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Chapter 23 ~ The Good and the Bad

When Elvis made it back up to the cabin after saying goodnight to Ana, Neil and the boys were waiting up for him in the living room. As soon as he stepped through the front door he was bombarded with questions.

"Where have you been?"

"Why are you back so late?"

"Why didn't you tell someone where you were going?"

Neil had been pacing the floor. "Man, you can't do this to me. Only two more weeks left here and you go running off to — God knows where — for hours on end. I was this close to sending Nick and Lance out looking for you."

Elvis just shrugged off his coat, threw it on the rack and made a be-line to his room purposely ignoring all of the comments and questions the guys were throwing at him. He couldn't wait to get back to Graceland and away from all these rules. A small distant voice told him that maybe he would miss these guys when he got back home. They weren't so bad, not bad at all if you compared them to other abductors/outlaws. He knew for a fact however that he would miss Ana and the certain charm of a small town life. He'd miss being able to just take a walk and get away from everything without being recognized and surrounded by people. Leaving the cabin really did have it's pros and cons. Of course he couldn't wait to get into some decent clothing and to shave off his unbearably itchy beard.

Throwing off his clothes he shut off the lamp and slid into bed. It had been a long stressful day and he didn't want to think of any of it... Well, other than the part with Ana in it. I could think of her all the time. His thoughts became hazier and hazier as he drifted to sleep.

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It was Tuesday and a week had flown by. Plans for Elvis' return were in full swing. He had spent every spare moment of his time with Ana either eating lunch with her in the diner or spending time with her after she finished working. He was supposed to leave early the coming Saturday morning and the closer the date approached the more nervous he became. Do I really want to leave Colorado? He questioned himself daily. I could just live here. I could have a life away from everything. All the pressure, all of the fame, all of sickening paparazzi — gone. But of course, he knew that he would have to go back. He couldn't just watch Lisa grow up without him. Plus his daddy needed him. Vernon couldn't run Graceland by himself. Pricilla would find a way to kick everyone out and take over. She would make his name a public spectacle. He couldn't let that happen.

But then again — there was Ana. Such an innocent, sweet girl that he couldn't just leave and forget about. Ana was like no other woman he'd ever met. She cared about him for who he was and not just some name. Of course, then again she cared about "Aaron." Would she ever even speak to him again if she found out that he wasn't some southern mountaineer but a world famous superstar? Was that a shot in the dark that he was willing to take? He didn't even necessarily need to tell her, did he? Couldn't he just visit on the weekends? — No, he knew that couldn't work in the long run. She deserved better than that.

Only a week away and Elvis didn't have the slightest idea of what to do. He realized that he had finally found someone who - in a way - completed him. He realized that he loved her. But the underlying question that kept him awake at night— Does she feel the same? He had to tell her. He had to tell her how he felt and if she didn't feel the same somehow he would move on. But what if she loves me too? He made up his mind to tell her the next time he got to see her which happened to be in the next few hours.

"Nick, I'm going into town! I'll be back later tonight!" Elvis hollered from the doorway of the cabin. Grabbing his coat, he started the trek down the mountain to the diner. He hoped to get to the diner right before it closed so that Audrey would let him eat the remaining food in the kitchen before they threw it away. Arriving just in time, Elvis slipped inside just as Bill was about to lock the front doors.