A/N-This picks up where First Date Reboot left off. FYI-long read.
Standing in the elevator beside Prince, his arm around her waist, was too reminiscent of the past for Sofia. Prince could feel her getting more and more tense. He didn't get it. 'Something bothering you, babe?'
Sofia gave up on creating a lie, and went with the truth. 'Are you that dense? You really don't remember what happened the last time I was here? Valentine's day? The Beautiful Experience? Feeling like I was betrayed in public? Being locked out?'
Prince's voice tightened defensively in response to what he interpreted as an attack. 'Wait, what do you mean, locked out? I never locked you out. Let's go have this conversation sitting down. Come on.'
Prince took her by the hand and led her into Paisley, heading straight for the Little Kitchen, through the atrium, just as he had their first night together. 'Sorry, no starlight this time,' he remarked, looking at her with a smirk to lighten the mood while trying to make sense of the last thing she said. Once they were through the glass doors, he gently turned her around and helped her out of her coat, relishing the opportunity to move her silky curls while gathering her coat and scarf. Hanging the coats on a coatrack, he led her to the sofa facing the tv where he had watched so many basketball games, wishing she was next to him. He smiled to himself, thinking his wish had come true. His smile did not result in a returned smile from the face he cherished. Motioning to the solid, comfortable looking sofa, he silently requested they be seated. Then he turned to her, took her hands, and requested, 'Explain the last part. The part about being locked out.'
'If you remember, we moved me back to my apartment Valentine's evening, after we made up from our fight. You made sure I had a very romantic day.'
'I remember making up from our fight. By the way, you were absolutely right, I was out of line doing that stage business with Mayte, and I'm still sorry about it,' Prince interrupted. 'Making up was epic, though. I didn't know you had learned so much from me until that night.'
Sofia blushed. She remembered that night as well. She had never taken the lead before, never pleasured a man the way she pleasured Prince that night. Swallowing her embarrassment, she continued. 'I was so hopeful we could make it work when I kissed you goodbye at my door, after you got my clothes moved back. We spent our last few hours in my bed, so, as you said, 'You'll get to sleep with my scent, even if I'm not here. We can make this a Sunday evening tradition.'
Prince shook his head at the memory. 'I'd forgotten I said that,' he mused. 'I remember how well we broke in that bed, though.' He smiled beatifically to tease her further, which made Sofia whack him on the arm. 'Cut it out! That isn't the point. I need you to hear this.' She continued, 'The next few days were torture, because I didn't hear from you. I left voicemails on Wednesday and Thursday, but never heard back from you.' Prince looked confused, but didn't interrupt. Sofia took a deep breath and continued.
'On Friday, I drove out to Paisley with all my lesson plan materials on the passenger seat of the car, figuring that's where you'd be. When I got to the front gate, I realized the gate code had been changed. I rang the call box multiple times, but got no answer. So, I went to the house, where it was the exact same story. I waited in the car for awhile, but it was too cold. I felt angry and frustrated going back home, but I wasn't going to give up. I called once more, leaving a message about the gate codes and saying I'd see you Saturday.
'Saturday about noon I went back to the house. Nothing. So I headed over to Paisley Park, and was happy to see the gate open. I rang the doorbell, and someone let me in. I didn't see you when I first came in, so I figured you were in the studio. That's where I found you, kissing Mayte again. Her hands were busy unbuttoning your shirt. It freaked me out; I panicked and left. I went home crying my eyes out. I felt so betrayed. I left a couple of voicemails the next week, asking if we could get together and talk, at least. You never responded, so I figured that was your answer. Eventually I took off the ring you gave me, and boxed everything up. I couldn't part with anything you gave me, but it hurt too much to look at it.' Sofia's voice trailed off as she shook her head at the memory. She continued to look at the floor, afraid of what she'd see in Prince's eyes.
'I should have known. Looking back, you said something about Mayte during our fight that night that I didn't pay attention to at the time, because I was pissed. It haunted me for years, though. It sounds like Mayte was behind this whole mess; in fact I know she was.' Prince snapped his fingers as he remembered. 'I asked her to leave you a voicemail with the new codes; I was in the middle of recording, you know how I was back then. She was always wanting to be helpful, and that gave me a reason to send her away on an errand. Obviously she didn't do what I asked. She must have erased the messages you left on my machine.
'I remember that Saturday very well. I was frustrated because you hadn't shown up yet. What you saw wasn't the whole story. The part you didn't stay long enough to see was me pushing her away, and letting her know the stage business we had done on Sunday was just that, stage business, and it wouldn't be happening again. That little piece of stage business I was so proud of at the time ruined both our lives. Mayte's, too, come to think of it. She really thought I was falling for her, so she did what she needed to do to make sure that happened.'
'Oh no,' Sofia whispered, despondent. 'I shouldn't have given up so easily. I should have fought for us.'
Prince squeezed Sofia's hand, causing her to look up and drown once again in his beautiful eyes. 'I shouldn't have given up on you. This is not on you, it's on me. I promised you I'd wait until Memorial Day. I didn't make it to March. If I hadn't been such a jerk back then I'd have called you to find out what was up with you, but my ego got in the way.
'By Memorial Day, I was seriously dating Mayte. Within six months of that, I was working hard to convince myself that she was my soulmate, not you. I used all sorts of crazy stuff-similar family names, past lives, nonsense like that. But I was lying to myself. If someone had shaken me awake in the middle of the night and asked who my soulmate was, I'd have said your name every time. I was ready to call it quits with her after a few months of marriage-but she got pregnant. The possibility of a child, of getting a chance to be a father, outweighed everything else. That ended so sadly; coming to grips with the challenges little Amiir had, realizing we couldn't fix them, then losing him. I felt sorry for her. Feeling sorry for someone isn't the same as loving them with your whole heart. I buried myself in work, touring to save my career and keep distance between us. I thought distance would help her; it seemed like what she wanted. In my grief, I couldn't see hers clearly. I really wasn't fair to her. Part of me wondered how it would have been if you had been his mother, but that was just crazy grief, I'm sure.'
'I didn't know you even thought about me,' Sofia murmured, stunned. She was having a very hard time reconciling what Prince was telling her with what she had been telling herself all these years. The little flame of hope that she had nurtured in spite of years with no communication was starting to flicker more strongly.
Prince tucked a tendril of curly hair behind Sofia's ear, and twirled the length around his finger, brushing against her neck as he followed it down to her collar bone. 'If I'd had any sense, I'd have gone looking for you after my first marriage ended. I was trying to reconcile how much pain I was in, and how much pain I had caused. I was starting to wonder if God was punishing me for my past choices, and that included hurting you. Larry and Manuela were constantly around, Larry giving biblical guidance and Manuela giving support and encouragement. Manuela's hair reminded me of you. The sweet spirit she affected when we were getting to know one another reminded me of yours. As it turned out, it was a false front for a woman obsessed with chasing fame. I married her before the false front dissolved. But, just like Mayte, I didn't love her with my whole heart, either.'
'Prince, you're starting to freak me out,' Sofia said, a little more strongly. She looked down at their entwined hands. This extended confession was more intense than she had anticipated. Prince didn't seem ready to stop talking. If anything, purging himself of his marital history seemed to be something he felt compelled to do.
'Both women ended up being unfaithful to me, probably because eventually they figured out I wasn't fully committed to them. I took vows each time, and believed I meant them, but if I had found you again during either marriage, I am the one who would have been unfaithful, if you had let me be involved with you that way. It's why I worked so hard to find you after things ended with Manuela this fall. I need to know if there is any possible chance with you. It was unfair to each of those women, I see that now. There is no point in my becoming involved with any other woman until I know where I stand with you.'
Sofia didn't say anything immediately. She was processing everything he'd just said. Eventually, Prince tried to get her attention. 'Babe? Are you okay? I know it's a lot to take in, but I meant every word.'
'Did you mean what you said earlier about wanting another chance? Is that just a line? It's been fourteen years, Prince. We've both grown and changed. We aren't exactly the same people we were back then. Experiences change people. I may not be at all like the Sofia you've built up in your mind.' Sofia felt like she had to say it. The way Prince was talking, he'd built some sort of superwoman girlfriend from his memories. 'The real me could be a huge disappointment compared to your memories.'
'Is there a reason why we shouldn't give what we had another try? Are you involved in a relationship that makes trying again with me a problem?' Prince found himself holding his breath as he waited for an answer.
'There's no other relationship. I was telling the truth when I said I rarely got to the third date with anyone. Even though you broke my heart, nothing compared to being with you.' It scared Sofia to make that admission before she knew where Prince's head was, but it was the truth. All of the things he said led her to believe their hearts were in the same place.
Prince pulled Sofia into his lap, looked into her eyes, and said, 'Oh, babe, for me, too.' He gently kissed her forehead, each eye, and pulled away long enough to say, 'Finally.'
Then Sofia received the kiss she had been expecting all along. It consumed her, and she felt like she was on fire. They held each other so tightly, it felt like they might merge into one person. Even in its intensity, the kiss had tenderness at its core. Sofia had never felt so cherished.
Breaking off the kiss, Prince started kissing his way across to Sofia's ear. Nibbling on her earlobe, he whispered, 'How far can we go?'
'I'm not as ready as you are, I'm guessing,' she replied, shakily. She'd forgotten how intoxicating his kisses could be. 'After all, it's our first date.' She giggled.
'Well, yeah, if you want to get technical...' Prince replied, groaning inwardly. He was already in a bad way, but he got where she was coming from. Although they'd been inseparable before, it had taken weeks for her to be comfortable enough with him physically to be truly intimate. It sounds like I might be the only man she's ever been completely intimate with, he thought, considering that possibility pretty exciting. He realized he was going to be playing a long game to win her back. Her story revealed the many mistakes he'd made when his ego wasn't in check.
Leaning into her ear, he whispered, 'Wanna play ping pong, or pool? Your choice.'
Sofia leaned back far enough to meet his heated gaze. 'Pool. I stand no chance against you at Ping Pong.'
'But you do at pool, huh!' As Prince spoke, he kept running one hand up and down her arm, relishing the fact that he could touch her again.
'I have friends with pool tables. I've picked up a few things.'
'We'll see just how much you picked up. I don't remember you being very good at either,' Prince smirked.
'And those were still your suggestions,' Sofia smirked right back.
Taking her by the hand, he led her to the game room, and she stopped in the doorway. 'You got a new pool table.'
'Yeah, I put the symbol everywhere back in the day. The table plays well, so I kept it even after I went back to Prince.'
'Very impressive. Who's breaking?'
Sofia had learned a few tricks, as it turned out. She was giving Prince a run for his money until a very tricky shot came her way. She figured Prince set it up so he would win.
Bending over the edge of the table to make the shot presented Prince with an enticing sight. He leaned over next to her, trying to make it seem like he was helping, not trying to cop a feel. He was desperate to touch her again, though. He'd missed her even more than he realized.
'Um, I see what you're doing there,' Sofia smiled over her shoulder.
'Nah, mama, just trying to help,' he began, but was interrupted. Sofia stood up, edging him off her, and carefully put down her pool cue. Anger was radiating from her now, instead of fear.
'I told you before, don't call me mama.' Sofia bristled hearing the endearment fall so casually from Prince's lips. It hurt every time she heard it.
'What's the deal? I've always called you-'
'Exactly. That's what you always called me.'
A/N-How about that pool table? Anyone done the PP tour? Is the pool table part of it? I've heard you get a chance to play ping pong on some tours.
Prince is about to get his own earful, I'm afraid! Thanks for reading, commenting, voting, and being such cool members of the Purple Army!