A Tender Touch

\.Him And I./

Tuesday, - August 29, 1989

"And, how does it feel to be already 31?"
I asked, teasingly smirking.He slowly placed his glass back down on the dining table as the morning sun shined through the windows, right into his dark eyes.
"Well, I feel so much wiser now.I mean, from the mental intelligence, I could practically be your grandfather."
He playfully squinted his eyes at me, causing me to gasp over dramatically.
"Mr.Jackson, Mr.Jackson, age is just a number.We both know I could easily beat you in - practically everything!"
We both started laughing as he folded his arms.
"Was that a dare?"
He asked, raising his eyebrows at me.
"Of course!Look a me, I'm the impersonation of being very good at everything.What could there possibly be that you'd be better at than me?"
I joked, trying to act all serious.
"Yeah, right - I forgot about your number one albums and songs...But how good are you at all the other things then?"
"Ok, let's see...Uhm - I could totally beat you in playing tennis though."
I smirked, noticing him directly getting up from his chair after I finished my sentence.He looked at me.
"Well, then!Let's play.I've got a whole new tennis court right here at the ranch."
He proudly explained, making me stand up as well, walking around the table past him.
"Braggart."
I whispered into his face, smirking as I made my way through the room.
"But, since I'm looking so forward to see you lose-"
My head turned back to him.
"I'm, of course, gonna play tennis with you."
I walked on, hearing his footsteps from behind.
"Hey, don't underestimate me.You've never seen me playing tennis before.Maybe I'm gonna beat you right after the first round though - just sayin'."
He stood still in front of me, smiling.
"Yeah, sure.Just keep telling yourself that, Mikey."
I patted his shoulder, shaking my head.
"Yeah, I'm serious!Just wait and see.Wait and see, Mira."
I giggled as he opened the big door for me.But just as I wanted to take a step outside, he quickly squeezed himself through the little space betweeen me and the door.
"Hey!"
I protested, still smiling.Meanwhile, he turned around again, giving me an innocent smile.
"What?Did you really think I was gonna be nice to you after you did what you did?No honey, the good times are over - we're not friends anymore and tennis isn't a game.From now on for the next two hours, I'm gonna be treating you as my opponent."
He tried to act serious, although he wasn't able to hide his smirk fully.I quickly approached him, walking down the stairs, next to him as I lightly nudged him.
"Well, I'm still gonna be nice to you.After all, you're already over 31 - so I just couldn't risk you breaking a leg by falling or something.I'm sure your bones are already very fragile, old man."
I looked to my right, seeing him shaking his head.Then he quickly took the few remaining stairs, tuning around to face me as he looked up.
"What's your price then?What are we playing for?"
He asked.I took one more stair, standing still as my eyes met his, looking down.Placing both of my hands on his shoulders, I sighed.
"Well, I don't know.It's your birthday, you should decide."
I gave him a warm smile, not just for his humor was just so much like mine and we could always fool around but also for the fact that the sun shined directly down on his face and the patches on it were now more visible.
He really didn't put on any makeup - and I truly think what was now in front of me would remain one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen.
"Ok, then let's say - if I win, we're gonna spend the rest of the day the way I want and if you should beat me, which will never happen of course-"
He poked my sides, causing me to laugh.
"then you're gonna decide on what we'll be doing.Deal?"
"Deal."
I nodded my head, suddenly feeling my body being lifted up by my waist as he spun me around so that my feet touched the ground in front of the stairs.
"Perfect."
His eyes glistened at me while his hands remained on my waist.

In the evening...
"You see?I knew I'd win."
Michael smirked at me while I put the rest of my hair into a braided bun, looking at him through the mirror.
"Yeah, yeah...I just let you win though."
I winked, causing him to shake his head.
"You're not a good looser, aren't you?"
I smiled.
"No."
We both started laughing as I turned around.
"Did you already call the restaurant to reserve a seat though?"
I asked, looking deeply into his eyes.
"Yes - and they reserved a table for us in a more private part of the restaurant, so that no paparazzi or tabloids can see us - or guests."
"Oh, great."
I quickly answered, adjusting my long dress.Taking a deep breath, I looked up at him.
"Do I-"
"Yes!You look extremely beautiful and absolutely gorgeous."
An enormous smile was plastered on his face as I felt my cheeks turning red.
"Thank you..."
Then his contagious giggles filled the room as he firmly placed his hand on my back.
"Come, we need to leave for dinner.You've got everything?"
He asked.
"Yes...Yeah, I do."
I gave him a big smile before we both made our way towards the door.