I Left My Heart In Vegas

My Fairytale

My nervous hands reached out for Zak. I wasn't sure why I was so apprehensive about opening my eyes, but as he held onto me, he assured me it would be alright. "Mel, it's okay, babe. Open up..." Zak whispered in my ear. My eyes slowly opened, and my breath was taken away by the beauty of the sunset, shining over the tall cliffs. We were so high up, I felt as if I could reach out and touch the clouds. A man, dressed in a black and white tuxedo, stood beside a newly set dining table. Finished with a lacy table cloth, and a beautiful china set. "Well, what do you think?"
"Are we going to have dinner on a cliff?" I asked with a nervous giggle. I thought Zak and I shared our fear of heights, but he seemed quite comfortable.
"Don't worry, we won't be going near the edge." Zak assured. "You like it?"
"Zak, I love it. Ive never seen anything more beautiful in my entire life." I wrapped my arms around his neck, and we shared a romantic kiss. Zak lead me to the table, and our friendly waiter pulled my chair out for me. In the center of the table, a ice bucket held our champagne. He served us both a glass, and handed us the menus. "Seafood?" I asked, as I looked at the sea inspired cuisine that occupied the paper.
"Like our first date, remember?"
"Oh, yeah, how could I forget. But how are we going to order food way out here?" Zak smiled, and pointed behind me. As I turned, I saw 3 chefs, standing in front of a fancy food truck, waving back at me. I turned back to Zak. I wore a look of shock and awe. "I can't believe you did all of this. It's really the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me." Zak reached his arm over the table to take my hand.
"I love you, Mel."
"I love you so much." Zak and I both decided on the grilled ribeye, paired with a fresh lobster tail. As the waiter put in our order, we began to smell the savory aroma that the smoke from the grill created. Causing both of our stomachs to growl with hunger. "I can't believe you made me get so dressed up for outdoor dining." I said with a laugh.
"Eh, whatever, you look sexy."
"What made you think of this, anyways?"
"I hike up here with Gracie all the time. It's one of my favorite places to be. When you left after I...you know. I came up here, alone, and I sat in this very spot, and just prayed and prayed that I'd see you again. Then I told myself, if I did see you again, I'd take you up here, and here we are."
"What do you think you'd be doing right now, if I never came back?" Zak looked out to the sky, as the sun was almost fully dipped beneath the horizon. The fairy lights strung from tree to tree suddenly turned on, and I felt like I was in my own princess tale. Zak took a deep breath, and finally answered my unnerving question.
"Honestly, I don't really know. Maybe, went back to my old ways. I mean, I think that's all I could ever do."
"What do you mean?"
"I wouldn't want to love anyone, if it wasn't you." I felt the tears well up in my eyes as he spoke. I took another sip of my bubbly champagne, and the next thing I knew, our entrees were being served. I cut into my perfectly grilled steak, and watched the juice spread out onto the plate.
"You want to hear something crazy?"
"Do you know who you're talking to?" Zak asked, with a sarcastic turn of his brow.
"I used to tell Bree, that if I were to ever actually meet you, I'd turn you down."
"Really? Whys that?"
"I thought you would never in a million years be interested in someone like me. I mean, I'm not blonde with big blue eyes. My boobs are real, I'm not a slut..."
"Okay, easy..." Zak lifted his hands and laughed. Followed by a quick shake of his head, knowing that I was, for the most part, spot on.
"I wasn't interested in a one night stand. I couldn't live with myself knowing that I could only have one night with the man of my dreams, and now, you're the man of my life." I could see that my words had touched Zak, by the glowing pink that invaded his cheeks. I don't think either of us let our smiles disappear throughout dinner.
Our plates were empty, and our stomachs were full. Zak stood up, and slid my chair out for me. With a grasp of my hand, he helped me up, and I began to walk towards the car. "Whoa, hold on." Zak gently pulled my arm back, and the sneaky grin on his face told me this date was far from over. "We're not going anywhere."
"Oh, so this is the part where you murder me?" I joked. Our waiter looked up with wide eyes, as he placed our dirty dishes into a large tub. Zak saw his look of fear, and couldn't control his laughter.
"Calm down, Fernando, no ones killing anyone tonight." Zak laughed. Fernando tipped his head, and quickly shuffled back to the food truck. Our laughter continued, as the truck sped off down the dirt road.
"So, what are we doing in the woods at night? I have to admit, I'm a little freaked out." Zak took my hand, and spun my body around, like we were sharing a dance.
"Follow the lights." Zak whispered in my ear, as his cheek brushed mine. He gave me a gentle peck underneath my ear, as I looked up at the zig zag string of lights, hanging from tree to tree. Zak held my hand, as I made my way through the thin path underneath the lights.
Once we reached our destination, my breath was once again lifted from my body. I stared in amazement at the romantic set up that laid before me. A single thin mattress, covered with clean white sheets, and a warm comforter. The bed was surrounded by illuminated candles, and the canopy was pulled back on the branches. "Zak, this is..." My beating heart wouldn't allow me to utter the word. I was in such a state of shock; I couldn't believe Zak went through all this trouble for me.
"Do you like it?"
"Of course, I love it!" I didn't hesitate to jump into Zak's open arms. He lifted me off the ground, and the fallen leaves flew up into the air with the kick of my excited feet. Zak carried me to the bed, and laid me down beside him.
The night sky was filled with bright shining stars, surrounding the crescent moon. I was in a fairytale, as fireflies flew around us. I was tempted to skip and jump around to catch them, like I used to when I was a kid, but I couldn't find the strength to leave Zak's side. "Are we going to be alright up here? Like, we're not going to be mauled by any wild bears are we?"
"I don't think there bears up here, babe." Zak replied, with a chuckle. "But I'll protect you." Zak held me closer, and my lips pressed against his. As our excitement grew, Zak ran his hand up my shirt, and began to strip it off. I pulled away, and looked at our surroundings; paranoid that someone would catch us in the act. "Mel, no ones out here but us. But I can put your mind at ease." Zak reached behind him, and gave a rope a strong yank. Suddenly, the thin canopy fell from the branches, and closed us in.
Our clothes were slowly stripped off our writhing bodies, spread out on the bed around us. I could still see the fireflies buzzing through the air, outside the thin canopy. Which, only added to the romantic ambiance. The crickets chirping were sweet music to my ears, and could've rocked me to sleep, if I wasn't so immersed with Zak's lips traveling down my body. They were soft, but firm with every kiss. This all felt too good to be true, but as more and more tingles flowed through my skin, I knew this was no dream. I was living this fairytale.