Stranger Things Have Happened (Elvis Presley story)

Chapter 21

The rest of the afternoon and into the evening we all spent together, catching up and enjoying each other's company. When dinner came along, everyone pitched in. Some more than others, I might add. It's was hilarious watching the guys try and follow Gladys and Mary's directions the best they could. I don't think I've ever seen people concentrate harder on peeling and cutting up potatoes in my entire life. Anyways, I helped make the chicken with Gladys. And when everything was ready, we all flocked to the dining room and dug in.

When we all finished Mary insisted on doing the dishes, wanting to give us all more time to socialize. We took advantage of it, moving into the living room and carrying on conversations for hours. But eventually the sun began to set and we all began to grow tired, so one by one people began to say goodbye. The guys left and went home and so did Mary. Eventually Vernon and Gladys grew tired and retreated to their room to get some rest, leaving just Elvis and me sitting on the couch.

"Are you tired?" Elvis asks me, crossing his legs as he leans back into the cushions behind him. I just shrug.

"A little bit," I respond. He nods at this and I see his eyes flick to the staircase. It looks like he might be about to get up, so I rest my hand in his knee. "But I don't want to go to bed yet. I wanna stay up and talk to you."

He smiles at this, reaching out and covering my hand with his. We sit like that for a moment before he eventually stands up and stretches. I watch as he crosses the living room and makes his way to the staircase before stopping at the bottom. Leaning against the railing, he turns to look back at me.

"You coming?"

The corners of my mouth tug up into a grin as I stand up and scurry over to join him. We both climb the stairs and walk down the hallway to his room. He lets me go in first before turning on the light and closing the door behind us. I notice that the temperature must be a few degrees colder in there than in the rest of the house, which makes it more comfortable in a way.

He crosses the room and plops himself down on the edge of the bed before patting the space beside him. I go to join him, sitting next to him but leaving a few inches of space between us. He chuckles at this before reaching over and tugging me closer so that the sides of our thighs and shoulders are pressed together as we sit. We stay like that for awhile before he drapes an arm around the back of my shoulders.

"I missed you girl," he says quietly, giving me a little squeeze.

"I missed you too," I reply in a whisper, leaning my head on his shoulder. "When do you have to go back?" I ask after a few seconds of silence. Elvis lets out a quiet sigh.

"In two days." He gives my shoulder a squeeze. "So, fill me in. What's been going on with you since I've been away?"

"Nothing really," I state quietly. "It's been pretty boring here without you."

He smirks and shakes shakes his head slightly. "I find that hard to believe. You're miss spunk, always getting into trouble." He pecks me on the cheek.

I let out a soft sigh, wracking my mind as I try to recall anything particularly exciting.