Hate to Love You [Elvis]

Chapter 23 - Don't Be Afraid

Early morning. I had to be at the set at 6am. I had early mornings like this quite often, but when I had a late night the night before? Not so fun. We had to shoot the fight scene with Vince and Hunk. The reason why we went late the night before was because we had to film the ambulance scene, the one after the fight scene. Rich originally wanted to do it the same day as the hospital scene, but he wanted to get it out of the way.

I yawned while my eyes stung from being so tired. Andy, one of my stylists who was a blonde guy around forty, was busy doing my hair for the scene. It would get messed up anyway since I had to throw myself around for the fake fight.

"Don't fall asleep on me, Elvis," he commented with a chuckle, and he ran a comb through the hair on the right side of my head.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so doggon tired. A late night and an early mornin' don't mix."

"I hear that. They're working you raw."

They really had with this film. It was the downside of being a busy star - not a lot of sleep. "It's all worth it, though." I yawned again. "When the film comes out and it's a success, then I'll be thankful for all those nights I got around four to five hours of sleep."

Again, I yawned. Andy combed the other side of my head. "You really need more sleep, Elvis, regardless of it all being worth it."

Before I could respond to that, the Colonel walked in, a newspaper in hand and a weary look on his face that was shadowed partially by his tan fedora hat that matched his suit.

"What's goin' on, Colonel?" I asked as Andy combed my ducktail into place.

"I'll just show you this," he said as he extended the paper to me. It looked to be folded in a way that the front page wasn't the page I looked at after I took the paper from him. I saw the picture on there, and my eyes widened. My heart automatically jumped the moment I saw the picture.

"Hey, it's Sarah! And hey, she's holdin' Dixie. It looks like they got hounded at the apartment complex. Wow, Sarah looks really pretty."

"Read the article, Elvis," the Colonel said, disregarding my comment. I did so, and my brows pushed together as I read what Sarah told the press. I looked up at my manager. "Yeah, I know. I thought you should know about this, and I'm sorry that it makes you feel bad, but I'm glad that girl lied through her teeth. It's to deter the press from asking further questions about the two of you."

I set the newspaper down on the little table in front of me, my lips far from a smile. "They know I like 'er, though."

"Unrequited love," Andy breathed as he finished my hair and stood there, his arms folded. "At least, that's what they think."

I stared at Sarah's picture as the newspaper sat there in front of me. "I think out of all the articles that have been published about 'er, this hurts the most."

"I'm sorry, Elvis," said the Colonel. "At least you know for yourself that she thinks differently."

I smirked, remembering kissing her. She let me. "Yeah. But she doesn't want to."

"I think she does," said Andy. "I've been following those articles, and the fact that she ran off the set because of you kissing Jennifer Holden screams that she has feelings for you. She's just playing hard-to-get now. She'll come around eventually."

"Yeah, I hope," I mumbled.

"Probably not any time soon," said my manager. "That girl is so proud and stubborn. Really, Elvis, why chase after her, out of all the other girls out there?"

My answer was instant. "Because there's more to 'er, and that's what I love about 'er."

"She loves ya, too," said Andy. "She's just not saying it. You've made moves on her, right?"