Human Nature

Chapter 24

November 16th, 1991

Michael was bored. Mariah had left for a taping of Saturday Night Live in New York and wouldn't be back until tomorrow. She was performing her new single Can't Let Go from her second album and he felt that her second album was better than the first. It had a lot more soul in it, and Mariah also seemed more partial to the songs on the album.

 Lily jumped on the couch beside him, but he put her back on the floor.

"Not today, Mariah's not here to tell me to let you be on the couch." He chuckled.

Mariah loved Lily and always let her get on the furniture, but Michael didn't like it. Not that he minded Lily, but he preferred to have his clothes free of cat hair. Lily rubbed herself against his leg .

"Oh no, you're not going to make me change my mind. I don't care how cute you are." He moved his leg.

He turned on the TV as Mariah was taking the stage, wearing a black mini dress.  He could tell she still had a bit of stage fright, but she was conquering it pretty quickly. She sang Can't Let Go and If It's Over before the screen went to commercial. Her voice sounded better in the live version of the songs than it had on the actual record.

And she's afraid of messing up.

 He figured he'd hear from her in the next thirty minutes once she got back to her penthouse like she promised, so he stayed on the couch next to the phone. Lily brushed against his leg one more time and he picked her up.

"Alright, fine you win cat. You win."

November 17th, 1991

Mariah walked into the house with her carry-on and she was on her way to the bedroom when she noticed Michael sleeping on the couch. She walked back down the stairs and leaned over him. He was so beautiful when he was sleeping.

She shook his shoulder. "Hey, babe. Wake up, you fell asleep on the couch."

He yawned, but narrowed his eyes at her as he sat up. "Oh, look who it is."

"What?" She tilted her head to the side. "What did I do?"

"Did you forget something last night?" He folded his arms.

Mariah put her hands over her face. "I forgot to call. I'm sorry -"

He clearly wasn't trying to hear what she had to say. "I was worried about you. How could you forget to call?" 

"Same way you forgot to call for four months." She retorted.

Michael threw his hand up. "Oh, so we're bringing that up again?"

Mariah went back over towards the stairs. "You're being such an ass!"

He followed her to the base of the stairs. "Oh, I'm an ass?"

She looked back down at him. "Yeah, you're being an ass right now."

She stormed into the bedroom and slammed the door. She tried to slow her breathing, but her heart was racing. 

Michael walked into the room. "Look, if you're going to be bringing up things from the past all the time-"

"All the time?" She interjected. "I do not-"

"I didn't say you do it all the time. I said if, see you don't listen. But if Tommy-"

Mariah rolled her eyes. "And there you go bringing up Tommy again. He has nothing to do with us."

"If he has nothing to do with us, can you explain the two hour conversations that you have with him everyday?" Michael asked.

Mariah laughed. "I can't believe you're so jealous."

"I can't believe you're so naive to think that he isn't trying to be with you. Or do you know that so you do it to piss me off?"

Mariah sighed. "You know what? I quit."

She walked over to the closet and started pulling her clothes out.

"What are you doing?"

She shrugged. "Leaving."

Michael walked over and stood in front of the closet. "You're not leaving."

"Yes I am. Now move." She tried to move him, but he stood firm.

"No you're not."

Mariah folded her arms. "Michael, I'm not joking."

"Neither am I." He mirrored her stance. "We're going to sit here and talk about this like adults."

Mariah flared her nostrils and went to sit on the bed. "Fine, where do we start? Your shitty attitude for the past week or ...?"

"No, actually we can finish talking about your so-called friend, Tommy." Michael retorted.

Mariah put her hands up. "What do you want me to tell you? There's nothing going on between us."

"Then why does he call here so late at night? Midnight here is three AM in New York. What if I had Diana Ross calling here late at night? You're trying to tell me you wouldn't be suspicious?" He inquired.

Mariah shook her head. "No, because I trust you. Which is a lot more than you can say about me. How can you love me if you don't trust me?"

He shook his head. "See, that's where you're wrong. I do trust you, but I don't trust him as far as I can throw him."

"But you're in a relationship with me." Mariah pointed out.

Michael sighed. "I know that, but it doesn't sit right with me when other men are calling you late at night and then you're out there in New York with him and you forgetting to call."

Mariah nodded. "Oh, I understand now. You're not mad because I didn't call, you're mad because you think I'm cheating on you."

"I didn't say that. I-"

"You didn't have to." Tears formed in her eyes and she looked away. "I can't believe you don't trust me."

"I do trust you, Mariah." Michael said.

Mariah shook her head. "You only trust me when I'm sitting in front of you. I have given you no reason not to trust me, but you don't."

"No, that's-"

Mariah got up from the bed and started walking out of the room. "You know what? I think we should sleep in separate bedrooms tonight, I need time to think."

"About?" He asked softly.

She glanced back at him. "This."

She thought she heard him following her, but she continued down the hall to her old bedroom and flopped down.

It's sad that he can't trust me when I've been nothing but faithful to him.

She heard a knock at the door. "Go away, Michael."

"Mariah, seriously open the door."

She knew he was giving her a choice. If she didn't open the door, he would do it himself so she remained on the bed. 

"Mariah."

His voice had dropped a few octaves, which he had never done before. He rarely used the high voice he used on TV, but this voice was lower than the one she was used to.

She didn't move and she could hear him muttering in frustration as the lock clicked and he opened the door. 

"This conversation isn't finished." He said.

Mariah nodded. "Yeah, it is. I get it you don't trust me. Well guess what? If you don't trust me, then I don't trust you either."