The whole staff at the vet told me to just go on up to my apartment and take the rest of the day off, but I didn't want to. In order for me to get my mind off what happened earlier in the morning, I had to do my work. Taking care of animals of all kinds was my thing and a way I could destress. It was therapeutic in a way. Yes, there were the emergencies we had to deal with, and sometimes putting an animal down, but overall, it was just really fun, fulfilling work.
It took about half an hour for things to simmer down after Elvis left, and the rest of the day went on. Around noon, I sat in the little employee lounge that had a counter and faucet, an ice box and a little table. I usually went up to my apartment for my lunch hour, but I wasn't hungry in the least. And as fun as my work was, and as busy as it was, it did nothing to help me take my mind off of what happened.
That was the first time anyone had done that to me... swooping me up in his arms and carrying me like a princess. Brandon never even did that. As Elvis was carrying me, I stared at his face that was really trying its hardest to keep an even expression. He was ticked, but he was still so handsome and... my hero. When Edna came back to check on me and we talked, she called him my knight in shining armor. My savior. He risked so much doing what he did, and I knew that there would be consequences.
But he was so incredibly kind for doing it, no matter if he was fuming the whole time, and no matter what could happen because of it. I saw the fire in his eyes as he was bandaging my knees. He was that upset not that people were saying mean things about him, but that they were saying mean things about me and mistreating me.
Oddly, I was glad that it all happened, even if I got a couple scraped knees. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had such a special moment with him, talking inside one of my little exam rooms. There was a moment as he had his heated hands on my cheek, and he was looking into my whole soul, it seemed...
He was going to kiss me. Wasn't he? It boggled my mind that he would even think of kissing a woman over two feet shorter than him.
The door to the lounge opened, and in came Edna. She gave me a little smile and sat down facing me at the little two-person table against the wall. Her short blonde hair shined in the above light. "Hey," she said. "You doing okay?"
I let out a large sigh. "Yeah, I am. What a day."
"No kidding. I don't think I'm going to forget it for the rest of my life. Elvis coming in here that first time randomly was one thing, but seeing him bursting in while carrying you in his arms is completely another. You were in tears as he was holding you, and with a very serious expression, he whooshed through the room and to the back." She put a hand to her heart and made a dazed expression. "How incredibly romantic."
I held my red mug of coffee with both hands. "I... guess it was..."
She giggled. "You're completely dazed. So, what happened in that little exam room, huh?"
Her eyes were twinkling with interest for my answer. I smiled as I thought about those few minutes. "We just talked, and he told me that he would make sure that no one else would make fun of me or cause me any harm."
"Aw... he really cares about you, Dr. Comm. And don't you say otherwise."
"He told me that I'm his good friend."
"Psht. That hot, famous man is so in love with you, it's obvious. He wouldn't have done what he did if he wasn't."
My grip on my mug tightened as I recalled how close he came to my face and how wonderful it was to have him hug me when we both were at the same level. Maybe he wasn't going to kiss me. It was all just fanciful thinking. "I... don't know. I mean... he's so famous. How could he have feelings for me?"
"He's a man, you know, and men are attracted to women. Elvis Presley, especially, since the whole world knows how much he loves women. I think he couldn't help himself with you since you're so pretty, talented and unique."
I took a sip of my sweet coffee, smirking at her complement. "Thanks, and... I admit that he cares about me some, considering what he did today, but... I doubt that it's because he's in love with me. He probably would've done it with any other friend of his."
She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. "Think what you want. I bet you five dollars that he's in love with you."
"I'm not going to make a bet with you. I just want to get through the rest of today."
Someone else came into the room. It was Glenda. She said, "Hey, Dr. Comm, you have a call. I think it may be someone associated with the Roustabout film."
My heart jumped, and I immediately thought about what Elvis told me before he left out the exam door earlier. "Oh, okay. I'll be right there."
I stood up and left my coffee mug in the room and went out to the crowded front lobby to take the call. As expected, I was asked if I would be willing to step in as an extra but play a child going to the carnival with her family instead of being a stage attraction. I pressed my lips together, Elvis's voice in my head.
~ ~ ~
The carnival was all a bustle. This was actually a welcomed sight compared to the stuffy studio set. I'd rather be out in the fresh air. Jerry was with me, and the Colonel was an extra himself, running one of the activity stalls. I had to laugh at that as he tried to get people to come and try the game, even off-camera. Jerry laughed also.
"Wow, would you look at that manager of yours, huh?" he said.
"Yeah, I know. It reminds me back to when he first found me. It was in a similar crazy place like this at the Louisiana Hayride."
"I remember that. I remember the ruckus you caused when you performed onstage. People were shocked, but the girls went wild."
The memory of that performance was stuck in my mind. I was so nervous, my whole body was shaking, and the girls went crazy because of the wiggling. I had no idea what they were hollering at until Scotty told me that it was the wiggling. It was part of my dance routine after that. Sadly, the older generation and the government hated it and sent me off to the army. That didn't take the wiggle or the passion out of me, though. If I was allowed to, for all my numbers in this film and for others, I would be wiggling all over the place.
If only people could just be nice and accepting. The whole fiasco with Shannon wouldn't have happened. The paper came out the next morning, and there plastered on the front was a large picture of me carrying a bawling Shannon in my arms and a bold headline reading, "Elvis Rescues Little Woman from Ravenous Reporters." Nowhere in the article, though, was an apology for Shannon's mistreatment, just a statement saying that everyone should treat others fairly and without negativity. At least my little speech was heard partially.
"Elvis, let's get you into place," said John after he came up to Jerry and me in the set bustle. "You ready for this one? 'It's Carnival Time.'"
"As ready as I'll ever be, John. I'll head over."
"Wonderful. Now where's Hal?"
He left us, and I blew air out of my mouth. Jerry patted my shoulder. "Well, back to work, big guy. Have fun."
"Thanks. See ya."
I walked away from my best friend and went to where I needed to be to start this scene—near a candied apple stand. I got to speaking with the man who would run it in the scene, and we were running lines with each other for a couple of minutes until I saw a familiar face in the crowd of extras who were playing carnival goes. My brows creased as I stared at the blonde girl who was talking with Joan, and my heart made rather sharp leap when I realized who it was dressed in a little girl's dark-blue dress.
"Excuse me, Frank," I told the man, and he consented. I walked over to Joan and the girl she was speaking to. Joan caught sight of me first.
"Oh, hello, Elvis."
"Hey." I looked down at the girl who turned away from me. I let out a sigh through my nose. "No need to hide, Shannon, I know it's you." She turned around and gave me a guilty look. "I thought I told ya not to accept John's offer to be a kid extra."
"Elvis, you don't need to treat her like a kid now that she's actually dressed like one," Joan quipped, and my heart pulsed again, but with alarm and irritation. After what happened with Shannon, Joan saying that stung.
"I'm not! You know what's goin' on with the press right now, and this doesn't help matters."
Joan put her hands on her hips and gave me a stern look. "Well, maybe you should ask why she's doing this rather than jumping down her throat, huh?"
I glanced down at Shannon, and she was giving me that same stern look. Great, both women were mad at me now. I took a breath to calm myself down. "Okay, why, Shannon? After what happened yesterday?"
Someone called Joan over, and she left us, giving me one last glare, making sure I didn't do anything stupid. Shannon spoke up. "Elvis, look, I know you advised against this, but it's another great opportunity."
"For your clinic, right?"
"Yes, for my clinic. And maybe... taking after my uncle."
My eyes widened, honestly surprised. "Hold on, you wanna be an actor like Billy?"
"Maybe it can be something like that on the side. I rather like being on a film set, regardless of the role that I'm playing. I think once I get older and I really look my age, I won't be playing a child. But now, since I'm still young, I'll do it. I even sound like one with my higher-pitched voice."
I should be happy for her that she found another calling, but I just felt annoyed. "After what I said for the press, and after what was in the paper this mornin'... you really wanna play a kid and brand yourself what everyone was callin' ya? It's not gonna do you any favors and it's not for me, either."
She gulped hard and stood as tall as she could, which was only up to my belly. "Well, then," she started, her blue eyes blazing, "maybe you shouldn't talk to me, then, as to not cause any more problems."
She stalked away, and I stared after her, open-mouthed. "After what happened... wow, she's bein' so ungrateful."
"Either that, or you're using your talent of rubbing women the wrong way."
I turned around and found Jerry with me again. I huffed. "Oh, so you're on her side. She was hounded by the press, Jerry, and they physically hurt 'er. Now, she's dressed up as a kid after I tried to get the press away from 'er and treat 'er like the adult that she is. It's like what I did doesn't matter, or it didn't even happen. It's like the special moment I had with 'er at her office after I bandaged her knees didn't happen."
My heart dropped, and I suddenly wanted to escape the merriment of the set and go sulk on that picnic bench. Jerry took my shoulder and shook it. "Hey, I bet she's very grateful for that. Did you ever think that she accepted John's request because she didn't want to play a kid, but she wanted to see you? What woman doesn't want to see the man she's in love with, huh? I mean, hey, you've done stupid things for the women that you love, yesterday being a case in point. You risked a tarnished reputation as you went in and rescued that woman from reporters. Think about it."
All the actors were called to get into place, and Jerry patted my shoulder again and walked off. As I went to my spot, I thought about what he said. She did this to be close to me? Not just because she was thinking about having a side career in acting or promoting her clinic?
I looked over at where she was, and she was with a boy who was as tall as her, but was most likely around eight years old, and a full-grown man who was probably supposed to be playing her and her fake brother's father was with them also. She caught me staring at her, and her face immediately turned pink, and she turned away.
Well, Jerry probably was right. And now, I felt rotten.
~ ~ ~
She was facing away from the camera, but I was facing her as I handed her and the boy with her a stick of cotton candy and as I was singing along to my prerecorded song that was blasting from a speaker. Once the whole song sequence was shot, John shouted, "Cut!"
Everyone clapped as John told them all that we would use that take. Thank the Lord. I didn't want to treat Shannon like a kid again. How difficult it was to smile at her like I was smiling at a kid three times in a row. I glanced over where she was at, and I saw her talking with the man who played her father. Of course she would be talking with another adult since she was one, too, not a kid!
"Elvis, that was something else, wasn't it?" I heard my manager say cheerfully as he came up to me. "Reminds me so much of my carnie days."
"I'm glad that at least you had a good time, Colonel," I grumbled, folding my arms over my black shirt that had a light-blue coat over it. "I had to plaster a smile on my face the whole take."
"You really are one to brood over things needlessly. I noticed her, too, and you know what? It doesn't matter. Just move on. It's her life. Remember, I don't want you to associate with her, anyway."
"Yeah, yeah."
"It's her life, Elvis," he said as a forceful reminder so I would get it.
"And I tried to help it, but... You know what? Nevermind. I need a break. I'm gonna go be at that picnic table."
"Don't take too long. We have a meeting with Mr. Rich in fifteen minutes."
"Right."
I left him and made my way through the carnival set to that picnic table, thankfully, without people stopping to talk to me. Once to it, I sat down and leaned against the table with my back and looked off at the bare fields beyond. It was dusk, so there was still a faint orange line on the horizon, and then the sky faded up to dark blue. It was pretty spectacular.
A few minutes passed as I sat there by myself as the sounds of the carnival set wafted through the air, as well as crickets chirping in the field. It was nice, being alone as I stared off into the distance.
I heard footstep behind me, and I prepared myself for someone coming up and chatting with me about how great a job I did and so forth. I had to humor people. It was my job. And, sometimes, I would rather not do it and be left alone. Like now. People always suspected when I was in a foul mood.
The person came into view around the table, and I saw that it was... Shannon. Of all people. And she was still wearing that kid's dress. Why wouldn't she be after only a few minutes of the shot ending?
"Hey. I thought you didn't want me to talk to you," I scoffed, my gaze still on the orange line of the sunset at the horizon.
She pressed her lips together and looked at the ground. "You're still mad at me. Okay."
She turned around and started walking away. I winced, knowing that I stung her again. I knew what I should do. "Hold on, Shannon. Come here." She came back and I patted the space next to me on my right. "Sit." She did so, and her feet dangled from the bench since they didn't touch the ground. I let out a sigh as she was silently sitting there staring out into the field and sunset. "Look, I was an ass, okay? I admit it."
She nodded, and that made me grimace since she agreed with me. "It takes a lot of courage for a person to admit that out loud... I was an ass, too."
"No, you weren't. I get that not a lot of people get the opportunity to get onto a film set, and normal folks would jump at the opportunity. Honestly, a lot of the extras are people that were seen in my other films or are actors themselves." I looked over at her as she sat there, her hair in that ponytail. "I'm sorry for bein' upset."
She smirked. "Thanks. And I am, too. I guess I'm still wound up with what's been going on."
"You're tellin' me. I just hope you can forgive me for 'jumping down your throat' as Joan put it." I let out a breath. "I've never like sayin' I'm sorry to people."
"It takes courage to do that, too, admitting that you were in the wrong. And like I said, I was, too. You've done so much for me since I started this acting gig, and... I seemed ungrateful earlier, and that made you angry. I'm sorry. Really, I'm more grateful than I've ever been. Yesterday..." She gulped hard. "That was really difficult. I've been stared at, questioned and insulted, but never had it been that crazy, so much so that I got hurt. I'm just so incredibly grateful that you came to my rescue." She looked over at me, but my gaze was on the sunset still. "You've never done something like that before, have you?"
I was glad that I was wrong about her being ungrateful. "No, I haven't."
"Thank you again."
"You're welcome."
We sat there as the orange line started to fade and the sky got darker, as did the area we were in since the light post wasn't on. We sat for a couple more minutes, and I ever-felt Shannon sitting next to me. Her perfume was incredible, and her very presence was making my heart pound.
"Well..." she began, "I think I should get back to the set. I don't think I should be seen with you when I'm actually wearing a little girl's dress. That's just asking for trouble from the press."
She hopped off the bench, but I took her arm before she could make an escape. She looked back at me with wide eyes. Even in the low light, they were still big and blue and at my eye level since I was sitting down.
"Tell me somethin', Shannon," I said in a low tone, "what was the real reason why you came here today and risked bein' scorned more because of your get-up?"
She blinked a couple of times, and I noticed her cheeks start to flush. "Um... because... well, I told you—I'm thinking about a side career in acting, and I want to help the vet."
"You basically have an in in the acting business because of your uncle. He got you here in the first place. And your vet's boomin' with business now, ever since I showed my face there. Now tell me... what's the real reason you came here, huh? Knowin' what's at stake."
I still gripped her arm, and I wondered if she could feel my strong pulse through my hand since my heart was going crazy.
"Um..." she mumbled as I came a tad closer. "Well..."
"Yeah?"
"I..."
Our faces were inches from each other, and I could feel her warm breath as she breathed, and it smelled of cherries, probably from the cotton candy flavor. I loved cherries. "You gonna tell me?" I whispered near her mouth.
She said nothing, and I inched closer. My lips pressed against hers, and she froze—I could feel it as I gripped her arm. Her lips were soft, and... they moved on mine! I felt her relax, and I tilted my head a little and kissed those lips again. She responded.
The feeling of her lips was incredible, topping others that I felt before.
Shannon suddenly leaned away and gasped. Her eyes went so wide, it looked almost unreal, and she ran away from me. I sat there, blinking a few times, and my heart raced inside of me, banging at my ribs.
Well, Jerry was right—people did stupid things when they were in love with someone.
And Shannon was. With me. Being my fan had something to do with it, but wanting to be here, despite what people would think... all the consequences of being seeing with me...
We both just dug ourselves deeper into a hole, especially me. If anyone found out that I kissed a woman the size of a child who was wearing a child's dress, I would be branded a pedophile, not just called one. That would be it. No more talking my way out of it like yesterday.
I groaned as I ran a hand down my face. Yeah, it was stupid of me to kiss her. I had to make sure this never got out and... that it never happened again.