You Are Not Alone

Michael's POV

Oh God, oh God, oh God. Oh. My. God! I was so close! I can't believe I almost kissed her! Damn Janet and Randy! They just HAD to come around at that EXACT moment! This is so frustrating! Michael's mind was going a mile a minute. His inner voice was shouting inside his head.

"Great, now I'm yelling at myself!" Michael muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Janet asked. She and Randy were getting ready to leave. She had asked Michael to walk them out. Randy was already in the car, waiting.

"Huh? What? Oh, nothing! Just thinking out loud", Michael said. He hoped she would just drop it. No such luck.

"Uh huh, sure. What's on your mind, Applehead?" Janet asked. She wasn't stupid. She could always tell when something was bothering her big brother. Michael sighed.

"I almost kissed her", Michael said quietly. A blush was now spreading on his cheeks.

"Who? Lily?" Janet asked, surprised. Michael just nodded sheepishly. "Really?! Oh my God!" Janet started grinning and squealing.

"Shhh! Keep it down, Dunk! I don't want her to hear you!" Michael whispered harshly. He turned, looking back at the house, afraid he'd find Lily standing behind him or something. Luckily, she was still upstairs getting a shower and getting into some dry clothes.

"I'm sorry! I'm just, ugh, I'm so excited for you! It's about damn time, Mike! You haven't shut up about that girl for the past year. It took forever for me to convince you to call her once you got back from your tour!" Janet was gushing like a little schoolgirl.

"I know, I know! Would you calm down, woman?!" Michael said, exasperated.

"Oh, shut up! It's about time you got yourself a girl. Besides, I think she's perfect for you", Janet grinned.

"Really? You think so?" Michael asked, smiling bashfully.

"Definitely! She's into singing, dancing, performing. You did say she wants to be on Broadway, right?" Michael nodded. "Plus, you two seem like you already have a great friendship. You talk ALL the time, hell you talk ABOUT her all the time! She's an absolute sweetheart and she doesn't seem to give two shits about your money or fame. And one of the more important things....she treats you like a human being. Mike, that's a rare find for you and you know it." Janet said that last part softly. She knew how much it hurt him to be seen as nothing but a dollar sign or celebrity.

"You're right", Michael sighed. "No one has made me feel the way she does". Michael was studying the ground rather closely by this point. "I can talk about anything with her and she never judges me. She's a lot of fun, too. Sometimes I think she's a bigger kid than I am". Michael was now grinning.

"I dunno if I'd go quite that far", Janet snickered. Michael punched his sister's arm playfully. Suddenly, Janet's face was serious. "Mike, are you in love with her?" she questioned softly. Michael took a deep breath and blushed. Then he smiled a smile Janet hadn't seen in a long time.

"I think I am, Dunk", Michael giggled. "Oh, who am I kidding? I'm head over heels for that girl". Janet was grinning like a crazy woman at that point. "But, Dunk...she's been hurt real bad in the past. Lily's talked to me about her asshole of an ex-boyfriend. He hurt her in more ways than one. He even hit her, Dunk! What kinda man does that?! She told me that, because of him, she was scared to fall in love again. What if she rejects me, Dunk? I don't think I could take it!" Michael had tears in his eyes and Janet's heart broke for her brother.

"Listen to me, Mike", Janet put her hands on his shoulders, looking him in the eye. "That guy sounds like a giant asshole, but you are NOT that guy! Yes, she's been hurt. Yes, she'll probably be scared. BUT," by now she was grinning again. "Can I let you in on a little secret?"

"Uh, sure", Michael said, raising one, perfectly shaped eyebrow.

"It is beyond obvious that Lily is in love with you, too", Janet said, matter-of-factly. Michael's mouth dropped open.

"What? How would you know that, Dunk? Wait, did she say something to you?" Michael rushed, not giving his sister the opportunity to answer a question before asking the next one. Janet giggled.

"No, she didn't say anything. It's just REALLY obvious", Janet said, confident that she was right.

"Yeah, right. You couldn't possibly know that", Michael scoffed incredulously. Janet rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"I'm a woman, doofus! I know what 'I love that man and wanna jump his bones' looks like on a woman!" Janet said, annoyed at how dense men could be sometimes.

"Janet!" Michael scolded her, embarrassed at what his sister had just said.

"Oh for cryin' out loud", Janet was getting frustrated. "March your skinny ass into that house and getcha girl!" She was done being subtle. Michael was as red as a tomato by now, embarrassed at how blunt his sister could be.

"Ugh, is that all the advice you're giving me? Just tell her?! Are you crazy?!" Michael was frantic at the thought of telling Lily how he felt.

"Good God, Mike! I promise you, everything will be fine. I guarantee you she feels the same way," Janet reassured her brother. "Now, gimme a hug. I gotta get goin'."

"Alright, thanks, Dunk", Michael whispered, wrapping his little sister in a tight hug. Janet gave him a squeeze before she let go.

"Anytime, Applehead. I love you", Janet said, getting into her car.

"I love you more", was Michael's reply. With that, Janet and Randy were gone. Sighing, Michael turned around and walked back into the house.

"Are Janet and Randy gone?" Michael jumped when he heard her sweet voice. Turning, he saw Lily walking down the stairs and towards him.

"Y-yeah, they just left". Lily nodded. Michael felt stupid for being tongue-tied at her mere presence. Then again, the tight, black leggings that she was wearing, along with the crop top, which showed just a bit of her flat stomach, might have also had something to do with his inability to form proper words. Although, he couldn't help but giggle at how appropriate the shirt was. Lily smiled, knowing the reason for his laughter.

"So, what do ya wanna do now?" Lily asked.

"Well, it's your birthday. What would you like to do?" Michael asked with a small smile. Lily thought for a few moments. He thought it was adorable how she would scrunch her nose, moving her mouth from side to side when she was thinking about something. It kind of reminded him of the way Samantha twitched her nose in Bewitched. He stifled a giggle so Lily wouldn't know that he'd been staring.

"Hmm...wanna play some games in the arcade?" Lily asked, with childlike excitement.

"Sure! Sounds like a good idea to me", Michael agreed with a smile.

For the next hour, Michael and Lily played pretty much every game available in Michael's arcade. They had even challenged each other on Dance Dance Revolution! Michael kicked her butt, of course. Allowing her to choose the song, he laughed when she chose "Billie Jean". He was impressed at her dancing skills. It wasn't really fair to be up against the greatest dancer of all time, especially on one of his own songs. However, even though she lost, Lily held her own pretty well! When they had played every game, a couple times over, Michael asked what she wanted to do next.

"Actually, it is after noon. I'm kinda hungry", Lily said.

"Alright, let's go eat, birthday girl", Michael said, grabbing her hand and leading her back to the house. When they walked into the kitchen, Michael's chef was there, cooking their lunch.

"Hey, Michael", the woman said, cheerily. Lily was impressed that Michael didn't expect them to address him formally.

"Hello, Franny", Michael greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.

Franny was an older, African-American woman, in her fifties. She was very maternal towards Michael. She had a very good relationship with her boss. She was always willing to listen and he always felt comfortable telling her of his problems and things going on in his life. The subject of Lily was no exception.

"Lily, this is Francine. Marie, this is-" Michael began to introduce them, but Maria cut him off with a gasp.

"So, this is the famous Lily? Oh, Michael, you said she was beautiful but your description didn't do her justice! It's so nice to finally meet you" Michael was mortified. He was praying for the floor to just swallow him up, right then and there. Blushing, he bowed his head, looking at Lily through his eyelashes. She was blushing and smiling shyly.

"M-Michael's talked to you about me?" Michael could tell Lily was surprised by this news. He couldn't help but think how beautiful she looked with her pink cheeks.

"Oh, child, are you kidding?! This boy goes on and on about you!" Franny said, laughing at how uncomfortable Michael was looking.

"W-well, it's n-nice to meet you, Francine", Lily said politely. Francine laughed at how shy she was.
"Oh, you just call me Franny, sweetheart", said the kind woman.

"Alright, Franny", Lily agreed, smiling at her.

After about half an hour, Lily and Michael had finished their lunch. Franny had made them BLT's with toasted bread and mayonnaise. Once they had their fill, the two of them thanked her. When they entered the living room, Michael, once again, asked Lily what she would like to do.

"We could watch a movie", Lily said, but it sounded more like a question.

"Of course! Anything you want, sweetheart", Michael agreed. Once again, he grabbed her hand and started pulling her up the stairs.

"Uh, Michael? Isn't the theater that way?" Lily asked confused.

"Yeah, but I figured we could just watch a movie in my room. If that's okay?" Michael asked, unsure of how she's react.

"Oh, of course! That's fine, Michael", Lily reassured him. Michael nodded, continuing to lead her to his room.

Once they reached Michael's two-story bedroom, Lily sat on the couch that was on the ground level. Michael walked over to a shelf, which held hundreds of movies. Most of them were Disney, of course. Bending over a bit to scan the titles, Michael turned a bit to ask what Lily wanted to watch. When he had looked back, Lily's head had whipped in the opposite direction. He smirked, realizing he had caught her staring at his butt!

Maybe Janet's right, Michael thought, feeling hopeful.

"So, what would you like to watch, Miss Lily?" Michael asked with a smile.

"U-um", Lily cleared her throat nervously. "H-how about P-Peter Pan?" She suggested, twiddling her thumbs, still not making eye contact.

"I was hoping you'd say that!" Michael grinned, putting the movie in.

Michael grabbed the remote control off of the coffee table sitting in front of the couch. Sitting about a foot away from Lily, he pressed play. About twenty minutes into the movie, he surreptitiously glanced at the beauty sitting next to him.

The curtains in Michael's bedroom were drawn, so the room was relatively dark. Save for the glow of the television screen, which allowed him to observe Lily's features in secret. The lights from the screen illuminated her beautiful blonde, curly hair. He smiled at her cute, somewhat rounded nose and small but beautiful lips. Michael only wished he could see her hypnotizing blue eyes.

"Um, Michael", Lily's soft voice interrupted his thoughts. She spoke before turning to look at him, giving him just enough time to hide the fact that he had just been staring.

"Y-yeah?" Michael cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Would you mind if I laid down? I just want to stretch a bit." Lily asked shyly.

"Of course, sweetheart", Michael put a throw pillow on his lap and patted it, signaling that she should lay her head in his lap. Lily did as instructed, but not without blushing prettily.

Turning their attention back to the movie, silence fell upon the room once again. After a few minutes, Michael couldn't resist the urge to run his fingers through her curls. While his other arm was draped over her side. His hand was dangling in front of her flat stomach, causing his fingertips to barely graze her exposed tummy. Michael's breath hitched.

Jesus Christmas! This girl really has no idea what she's doing to me! Thought Michael, as he allowed himself to look at the bare expanse of skin below the hem of her shirt.

All the sudden, Lily unconsciously grabbed Michael's hand, laying her small one on top of his and entwining their fingers. This movement caused his hand to be flush against the skin of her stomach. Taking a deep breath, Michael closed his eyes. Opening his eyes, he tried to concentrate on the movie. He failed. Miserably.

Don't think about how warm she is. Don't think about how good her skin feels against yours! Don't think about the fact that you can feel her slightly defined abs. Don't rub your thumb against her stomach! Stop it! What are you doing?! Oh, no! No, no, NO! Now look, you idiot! What if she realizes you're pitching a tent in your pants?! Michael's mind berated him for the second time that day.

An hour later, the movie, mercifully, ended. Lily sat up and smiled at Michael. She yawned and stretched. Michael almost choked when her crop top rose, revealing even more of her stomach. If it had gone just an inch higher, he was sure she'd see her bra! Michael stealthily adjusted himself, trying to hide his situation. Lily looked at him and cocked her head. She must have been able to see his discomfort.

"Michael, are you okay?" Lily asked innocently.

"I, uh...yeah! I'm just fine, sweetheart", Michael said, just a little too quickly. Lily wasn't buying it and he could tell.

"You look like something's bothering you. You can tell me anything. You know that, right?" She asked, grabbing his hand. Michael turned his hand over, so they were palm to palm.

"Alright, here goes", Michael muttered. Lily raised a questioning eyebrow. "Can I be honest with you?" He asked, more nervous than he'd ever been.

"Of course, Michael. Did I-Did I do something wrong?" Lily asked, biting her lip nervously. Michael had to stifle a groan at the movement.

"What? NO!" Michael was quick to reassure her. "You didn't do anything wrong at all. Quite the opposite", Michael said, blushing.

"I don't understand. What do you mean?" Lily was still clueless.

"I guess the best thing to do is just say it", Michael relented, squeezing her hand. Returning his gesture, Lily looked at him with concern. Michael closed his eyes, only to open them and look into those blue eyes he dreamed about every night. Taking that leap of faith, he finally spoke. "Lily, I- I'm in love with you", Michael whispered. He searched her face, waiting to find out whether she would accept his love or break his heart...