My heart was trying to pound its way out of my chest. I sat there on the right side of the stairway going up to the front door, a place Elvis wouldn't be able to see me if he rounded the house. I feared that he would come looking for me, but Cilla came up to him at the exact right time. What was this about a girl wearing a black, lacy Victorian dress? It didn't matter. I needed to round the house again before those two come this way.
I scurried the best I could and rounded the house on the right side and stood near a rose bush, my heart still beating faster. I put a hand on the small of my waist. No guy had ever touched me there, much less held me there. And no guy had looked into my eyes like that and called me beautiful.
It was an enchanting moment... but one that shouldn't happen again. He was my employer and the most famous man in the country.
I couldn't help it, though, him holding me, even from keeping me from falling. It sent jitters through me when it happened, and it still was as I was thinking about it.
He was such a beautiful man, I could hardly take it. But I couldn't like him... even though I already did.
"Sam!"
I gasped and nearly fell over as Dad walked up to me, hands on his hips. "Yeesh, Dad, don't scare me like that. People have been doing that a lot today."
"You were off in dreamland just now. I was callin' your name three times before you heard me. What were you thinkin' about, huh?"
My heart went faster, and I felt those jitters again as well as my neck and face heating. "Nothing. Never mind. Did you need something?"
"I was just wonderin' if you could help me spread some soil over by those hydrangea bushes." He smirked slyly. "Your whole face is red. What happened, huh?"
"I told you never mind. Let's get to those hydrangea bushes."
I passed him, and he followed. "You may not have grown up with me, but I know you well enough now to know that you get flustered pretty easily. And... I might add that a person blushes like that when they're either very embarrassed or in love. Which is it?"
He wouldn't leave this alone until I told him. "Maybe a bit of both."
"Ah, I see. Something happened with Elvis. He has the power to affect any women, including you who blatantly said you wanted nothing to do with him."
"I do, it's just..." I groaned in annoyance. "I hate this. Dad, I need to work somewhere else."
"But you're doing a great job here. Just let whatever happened slide."
Easier said than done. "Let's just not talk about it anymore, okay?"
He consented, and we got to the hydrangea bushes with big bunches of little blue flowers and started spreading fresh soil all over the bed. About twenty minutes passed before both Dad and I felt a presence behind us, and we both turned around to see Cilla standing there. She looked flustered and worried. I stood up. "Cilla, what's the matter?"
She took my hand, regardless that I was using it to spread the dirt around. She pulled me to the back veranda, and we both sat down on one of those cushioned outdoor sofas. Cilla was staring off at nothing.
"Cilla, what happened?"
"Elvis told me something really crazy, and I'm not allowed to tell you about it, I just... I don't know how to take it. I just need reassurance that my boyfriend hasn't gone completely nuts. That the King of Rock 'N' Roll hasn't gone completely nuts. Please, just say it."
"I... Well, I can't say he's nuts for certain unless I know what he told you."
She shook her head, swishing her long brown hair. She was so pretty here, it was irritating, but I dismissed that since she was my friend who was in distress. "I can't tell you. He told specifically that I couldn't tell a soul, especially you. If he sees you and I talking here..." She whimpered. "Oh, Lord... Elvis is going to fall in love with another woman again! I thought I would be okay with it, but after hearing what he said... No! I want him to be mine! He's always been mine! I've always seen him for him and not the famous person that he is. Well, maybe I'm his fan, but your loved ones are your biggest fans when you're famous, right?"
She was ranting from what Elvis told her. I had no idea what he said, but... "Did he tell you that he fell for another woman because she sees him for him and not because he's famous? It seems like that from what you're saying."
She shook her head again. "I can't say. I just... I want him to be mine!"
There was a reason why she hollered that twice, and I could admit that I wasn't thrilled with hearing it. How irritating it was that Elvis entranced me, especially after seeing those enchanting blue eyes up close and in the morning sunlight.
"He is yours, Cilla. You know what? If he has feelings for another woman, he's out of his mind. If I was a man, I would be completely smitten with you. Gosh, how can the guys here not lose their minds with you around?"
"They see me as their sister or something like that." She looked over at me, her green eyes teary, and that made my heart drop. "I'm so sorry for ranting like this. I'm just so worried. Elvis told me some ludicrous things. Things that are from fairytales. In fact, what he told me sounds like a fairytale I've heard before. It's unreal! And he was serious!"
I was completely lost here. "I think just go with the flow. If he was serious, then it must be true, whatever he told you. Be his loving girlfriend no matter what."
She gulped hard as she stared at me, taking that in. After a few seconds, she nodded. "Okay. I'll try. It's just... You know? Never mind. Are you hungry?"
"It's only 8:30. Did you not have breakfast?"
"I did, I just... I need to get my mind off of what Elvis told me and the person he told me about that I saw him talking to."
"Who was he talking to? Another woman?"
"Yes, and..." She shook her head. "Never mind again. Please, take a break and come with me into the house and join me for a snack. Please."
I saw the desperation in her eyes. "I... well..."
"Elvis isn't in there, if that's what's bothering you. He went walking over to that blasted shed. C'mon, let's go inside."
She got up and left in a couple of seconds. I followed suit and wondered about the shed. That was where the thorn bush was, right? She said "blasted" in front of "shed" so maybe it had something to do with what she was frantic about. I was curious now.
After I joined Cilla in the kitchen and had a nice conversation with Gertrude, I told Cilla to go and occupy herself while I get back to work. It was already 9:30. I wasted too much time. Hopefully that was okay. The last time I took a long break like that, I was fired. My employer didn't care that it was because I was hiding after being ridiculed harshly by both a coworker and a customer.
Dad was over near the hydrangeas again, still working on spreading the soil. I about went over to join him, but then I looked over at the shed. I went closer cautiously and saw that Elvis wasn't there. He probably went back into the house. I came around it and saw that thorn bush that I wasn't successful in naming because of that flower that looked like it was just placed there.
"So odd..." I muttered as I looked at it and saw that it was indeed connected to the plant. "I know of no plant like this. It's like someone fused two plants together."
I lifted my hand to touch the flower, but a loud "Hey!" stopped me. My heart jumped and then started pounding in alarm when I saw that it was Elvis who did the shouting. Oh no. He didn't want me or anyone near this plant for some reason.
Wait... could it have to do with what he told Cilla?
"You didn't touch that, did ya?" Elvis demanded, hands on his hips and his blue eyes ignited with fire. I was in trouble. Not that I wasn't used to my employer being upset with me for one reason or another, through no fault of mine most of the time.
"I didn't touch it, I was just observing, that's all. What an odd plant."
"It is, and I don't want anyone touchin' it."
"Why?"
"That's none of your concern. I think you should get back to work."
This plant was obviously very important to him, and he was treating it as if it was made of paper-thin glass. "Okay, I'll get to work, but I want to say something first. Do you mind it if I'm frank?"
"I appreciated your honesty last time, so go ahead."
"Alright. Well... I just think that you don't need to get mad at me over this. It's natural for me to wonder about a strange plant that I've never seen before when I'm interested in botany."
He took a step closer to me, and with his long legs, it was a stride. "This is one plant you don't need to wonder about. Now, please, get back to what you were doin' before."
"What I was doing before was comforting Cilla after she was told something crazy and shocking," I shot. "And, no, she didn't say what. She just needed a friend."
He cursed under his breath. "I knew she would come runnin' to you. I never should've told 'er nothin'. This is such a mess. Why is this happenin' to me? I didn't ask for it."
"You think I asked for this, too?" I demanded. "I didn't want to work here and work for the most famous man out there, one that flaunts his fame and fortune by showering people with gifts, one that women faint over simply because he's sang a few places and been in a few films. Psht. Big deal."
His expression turned sour. "You have no idea what I'm talkin' about, so you don't need to harpoon me with your opinions. I don't deserve to be attacked here."
We were into it now. "I think you deserve a reality check. That poor girlfriend of yours is suffering because of you. I couldn't believe it when she told me how much she's being held back because of you. She has to dress a certain way, do her hair a certain way, her makeup... She can't even leave her bedroom without getting ready. She can talk to only certain people... That's ludicrous!"
"Don't you go spoutin' things you don't understand!" he shouted.
"What I don't understand is why she's still with you!" I shot back. "You're involved with other women when you have her, and she was flustered just now because of the same reason, at least that's what I gathered. If I was her, I'd dump you cold turkey."
"You better stop right there, Sam, or..."
"Or what? You'll fire me? The only reason why I tolerate this place is because of those beautiful horses, the beautiful plants on the property and your beautiful girlfriend. Everything else, especially you, I don't want to deal with. I never wanted to deal with you. I don't like you and I never will."
His blue eyes were turning bloodshot. "Well don't deal with me, then. Get outta here if that's what you want."
"I wanted that before I even stepped foot on Graceland."
"Okay, then."
"Okay. Goodbye, Elvis."
I turned and left him, and my eyes started stinging and producing hot tears. I came up to Dad, and he saw me. Instant worry hit his face. "Oh my, Sam, what on earth happened?"
"Elvis Presley, that's what happened," I said in a choked voice. "I'm leaving, and I'm never coming back."
I started walking away, and he was right next to me as I rounded the house. "What? Why? I get that you dislike, Elvis, but..."
"I never want to hear the name 'Elvis Presley' again. I'm through with him. Golly, I was nuts to think that we could actually get along and have a decent relationship."
And I was nuts for starting to fall for him.
"Sam, you need a job."
"I'll find a different one. I'll see you at home, okay? I'll take the bus."
When I was determined, nothing could stop me, and he knew that. He let me go, and I walked down the long walk back to the road, and I kept my head bowed so people couldn't see my teary face. My face was ugly enough, so it being red and splotched because of tears wouldn't help.
~ ~ ~
"I'm doomed, I'm doomed, I'm doomed."
Daddy sat there at his desk, looking at me with a worried expression. I had just told him about what happened and what happened before it, too, since I talked with Ignis this morning. I was sitting there with my hands over my face, feeling horrible.
"If you're worried about this spell and whatnot, go and bring Sam back," Dad said as he sat in his leather desk chair. "After apologizing first. Your temper tends to get away with you, and it chose a bad time to come out."
I dropped my hands and sat up since I was slouching. "But she was the one who was throwin' insults at me, Daddy. I had to defend myself."
"You just lost it a little since she was going to touch the flower. Really, nothin' would've happened if she did. You can't blame 'er for bein' curious."
"I can't blame 'er for that, but I can blame 'er for somethin' goin' wrong if she touched it. Man, and I thought we were gettin' somewhere. We had the moment by that bush, then this. It stung somethin' awful when she said she would never like me."
"Just go and talk with her, okay? She's a good worker. Tell 'er that. And tellin' 'er that you feel somethin' for 'er may help. It's a boost to her confidence on both parts."
"If I tell 'er somethin' like that, she'll never come back. She wouldn't want me like that anyway. She was gettin' furious with me for how I've been treatin' Cilla, especially with my goin' on with other women. What girl would want that?"
"Quite the epiphany, son, and long overdue. How about you just apologize and invite 'er back, then? I like 'er."
"She won't come. She hated me from the beginnin', and after what happened, she probably doesn't wanna see my face or even hear my name again."
Daddy leaned forward, his gaze intently on me. "Elvis, you need to do something about this. She's the only person right now that can aid you in this spell. I think at least you two should be friends. That was what Ignis said, right? It doesn't have to be anything romantic?"
"She said that, yes, but Sam doesn't want to see me again. She wouldn't. I think we have to find someone else."
Daddy clearly heard my annoyed tone and saw my unhappy expression. "But she grew on you. Elvis, you like her. And I mean in that way. She charmed you without even trying. Her uniqueness got to you, and you couldn't help yourself."
"I fall for women at the drop of a hat. Ignis said it, and you all have told me the same thing."
"Sam is different. She's not one of those pretty girls who fall at your feet like all the girls you went steady with did. Regardless if they were your fans or not, they all saw you as a god. Not Sam. She's different. I think you should pursue 'er."
"Not when Cilla is here. I think it's the end for Sam. Time to find someone else. It's only been a week since Ignis first showed up and put the spell on me, anyway."
I stood up and left my father's office. Once outside, I saw Hugh over by some bushes with large blue flowers on them. Or were they clusters of little flowers? I went over to him as he was spreading out soil. I cleared my throat to get his attention. He looked over at me, his eyes widened, and he stood up.
"Hey," I said. "No doubt you know that Sam escaped the property and why."
He nodded. "She ranted about it earlier. I'm sorry, Elvis."
"No, I should be sorry. I got after 'er for bein' curious about that flower on the thorn bush. Ya see, it's really important that the flower not be touched or disturbed."
"Did you tell 'er the importance of the flower?"
I planted my hands on my hips and huffed through my nose. "No. I can't. It's a secret."
Hugh stared at me for a moment, then, "Maybe you should tell 'er just so she understands. She may not wanna see your face at the moment, so I say wait until later to go to our place and talk to 'er. If anythin', tell 'er it's very important that the flower not be touched. I told her the same thing but havin' you tellin' her why may help."
I nodded. "Maybe. I'm just surprised you're not mad at me for yellin' at your daughter."
"Who said I'm not mad at ya?"
He rose a brow, and I cleared my throat. He had that "dad" look. "Okay, I suppose I should be apologizin' to you, too. Sometimes, I just lose my temper, or I just get annoyed easily."
"I forgive you, but my forgiveness isn't important. You need to go to my daughter and apologize and obtain hers. I don't care how famous you are. You make things right with 'er, Mr. Presley."
He was peeved with me, understandably so. I wouldn't listen to the words of my own father, but the father of the person I hurt, when that person was a young woman... I had to obey promptly.
"Alright. Later, then."
"Actually, I suggest you go now. Waste no time. You know where I live."
"I do."
I left him, let one of the guys know that I was going for a drive, then I left in my black Cadillac. I went in the direction of Hugh's place, which was in a neighborhood about ten minutes away. I turned around a corner and saw someone... Was that Sam? Yeah, I would know that cute little curvy body anywhere. I slowed down my driving and watched her for a minute as she walked. Did she walk home? No, she would be farther behind if she did. She probably took the bus or a taxi.
She kept her head down as she walked, and I still watched her through my tinted windows. I noticed kids that looked like teen walking her direction. There were five of them, two girls and three boys. Sam noticed them, looked across the street, but they came up to her before she had the chance to cross and avoid them. I rolled my window down just a bit so I could see better.
"Hey, what's happenin'?" greeted one of the boys, a tall one with brown hair and who was good-looking to boot. In fact, all of them were, especially the cute blonde girls with them. But I was focused on the other blonde, who only nodded her head as a response but still kept her head down.
"Hey, you're not talkin'," said one of the other guys, a brunette, too. Sam walked faster to get away from them, but they followed her.
"Leave 'er alone, Danny, I think she's shy," said one of the girls.
"It's rude not to respond, though. C'mon, little girl, why not say nothin', huh?"
Sam was about to make a run for it, but the third guy took Sam's arm. "Hey, what's the big deal, huh?"
Why weren't they leaving her alone? Normally, people would shrug it off if someone didn't respond to them. I huffed through my nose. Maybe I should do something about this.
"What's the matter, honey?" asked the girl who hadn't spoken. "Don't mind them. They're nosy."
At least the girls were being nice, but they weren't pushing the guys away from Sam. The guy who had her arm pulled on it, and she yanked it away, and while doing that, she lifted her head for the first time around them, and they all stared.
"Whoa, would you look at her!" enthused one of the guys. "She has two different colored eyes!"
"And they're like a mile apart from each other!" Danny exclaimed. "Wow, you didn't win the genetic lottery, did you?"
"And she looks like an alien with that head shape!" said the third guy. "You from Mars, miss?"
My fingers tightened around the steering wheel, so much that my knuckles were turning white. When one of the guys said that she would make it in a freak show, and Sam was clearly near tears, my blood started to boil.
"Those no-good scoundrels. Enough of this." I drove up right near these kids, my window partially rolled down so only my hair could be seen. "Hey, I think you kids should leave the lady alone."
They didn't seem to recognize my voice, but Sam sure did. Plus, she had seen this same car parked in front of my house. She was staring at the window in disbelief.
"And just who are you pal?" asked Danny.
I thought for a second. Friend wouldn't work here. "I'm her employer. Sam, how 'bout you get in, huh?"
She shook her head, and one of the other guys said, "She doesn't want to. Now scram. This is none of your business."
"Maybe," I said. "I guess I don't like bullies. I say you all scram."
"Who are you to tell us what to do?" the third guy demanded, and the girls were off to the side, saying nothing, and looking a bit scared.
"I'm just a guy tryin' to rescue the damsel in distress. Now, either you get in, Sam, or you lot get outta here. I'm not gonna say it again."
"Ooo, I'm so scared," Danny mocked. Okay, maybe I should just show myself. I rolled down my window the rest of the way, and the guys gasped, and the girls screamed.
"Elvis Presley!" they both hollered at the same time.
"Now, I don't normally bud into people's business, but Sam here works for me, so I feel like I have a responsibility to keep 'er safe. Now, you guys goin' to keep buggin' 'er, or are you gonna scram and leave 'er alone?"
Danny's eye turned mean. "So what if you're Elvis Presley? It's Memphis. Everyone knows you're here."
"Danny, let's go," his buddy prodded. "C'mon."
"Oh my heavens, this is unreal!" one of the girls shouted. "We absolutely love you!"
"Thank you kindly, miss. Now, I'm not goin' after you ladies, just these guys here. Hopefully you're not datin' any of 'em. If you are, I suggest you dump 'em right now for treatin' a lady like they did."
"Ew, no, we wouldn't date them in a million years," said one girl, and the third guy looked over at her with wide eyes.
"Hey, hold on, really?"
"Big deal," Danny scoffed. "Don't think you can boss us around just because you're famous. We're completely allowed to poke and prod this alien as much as we want. I mean, look at 'er. She's hideous."
Sam's eyes welled tears and fell. I got out of the car and took her hand, took her around to the driver's side and pushed her in the car. I came around to the teens. I said to the girls, "You girls knock some sense into that guy, and don't you dare start datin' 'im. A guy who treats a lady like that, or any person for that matter, isn't worth your time. Now, I'm off."
I gave the girls a wink, and they giggled girlishly. They asked for my autograph, and when I gave it to them, I got into my car and drove away. I looked over at Sam, and she had her head bowed so her hair was shielding her face.
"You don't have to hide your face from me, you know." She said nothing. "Those no-good rotten rats. How can people be so mean? Well, it was mainly that Danny guy."
"You didn't have to bud in like you did."
I gave her an indignant look. "And why wouldn't I? Those kids were wolves, and they were eatin' you alive. I had to do somethin'."
"Why did you follow me?"
"Why do you think? I came to bring you back to Graceland."
"And you think I wanna go back there?" she snapped and looked over at me, eyes fieryand watery. "After how you yelled at me? You know, people say how nice you are and whatnot, but do they know that their favorite star has a mean streak?"
She was attacking me, but I wouldn't take it personally since she was hurting because of what those guys were saying. "I'm only human, you know. Look..." I pulled over in front of a random house and shut off my car. I turned to face her, but she was looking out the window. "I came after ya since I felt rotten about how I yelled at ya earlier. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten mad at ya for bein' curious about that flower. If I was you, I'd be curious, too. I know there's no good excuse, but that flower is just special to me, okay? Very special. I can't tell ya why it is, it's just very special, almost sacred. Maybe I should keep in a protective case or somethin' so animals don't get to it."
She still was looking out the window, saying nothing. I could feel how upset she was. It didn't make me feel any better. Maybe I should move one from that.
"So... people have really said stuff like that to ya all your life?" I asked cautiously.
She sniffed. Now I knew why she wasn't looking at me... she was crying and trying to hold it in. I could see her body trembling a little. My heart dropped. She didn't answer, but from that, I knew her answer was in the affirmative.
"I'm so sorry, Sam. No person deserves to go through that. It's not your fault you were born the way you were. You know, God made your appearance for a reason."
"I hate that He did," she said, her voice crackly. "My parents are beauties. Why couldn't I resemble them? I'm their daughter for crying out loud."
"If you were born differently, you wouldn't be you." She said nothing. I really wanted her to get this. "Look, you recall that moment by the bush when I caught ya? I said your eyes were beautiful, and I meant it."
"Yeah, my eyes," she snapped. "What about the rest of me? I'm hideous. An alien. A beast. And I'll be like this all my life unless I get plastic surgery and colored contacts."
"Oh, no, don't you dare do that."
"I have no other choice if I don't want to be ridiculed my whole life! People will make fun of me as long as I look like this."
"People will make fun of ya if you don't have any confidence in yourself," I countered passionately. "You could have blue skin and green hair, and people won't bother ya if you have your head held high and you're smilin' at everyone, acceptin' that you are what you are and you look like what you look like. That's why those kids couldn't leave you alone back there—because you were actin' all timid and shy. I think if you were smilin' and were open and confident, they would've awed at your appearance, and you all would be walkin' down the street now as new friends, not enemies. Yeah, they would be commentin' on how you look, but not in any mean way. You see what I'm sayin'?"
She said nothing for a few seconds as she looked ahead at the dash. She gulped hard as a tear fell. Her face scrunched up, and she started crying. Hard. My heart plummeted, and I didn't waste a moment to scoot next to her and take her in my arms. She didn't resist, she actually leaned into my shoulder and soaked my blue polo. I held her as she cried, allowing her to let it all out. She was probably letting out emotion not just from what happened with those teens, but from what she had been through for years.
This poor girl... She really had been through hell.
"It'll be alright, honey," I cooed as I held her and stroked her hair that was pretty soft. She smelled of the outdoors, along with some kind of soap, and it was oddly nice. Her not wearing perfume seemed to suit her.
She slowly calmed down and leaned away from me. She kept her head down as she wiped her whole face with her hands, getting the tears off. "I'm... sorry..." she muttered.
"Hey, no, don't be. We all gotta let it out now and then." She only nodded. "I promise I won't get after ya again, okay? And you better promise to hold your head up a little higher. It'll help."
"I'll... try. Um, I'm gonna go now. My house is only a few houses down."
She turned and went for the door. I put a hand on her shoulder as my heart was starting to beat faster. What Daddy told me to tell her bounced around in my head. "Sam, look... I wanna tell ya somethin', okay? And I'm gonna say this not as your employer or as the famous Elvis Presley, but as a normal guy. Could you try lookin' at me as I say it?"
"But my face is blotched and..."
"What did I say about confidence?"
I heard her gulp hard again, and she turned around as I still had my hand on her shoulder. Her blue, lazy eye was drifting, her fair skin was splotchy red from crying, and her eyes were a bit bloodshot, but I didn't focus on those things. I was focused on her.
"Listen, I wanna tell ya this, and if you still wanna stay away from Graceland, fine. If you wanna still dislike me, fine. But I'm gonna get it off my chest." I squeezed her shoulder a little and kept her gaze, seriousness in mine. "That moment, when I was holdin' ya in my arms near that bush, and our faces weren't a foot from each other, I was very tempted to kiss ya. And just now as I was holdin' ya while you were cryin'... I wouldn't have minded holdin' ya longer."
Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened in shock. "Are you... serious?"
"Pretty darn. And I'll add that I can't keep my eyes off of ya since you have a pretty nice body. I'm not gonna lie. You're nice to look at." Her mouth opened more in utter shock, and I had to chuckle at that. "No one's said those things to ya before, huh?"
She shook her head. "You're... really... you're serious?"
"I am. I promise I am. I guess I can say that I have a crush on you. And since you and Cilla are friends, you can go ahead and tell 'er. She suspected already."
Sam looked completely flabbergasted. "Wait... is this the thing you told her that she was ranting about?"
"No, that's somethin' different. Never mind that. So, you comin' back to Graceland? I told those teens that I'm your employer. I still am, right? This was just a hurdle we had to jump over."
She pressed her lips together as she stared at me, and the red on her face now was blush, not splotches from crying. If I guessed right, she had a crush on me, too. In fact, it was obvious.
"I suppose I'll come back. And I won't go near that thorn bush."
I let out a sigh. "I'm sorry again for gettin' after ya for that. And... I would greatly appreciate it."
"Okay, I'll keep my distance. And... I'm sorry for the things I said to you. I guess I have a temper just like you do."
I shrugged, not contradicting her. "Hey, like I said, we're all human. And you weren't wrong in what you said about me. I guess the truth hurts sometimes."
"I would know. I'm..."
My brows creased. "Hey, none of that," I cut her off and leaned in close to her face, and she gasped. I asked in a low tone, "Do I need to kiss ya to make you remember to have some more confidence in yourself?"
She frantically shook her head. "No. You don't. Plus, I don't want my first kiss from you. Not if you didn't mean it."
It came as no surprise to me that she hadn't been kissed yet. "Who said I wouldn't? I told ya I was serious."
She thinned her eyes at me. "Were you really? Cilla or your father or someone didn't convince you to tell me those things? I know at least Cilla is trying to make me see myself in a better light."
"Cilla said nothin', but I admit my father told me to tell you what I really thought about you. And... now you know." I leaned a little closer, close enough that our noses were touching. "You believe me?"
My heart was pounding at my ribs, and the desire to kiss her was overwhelming in this moment. I came closer by the millimeter, but then she quickly turned her head. "Yes, okay? I believe you. But believe me that I don't want you to kiss me. I dislike you, remember?"
Liar. "You'll warm up to me."
"Psht. So full of yourself. I'm leaving. I'll be at Graceland tomorrow, and there will be no funny business, you got it?"
I could laugh. "Okay, okay, got it. Let me drive ya to your place."
"I said it's a few houses down. I'll walk." She went for the door and almost got out but stopped. She looked back at me with those incredible eyes. "And by the way... thanks for rescuing me from those wolves."
"You're welcome."
She left, and I watched her walk away and then turn into a driveway a little down the street. I sat there, my mind reeling and my heart going.
Maybe this would happen faster than expected. She was shy with everyone else but me. That said something. And I revealed my feelings for her, and she was definitely impacted by them. She had a thing for me while I had a thing for her.
I grinned. This spell would be broken in no time.