Neglected Desires

Chapter 28

Saturday was strange, if for no other reason than it was so damn quiet throughout Paisley Park.  I'd unknowingly become accustom to the constant bustle surrounding this musical machine at least six days a week. When the day had started part of me had anticipated Prince would be restless, eager to return to his usual schedule of rehearsal, recording and making decisions for the upcoming tour, but I was pleasantly surprised to find him ecstatic to be spending time with me and not worrying, at least not so I would notice, about his upcoming tour. We spent most of the day lounging around not doing anything in particular. In the early afternoon he told me there was a local band playing at First Avenue tonight that he was interested in and with that we had plans for our first official outing as a couple. Where there would be no dispute as to what my connection was with him. To be honest, I was a little intimidated at the mere idea really, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna tell him that. Since the show he was so desperately interested in didn't start until much later in the evening we decided to make this date the real deal, complete with dinner. 

After a nice relaxing afternoon and early evening he made his way into our bedroom to start the process of getting put together to go out; and there was no more fitting word than the word process.  Knowing the time getting ready was going to take him I decided to sit on the opposite site of the vanity and watch him for a while. 

"What are you doing?" He smirked, casting a side glance in my direction as he started into his routine, moisturizing his skiing after washing his face.

"Just watching the show." Reflecting his smirk as he moved on to delicately lining his lash line with dark eyeliner. I swear his hand was steadier than mine as he made gentle even strokes over his delicate skin with the harsh looking crayon. After finishing the second eye, he turned to me, grasping my chin in his firm hand as a grin pulled his plump lips back revealing the slightest glimpse of his teeth.

"Close." The word a quiet demand and I obliged without question. The cool crayon touched my nervous lid, the strokes gentle. No pulling or tugging as he swept the color effortlessly along my lash line. Opening my eyes, I saw him pulled back from me, admiring his work with a sparkle behind those eyes. Turning to the mirror I quickly inspected his work, and my worst fears were confirmed; Prince was in fact better at this than me.  With a laugh I hopped off the vanity, landing a quick peck on his cheek before traipsing into the closest to find something to wear.  Some time later we had both found outfits and finished our make up and were heading out the door. He had finally settled on a pair of high waisted black pants and a white button up, with the top three buttons undone, exposing that thick patch of hair along his breast bone; heals, cufflinks , and of course his long chain with the symbol from Graffiti Bridge completed his outfit.  I on the other hand had settled on a simple black, strapless dress that hugged my curves and landed at my mid thigh, along with a pair of black patten leather stilettos. This was far from my normal attire and the look on his face when he saw me told me he appreciated me stepping out of my comfortable norm.

We had dinner at a quiet Italian restaurant in town. The owner seemed familiar with Prince and quickly set us up in the back with a secluded table where we were quickly served from a menu I later learned they kept on hand just for him.  He caught the eye of a few diners as he left the restaurant that evening. His hand wrapped around mine, he gave gracious smiles to the patrons that seemed to recognize him and nothing further was needed.  In that moment I was reminded that people here made it there duty to accept him as one of their own, and they tried to treat him no differently than they would any neighbor that you maybe knew only in passing.  

With dinner over we headed for First Ave. He had called them earlier in the day, letting them know he would be stopping by as as we were quickly ushered in the back and up to a private, secluded area where we could watch the show undisturbed, it was apparent they had taken his call seriously.  The band was pretty good and fronted by a female singer with easily one of the most soulful voices I've heard in a long time and both the crowd and Prince seemed truly enthralled with the show. As for me, while the music was great, the band as a whole lacked stage presence, and my attention was quickly lost; I didn't need to watch them to enjoy their music. My eyes began to wander aimlessly around the crowd, watching people as they wandered between the bar and the dance floor. Some people giving their undivided attention to the performance before them, others trying their very best to find a hook up to leave with tonight. Half way between the bar and the dance floor a figure moving across the floor caught my attention and I couldn't take my eyes off that clumsily moving form as it tried to stumble away from the bar and back to the field of sweaty flesh on the floor.

"I'll be right back." Whispering, my lips brushing against the shell of his ear. He nodded slightly before turning and landing a soft, quick kiss against my lips.  My mind was swimming in all the words I wanted to say as I made my way down to the first floor, my eyes scanning the area before landing on the same aimlessly wandering form.

"I hope you left him with someone tonight." My words cold as I came up behind her as she leaned against the dark colored bar, clearly intoxicated and struggling to stand. With a slight tilt to her stance, her head whipped around, finally coming face to face with me.

"Go the fuck away." Alysha's words slurred as she scoffed and rolled her watery eyes at me. Her red cheeks suggested she was beyond drunk and but the distance glaze in her eyes told me there was something more flowing through her system.

"I just want to make sure Kevin is ok. Hoping you've decided to take more responsibility, maybe even be a mother." I scowled at her, trying to hide the fact that my heart was pounding with the memory of her words from our last meeting.

"He's fine. And i told him what you did, now he hates you." Her words pointed, a verbal arrow .

"What I did?"

"That you want the state to take him away from me. He hates you for calling CPS. So stay clear of me and my family bitch."  Crashing her shoulder against mine roughly as she passed me, returning her floundering mind to the party on the dance floor.  Taking her place at the bar, I watched as she moved from man to man amongst the see of people. Grinding her ass on anyone that would stand still for a moment, before getting pushed away and moving on to the next, seeking desperately for a taker.  All I could imagine was a revolving cast of men traipsing through her apartment, with no concern for how any of those men would behave around Kevin, or how these events might influence that child. Part of me wanted to run out of the building and head straight to Alysha's apartment, to check, to make sure Kevin hadn't been left alone again. It took everything inside me to move my sky high heels towards the private area I'd left Prince in and not toward the door. 

"He went backstage." The familiar waitress greeted me as I came around t eh corner to the now empty viewing area. "Come on, I'll take you to him.". Following the tall, slim woman through the familiar backstage area we finally came to a slightly closed door, open only a crack. "The performers should be in there." She gave me an earnest smile and left me to it. My mind still full of the idea that I should be checking on Kevin, but I wanted Prince's take on it. I wanted to talk this over with him, he could serve as the voice of reason even I was aware I had lost in this situation. Pushing the door open I was faced with the sight of a surprised looking Prince standing a little too close to the frizzy haired singer from the band; one of her small hands wrapped around the gold symbol that hung low around his neck, the other hand playing with the buttons on the his open crisp, white shirt.

"Prince?" His surprised face turned to me, pink creeping up his neck to his cheeks. Looking back to the frizzy haired woman.

"Sarah, this is my friend Alexa." His eyes meeting mine, trying to tell me something, but I was too distracted by the rage that was building inside me. Friend? A few hours ago it was 'I love you' and now, in front of this woman, I'm just his friend. What the fuck! And I know that's all he could see in my eyes.