Wonder of You | Elvis Presley

Chapter 21

November 8th, 1957

JULIET HAD, ADMITTEDLY, GROWN RATHER SICK OF BEING STUCK ON A SHIP.

It had only been three days since the Matsonia had departed the port in Los Angeles, and she was already sick of the constant rocking of the ship.

  She sighed, leaning against the railing of the ship to look out at the water. Squeezing her eyes shut, she pushed back the feeling of sickness bubbling up in her throat.

  She'd never been on a ship before, but she was beginning to think that she had sea sickness.

  "There's my girl!" Elvis' voice exclaimed enthusiastically from behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see him making his way over to her.

  "Is taking my camera your thing now?" She asked him upon spotting the camera clutched in his hands, a small smile on her face despite her sea sickness.

  "I have to have a camera to capture your beauty with," Elvis replied with a lopsided grin, holding the camera up.

  "Oh, Elvis, you make my heart skip a beat," Juliet said, dramatically placing a hand on her forehead. Elvis watched her, a triumph smirk on his lips. "But if you break my camera, I'm actually going to be mad."

  "I know," responded the Presley boy, a cocky look on his face as he manhandled the camera. "You actually think I'm clumsy enough to break it?"

"Okay, Mr. Arrogant," said the Tilden with a roll of her eyes, turning her attention back to the water. She could feel Elvis' eyes still on her, but she decided to ignore him, focusing on the water and hoping that her sea sickness died down.

Meanwhile, Elvis found himself intently staring at Juliet, the camera forgotten in his hands as he admired her beauty. Her brunette curls looked messy due to the wind that was blowing past them, and she wore a short floral green dress that almost matched her eyes.

A particularly forcefully breeze brushed past them, and a piece of Juliet's hair flew out of place. His fingers itched to reach out and fix her hair—

Suddenly, the camera was slipping out of his hands. He quickly caught it, glancing around with a light blush on his cheeks to see if anyone had seen him nearly drop Juliet's prized possession. If he'd broken her camera, she'd probably kill him.

Plus, she would never let him live it down.

"E, come here!" The sound of Juliet's voice made him look at where she stood by the railing alertly. He rushed over to her side, a worried expression on his face.

A chuckle escaped him when he saw that she was only pointing out a group of dolphins that were swimming alongside the boat. "Quick, E! Take a video of them!"

Elvis did as he was told and pointed the camera at the dolphins. They flipped in and out, sticking to the boat's side.

"Those are bottlenose dolphins, E," Juliet informed him, staring at the aquatic mammals in wonder. While she wasn't looking, he decided to point the camera at her instead of the dolphins. "They're incredibly intelligent and are very friendly." She suddenly turned to him and he didn't have enough time to turn the camera away from her.

"Elvis! You're supposed to be taking a video of the dolphins!" exclaimed Juliet with a laugh, playfully swatting his shoulder.

  "Well, I'm sorry if I find you more interesting than a couple of dolphins," Elvis replied sassily. A soft laugh emitted from Juliet's throat, sounding like music to the Presley boy's ears. He loved her laugh.

  "Aren't you sweet, E," the Tilden smirked at him, patting his chest.

  The two settled into comfortable silence, turning their attention to the ocean around them and listening to the waves lapping at the side of the ship. They watched as the sun slowly began to sink lower and lower. After a moment, Elvis wrapped his arms around her midsection and placed his chin on her shoulder.

  She twisted around in his hold to face him, taking in his face, which had an orange and red glow cast on it from the sunset; taking in the way he unconsciously smiled down at her.

  "I love you, E," said Juliet, hesitating before pressing his lips to his. He kissed her back with the same amount of passion, his hands trailing up to the nape of her neck.

  The two finally pulled away from each other, breathing heavily. Juliet pressed her forehead against his, a small smile on her face as they locked eyes.

  Their intimate moment was ruined when Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker, came waddling over to them. She jumped at the sound of his voice calling Elvis' name, pulling away from the Presley boy in record speed.

  "There you are, m'boy," the Colonel said, walking up to them. He must not have seen Juliet yet because he didn't even spare her a glance as he ambled up to Elvis. "I've been looking for you."

  "Colonel," began Elvis, grabbing Juliet's hand and pulling her to his side. "This is Juliet Tilden. Y'know, the girl I've been telling you about?"

  Juliet's heart would've skipped a beat at the fact that Elvis told someone about her, but she was too busy glaring holes into the side of the Presley boy's manager. She quickly plasterer a false smile on her face as Colonel Tom Parker's eyes slowly slid over to her.

  "Nice to meet you, Miss Tilden," said the Colonel, holding his hand out for her to shake.

  "It's nice to meet you too," replied Juliet, trying her best not to glare at the man. She forced herself to take his hand and shake it.

  "Elvis told me that he was planning on inviting you to come along with him while he performed concerts in Hawaii, but I wasn't sure if you'd actually come," stated Colonel Tom Parker. "And yet, here you are," he chuckled while Juliet stood there staring at him with an indecipherable look on her face. "If I had know how lovely you are, I would've personally invited you to more concerts."

  "That's kind of you," stated the Tilden dryly. She felt Elvis lightly pinch her side, and she refrained from sighing heavily. "Sorry, Colonel, if I seem a bit unenthusiastic. I've been suffering from horrible sea sickness. I'm afraid all this rocking is not agreeing with my stomach."

  "That's understandable," nodded Colonel Tom Parker, a mock look of sympathy on his face. "Well, I've come to talk with Elvis about business things. Come, m'boy."

  Both he and Elvis turned to walk away, Juliet glaring at the back of Colonel Tom Parker's head. She disliked that man immensely.

  The Tilden turned her attention back to the ocean, preferring sea sickness over the Colonel. She closed her eyes together tightly when she started to feel nauseous.

Tomorrow she would be in Hawaii and back on land.