Neglected Desires

Chapter 41

I didn't hear from Kevin again for the entire tour. Prince had reached out to a connection he had with the local police department, but nothing came of it. I'd tried to call Kevin, but no one answered and after days of calling the number was disconnected. To say I was heartbroken was putting it mildly. Prince offered to send me home and he even offered to postpone the tour and come home with me, but we didn't go home. We couldn't go home. He had shows and obligations that had to be met. We had a week of down time after that night before the next leg of the tour began, and I made the most out of that relatively quiet week. Late mornings cuddled together, arms and legs tangled in sweat soaked sheets, conversations that we needed to finally have, it was a week of all those things, along with the occasional meeting he had to attend, most of which he took me along with as "a learning experience" he told me, but I still suspect it was more to ensure I didn't have too much time alone, too much time to worry about the second half of the tour. Even with that little bit of down time and with Trina being gone things were still getting more and more stressful by the day for Prince. Negotiations with Warner Brothers had begun for a new extensive contract and the once playful relationship between Miko and him had turned sour. Rehearsals and soundcheck were tense between the two and rarely did they end without each of them cussing at one another. Now here we are at the end of tour, the last three shows, and we were hunkered down in Japan.

"I'm done with this tour." the frustration in his voice palpable as he slid into the speak black car behind me, the door closing with a muffled thud. My brow furrowed, concern for him seeping from my pores as I watched him bring his right hadn't to his forehead, rubbing as though it hurt before slowly dragging his hand down his features. The frustration on his face was becoming a daily occurrence, and I was at a loss for what to do. Reaching out, my right hand softly gripped his bicep, a slow tired smile lifted his lips as he turned to me.

"We're almost done." His firm hand grasped mine, bringing it to his lips for a quick peck before moving my arm behind him and leaning over, resting his head in my lap. 

"Driver," his voice soft, but aways holding that underlying commanding tone, "take us to the studio please." Makeup free eyelids dropped over his eyes as my fingers gently raked through his hair.  Sturdy fingers gave my knee a squeeze; his silent sign of appreciation. Combing his hair back from his face, the signs of exhaustion were becoming more evident by the day, and in the quiet moments, no sunglasses, no makeup, no persona I could see the toll this was all taking. Prince the performer never got tired, Prince the artist was always going and writing and making more, but Prince the man, my Prince, was barely keeping up. 

"You sure you don't wanna go back to the room, catch a nap?" He smiled, he always smiled when I tried to take care of him.

"No mama," he rolled onto his back, eyes opening and landing in mine for only a moment before closing again, "I gotta get this music outta my head." Bending over awkwardly, I dropped a quick kiss on his forehead, before sitting back up and continuing to softly stroke through his wild mane of hair. The car was quiet except for the sound of the road as we slowly made our way through the traffic filled streets of Tokyo. His breathing slowly started to change and before I knew it his body had completely relaxed, he was finally asleep. I held my breath, praying for no car horns or sudden stops. I hadn't seen him sleep for days and even if he thinks he doesn't need it, his body is telling him otherwise, he's just too stubborn to listen. Dark circles under his eyes he'd cover later with perfectly blended concealer, his skin slightly dulled from dehydration, and even his sleep was fitful as I watched his finger move meticulously. Thirty minutes later we pulled in the car park for the studio, the driver cut the engine, before turning around to look at me, thankfully taking note of my finger pressed against my lips asking for quiet before he said a word, and thankfully silence was what he gave me.  It was a free day, his schedule was open and he had this studio booked for the entire week. The driver and I sat there in complete silence for another 45 minutes, my hand keeping a steady rhythm through his hair as I watched the musical genius who never rests finally get some sleep. His breathing started to change again and I knew the quiet had come to an end for him.

"Hey." whispering as I ran my fingertips through the scruff on his face, his body stretching and drawing a deep breath before I was greeted by those eyes again. "good nap?"His boyish grin brightening his face stiring the butterflies in my stomach.

"Thank you." sitting up he pulled me in for a slow kiss. My hands against the crisp white shirt he was wearing, fingertips kneading into his pecs, firm arms wrapped tight around me as our kiss transitioned to slow delicate pecks.

"For what?" supple lips lifting to a soft smile between kisses before resting his forehead against mine.

"Taking care of me mama." One more quick peck before he turned to step out the car, soft hands with calloused finger tips wrapped around mine, pulling me with him. The past few days this unassuming studio in Tokyo has been a hide out for him and I. He was spending hours here tracking new ideas, working on vocal arrangement, but today was different. Today as I took up my space on my blue couch in the back corner he stopped briefly at the board before heading into the space on the side of the glass, taking a seat at a large piano that hadn't been there yesterday. Without a word the fingers I'd become so used to started moving across the keys, snippets of songs from his past, even some from his childhood, and the alluring musings of songs he was still trying to flesh out.  Moving to the high backed chair sitting behind the mixing board I watched him get lost in a world of his own creation a look of pure satisfaction on his face.

"See the man with the blue guitar, maybe one day he'll be a star" a soft laugh shook my shoulders at his choice of lyrics as he continued to work through the keys throwing out random lyrics when the notion seemed to strike him. "Let's relax and ease our mind, we deserve to just feel fine" lyrics so simple and still such a work a progress had never hit me so hard. 

By the end of the week the tour was done and we were heading home. 

"You ready to go home?" Prince smiled that knowing smile as the plane settled at cruising altitude.

"I've been ready for a while." confessing with a hesitant grin. "Is there a plan when we get home?" Reaching over he unbuckled my belt, pulling me into his lap.

"I thought we'd enjoy some quiet time together for a few days, then back to it." Pulling the black hat off his head and putting on mine.

"Not too quiet I hope." His deep laugh resonated from his chest at my suggestive smirk.

"Never that quiet honey."

Unfortunately our quiet would only last a matter of days when we got home. Then everything would go to hell.