Always || Prince/MJ

Always || Chapter 2

1994

Nicole "Nikki' Foster

"Get out of here!" I whipped my curls around and screamed towards Mayte. Enough was enough. On the other hand, Skip cornered himself to let us duke out our words.

"No. What the hell is going on?" Mayte yipped back at me like some kind of puppy. If it wasn't for the rage in my heart, I would've laughed.

"You can't just believe that someone else loved him before you, huh?." I gestured between Mayte and Skip.

"I know that he's dealt with other relationships before, but marriage?" Mayte yelled. towards me like some child again.

Thankfully, bodyguards patrolled outside this room just in case we ended up scrapping.

"Yes. Six years ago..." I trailed off my voice as soon as Skip pushed himself away from the wall.

Both Matye and I glanced towards him with the confused expressions on our faces. At least we agreed on something tonight.

"Today. Tonight would've been our eighth wedding anniversary." Skipper finished my sentence out loud. Mayte paled and I gaped my lipstick.

At that moment, I realized that everything made sense.

Momma had asked for me to take time off, Skip offered this "vacation" to Miami, and Mayte was supposed to leave us alone through the trip.

"You..you remembered?" I whispered gently to Skip. Mayte turned out to be invisible.

"I'll never forget the date. After our wedding, I even changed the vault code." Skip revealed. It was a miracle that I didn't faint onto the carpet floored beneath us all.

"Are you kidding me?" Mayte shouted this time. One collective glance from Skip and me prompted her to shut up.

Bodyguards were already foot falling into the room. Mayte froze like some deer in the headlights.

"Get out." Skip lowered his famous voice. Mayte listened without the security guards interfering.

"Explain yourself, then." I spoke up when the door finally closed again.

"Baby, " Skip whispered.

"If you don't want me anymore, act like it. I shouldn't even be here." I sighed, pacing back and forth.

"Nikki?" Skipper failed to persuade me.

"You still haven't answered my question about the divorce. What did I do wrong?" I snipped once more.

"Divorce was better than cheating on you." Skip said. Silence fell between us for a moment.

"All right! Finally, I've heard the truth, but why would you even want to cheat in the first place?" My tears returned.

"Empty Room." Skip cut his own sentence down and he had uttered a song title.

"What?" I squinted.

"Listen to Empty Room again and you'll know why." Skip warned, suddenly walking away from me.

____

I stayed up in my hotel room and listened as he asked. If I were back home right now, I would've played chords with my electric guitar.

Lonely hearts, worlds apart.

Why should they be broken?

When we could be somewhere makin' love.

Love is strong.

However long.

We should've been forever.

How am I gonna fill this empty room?

In the context of this song, there was a dark time when my sister Frankie passed away in 1986.

A few days after her funeral, Skip told me that I became this different person. No more smiles. Less music.

As lyrics suggested, we even stopped touching one another. Grief struck people in many ways, but he said that I was lost.

I remembered when our divorce finalized.

October 15th, 1991 would've been my sister's birthday. I broke down and cried on the bedroom floor.

____

"You gave up on us because my sister is gone? What happened to our vows?" I yelled into the receiver by morning, not even caring if Skip was barely awake.

"Baby, no. That final date was just a coincidence in court. We divorced because I didn't want to cheat." At least Skip proved to be honest for once.

"If you really loved me and the twins, cheating would never cross your mind." I snipped back.

"I didn't want to play games anymore." he said in return.

"Are you blaming my depression now?" I switched topics, but he knew exactly what I was talking about.

"Nicole. I'm not that terrible." He straightened up on the other line and offered my real name. No pet name bullshit.

"But still. would you want to step away from me?" I asked.

"Don't play victim anymore because you crossed that line first." Skipper cut deep. I nearly tossed the phone, but he was right.

Back in '91, I cheated.