With Love, 𝙀𝙡𝙫𝙞𝙨

Chapter 4

Y/N HUDSON

MARCH 17, 1957

"Elvis Presley, where the hell are you driving me?!" You squealed as Elvis swerved along what you assumed was a street with sharp turns.

"Don't you use my full name or we'll go a whole lot faster. I told you, it was a surprise, woman!" You felt him push on the pedal and you both took off at a speed that was surely illegal. He turned up the radio and Heartbreak Hotel was playing.

You both were singing rather off-key and basically screaming until Elvis turned down the radio and took the key out of the ignition. He told you to not take off your blindfold yet and you heard him get out and shut his car door.

Elvis walked around to your side of the car door. The boy was rather giddy and excited about this surprise, his whole body felt like shaking and he felt the need to break out in dance as if nobody was watching. However, for the sake of the surprise and his embarrassment, he figured it could wait just a little longer.

He helped you get out of the car and walked you somewhere first and had you turn around. Elvis quietly prayed for a brief second before everything became silent.

"Take off the blindfold!" He shouted from afar.

You took the scarf off your eyes and slowly turned around and opened your eyes. It took you a minute to process what you were seeing. A huge and beautiful mansion was in front of you. It was like nothing you'd ever seen before. In between the large columns, Elvis was holding his arms out, the large structure of the building made him look extremely minuscule.

"Well?!" He shouted, ushering you to come over to him.

"Elvis, this- this is beautiful, but should we really go inside, I mean-" You rambled while walking to him

Once you reached him at the top of the mansion's steps, he held both of your hands, grinning madly. "Whaddya mean, Little? This all mine, we callin' her Graceland!"

"Elvis, I know you did not waste your hard-earned money on something so big and expensive! You could've bought something smaller, just something to get your family out of that apartment!"

"Little, but I did! I don't only want my family to live here, I want my closest friends to live here, I want you to live here!"

"Elvis, this is a big proposal, how-"

"Before ya make up your mind, come in, look at her with me!"

✩

"And this would be your room, doll." Elvis opened the door to another unfurnished room. 

However, compared to the other rooms (not including Elvis' master bedroom), it was surprisingly big and had a walk-in closet. The windows showed the entire backyard view of the mansion and Elvis promised you that once he settles in, he'll grow whatever you want back there. 

Elvis began to give you ideas of where to put any sort of furniture you wanted wherever and was nearly running around the room. He just continued to ramble on and on about the plans he had for you living in the mansion with him, but you were unnervingly quiet, and he took notice.

"I wanna replace all this hardwood floorin' with a red carpet, add that... touch?" His smile struggling to stay put, he asked, "Y/n, Little, what's wrong? Don'tcha like it?"

"Yes, E, yes I love it all, Graceland is beautiful, but," you walked up to him. "But, I dunno if I'll be able to stay here with you."

"No, not stay. Live here. I-I-I really want you to live here, Y/n." He began to stutter and talk fast, you knew that meant Elvis was getting anxious. He grabbed your hands and rubbed them together with his own.

"E, I would love to, but my mother and my sister, I can't just leave them!" You explained.

Elvis tore his hands from yours and went to lean against the wall, looking out the window."All they do is treat you like- like garbage, Y/n! You work your ass off day and night for your ma to just buy another goddamn box of cigarettes!" He pounded a fist against the window frame and shook his head.

"Elvis, don't you dare talk about my mama like that! She's trying!" You shouted at him, standing in place.

"Yeah, the drunk and the other bastard living with her is trying to kill ya!" He basically howled at you, his eyes still looking out the window.

"Quit thinkin' you know my family, damnit! It ain't your place! You don't know anything about us!" Your voice began to crack and you felt the tears coming. This was the first argument with Elvis that's ever gotten this far.

"I know one thing's for sure, and that's the fact that you're getting out of that goddamn house one way or another!"

Your sobs came slowly but surely, you backed yourself up against the door and began to let everything out. Your years of built-in anger, confused emotions, and unanswered questions all came pouring out at once. It's been a good minute since you've had a good cry.

Elvis was quiet for a few minutes before he walked over to you. He just looked at you, as you sobbed. You probably looked a mess right now, no, in fact, you did look a mess right now, and trying to cover your face from Elvis wouldn't do anything but make you look at him again. He hesitantly wrapped his arms in a bear-like hug.

As soon as you felt his arms around you, you suddenly collapsed, your legs giving out only because he was there to catch you.

"Uh-oh," he muttered as you fell into him.

He sat on the floor and against the wall and sat you on his lap at an angle. You buried your face in the crook of his neck, smelling his LFM cologne. He rubbed your back soothingly as he held you close to him. You could tell he was figuring out what to say because his lips started trembling and his eyes darted around the room like mad.

"Lil mama, I'm real sorry for yelling at you like that. It ain't my place, you right."

"No, E, I'm sorry, I-"

"I shoulda never raised my voice at no woman, let alone my bestest-lil-mama." You then smiled. "You know how hard Mama would slap me if she found out I was talkin' to ya like that."

You pulled away from his neck to look at him and he was already smiling. Looking at his pink lips, they looked soft. Elvis never went too long without chapstick and you could tell. Despite your friend status, you couldn't help but always wonder what those lips against your own or against your body felt like.

"You just wanted what's best for me, E. Trust me, I know. I'm sorry for freaking out but I don't know how I'll be able to leave my ma' and sister."

"They treat you horribly, Y/n. How are ya still questioning it?"

"I dunno. What if they go on telling the media saying I ditched them for some celebrity crush? I'll look horrible!"

"I can clear it up, princess. Satnin knows they'll listen to me, and we'll come forth about the abuse. That's something only you can come out about, I can't and don't have a say about it. All I have to say is you don't ever hafta go through that again."

Elvis had a point. You let him continue to try and persuade you into staying with him at the mansion.

"You won't ever have to work again, Y/n. Hell, y-you won't ever hafta lift a finger again! I would do anything for my bestest-girl if it means you'll live here with me."

Elvis had a point, in fact, he had many. You don't know why you were still living with what was left of your abusive family, you overwork yourself with little to no benefits, and you're a part of his inner circle at this point.

It took you some time to think about it, and he stared at you the entire time, biting the inside of his cheek. You tried to hide a cheeky smile as you said, "I guess I'll stay- no, live here in Graceland with you."

Elvis cheered and fell back, leaving you two a laughing mess on the floor.