I couldn't believe all that happened in the short two weeks that I had been in 1956. Well, seventeen days, but who was counting? The point was, I met, befriended and fell in love with Elvis, I became famous, and I became the person the whole country, and some of the rest of the world, was shipping Elvis with. I hadn't seen him in person since the Colonel dragged him away that time in the hallway, but I called him Friday night. That was it. I was aching to see him again.
As I slumped back in the sofa in Sharon's living room at around nine at night, and Maxie slept against my left leg, I eyed the phone on the little end-table next to me. Should I call him? It wouldn't hurt. The Colonel was going along with the Media Couple thing still, he was just making sure I didn't do or say anything stupid again. In a way, he was like my third manager since he talked with Nancy and Sharon every day. Sharon was still Nancy's shadow. She would be into the following year. Would I be around for that long?
No, don't think about that.
"I'll just call him. He should be in his hotel room by now. Hopefully."
I took the black phone off the receiver. I turned the rotary, putting in the number. I had memorized it by now. I put the phone to my ear. I hoped that the Colonel was with him. If not, Elvis wouldn't answer the phone - another one of those rules. Thankfully the Colonel was there when I called Elvis a few days ago.
"Colonel Tom Parker speaking," I heard on the other end suddenly and my heart started racing. I sat up straight, the movement waking Maxie up. He held up his furry, sleepy head.
"Yes, hello, Colonel Parker. This is Katelyn."
"Yes, I know."
He didn't sound too happy. "I'm not calling too late, am I?"
"Nope. We just walked in. I assume you want to speak to Elvis?"
There was no point in beating around the bush. "Yes, if that's okay. I just wanted to talk to him about something."
"Of course you do. Very well. Elvis," he said, sounding like the phone is away from his ear. "Guess who?"
I heard shuffling, then, "Katelyn, hi."
I grinned at hearing his voice. "Hey, Elvis."
"It's great to hear your voice."
"It's great to hear your voice, too." I imagined the Colonel rolling his eyes. "I've been really busy, so I haven't been able to call."
"No need to apologize. I've been busy, too. Comes with the job."
"Yeah."
"So, what're you up to?"
"Just chilling at home, petting Maxie. He's lying right next to me."
I had told him about Maxie. "Aw, I'm jealous. I wanna dog. Maybe I can come over sometime and meet 'im."
"That would be wonderful. He would like you."
We paused for a moment as I pet Maxie's furry head. Elvis asked, "So, anythin' wrong?"
"Wrong? No." Oh, he was fishing for a reason why I called. "I just called because..."
"Because why?" He asked after a few seconds of me not saying anything and messing with the fur on Maxie's head.
"It's a little embarrassing. I just... I miss you."
He paused for a moment, then, in a gentle tone, "Katelyn, there's nothin' embarrassin' about missin' someone. I miss you, too. I was actually hopin' that uh... well, I was hopin' to ask you somethin'. The Colonel and Nancy already said it was fine, for publicity and all."
Now I was curious. "Ask me what?"
"Well, you know that the premier for Love Me Tender is this Thursday, right?"
Of course I knew that. It was all over town, the posters and signs, and even before I arrived, I knew that it came out in the US on November 15th, 1956. It was insane that I was going to actually live that date. "Yes, I do."
"Knowin' you, you've probably seen it a bunch of times."
I chuckled. "Yes, guilty. I could probably count on... oh gee, maybe twenty hands how many times I've seen it since I was two years old."
He chuckled. "Whoa, then maybe I shouldn't ask ya what I was goin' to."
"What were you going to ask me?"
He paused for a moment, then, "Well, uh... I guess I was... golly, I haven't done this for a while. I wanted to ask ya to go to the premier with me."
My jaw dropped. Go to the premier of Elvis Presley's first movie with Elvis Presley? Like, as a date? Oh my heck, he's asking me out on a date! I hollered into the phone in excitement, and with a speeding heart, "Are you kidding? Of course I'll go with you!"
He laughed. "Well, I guess I didn't have to worry about you sayin' no."
"Why on Earth would I say no?"
"I guess every guy has that fear when he asks a girl somewhere."
I bounced up and down in my seat, feeling the happiest I had been since Elvis kissed me. Would he kiss me this time? Dates usually end with kisses, right?! I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to hold in a scream. Sharon came into the room and saw me. Her brows rose at my state.
"Katelyn, you still there?"
I removed my hand. "Yes, yes, sorry. So yeah, I'm definitely going. I'll talk with Sharon and Nancy more about the details, like the time and everything. I'm really looking forward to this."
"I am, too. It's gonna be awkward watchin' myself on the screen."
"Trust me, you did a good job with this one. It kicks off your acting career beautifully."
"I'm happy and relieved to hear that. So..." He paused and I heard the Colonel talk to him. "Well, I have to go. The Colonel's buggin' me to go to bed since we have an early day tomorrow."
My heart sank. I wanted to talk to him longer! "Okay."
"So, I guess if I don't see ya in the next couple days, see ya on Thursday?"
"Yes, see you then."
"Yeah. Goodnight, Katelyn."
"Goodnight, Elvis."
We both hung up and I stood up, and Maxie flopped onto his side since my leg wasn't there to support him anymore. I grinned at Sharon. "I'm guessing he asked you to the premier," she said. "Your face is so red."
"You knew about it and didn't tell me? I mean, that he wanted to ask me to it?"
She shrugged. "Elvis wanted to ask you to it personally. We just didn't want to spoil the surprise. Seems like he asked you a lot later than we thought. The guy's pretty shy."
I took hold of her shoulders. "I'm going on a date with Elvis Presley!" I squealed and hugged her, jumping as I did so. She laughed as she patted my back.
"I'm happy for you."
We stood there hugging as my happy meter shot to the moon. I would see Love Me Tender with the main star of the movie! There were very few girls on the planet who got that opportunity, especially when that star was their favorite and they were head over heels in love with him.
~ ~ ~
My leg bounced up and down rapidly as I sat in the backseat of my car, and the Colonel was driving. We were almost to Sharon's apartment building, and I couldn't keep my nerves in check. I knew about the premier to the movie since before we stopped filming, and I always wondered who I wanted to take to it. My agency said to take Debra Paget, who played my on-screen wife, but once I met Katelyn, I had wanted her to be my partner. The agency agreed, but I got the guts to ask her only a few days before the actual event. How awful was that?
"I'm driving, and I can still feel the car bounce up and down, Elvis," the Colonel said from the wheel. "Relax, will you? She's just a girl."
"Yeah, a girl I'm crazy about," I countered. "She probably looks beautiful. In fact, I know she does. She's probably wearin' a pretty purple dress." I looked down at my black tie. "I should've worn purple. Why didn't the agency give me a purple tie, huh?"
He laughed. "Holy Lord, just relax, Elvis! Take a breath."
"So... you're okay with me doin' this, takin' her to the premier?"
"It was the agency's idea in the first place. I'm going along with it since it's good for your image and hers. Do you have any idea how much money we're getting from promoting those shirts with your face on them and the purple hair dye?"
"I thought Katelyn's gettin' the money for that."
"Since you're a couple - a media one - we're getting some of it, too. I had a temper tantrum that time and lost my head, but now it's back on. She's good for business."
To him, anything was good if there was a dollar sign in front of it, or if it could turn into a dollar sign. "How about good for me?"
"I still think she's too young, but I can't stop your heart from going."
I grinned. "You sure can't, can ya?"
We came closer to the seven-story building, and immediately, I heard and saw the fans. The crowd was a jumble of colored skirts and belted waists. We came closer and those girls screamed. I saw Steve and Al there - my bodyguards - holding the girls back, and the police came to join the party as well. I stepped out of the car, and my ears rang from all the screams. I plastered a smile on my face as I heard camera snaps, and I signed several papers and pictures and gave many hugs before I was able to make it inside the building. Of course, there were people in there, too, but people that lived there. I signed more papers and pictures, gave hugs and chatted with a few older people. They loved me, too.
Where would I be without all my fans? What would I be? I would be nothing.
I came up to the fifth floor, where Sharon's apartment was on. I came up to the door, and the Colonel stood a ways away, as well as a couple of reporter cameramen. I had no choice but to pose for a picture as I stood at the door.
I knocked, and Sharon answered the door. My eyes widened at the sight of her. "My, my, don't you look awful perty tonight, Sharon?" I said. She was wearing a bright blue dress, and her shiny blonde hair was twisted up in the back. Mr. Hartford would faint at the sight of her. How were things going with them, anyway?
Sharon waved a hand at me. "Oh, this old thing? But thank you, anyway. You look dashing yourself." I thanked her. "Come in."
I did so, leaving everyone in the hallway. The Colonel agreed that he would stay out there while I came inside this quaint apartment. If I was a normal person, I would live in a place like this.
"So, I love that you decided to come and get your partner in the old-fashioned way," Sharon said as I stood near the door of this little place.
I shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah, it makes me feel at least a little normal, comin' myself instead of meetin' 'er at the theater."
Sharon went to the dining room table and took up a camera. "I want to capture the moment," she explained. "She's almost ready. Katelyn!" she called down the hallway. "Guess who's here?"
"I know!" I heard, and I saw someone exit a room and walk down the hallway. My mouth opened, stunned, when she came into the light.
I had never seen a more beautiful sight. As I guessed, she was wearing a purple dress that nipped at her waist using a black ribbon and was flowing out to her knees. Half of her hair waved down while the other half was up and woven together in a braid. The strands of purple wove into the style. Her blue-green eyes were shining brilliantly and popped with the makeup around her eyes.
"Wow..." I enthused without thinking, and she smiled sheepishly, an attractive pink in her cheeks. I stepped up to her, looking her up and down, trying not to let my eyes linger on the extra skin at her collar since the dress dipped a bit and showed a line of her chest. My whole body heated at the sight of it... of her. "You look, uh... wow. I um..."
I sounded like a moron.
"I think you made him go speechless, Katelyn," Sharon said with a chuckle. "And I got a picture of you two gawking at each other. It's so cute!"
She took a picture of that? Must be a good one, at least on Katelyn's half of it.
(I put together Katelyn's outfit since I, of course, couldn't find any full online picture that looks exactly like I imagine her. It's easy to find Elvis.)
"You look so handsome, Elvis," Katelyn said. "Not that you're not other times, it's just..." Her face flushed more pink, and oh how adorable it was!
"Do you need a glass of water to cool off?" Sharon asked her and Katelyn's eyes widened, her appalled gaze on her roommate and manager.
"Sharon!" she quipped, and I couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
"Well, I think we should get going," Sharon said. "Where's Maxie?"
"In my room," said Katelyn. "He was asleep. I'm surprised that that knocking didn't wake him up. Maxie, come! Maxie!" She whistled.
A little tan fluffy dog came out of the hallway and scampered into the living room. I grinned as I saw him, but when he saw me, his beady brown eyes widened, and he let out a ruckus of barking. I knelt down on both knees. "Hey, c'mon, now, Maxie... I won't bite." The dog continued barking, and I held out my hand and smiled at him. He stopped barking but made low growls as he inched closer to me. I heard a snap of Sharon's camera. My fingers touched his furry head. "There. See?"
"Didn't take him long to warm up to ya, did he?" Sharon asked and snapped another picture. "Aw, how adorable! And I mean the both of ya."
"I'm flattered, and I'm sure Maxie here is, too."
Maxie started barking again, ran away, but came back with a rope toy, his fluffy tail wagging away. He flipped that rope around like crazy like I had seen dogs do. I tried to get at it, and when I got it, Maxie growled and tried to get it from me. Sharon snapped another picture.
I retrieved the rope successfully, then tossed it over near the TV. Maxie got it and flipped it all over the place again and came back to me and made a bowing position, his little rump sticking up, and his fluffy tail wagging.
"Aw, that means he wants to play more," Sharon said. "I like to call that the play bow."
I made the same bow, and both women laughed. I took the rope and tried to get it away from Maxie and he growled. Sharon took another picture. I threw the rope off and Maxie went after it as soon as I got it from him.
I stood up as Maxie came back. "Sorry, pal. I have'ta go. Maybe another time."
"It seems like you made a new best friend, huh, Maxie?" Sharon cooed.
The women got their sweaters and purses together. Katelyn had a black sweater that she just set on her shoulders without having her arms in the sleeves, and she had a purple hand purse with no strap to match her dress. We left out the door and were met immediately with people taking pictures and asking for autographs.
We attempted to make it down the hallway. Katelyn held my left arm, and I couldn't stop smiling as she did so. I leaned in to her a little and smelled a flowery perfume that sent my pulse racing. "I loved Maxie."
"He loved you, too. Isn't he cute?"
"Yeah, but... I can think of somethin' cuter."
She saw my pointed look at her, and she smiled. "Thanks."
We made it down to the main floor and could hear the people out there cheering. We came close to the door and out we came into shrill screams. The Colonel, Sharon, as well as Nancy - I didn't even see her show up since I was so focused on Katelyn - helped us through the crowd of people. But we stopped now and then to sign papers and pictures.
"We love the both of you!" one blonde girl hollered at us over the screams. "You're the perfect couple!"
"Yeah, you are!" a brunette girl shouted, maybe the blonde's friend.
"Thank you very much," I said. What else could I say? Yes, we were a media couple, just not a real couple... I was desperate to be one.
"Elvis and Katelyn, can you pose for a picture?!" a man with a camera shouted. Of course, we consented.
"They should hug!" some girl said, and another refuted, "No, they should kiss!"
"Yes, for the paper!" said that same man. "That would be great if you two don't mind!"
I looked at Katelyn who stood passed my shoulder in her black heels. Her eyes widened, and alarm overtook her features. "Um..." she muttered, her whole face turning pink. I turned to face her and took her shoulders. Several girls around screamed as I did so.
"Whaddya say?" I asked her. She nodded, and my brows rose, and my heart jumped up to my throat and started banging. She wanted me to kiss her in front of a lot of people again? When she was so distraught about it before? "Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
I eyed her lips that had a tasteful pink lipstick over them. My body ached with wanting to touch them again, but... maybe now wouldn't be the best time to do it. Or I could just...
I leaned in, and the screams intensified. My lips met her cheek near the corner of her mouth. Oh, how smooth and warm! My lips moved over the soft, heated skin a few times, feeling it, enjoying it...
Those screams returned and reality came back. A little dazed, I looked back at Katelyn. Her mouth was slightly open. Why? I stared at it, wanting to cover it with my own.
"Perfect!" shouted a man, and Katelyn and I turned back around to face everyone. The Colonel, Sharon and Nancy helped us both get to and into the car. Nancy sat up in the front with the Colonel while Katelyn sat between me and Sharon.
"That was so doggone adorable!" Sharon gushed. "Wow, you two really riled them up."
"Yeah..." Katelyn muttered and I looked at her, at that skin I wanted to touch with my mouth again. It was only a few inches away. I leaned in a little, but my nose went into her hair, and that flowery smell became intense.
"Katelyn..." I whispered near her ear.
She turned her head to me, and our mouths came literally an inch from each other. She let out a little gasp. "Y-Yeah?"
I could just lean in and kiss her. I wanted to. I really, really wanted to. But others were in the car - it wasn't secluded. I needed to say something. "I hope you enjoy the film."
"I know I will. It's going to be weird watching it with the star of it sitting right next to me."
I smirked. "I bet."
We stared at one another for a moment, or maybe a few, and that song "I can't help falling in love with you" ran through my noggin. It did as we stared at each other in that close proximity until we heard more screams. We arrived at the theater.