Wonder of You | Elvis Presley

Chapter 24

March 24th, 1958

LIGHT STREAMED IN THROUGH THE WINDOW OF ELVIS' BEDROOM.

He squinted slightly at the brightness, having been awake for some time now. It was quiet in Graceland as he stared up at the ceiling of his bedroom.

  He had a lot of trouble sleeping that night due to his heightened nerves. Today was a very special today.

  Today, he would be inducted into the army.

  With a sigh Elvis turned onto his side, his eyes landing on Juliet's sleeping form. She looked peaceful curled up next to him; a small pout on her pale pink lips and her hair a mess.

  Last night, they'd stayed up until midnight enjoying being in each other's presence. It was too late for her to leave, so she gladly decided to bunk with Elvis.

A faint smile appeared on his face, slowly reaching out to brush a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She stirred, her eyes fluttering opening.

  Elvis took a quiet, sharp intake of breath when his blue eyes met her green eyes. In the sun, her eyes seemed to rival that of an emerald.

  She was so...breathtaking— even after just waking up.

  "Why's it so bright in here?" The sound of her soft voice reached his ears, a slight southern twang to it that always made a smile come to his face.

  "My curtains are thin," explained Elvis, sitting up in bed.

  Juliet copied his actions, yawning as she rubbed her eyes, "You need to get better curtains." She looked up to find Elvis already looking at her, his hair sticking up every which way. "Elvis, you have serious bed head!" She laughed, while the Presley boy shot her a halfhearted glare.

  "Look at your own damn hair, darlin'!"

  The Tilden rolled her eyes, a smile still on her face. She reached her hand out and ruffled Elvis' hair; her eyebrows pulling together out of focus, trying to flatten his hair. "There!" She grinned up at him once she'd successfully made his hair look less like he'd just walked through a tornado.

"Your turn." The mischievous glint in his eyes gave her the sneaky feeling that he just wanted to make her hair look like a rat's nest. She attempted to shuffle away from him as he advanced toward her, a pleading look on her face as quiet laughs emitted from her throat.

"E, please. I don't want to have to fix my curls, they take foreve-" THUD! In her haste to get away from him, she'd scrambled all the way to the edge of the bed and fallen off.

Elvis' eyes widened when she suddenly fell backwards off the bed, a chuckle threatening to escape him. He crawled over to the edge of the bed, peering down to see Juliet laying motionless on the floor.

"Darlin, are you okay?" He asked with genuine concern. He felt a smile grace his features upon hearing her melodious laughter.

"That was so embarrassing!" She uttered through her laughter, a light blush on her cheeks. "Please forget that happened," she requested, taking the hand that Elvis offered out to her.

"Forget what happened?" The Presley boy acted comically clueless, a furrow forming between his brows.

She shot him a grin as she cuddled into his side. She placed a hand on his chest, unconsciously drawing circles with the pad of her thumb.

The two laid in silence for a couple minutes, listening to the birds whistling outside. Finally, it was time.

Begrudgingly, Juliet got ready. She put on a simple black circle skirt that stopped an inch or two above her knee and a white blouse. Carefully, she brushed out her curls and twisted them back into a half-up half-down hairstyle.

She looked up from a mirror that Elvis had gotten for his room specifically for her when the Presley boy returned. He closed the bedroom door and dropped an empty bag onto his bed with a heavy sigh, beginning to grab clothes from the drawers of his dresser.

  "I can't believe you're gettin' inducted into the army today," whispered Juliet after watching Elvis stuff his bag full. A sad look slowly formed on her face.

  Elvis sighed, looking up at her, "I'm gonna miss you, darlin'."

  "I think I'm gonna miss you more," she murmured, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around him.

"That's impossible."

They held each other for a moment before begrudgingly pulling out of each other's grasp. Together, they walked down the stairs of Graceland; Juliet carried one of Elvis' suitcases in her hand for him, wanting to help as much as possible.

"You ready, son?" questioned Vernon once they'd reached the end of the stairs. He and Gladys stood at the bottom of the stairs, obviously waiting for the two to finally come down stairs.

Elvis glanced back at Juliet, and she gave him an encouraging look. With a quiet sigh he replied, "As ready as I'll ever be, daddy."

Shortly after that, the four left Graceland. They all piled into one of the many cars Elvis had bought for his parents; Gladys and Vernon in the front, and Elvis and Juliet in the back.

  The car was quiet the whole ride to the Draft Board. Elvis and Juliet clutched each other's hands; the Tilden gripping his so tightly she thought she might break it.

  When they arrived at the Draft Board, Juliet felt her anxiety increase. She climbed out of the car behind Elvis once it had rumbled to a stop, still clutching his hand.

As soon as they walked into the Draft Board, fans swarmed around Elvis. Juliet suddenly saw spots, blinking them away to see a reporter clicking away; his camera flashing with every photo he snapped.

  Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they reached the room where Elvis would be inducted. Juliet sat in the back along with Elvis' parents, clutching Gladys' hand like it was a lifeline.

  They were just two women worried about their boy.

  After lots of leg shaking and squeezing of Gladys' hand, Elvis had been inducted into the army. And now, as they walked the corridor of the Draft Board, it was then that she realized that this was her and Elvis' last moment together for a long time.

  She stopped suddenly, a vice grip on Elvis' hand. He glanced behind him upon noticing the tug at his hand, meeting the teary green eyes of Juliet.

  "Elvis, I don't want you to go," said the Tilden, her voice quivering slightly.

  He sighed, a heartbroken expression on his face, "I know, darlin', I know. I don't want to go either...but I have to." She quickly wiped at her eyes, nodding.

  She knew why he had to go, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

  Juliet pulled Elvis into a tight hug, not wanting to ever let him go. He chuckled, squeezing her tightly. Just being in his arms made her feel safe, she would miss this.

  "You'll write wontcha, E?" She questioned, looking up at him, her arms still wrapped around his midsection.

  Elvis rolled his eyes halfheartedly, "'Course I will, Etta. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't?"

  "You promise?"

  "I promise, darlin'."