Born Too Late [Elvis Presley]

Chapter 21: That's it, Baby

One hour later

Elvis Presley

"He told me I wasn't goin' nowhere," I explain to Penny, gently running my hand over the back of her head, which rests against my chest as we lay on the carpet beside the fire. "Said I ought to go back to drivin' a truck, right after my first ever performance," I say, referring to my manager at the time.

After practically dragging Penny inside, I dried her off and made her a cup of hot chocolate to warm her up. I wanted to ask her to shower with me, but before I could ask, she asked if we could lay by the fire in the living room for a little while. I could never say no to her, even if I wanted to.

Penny lifts her head from my chest, looking down at me with wide eyes, her lips parted. She looks...shocked. "Did he really?"

I breathe out a laugh through my nose at her cartoon-like expression. I love how she's so expressive. If Penny doesn't tell you what she's thinking, her face certainly will. She's always so full of life.

I nod, feeling her hair still damp from the rain as I tuck a sunkissed golden lock behind her ear. "Mhm," I hum softly, admiring her beauty. A small crease forms between Penny's eyebrows and she curls her fingers into a fist, resting her head against her knuckles while she places her other hand on my cheek.

"You're so talented, Elvis," she whispers.

She sounds genuine, and while I know that Penny is the kindest person on the planet and would probably tell everyone she meets that they're talented - purely out of the kindness of her heart - I also know that she wouldn't tell me I'm talented if she didn't truly believe it herself. We're close enough now that I can trust she's telling me the truth when she tells me things like that.

And knowing that Penny thinks that I'm talented means more to me than she'll ever know, because it doesn't matter how many times people tell you something like that...sometimes, you only really believe good things about yourself when you hear them from someone who you care about - someone who you really value as a person.

Penny leans down to leave a few short but sweet kisses on my lips - all of which I gladly accept. "My talented boy," she whispers against my lips with a smile.

Her

Talented

Boy.

So many butterflies erupt in my stomach, I swear I could fly. I smile against Penny's sweet lips, and she holds my face in her hands as she gives me another kiss. "Yours."

She pulls her head back, smiling softly as she curls her hand into a fist to rest her head against, throwing her bare leg over mine. I place a hand on her thigh and rub my thumb gently back and forth over her skin, and I wonder to myself how the hell her skin is always so soft.

"Can I ask you something?" she asks softly, drawing gentle circles over my chest with her fingertip.

"Anythin', baby."

"Do you think you'll ever make music again?"

I look up to the ceiling in thought, taking a breath in as I think about her question. "Honestly, I've only written one song in the past couple years."