushi to help cheer you up." Quincy walks up to the paper bag and removes a large bottle of red wine and a package of fresh sushi—my favourite.

"Thanks, Q, it means a lot to me that you're here," I say as I smile at him warmly, he does the same in return. I then walk around the kitchen and get the corkscrew to open up the wine. I hand it to Quincy who opens the bottle, a loud pop echoes through my living room. Quincy laughs as he pours some into two glasses as the two of us take a seat on the two stools that are pulled up by my kitchen counter.

"So, what exactly happened? How did you discover that she was cheating on you?" Quincy asks hesitantly, I can tell he knows that it's a touchy subject. I begin to explain to him all the events of yesterday, from the incident at breakfast to me finding them in Austin's home. 

"I left, came home, and...well...cried my eyes out," I say as my eyes become watery and I look at the ground, reliving that terrible moment.

"I'm so sorry, Michael," Quincy says as he rubs my back, comforting me.

"I guess it just wasn't meant to be," I mutter as I finish my glass of wine in one long gulp.

"I'm sure you'll find a wonderful lass someday who'll love you for you. You're an amazing man, Michael, never forget that," he says kindly as he smiles at me warmly. I smile back, putting my empty glass in the sink.

I watch as Quincy looks down at his watch and then says, "Oh shoot. Michael, I've got to get going. I've got a meeting with the choir for Man in the Mirror today so that we'll hopefully get them on board with singing the background vocals for the song."

"That's alright," I say as Quincy and I make our way to my front door. He puts on his jacket as I open the door for him.

"Try not to dwell on all of these emotions, alright? I know you can pull through," Quincy says kindly as he pats my shoulder and fixes his sunglasses.

"I'll try my best," I say with a smile. Then, with a slight tip of his head and a wave goodbye, Quincy leaves and I'm home alone, again. I then hear my phone ringing so I quickly grab it from off of the coffee table. Unknown number?

"Hello," I answer. It's quiet on the other end.

"Are you alone?" A female voice asks. It takes me a moment, but I realize who it is.

"What do you want from me, Lisa?" I ask furiously.

She completely ignores what I said and says impatiently, "Michael are you alone?!"

I don't trust her so I say, "No, Quincy is here. We're having drinks. Why?"

"Liar, he just left," she says suspiciously. What the hell? How did she know that?

"What are you talking about? Quincy is still—"

"Don't lie to me, Michael! I know you're alone," she says angrily as she cuts me off.

"Why do you care if I'm home alone or not? Is this your way of telling me that you're sorry?" I ask confused and angry. This entire situation is so ridiculously frustrating, I just want it to be over.

The call drops.

What the hell was that all about?

I sigh, deciding right there to block this unknown number, Austin, and Lisa's.

Maybe if I just block everything that happened out of my mind, I'll just forget it all and be happy again.

I take a deep breath, knowing that that's not how my brain works. It might work for some people, but not me. I rub my eyes, sigh, and pour myself a glass of wine from the bottle that Quincy brought me and choose to go into my personal recording studio to put some of these emotions to good use.