Slipping Away

Chapter 27

April 1st, 1995

Mariah was struggling to write another song for her album. Her mind was set on weaving Michael into each one of her thoughts and it was getting harder to explain her lyrics to Tommy. He had taken a strong dislike to Always Be My Baby and Slipping Away because he had picked up on their theme. Forever was another point of contention for the same reason and she was trying to write something to avoid offending him, but her emotions were coming through the music.

She looked at the page she was writing on and had managed to write another ballad, but this one was more about falling in love rather than missing someone. Melt Away was now the sixth song she had written for the album that was due to be released in October. It was a lackluster song in comparison to other songs she had written, but Tommy would probably enjoy it if she was able to convince him that it was about him. 

"Mariah, I hope you've got a good song for me."

Mariah passed Tommy her notebook and he skimmed the lyrics before handing back the notebook, smiling. "That's much better."

She smiled back weakly. "I'm glad you like it."

"I hope you'll write more like it. Pining over a married man isn't a good look." He spat.

She sighed. "What are you talking about?"

"So you're going to keep lying and saying that those other songs aren't about Michael?"

"Why does it matter what the songs are about? I don't always write about myself, I write for the fans." Mariah retorted.

Tommy leaned over the table until their noses were nearly touching. "That's a damn lie. You're a fucking liar."

She flinched, expecting to be hit, but instead Tommy cupped her face tenderly. "I want you in my bed tonight, okay?"

She frowned. "Tommy, I-"

"That wasn't up for discussion." He said. "Now keeping working."

She nodded and took her notebook back into her hands, watching Tommy leave. She wiped away a few tears away from eyes. She had Michael torturing her in her dreams, and Tommy making her waking life a living Hell. She wished someone would come kidnap her and take her away from the prison she was living in.

She wasn't on speaking terms with any of her family members, Brenda was busy with her new fiance, and Janet was out of the country touring. She was alone and trapped with Tommy. She wished she had stayed at Neverland, but she listened to her mother, making the biggest mistake of her life in the process.

April 4th, 1995

"Lisa, come back here!"

He heard the door slam and groaned.

"I'm not having this discussion with you Michael."

He trudged up the stairs and knocked on the door. "Lisa, we need to talk about this."

"What is there to talk about? I already told you I'm not having your baby."

He frowned. "Is having my baby really such a terrible thing to you?"

Lisa opened the door, frowning. "You don't get do you? You're so selfish-"

"Selfish? How am I selfish? I do charity work, I give to people all over the world and -"

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about us." She said. "If you can't understand that then what are we doing?"

He took a step back. "What are you saying to me?"