Always On My Mind

Part 8

As you went on going from different restaurants and bars some fans eventually came across your group and asked for a picture. "Naw, she aint some papparazzi, y/n have someone take it and get in here!" Elvis suggested and you joined in the group of fans and Nick and smiled. You rarely joined in fan pictures, but happily obliged, hanging onto Elvis on his left side, smiled happily, for once not caring who saw what picture, whether that was the alcohol talking that you had already consumed or not, you were happy and you and Elvis were both living life to the fullest.

The night ended at a club that stayed open until four in the morning. Nick was already pretty far gone and had a woman to take home and Elvis was running on a slight buzz, still not a fan of drinking too heavily. Nick was off with his date kissing in the corner as Elvis sat with you at the bar, his arm draped around you protectively. You had encountered several unwanted advances that night and were ready to leave, but were still waiting on Nick and his date. Elvis always ended up being the one to protect you on nights out and you were thankful for that. You leaned against him, smelling his new cologne but the familiar scent of his old spice shampoo soothed you. You closed your eyes and Elvis peered down at you. "Let's get outta here. I'm sure Nick can handle himself." Elvis chuckled. You nodded, happy to be leaving. As you hopped off the chair you stumbled slightly but Elvis caught your arm. "Whoa there wittle darlin. I gotcha." He said and scooped you up into his arm, carrying you to a cab to head back to the hotel. He threw open the door to his room with you on his arm as you stumbled in and over onto his bed. Your head was spinning from the amount you had consumed. You closed your eyes and moaned slightly. "Did my wittle have too much?" Elvis smirked and teased lightly. He laid down on the other bed and observed you. "Yeah.." You whine and smile slightly. You opened your eyes and drunkenly reached for your camera. "S-smile!" You slurred and Elvis smirked and gave you a look that could have made you melt.

Elvis chuckled kicking off his shoes and moved to the bed you were on and laid beside you. "Hollywood has been one hell of an experience, huh?" He said. The roles had now reversed as he stroked your long hair, snagging some of the curls you had put in. "Who knew, two kids from Memphis would end up here?" He said letting out his southern drawl. It made your toes curl at the sound. You snuggled slightly into his side. He smiled down on you and wrapped you in his arms. "Thank you for being here with me these past two months. I couldn't have survived it without ya." He said. Your breathing started to slow as you found comfort in his arms. It felt right to be there with him. It always felt right just to be with him. You were thankful he needed you. You smiled to yourself and closed your eyes allowing yourself to drift off to sleep in Elvis's arms.

October 30th, 1956

You were thankful to be back home, thought things had changed since you left. Your part time job at the newspaper was no longer needed. You had made enough money in Hollywood and had plenty more work lined up with Elvis to hold you over up until the new year. You also came back single and Jonathan made it well known that you were single, probably still bitter especially with new photos of you, Elvis, and Nick surfacing from your last adventures in Hollywood. Elvis on the other hand was trying to adjust to being away from the busy life of an actor to having ample time off before his next gig on the Ed Sullivan Show. He had even had a slight encounter with law enforcement that the Colonel immediately handled. What you were excited for though was his return from New York with none other than Natalie Wood. He knew your admiration you had for her since watching her with James Dean and was eager for you two to meet. You decided to wait for their arrival with Gladys and Vernon at their house on Audubon and laid on the couch listening to some of his records. As Gladys cooked a welcome home meal the phone rang. "Satnin, would you answer that please?" Gladys called from the kitchen and so you jumped up to answer the phone. "Presley residence." You answer. "Y/n? This is June." Your heart rate sped. You had completely forgotten all about her especially since the night that Nick had advised Elvis to drop her. You felt a sudden twinge of guilt just for knowing the future of her relationship. "Hi June. It's nice to hear from you." You answer trying not to sound too nervous. "When will Elvis be home? He said he would call." June explained. You had forgotten that she had been here for a weekend just before Evis left for New York and wondered if she knew who he was with. "Uhm, he should be landing soon...June? Did you...d-do you know Natalie Wood's gonna be here?" You ask your words betraying you and revealing your nervousness with a stutter. "Yes y/n. We got into a bit of an argument about it, but I'm aware. It's fine." She said. "Okay, well I'll have him call as soon as he gets home." You promise and hang up. Just as you did you see his pink Cadillac pull up to the newly installed gate and he pulled in with non other than Nick and Natalie. She looked absolutely gorgeous and your admiration was about to bubble over when they came in. You decided to play things cool. She was very down to earth though and she was closer to your age so you had plenty in common. It was so easy to talk to her and you did so for hours that you almost forgot about June's call. "Oh E! June called! Nick chuckled and rolled his eyes. Elvis went to the phone to try to have a civil conversation with her, but Nick kept making you and Natalie laugh that it distracted Elvis. "Hey I was tryin to talk Nick!" He yelled once he hung up and then started laughing hysterically until you were all rolling on the floor. Natalie's visit went much like that. Lots of laughter, adventures, and eating good food from Gladys. You had gone on motorcycle rides and out on the town. You had even taken a now famous photo of Elvis, Natalie, and Nick, not realizing what this could mean to June. You were just along for the ride and enjoying your time with your best friend. In fact you started to think a bit more selfishly especially when it came to being with Elvis. Your feelings for him seemed to be growing the more time you spent with him, and you would spend almost every day with him and whatever friends or women he had around...you didn't care. You felt your time would come soon enough.