Athena Tyler and Michael Jackson are married to people they don't belong with. The history between Michael and Athena isn't complicated; they met on We Are The World, sparks flew, but they never stayed in contact.
When their respective spouses sugg...
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"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Athena said, taking her eyeliner out of her makeup bag, "We have to pick up Jerome Benton and Morris Day."
"Who are they?" Michael asked, automatically a little jealous hearing male names.
"Just Prince's friends," Athena shrugged, "They were in a couple of his movies."
"They aren't going to stare at your ass, are they?" Michael asked, his tone becoming deeper.
"What?" Athena set down her handheld mirror, raising an eyebrow, "Are you jealous?"
"Not.....jealous," Michael sighed, "It's just because......I see you as the most beautiful woman in the world, and it's enough when we have men always gawking at you—makeup is another thing. Men are always flocking to you," he paused, "I don't know if it's the makeup or your body, but it makes me, just......when that happens, it triggers me to be more possessive. I don't like it, and it's just—it's complicated."
Athena stared at him with a mix of concern and curiosity in her eyes, "How do you feel when you see me with other men?" she asked, her voice soft and gentle, "Or other men, as you said.....flocking, to me?"
Michael sighed heavily, "It's like there's this.....this hole in my chest that I can't explain. It's physical pain, but it's also pain because it feels like you're taking away a piece of me, like you're choosing them over me. And when you're with other men, I feel like I don't exist, like you're not even noticing me."
"It's not that I don't notice you, Michael," Athena said softly, "I have to be nice to my fans. Just like you have to be nice to yours. I'm sure female fans have tried to kiss you before."
"I never let them!" Michael quickly defended, "Baby, I swear, I never let them!" he insisted, now masking a protective anger in his eyes.
Athena nodded, understanding his point, "But they try. Right?"
Michael sighed, his eyes softening, "Yes, Athena. They try. But I never let them go further than a hug or a handshake."
"Which is exactly my point," Athena said, "People can try all kinds of things, but that doesn't mean they'll succeed."
Michael sighed, "You're right, Athena. I'm just worried about you. I don't want you to be hurt or taken advantage of. I know that you're strong, and you can handle yourself, but....." he paused, "Ever since you told me about Hollywood sexualizing you when you were a....a child—I just......I can't help it. I'm very protective of you. It's not about you choosing other men over me—it's about you being taken advantage of, or being hurt. I couldn't stand if that happened."
Athena took a minute to let everything he said settle in. What he said made a lot of sense to her. It wasn't easy being in the public eye and dealing with unwanted attention—especially if you were a woman. No wonder he was so protective.
She smiled and touched his hand, "That makes sense."
Michael sighed, "I think it's a man thing."
"A man thing?" Athena questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, a man thing," Michael reiterated, "As in, the jealousy. I can't stand when I see another man gawking at you, it makes my heart race and I have this burning feeling and I just want to do something to show everyone watching that you're mine and you're off-limits."
Athena nodded slowly, understanding where he was coming from now, "It's not easy for you, is it?" she said softly, "I guess I can understand what you mean. You'll never hear me admit this again, so this is your only chance—I get jealous when Liz Taylor or Brooke Shields, or any other woman, even if it's a fan, gets too close to you. Obviously not your sisters or mother."
Michael scooted closer to her, biting his lip as he realized she was having the same dilemma as him, "Baby, you have the same issue?"
"I guess you could say that," Athena sighed as she resumed doing her eyeliner, "When I see women try to hug you for what I think is too long, or when they try kissing you or getting too close to your face—it kind of just makes me wanna remind everyone that you are not available for them, that you're taken and married to me."
He let out a hearty laugh, leaning over to nuzzle her neck, "Well, I assure you, no one is going to take that spot. You're mine, and you're mine forever," His fingers gently traced the line of her jaw, his eyes filled with love and devotion.
"I have a theory," Athena said as she finished her makeup, put it away, and turned to face him, "Of why we get so jealous when we see people staring at or touching each other."
Michael perked up, grabbing her hands, "What is your theory?"
"Maybe it's because of—and I hate to bring them up again—Lisa Marie and Liam," Athena said as she began her theory, "Maybe because she cheated on you and he cheated on me—while we were married to them—that could possibly have an effect on our relationship now," she explained, "But I feel like because of them, we both know what it feels like to be cheated on, and we would never do that to each other. But there's the insecurity of knowing that we could be cheated on again, so we are hyper-aware of any possible threats."
"You think I'd cheat on you?" Michael asked in concern, "Baby girl, I'd never—"
"Mikey, that's not what I meant," Athena sighed, "I meant that we both have the experience of being cheated on and we're trying to......say, instinctively guard ourselves from it happening again. It's not that we don't trust each other, but it's a natural reaction to past experiences," she explained, "I know you'd never cheat on me, and you know I'd never cheat on you—of course we know that. It's just a precaution that our brains instinctively take when we see a potential threat, even if we subconsciously know that there is no real threat."
Michael nodded, understanding her theory, "It's like our brains are constantly on guard, even if we know we don't need to be," he agreed.
Athena nodded, "Exactly. It's an instinctual response to protect ourselves from being hurt again."
Michael took a deep breath, trying to process the idea, "I guess it makes sense. But it doesn't make it any easier to deal with the jealousy that comes with it."
"They say jealousy can be a good thing," Athena shrugged, "Something about how it shows how much we care about each other. But I must say, I prefer love over jealousy any day."
Michael smiled weakly at her words, "That's true, baby." He said, "But it's difficult to separate the two sometimes," he added, "I just love you so much. I don't want to lose you to anyone."
"I'll only ever love you, Michael," Athena softly smiled, leaning her forehead against his.
Michael smiled and cupped her face in his hands, "And I'll only ever love you, Athena. Our love is unbreakable, and no one will ever come between us."
