You Are Not Alone

Lily was frozen in shock. Her body seemed to betray her. Her brain had shut down the connection to her tongue. Was she dreaming? She had to be dreaming. There was absolutely no way in hell Michael Jackson was talking to her on the phone. How did he even get my number? Lily wondered, confused. Hearing Michael chuckle in her ear, Lily snapped out of her thoughts.

"You there, girl?" Michael asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Ye-yes, I-I'm here", Lily stuttered. She still couldn't quite believe this was happening. He chuckled again, making her blush.

"You've got quite a mouth on you, Miss Lily. Remind me never to make you angry!" Michael said, laughing. Lily froze again.

Oh, my God. Oh. My. God! I just cussed him out! I'm talking to Michael Jackson, on the phone, and I just cussed him out! This is so embarrassing! Dear God, I'm ready. Just take me now! Lily's conversation with the voice in her head was interrupted by Michael's soft voice.

"Lily? Are you alright?" Michael asked, slightly concerned.

"Y-yeah, sorry. I just realized that I just spent the past ten minutes cussing Michael Jackson out over the phone. I am so sorry about that, Michael. I honestly thought someone was pranking me. I'm not usually like that, I prom-" Michael cut her off.

"Lily, it's alright. Really!" Michael said kindly. Lily didn't seem to notice that he had said anything. She just kept ranting.

"God, this is so embarrassing. Now you'll probably never want to talk to-",

"Lily? Lily! Calm down, it's fine! Believe it or not, that isn't the first time I've gotten that reaction when I called someone for the first time", Michael snickered. "And to answer that last part: I most definitely DO still want to talk to you! I've been wanting to call you for the past six months, girl!" Lily blushed at his enthusiasm.

"Yeah, I'm kind of wondering about that. I'm so glad to hear from you. Believe me, I am! I'm just confused...how did you get my number?" Lily asked, hoping he wouldn't think she was upset about him calling.

"Your friend, Carrie", Michael answered.

"You've talked to Carrie?" Lily was confused. She tried to ignore the pang of jealousy at the thought.

"What? No. Well, not since backstage at the concert when I met you. Your friend is a sneaky one! I think when you and I hugged goodbye, she snuck your number in my pocket. Remind me to thank her, by the way", Lily could almost hear Michael blushing.

"Oh my God. She did that? She never said a word to me. Ugh, I am so embarrassed", Lily chuckled nervously.

"Aww, why? I'm glad she did", Michael said shyly. "I hated watching you leave that night. I was sad, thinking I'd never see or hear from you again. I loved talking to you. Not many people, especially fans, treat me like I'm just another human being. You made me feel like I was just regular Michael, instead of Michael Jackson, the entertainer. I really want to thank you for that, Lily", Michael said sincerely. Lily was floored by his words.

"It was my pleasure, Michael. As much as I idolize you as an entertainer, everyone deserves to be treated like a human being. You are no different", Lily responded earnestly.

"Thank you for saying that. You have no idea how lonely I am most of the time", Michael said sadly. "People think that just because I have fame and money that my life must be so great. They really don't see how difficult my life can be. I can't even buy my own groceries!" Lily thought back on her earlier shopping trip. She suddenly felt guilty about how annoyed she was at performing such a mundane task.

"I never thought of it like that", Lily said softly. "That must be really difficult for you", she muttered, feeling sad for him.

"It kind of comes with the territory, I suppose", Michael said. "Ya know, sometimes, not often but sometimes, I put on some of the most ridiculous disguises and go out in public", Michael said laughing. "Man, some of them were real bad, too!" Lily smiled.

"Really? Did you ever get caught?" Lily asked curiously.

"Oh, yeah! A few times. I've made the mistake of wearing my loafers while in disguise and I've been told that it's a dead giveaway", Michael chuckled. "Or my brothers have said they could recognize me anywhere. The way I walk or something", he continued to laugh as he recalled the memory.

"You do kind of stand out", Lily said laughing. "So," she said, taking the conversation in another direction. "How come you didn't call me sooner?" Lily blushed, hoping she didn't sound desperate.

"Well, I still had two months left on the tour and there just isn't much free time. Between rehearsing, performing and going to hospitals to visit the children, there just isn't much time leftover to do anything but sleep", Lily smiled, thinking how sweet it was that he cared so deeply for children. "Then by the time I get home, I just need to unwind. There's also a lot to do when I get back home. I'm sorry I didn't call you sooner. I wanted to, believe me!"

"It's alright, Michael. I understand completely", Lily assured him. "I'm glad you called me when you did though. It was sure a surprise!" Michael giggled.

"I could tell, girl", Michael laughed, thinking about how she had cussed him out earlier.

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" Lily groaned, putting her hand over her face.

"Nope", Michael said, popping the 'p' for emphasis. He was enjoying teasing her. He thought her embarrassment was rather adorable.

Getting more and more comfortable with each other, the two continued to talk about anything and everything. Lily had just finished telling Michael about her long and rather disappointing day. Before either of them knew it, they had been talking on the phone for the better part of two hours. Glancing at her watch, Lily's eyes widened.

"Oh, my gosh", she said, louder than she meant to.

"What's wrong?" Michael asked, with a hint of concern.

"Nothing! I just realized we've been talking for quite a while. Time flies when you're having fun, I guess", Lily rolled her eyes at how dorky she could be sometimes. It was true though. Michael was so easy to talk to. He was quite funny, too!

"I'm glad you've enjoyed our conversation as much as I have", Michael said, grinning. She was pretty sure her face resembled a tomato by now.

"I'm glad I didn't scare you off with my foul mouth", Lily said, laughing.

"Haha, you just try and get rid of me, girl", Michael said quietly. If Lily didn't know how absurd the thought was, she might have thought he was flirting with her.

"Nah, I think I'll keep you around for a while", Lily retorted. She couldn't believe she had just said that. God, Lily! Please stop making a fool of yourself!

"Glad to hear it", Michael said, giggling.

"Well, as much as I don't want to hang up, and believe me, I don't. I have to get up really early for work in the morning. I should probably get to bed soon", Lily said sadly.

"Alright, I'll let you go so you can sleep", Michael sounded like he didn't really want to hang up. "Um, can I..can I call you again sometime?" Lily thought it was adorable how shy he sounded.

"I would love for you to call me again, Michael. I really do enjoy talking to you", Lily responded softly.

"Me, too. I had a lot of fun tonight", Michael said. "Alright, get some rest, girl. Sweet dreams" he said sweetly.

"You, too. Bye, Michael!" Lily said, smiling like an idiot.

"Bye, beautiful", with that, Michael ended the call.

Lily slowly lowered the phone from her ear, blushing like a fool. She couldn't stop the squeal that escaped from her throat as she jumped up from the couch. After what seemed like an eternity, she was finally able to calm down. Sleeping like a baby, Lily dreamt of Michael all night. She had no idea that on the other end of the country, Michael was having sweet dreams about her.