Right Now | Elvis Presley

Three: Gladys' Diner

CALLIE WOKE to the sound of a loud clatter in the kitchen the next morning. Jolting awake with a gasp, she scurried out of the bed and grabbed the baseball bat beside her bed, before running down the hallway.

Tightening her hands around the bat, she rushed into the kitchen, preparing to swing, only to stop when the taller man stood upright and looked at her.

She cursed under her breath. "Elvis, what are you doing? I thought someone was breaking in!"

The man kneeled down and grabbed a pan from the floor. "Well, I was goin' to make some breakfast for us, as a token of gratitude for you lettin' me stay here."

He set the pan on the counter as she set the baseball bat down.

"You don't have to do that, trust me." She told him.
"Well, that's nice to hear. Because I'm not a very good cook." He responded, a light tint of pink coloring his cheeks. "If I'm using one of these, it's probably to make a—"

"Fried peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich?" She cut him off.

"How'd you know?" He asked.

"Because I know you. Probably more than you know yourself." She said quietly.

Elvis's lips curled slightly. "Say, do women cuss like you just did a lot now these days?"

Callie blushed. "I'm sorry, it's impolite and something you're not used to."

He shook his head. "No, don't apologize. This is your house. I've just never heard such a mouth on a woman, especially of your age."

She rose a brow. "I'm twenty-three, Elvis."
"Still young."

"You're twenty five!"
"Eighty-eight, apparently."

She groaned. "Okay, we're not going to think about that right now." He began to grin. "What we need to do is get you some actual clothes. So, we're going to go out and do that. But you have to wear these."

She dug through a nearby drawer and grabbed a pair of sunglasses. "Also, Covid is a thing."

She grabbed a face mask.

"What is Covid?" He asked.

"It's a disease, kind of like the flu," she muttered. "This will just help keeping you in disguise."

She handed each to Elvis. "All right, let me change clothes and we can go."

Elvis watched her as she walked back down the hall. As she disappeared, he ran a hand through his slightly disheveled hair before placing the sunglasses on. They were dark, but he knew that he had to wear them.

When Callie came back into the living-room, she was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a long sleeve shirt that was tucked into the waist. She wore a pair of Keds and had a denim shoulder bag. Her brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, revealing the high of her cheekbones and the thickness of her eyelashes protecting her hazel eyes.

Elvis tried not to stare, but trying to deny her natural beauty was impossible. And maybe he was wrong for thinking this.

"We can stop and get some breakfast on the way there." She said to him. "Are you ready?"

He nodded.

As they made their way out of the apartment building, Elvis followed her towards the parked car closest to the building.

His eyes widened. "What is that?"

Callie followed his eyes as she pulled her keys out. "My car. A 2020 Cruze."

Elvis stared at the car as they neared it. It was far different from the cars back in the day, which lead him to stare for far too long. This was nothing like his Cadillac.