Darkness and Light

Nine.

Prince's POV:

I had gotten used to Mya disappearing for days on end. I had gotten used to her coming back at the most random times. I had gotten used to her playing with my hands when she was nervous or upset, squeezing them when she was hurting or excited. I had gotten used to us playing twenty questions late at night as we ate junk food in The Little Kitchen. I had gotten used to her asking me if she could hug me, if she could sleep in my room, eventually making it to my bed.

"Okay, ready?" I mumbled teasingly with a piece of chocolate in my hand as my new friend sat on top of the piano with her legs crossed in Studio B while I wrote and rewrote lyrics to a song that was currently unnamed on April 2nd, the night before I was set to jet off to Boston. She had been gone for almost two weeks. The longest she'd been away thus far and I was surprised when she showed up in the atrium after our final rehearsal a couple hours ago.

After I put the chocolate in my mouth, I smirked and resumed playing while Mya laughed and stuck out her tongue, a silent indication that she wanted some of the chocolate bar I'd slowly been eating. I stopped playing momentarily to break off a piece and place it on her tongue. She hadn't said a word. But we were having fun while Amber and Brian were busying themselves with final tour preparations. "D..Did you name this one yet?" She asked softly, picking up the sheet of music beside her, slightly wincing when she moved.

"Not yet." I replied, eating another piece of the chocolate bar. Mya tapped her fingers against her sweatpants and hummed quietly to herself. "I was going to let you hear some of the lyrics until you distracted me by acting like a bird. So, you ruined your opportunity." I teased again, leaning up to hover over her lips. I didn't touch her unless she asked me first. I was beginning to understand her habits, mannerisms and body language. We'd only known each other since the beginning of March, but it felt like much longer.

"Well, I just thought it w..wasn't fair that you had chocolate and I didn't. What are the lyrics?" I laughed and raised my eyebrows at her tone before shaking my head. "Wouldn't you love to know?" My friend scoffed playfully and bowed her head. A knock interrupted my creative process and when I got up, I could feel a certain someone watching me move.

It was Kirk and Amber, who vocalized their dismay when they saw Mya slowly getting down from the piano. "You're needed elsewhere. Please hurry." I rolled my eyes at how demanding everyone was being. It was as if they forgot who wrote their paychecks. When the woman in question squeezed my hand out of the viewpoint of the others, I smiled apologetically. "I'm going to go smoke anyways pretty boy. Don't let me keep you." She mumbled with a raised eyebrow and a cancer stick between her teeth.

Kirk scoffed and looked Mya over twice before he opened that big mouth of his. "A woman who smokes has no class. Disgusting." The woman who always wore the same outfits tilted her head, but remained silent. Her eyes steadily darkened as she stared at him. The longer she stared, the more uncomfortable Kirk became. Soon, a smile appeared as her eyes adverted from my employee to me. "I'll be back. Don't have too much fun without me." Removing the cancer stick from her mouth, she kissed the corner of my lips and went to walk away. I grabbed her arm before she could go far.

"Come with me. I want you to see all my controversial outfits that will have father's busting their neck veins." She didn't try to get away from me but I heard her whine and mumble about needing to smoke under her breath. "You can run from me after. You'll love it, I promise." I whispered gently in her ear as I quickly pulled her up the stairs, ignoring the laugh that escaped her lips once we got to the top.