Candice fusses with her dress in the full length mirror, nails clicking against the pink sequins.

"Do you think this is too much?" She asks, turning to where you're pinning up your hair. You decide on a simpler look for tonight, not really wanting to attract any attention. You look around at her.

Candice stands tall in silver heels, pink sequins flashing in the lamplight. Her dark hair is curled prettily down her back, pink clips holding back her bangs.

"You look stunning, Candice!"

She blushes, flapping her hands at you.

"Stop, you have me blushing over here." She jokes, brushing a stray curl out of her face. You go to stand beside her, the skirt of your dress swaying against your thighs. It's a simple powder blue dress with sheer sleeves, not too long or too short. Your white boots tap against the hardwood as you go to pin back Candice's hair.

"These barrel chested freedom fighters aren't gonna know what to do with you, girl!" You tease, laughing as Candice rolls her eyes.

"You better be careful too, Y/N. You're looking pretty good yourself."

You shake your head.

"I'm spoken for, remember?" You tell her.

"Oh I remember alright." She says, cocking an eyebrow. "You and Presley are in love." Candice singsong's, drawing out the o in love. She takes your hands in hers, swinging you around playfully. You giggle, dancing around the room with her.

You're interrupted by a knock at the door.

Candice goes to open it, Reggie greeting you both with a wave and a smile.

His smile falls a little when he see's Candice's dress.

"Please tell me you aren't going out in that." He says, crossing his arms. Candice rolls her eyes.

"Reggie, I look nice."

Reggie scoffs.

"Yeah, too nice. These guys are gonna eat you alive, Candy."

Candice shrugs, hand on her hip.

"Well, maybe that's the point, little brother."

Reggie wrinkles his nose in disgust and you laugh.

"Okay, gross." His eyes move to you, and the disgusted expression is replaced with a soft smile.

"You look really pretty, Y/N."

You give him a friendly smile in return.

"Thank you, Reggie."

Candice raises an eyebrow, looking between the two of you.

"You gonna escort us to this party or what?" She asks, and you're thankful for it. Reggie draws his attention back to his sister.

"Impatient much?" Candice slaps his shoulder. "Ow! Okay, okay, lets go then."

*

*

*

The bar on base is small but busy, soldiers and pretty girls hanging around outside and inside the bar. You smooth down your dress as Reggie opens the door for you, smiling at him gratefully. It's loud, people laughing and music blasting from inside the building. It makes you a little nervous not having Elvis by your side, but you plan to have a good time tonight with your friends.

Candice loops her arm around yours.

"They're looking at you, Y/N." Candice says, nodding towards a group of soldiers by the entrance. You shake your head, bumping your hip into hers.

"They're probably looking at you, girl. You look fine as wine."

Candice rolls her eyes, but you don't miss the sweet smile she shoots to the guys as you pass.

Reggie guides the two of you from behind, leading you up to the bar.

The bartender greets you both.

"What'll it be, ladies?"

"We'll take two rum and cokes, please." Candice say's, reaching into her purse. A hand reaches out to stop her. A tall, brown haired man is standing beside her, pressed shirt brushing up against her arm.

"I got this one, Bill." He say's, voice deep. You shoot a sneaky look at Candice, who returns the expression.

Reggie slides up beside you, looking at the man with a raised eyebrow.

"You hittin' on my sister, Blake?" He asks, and the tall man- Blake- laughs.

"Pretty girls shouldn't have to pay for their drinks, Reg, I thought I taught you that."

Candice sets her purse aside.

Blake puts his hand out to shake.

"I'm Blake, Blake Anderson." He introduces himself, Candice placing her own hand into his.

"Candice Davis." She says, eyes sparkling as she looks up at Blake. You know your best friend well enough to know that she already likes this guy.

Your drink is set in front of you, and you smile at the bartender as you take a sip. You don't plan on drinking too much, wanting to be sober when you call Elvis later tonight. Reggie takes a swig from his beer, turning around to face the dance floor. You do the same, wanting to let Candice get more acquainted with Blake.

Reggie nudges your shoulder.

"Wanna dance?" He asks. You give him a soft smile. You don't want to give Reggie the wrong impression, aware of the slight crush he seems to have on you, but you won't be rude and turn down a dance.

"Sure, why not?"

With that, he takes your hand, leading you out into the crowd of couples. He places a hand high on your waist, guiding you along to the music.

"So, what's it like?" He asks. You look at him questioningly. Reggie laughs at your expression.

"Being with the King, I mean. Must be exciting."

You laugh.

"You don't even know the half of it." You tell him. Your life has changed so drastically it's hard to really get the story out, everything having happened so fast. It takes you one whole song to get through it all, Reggie reacting appropriately at the right moments. By the time the song is over, he's standing with his mouth agape.

"Well, that's something alright."

This makes you burst out laughing.

"It is, isn't it?"

Reggie shakes his head, leading you back to the bar. You notice that Blake and Candice are off in the corner somewhere, talking closely together. You know Reggie might not be too happy about that, so you offer him a drink.

"A pretty girl buying me a drink? That's a first." He teases, and you roll your eyes.

"I'm spoken for, remember?"

Reggie nods, taking his drink as it's served to him.

"And your boyfriend knows karate, I remember."

You lean against the bar, crossing your legs as you stand.

You both sit in silence for awhile, Reggie sipping his beer as you watch the crowd.

"You scared?" You can't help but ask.

Reggie swallows his mouthful of beer.

"Who wouldn't be?"

You nod in understanding.

"You're gonna write Candice, right?"

"Everyday if I can."

This makes you smile.

"She's gonna miss you like crazy, you know."

Reggie chuckles, looking down.

"Yeah I know it. I'm gonna miss her too."

A girl shrieks from the crowd and laughter erupts.

Reggie sighs, setting down his beer.

"It doesn't feel real, you know? It's like I know I'm going, but it also feels like I'm standing in the same place at the same time."

You turn to look at him.

"It's gonna be like being in a whole other world." Reggie swallows.

"To be honest with you Y/N, I'm scared shitless." He laughs, but there's no humor in it. You reach out to take his hand in what you hope is a comforting gesture.

"You're gonna be okay, Reggie. From what Candice tells me, you're a smart kid. I know you'll make it out alright."

Reggie gives you a soft smile. He grips your hand in his.

"Thanks, Y/N. That means a lot to me."

You return his smile.

"Y/N! Over here!" A voice startles you, eyes wide as a camera flashes in front of you and Reggie.

A reporter stands before you, lowering his camera as you yank your hand back from Reggie.

"Oh, shit."

Before you can even open your mouth to protest, Reggie is moving forward.

"Hey man, why don't you ask before snapping pictures of strangers?" He says angrily. The reporter is quick, however, and slips out of sight before Reggie can make a grab for him.

You're standing in shock, head whirling. A reporter just snapped a picture of you holding hands with Candice's little brother. Elvis is in a whole other state.

This is sure to be headline news by tomorrow morning.

You feel sick to your stomach.

An arm grips yours, pretty nails pulling up the strap of your dress. Candice.

"C'mon girl, let's get you out of here." Her voice feels distant, as if you're underwater. You let yourself be guided out of the bar and into a waiting car, Reggie, Candice, and Blake following close behind.

Candice rubs your shoulder as Blake and Reggie bash the photographer.

"Who even let him in? I thought this was a private party!" Reggie exclaims. Blake nods in agreement.

"We'll find out, man. Don't worry, Y/N."

But that's all you can do, head swimming with thoughts of Elvis.

"I need to call him." You blurt out.

"He's doing a show tonight, baby." Candice reminds you. You feel like you're about to start crying.

"What time is it?" You ask, breathless. Blake glances down at his watch.

"About ten after nine."

You draw a shaky breath. In about an hour Elvis will be back in your shared suite, sweaty and tired from the show. You tell yourself you can survive an hour.

Reggie puts a hand over his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Y/N."

You whip your head around towards him.

"Sorry for what?"

He shakes his head.

"For making that whole thing look like it was more than it was, you were just trying to make me feel better."

You frown.

"Reggie, it isn't your fault the gossip columns can't seem to leave me alone. Don't you dare beat yourself up about this."

Candice nods in agreement.

"Besides, Y/N, once you get Elvis on the phone you can explain the whole situation and it'll all be fine."

You want to believe her, you really do, but you know that the Colonel will work this headline in his favor.

The car pulls up to your housing unit, and you barely wait for the car to come to a complete stop before opening the door and jumping out. Candice is quick to follow.

The boy's instruct the driver to wait as they follow you both inside. You strip off your boots, already heading towards the phone. Candice follows your lead, unstrapping her heels. She uses Blake's arm as support.

"Baby, it's gonna be a few minutes before he gets off stage. Why don't you take off your make-up and hop in the shower?" She suggests, and you will yourself to take a deep breath. She's right. You haven't done anything wrong, and you have time to explain the whole fiasco.

"Okay." You tell her, standing up to stand beside her. You give Reggie a hug, the younger boy wrapping his arms around you tight.

"I'm sorry, Y/N, I hope it all works out."

You smile against his shoulder.

"Don't you worry about me, okay? I'm a big girl, I can handle this."

You use Elvis's phrase, heart twinging painfully.

Reggie pulls away, moving towards his big sister.

"You'll be there to see me off tomorrow morning, right?" He asks, and Candice nods furiously. She hugs her little brother so tight you're sure he'll carry bruises with him into the jungle.

"I love you, Reg." She says into his shoulder.

You give them a moment, moving to shake Blake's hand.

"It was nice to meet you, Blake." You say politely, and he grips your hand in return.

"You'll see me tomorrow, I'm shipping out with Reggie." He elbows the other boy, whose trying to subtly wipe his face of tears.

You offer him a smile, letting Candice say her goodbyes. You head to the bathroom, wiping mascara and eyeliner from your eyes as you go. You shut the door, unzipping the back of your dress.

A hot shower is just what you need, the steam and hot water relieving you slightly.

You take your time, washing your hair and face.

Time passes quickly under the hot water.

Before you know it, you're dressed in a soft nightgown, sitting on your bed by the phone. You glace at the clock, reaching for the phone as Candice takes her turn in the bathroom.

It rings about four times before Elvis picks up.

"Hey angel." His voice instantly calms you, chest flooding with warmth.

"Hey," you sigh into the phone.

"How was your party? Did you have fun?" Elvis asks right away, and you steal yourself.

"I did have fun, but baby, there's something I have to tell you."

"Oh yeah?"

"A reporter snuck into the party, and I was talking with Candice's brother." You start to explain, but Elvis swears under his breath.

"Can't those bastards just leave you alone?" He says, and you can feel the animosity through the phone.

"I know, nobody was really happy about it." You continue, twirling the phone cord around your finger. "But Elvis, I was talking to Reggie about the war, and he was telling me how scared he was so I reached out to comfort him and, well," You trail off, not sure how to go on and hoping Elvis will get it.

"And now the newspapers are gonna be full of you comforting Candice's brother?" He finishes for you. You laugh in relief.

"I knew you'd understand.''

Elvis chuckles.

"I know how these guys operate, baby. They'll twist anything to fit their narrative." Elvis sighs.

You cup the phone close to your face.

"So you're not upset with me?"

Elvis lets out an incredulous laugh.

"Why would I be upset? You're my big hearted girl, you see someone hurting and you take care of them. That's why I like you so much, Y/N."

You smile.

"Besides, it's not like you were flirtin' with him or anything, right?"

You notice how uneasy he sounds, though he's trying to mask it.

"No honey, he's a good kid but he isn't you. I'm spoken for."

"Damn right you are."

You laugh.

"I really miss you, Elvis."

Elvis hums.

"I miss you too, baby."

"When are you coming to Texas?" You ask, mood lifted.

"The day after tomorrow, honey. Just sit tight and be a good girl for me, I'll be there before you know it."

You curl up on your side, nightgown riding up your thighs. It's hot in Texas, and the sound of Elvis's voice lights a fire in the pit of your stomach. You can't help but wish he was in bed beside you, holding you close.

Elvis yawns, startling you both.

"Sorry, Y/N. Took a couple of those pills before I called."

You raise your eyebrow.

"You're keeping it to three, right?" You ask, and Elvis chuckles.

"What'd I tell you about worryin', babydoll?"

"Elvis." You keep your tone firm, and you can hear the smile in Elvis's voice.

"I'm keeping it to three, pretty girl. I promise."

You smile, rolling onto your stomach.

"You better."

Elvis yawns again.

"You better go to bed before you fall asleep on the phone, baby." You giggle, and he makes a noise of dismissal.

"Wouldn't be so bad falling asleep on the phone with you." He says, and you shake your head.

"Goodnight, Elvis."

"Goodnight, Y/N."

Neither of you hang up the phone.

"Y/N?" Elvis asks, and you hum in response.

"I got something to tell you when I get there."

You're stomach fills with butterflies.

"I have something to tell you, too." You tell him.

"Just one more day, honey." He says, voice slurring a little into the receiver. You know he'll be asleep in a few minutes.

"One more day."

You hear him take a deep breath, and before you hang up the phone, you take a chance.

"I love you, Elvis." You whisper, sure he can't hear you.

You hang up the phone.