A Love Conflicted

03 | There aren't any rules in Paisley Park

I tried to get cozy and comfortable on the white leather seat as I had a 5 hour flight ahead of me. Unfortunately my nerves wouldn't allow me to relax. Throughout the week I'd kept in touch with Ria, we were texting back and forth daily, she actually was a really cool person and we have a lot in common. I felt comfort in knowing she would be there.

"You nervous?" a deep voice asked me. I looked up to see the nice man who'd escorted me onto the plane take a seat next to me. He was a big guy, didn't seem to smile much but his tone was kind.

"Is it that obvious?" I asked him

"You've been biting your lips since I picked you up" He said motioning towards my mouth. I hadn't even noticed. It's such a bad habit of mine when I'm nervous or deep in thought. If I continued my lips would be completely raw by the time we landed. I licked my lips to smooth them over in hopes that I'd stop. I reached into my purse and grabbed a nude lip liner and a compact mirror. "No need to be, it's just Prince" I paused mid lip as I held my mirror to my face and looked at him out of the corner of my eye in disbelief "What?" He chuckled "Look you're a guest. He invited you, there's no reason to be nervous about anything" I rubbed my lips together evening out the color and put everything back in my purse.

"How long have you worked for him?" I asked as I pulled one leg up onto the seat, attempting to get comfortable

"About 2 years now"

"Are you like a bodyguard or?" He laughed a bit at the term

"I guess you could say that. I look out for him and everyone else at Paisley"

"Do you like your job?" I asked genuinely curious

"I do" he said truthfully "We're all family at Paisley. I basically get paid to be the big annoying brother in the house. Or sometimes the Dad, depending on how hard headed someone is" We both laughed. We ended up talking for hours until I unknowingly fell asleep. His name was Cassius and he met Prince through a mutual friend. His story seemed to be similar to my situation in some ways. He was asked to come to PP because he was told Prince wanted to meet him. They ended up cracking jokes and playing ping pong all night and P hired him there on the spot. He wasn't even looking for a job, but P gets what he wants. Which further questioned my reasoning for being there. There had to be another motive. Before I knew it I was being gently shaken awake. I looked up to see Cassius standing in the aisle

"Welcome to Minnesota Riley" I looked out the window and saw that we indeed had landed. He grabbed all of my belongings as I followed him off the plane. I clenched my jacket bracing myself for the cold, but to my surprise it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. The drive to PP wasn't an incredibly long one, I had about 30 minutes to mentally get my shit together. Once we pulled into the gate and the massive white building came into full view, I felt my palms become increasingly sweaty. Somehow I manage to hold my own when it comes to high level exec meetings, and meeting founders of world renowned cosmetic companies, yet one man had me losing my mind. "Thanks Cassius" I smiled at him as he helped me out of the SUV "Call me Cass" he winked as he began to walk in front of me with my bags.

"You made it!" I heard a familiar voice yell. Ria came walking out of the front doors, placing a kiss on Cass' cheek as she passed by him. She opened up her arms as she walked over to me, taking me in for a hug. She was even more beautiful in person. I laughed to myself remembering how she told me she failed at my makeup tutorials, when in reality she didn't need any makeup at all. "Come on in" she took my arm in hers as she escorted me inside. I was trying to be as calm as possible as I walked through those doors. It was everything I dreamed of and then some. She let go of me as I looked up and around, taking in every sight and sound. I never wanted to forget this moment. My shock and amazement was put on hold as I couldn't help but notice the hustle and bustle around me.