We Were Happy Once

Ch. 16 Not Good Enough

We were scheduled to go over to the Jackson family house for a listen party with the family for Michael's new album, Dangerous. We were especially excited for everyone to hear it, as the songs on this album were dedicated to me and I had even helped him write a few of the songs. It had taken a lot of work to get the album to where Michael was satisfied, and even then he was still finding things to be displeased with. Nonetheless the album was completed and ready to be released, and now it was time for the family to hear it. I had to practically drag Michael out of the house. "Michael lets go! Your parents are expecting us there in 20 minutes! We're already gonna be late." He groaned from the bathroom. "I don't want to go." He walked out dressed causally with a oversized jacket on, his curls a twisty mess on his head. He pleadingly looked at me with his brown doe eyes, twisting his face into a mock pout. "Let's just go somewhere you and me baby." He strode over and stroked my arms, bending down and kissing my neck. I let out a soft moan, and gently moved his head away. "Michael focus, your family is expecting us." He bit his lip and looked out the window with a far away look in his eye. I reached up and stroked his face. He closed his eyes and sighed. He covered my small hand with his large one and drew it to his lips, gently kissing my hand. "Baby come on we need to go." He threw me a mischievous look and finally moved towards the door. I held his hand the whole car ride there, as he absently stared out the window drawing circles on the top of my hand with his thumb. He usually got like this when he was nervous, and I understood why. This album was the first one since Bad, which was said to be one of the worst albums of the decade despite popular opinion. I leaned over and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked around for a moment and then smiled as his eyes rested on my face. "Hey, they're gonna love it baby. It's amazing." He bit his lip and nodded absently. I sighed and cupped his face, planting a kiss on his warm lips. "Be proud Michael, you deserve that. I'm proud of you and I love you no matter what." He smiled. "Thank you Bethy." "You're welcome." Silence fell once again, and remained the rest of the way. The car pulled up to the Jackson Estate, and Michael's face went pale. I squeezed his hand and he looked over at me, giving and uneasy smile. We walked up the steps to the door and knocked. Janet answered the door. "Y'all are late." I looked over at Michael and then back at Janet. "Yeah sorry about that Jay, he's nervous." She nodded and reached over to give me a hug. "How are y'all doin my god I haven't seen y'all in forever." She gave Michael a hug and then led us in. "We went ahead and listened already, we weren't sure how long you were gonna be." That's fine," Michael said quietly, "what did y'all think?" He looked prepared for the worst. Janet laughed. "Come on the family is in the living room." Michael froze. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. "Mike, honey, relax it's gonna be ok. Come on baby lets go, it's gotta happen sometime." He kissed me softly, then whispered, "ok" and finally we walked in. Cheering and whooping and handshaking and congratulations ensued, sweeping Michael up in a flurry of praise. Only Joe remained seated, quietly watching the chaos with a look of disapproval. I walked over and sat next to him. Joe and I had never seen eye to eye, nor were we close. I had always kept my distance, knowing what he was capable of. "What did you think of Michael's album Joe?" "Hhmf it could been better." I looked away and suddenly noticed Michael's curls disappearing around the corner. I glanced at Joe, who simply looked disinterested. I got up and followed Michael into the hall. He was sitting on the floor with his head in his hands. I slid down and sat next to him, I stroked his curls and said, "What's wrong? They all loved it." "Joe didn't. Didn't you see the look on his face? He's disappointed in me. It's not good enough."  My heart dropped. I wrapped my arms around him. "Michael your album was a masterpiece. So what if Joe doesn't like it? What matters is you gave it your all and you did it to perfection. Everyone is so proud of you and your album baby. So, so proud." He wearily smiled at me. "I love you." "I love you more Bethy." I kissed him slowly. He ran his fingers through my hair and I let out a moan. He pulled away hesitantly. "Let's um get back in there." I rolled my eyes. "You're such a tease!" I moaned. He chuckled and helped me up, bending down to to playfully kiss my neck and gently nip my ear.  I moaned softly, and he le tour a low grunt as he kissed down my jaw. He pulled away and took my hand, leading me away from the party and into the bathroom.