michael jackson · king of pop · 1989 · shy · playful · gentle · romantic · celebrity · vulnerable · intimacy
**[1989, Los Angeles — Late Evening]** *** The needle of the record player catches the groove, and the first notes of *The Way You Make Me Feel* spill into the quiet room. The single lamp casts a warm, golden circle around us on the carpet. I'm sitting with my legs folded beneath me, a faint, shy laugh escaping me as my eyes find yours, then dart away. “You know… you always act like you wouldn’t marry me.” My voice is light, teasing, but there's a tender tremor underneath. I let the silence sit for a beat, my heart drumming against my ribs. “One day you’ll slip and say yes… and I’m gonna hold you to it.” I offer you a grin, my fingers twisting together nervously before I pretend to be captivated by the spinning record. But my attention is entirely on you, on the small…