Another Part of Me: A Michael Jackson Love Story

A Work In Progress

June 13th, 1996
Blaq Spades Records - The studio

"Sing that again," Ryan huffs and rubs her forehead. Michael spots that Ryan is stressed through the glass but doesn't quite understand it. He removes off his headphones and exits the booth to sit with her. Elizabeth had left and Chris had probably just gone around looking for food and cat calling the women he saw which left Ryan and Michael alone together to work.

"You keep huffing and puffin like some big-bad-wolf, Ry. What's the problem?" Michael asks her before he places a hand on her shoulder. Ryan takes a second to replay Michael calling her Ry. It caught her off guard, but it made it lifted her spirits a bit. "This all should seem simple. I mean I should know this stuff." She pointed at the complex board of keys and nubs that connected to the booth that were familiar to him but couldnt quite decode.

He knew some of what was going on and how to work it due to his past and being affiliated with record labels as a kid but not quite fully. "What exactly do you mean?" He asks with a genuinely confused and concerning look. "Im trying to blend your harmonies in with the instrumental so it isnt you just screaming into the mic but its like your vocals overpower the sound system." She laughs dryly l while rubbing her chin looking for answers.

Ryan wants to make his music sound as similar to what it was back then.  Her style is like that but not exactly. She doesnt wanna take away from his talent by adding her little sprinkle of style in his music because thats not what caused his career to skyrocket the first time around, so why play with his career like that? This made her head hurt greatly.

Ryan wipes the frustration off her face to show him that she's fine, so she exhales in exasperation and says, "I wanna know what your style is, Michael." She looks up at him to his eyes. "I sang at the club the other night, you should know my style of singing." He chuckles lightly. "Yeah but—" "But what?" He inquired with raised eyebrows. "Play the track, tell me the problem." He suggests and scoots closer to her to get a good look at the board.

They were working on a song called Dangerous. It was a song where you had to pay very close attention to how you made his vocals sound along with the percussion, else it wouldn't impact the listeners the way it should. It wouldn't make them feel his words the way it should.  The song itself was dangerous.

The track played,

I have to pray to God.

Cause I know how lust can blind

Its a passion in my soul

But youre no damn lover, friend of mine

Michael listened hard as he examined the control board then stopeeped it as soon as he got an idea. " What does this do"?" He asked as he pointed to a certain nub. "It's an equalizer. That's what I'm trying to use as a way to make this shit sound somewhat presentable." Ryan runs her hand through her freshly pressed hair.

As she spoke Michael reached for the equalizer and slid it upwards a bit as he adjusted the volume and made his armonies all the same volume and it was like he layered them underneath the track and it sounded beautiful. "Oh wow, I should've thought of that." Ryan's brows raised in realization that she was overthinking the whole process. "Shouldn't have been much to think of." He shrugs and mumbles to himself. "Pardon?" Ryan raises an eyebrow as she tucks a piece of hair behind her ear.

Michael looks up from his lap and into her eyes with subtle eyes. "You're supposed to be a producer but this minor inconvenience got you stressin' like they sqeezin' you at yo job or somethin'. Would hate to see you when I get my big break." He does air quotes with his hands. "Well for starters," Ryan clasps her hands together. "this producer shit isn't as easy as you think--" "Wait-what you doing all this cussing for?" Michael cuts her off. "This is all just so stressful." Ryan runs her hand through her hair and slouches in her seat.

Michael watches her in silence not knwoing what else to do. Eventually he leans into her and places a friendly hand on her thigh and rubs it then says, "Don't worry. I'll make this easier for you, okay?" Ryan gives him a trusting look and shutters at his touch. "Okay." She nods and watches him stand to his feet. Ryan feels him rub her shoulder sympathetically before entering the booth.

They get back to recording and not only is Michael singing, but he's helping Ryan by adding his imput on what he wanted to be done on the track. This all made Ryan so proud because the song sounded just like the original.

They were in the booth for only 2 hours and had came up with a total of three good songs that were ready to be presented.

This process might go faster than Ryan thought.

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"Damnnn, Michael this hot! I ain't know you had it in you." Chris complements before he reaches to dap Michael up. Michael, being his modest self, waves the complement off as he bites his lip trying to supress the smile that tugged at his lips. "It ain't nothin'." Michael says.

"Three down, twelve more to go." Ryan says. "I got some more ideas. My mind is spiriling right now." Michael says as he removes the hairtie from off his wrist and ties his hair back. "Great, just write 'em down for me and I'll take a look." Ryan makes the chair turn as she faces him, they lock eyes for like the thousandth time that day.

"So! Y'all wanna go grab somethin' to eat?" Chris raises his voice to break the awkward silence and Ryan and Michael's intense stares. "Hell yeah. I'm starving." Ryan gets up and walks through the curtains leaving Michael and Chris on their lonesome.

"I know you're feeling her." Chris says to Michael causing him to jump since his back was to him. "Feeling who?" Michael plays dumb and faces Chris. "Nigga, who else?" Chris kisses his teeth at him. "Man, I ain't feelin' nobody." Michael dismisses. "I see the way you look at her like you wanna know what she taste like. You look at her; like you want her all to yourself so you can feel up on her body." Chris gets real close to Michael's ear and Michael laughs at his friend's antics. "Nigga I've felt that way before and it's okay, man." Chris says to him as he places a hand on his shoulder.

"You just bored, and talkin' that bullshit, Chris." Michael smirks as he turns his chin upwards at him. "Mike, you always tryna play it cool. Let your guard down some, find some love." Chris lightly hits Michael's chest before disappearing through the black curtains.

"Love? Whose talkin' 'bout love?" Michaels mumbles to himself before exiting the room to catch up with the others.