Paisley Park Records still kept Rosie around, but her leaving the main band shifted dynamics and life changed again.
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"At least the tour's over, but now what?" I asked one night, staying up with my husband in the studio.
"Nothing. Back to work." He shrugs and chews gum, reaching for the console buttons.
"Babe." I tried.
"Hmm?" He then looks right at me, just peering towards me with those gorgeous eyes.
"What's the plan?" I fold both arms.
"Keep going. I've got no other choice." He says, turning down volume of the music that plays out loud in here.
"All right." I scoot back in this chair and tilt my curls.
"What's on your mind?" He smirks.
"Nothing. I'm just waiting for your next move because the contract keep grid-locking business." I scoff.
"Next album's done, but I can't even promote new shit yet." He grumbles, rolling both eyes towards dim lighting found overhead.
"Vacation?" I remark.
"As cool as that would be, no." He rejects, stopping his own music for once. "I don't trust nobody else in the building right now."
"Do you really think folks would burn it all down and genuinely risk being unemployed?" I ask.
"You never know." He pouted.
I snicker louder than every wardrobe sewing machine that taps all around this place. There's no way in hell that others would leave unless absolutely necessary.
Something didn't feel right, though. My own best friend wasn't just hustling in the studio tonight.
"Tell the truth." I went for the jugular, whether or not we risked having another argument these days.
"Nothing's wrong, Mama." He pulls one of my nicknames, trying calm down nerves from within.
"Boy?" I knew when he was lying. In that same moment, he turns around and faces me again.
"Fine." He wipes down his exhausted face. "Are you messing with El again?"
"What?" I froze. "No. Why are we still doing this?"
"I saw Donnie's interview with him before your birthday." My husband bounces curls of the dark Pompadour cut.
"That's nothing." I squinted, confused.
"You show up in the footage." My husband continues.
"It was all Donnie's idea. He wanted me to join in during a commercial break." I told the truth without malice of course.
