Chapter 123: First Fan Encounter
"Zak...are you sure about this?" I asked, as we waited at the entrance of the restaurant to talk to the maître d'.
Zak had made a reservation at the "Top of the World" restaurant located in the "Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower". The restaurant was located at the top of the tower – eight hundred feet in the air – and revolved 360 degrees every eighty minutes. From what I could see of the windows, there was a breathtaking view of the Vegas Strip, with all the lights making the city glow.
My concern was that I knew Zak had a fear of heights – and I did too – although I knew Zak's was worse.
Zak gently squeezed my hand as he looked down at me.
"We've been through scarier things together, we got this," Zak said, smiling at me, and I smiled back, instantly feeling confident.
Before I could agree with his statement, the maître d' returned to the podium.
"Hello, how can I help you this evening?" He asked.
"We have a reservation for two, Bagans," Zak answered, and the maître d' looked down at the book on the podium.
"Yes, here you are," the man smiled, crossing "Bagans" out with a pen, and then grabbed two menus from a shelf inside the podium, and stepped away from it. "Follow me," he added, and then began leading the way to our table.
Zak let go of my hand to motion for me to go first, and I smiled at him before I began following the maître d', Zak following along behind me.
As we walked through a large area of booths and tables, I looked around a bit. The décor was beautiful, but simple at the same time. Every table – regardless if it was a table or a booth – had a white table cloth; a small, lit candle in the middle; and folded cloth napkins at each place setting. The booths had a dark brown, and pale blue patterned fabric covering the seating, while the tables had dark brown and blue wooden chairs. The carpet was a darker shade of blue with grey circle patterns scattered across it, and there was very minimal lighting – there was enough light coming from the Strip to light up the entire restaurant.
"Here we are," the maître d' said, as he stopped at a table for two, right up against one of the many large windows that encompassed the entire restaurant.
"Oh, wow..." I said softly, unable to stop myself, completely taken back by the view.
The hundreds of lit up buildings, the extra lighting from the Strip, the dark silhouette of the mountains in the distance, and the purple and orange colours of the sky as the sun was setting.
"Thank you," Zak replied to the maître d', and I momentarily felt silly for being distracted and not thanking him myself, but the maître d' smiled at us.
"Your server will be with you shortly," the man said, setting the menus down on the table, and then left us to our table.
"So, what do you think?" Zak asked, as he helped me take off my jacket, and then pulled out my chair for me, hanging my jacket on the back of my chair.
I smiled as I stepped in between the chair and the table, and then sat down as Zak helped me get the chair close enough to the table where I was comfortable.
"It's amazing...I don't know whether I'm more in awe, or more terrified," I partly teased, unable to help feeling slightly fearful of how high up we were.
Zak laughed as he took his seat across from me, and then his expression went blank as he looked out the window himself, looking downward.
I couldn't help but laugh quietly at the look on his face. He looked like a scared little boy.
"Zak...really, we don't have to stay," I said.
Zak looked across the table at me and the fear disappeared from his expression entirely.
"As long as you're sitting across from me, I won't be looking out the window," Zak said, giving me a playful smirk.
I smiled shyly, and picked up my menu to distract myself from the shyness.
"I'm assuming you haven't eaten here before?" I asked, looking across at him.
Zak smiled at my reaction and picked up his menu as well.
"What gave it away?" Zak joked, obviously referring to his reaction to how high up we were, and I laughed.
"Silly," I replied as I began looking over the menu.
Zak smiled in response and then began looking over his menu as well.
~*~*~*~*~*~
After Zak and I had ordered drinks, salads as appetizers, and our main meals, and after our server had brought us our drinks – two waters with a slice of lemon – our first topic of conversation was Zak's week of house hunting.
"How's the house hunting going?" I asked, after taking a sip of my water.
"Alright so far I guess," Zak replied. "A lot of the places are in the same area, but I've been thinking of moving into a gated community," Zak added.
"Ooo, how celebrity of you," I teased, and Zak laughed.
"Hey, you're becoming pretty popular yourself missy," Zak said.
"Oh please," I mumbled, a bit embarrassed. "Only a couple of episodes have aired, the novelty will wear off. Besides, most of the fan base is female," I added.
"'Novelty', yeah right!" Zak laughed. "And that doesn't matter, a lot of the female fans look up to you now," Zak added, seriously.
I couldn't help smiling a bit.
"I guess so," I replied, not really feeling like I was someone to look up to.
Zak gave me a "oh come on" look, before taking a sip of his drink.
"And besides, I'd turn lesbian for you," Zak teased, winking at me and pursing his lips in a girly way.
I laughed despite my face flushing.
"Oh my god, stop it!" I exclaimed, but was laughing still.
Zak laughed himself now, but then smiled at me.
I smiled back at him, but then started laughing again, unable to get the mental image of his girly impression out of my head. I covered my mouth with my hand to try to stifle my laughter.
"Sorry doll," Zak said, laughing at me.
"You so are not," I said, before covering my mouth again and looked out the window so I wasn't looking at his face, and tried to contain myself.
"Ali?" Zak asked, suddenly sounding very serious.
My laughter stopped instantly, feeling nervous at his sudden mood change, and looked back at him.
"Yeah?" I asked.
Zak hesitated for a moment, before pursing his lips and made the same girly expression again, causing me to break out in laughter again.
"Zak!" I hissed under my breath, quickly covering my mouth to stifle my laughter again. Thankfully, there weren't very a lot of people sitting near us.
Zak laughed again, but then smiled.
"I had to," Zak said. "I love it when you laugh..." Zak said, his voice a bit softer.
I couldn't stop myself from smiling and my laughter settled down as I felt my heart melt at his sweet remark.
Once I was sure my laughter was finished, I changed the topic back to his house hunting.
"How far away is the gated community you're looking at?" I asked.
"Roughly fifteen to twenty minutes from my place," Zak replied. "It's in a less populated area, which is something I'd like too," Zak added.
I nodded in understanding, knowing he hated large crowds of people. I did too for that matter.
"That's not to bad," I said, referring to the difference in driving distance.
"Aww, were you worried I was moving far away?" Zak asked jokingly, causing me to laugh.
"Maybe," I replied, trying to jokingly sound like it wasn't a big deal, and Zak laughed.
Before he could respond, our server returned to the table with our salads and set them down on the table.
"Here we are, is there anything else I can get you?" He asked.
Zak and I looked at eat other and shook our heads slightly before Zak looked up at him.
"Not right now, thank you," Zak answered.
The server nodded his head and smiled.
"Enjoy," he said, before walking away.
Zak and I both picked up our forks, and began eating.
~*~*~*~*~*~
After we finished our salads - which we had both had thoroughly enjoyed and made us more eager for our meals – I noticed Zak had finished his water.
"I'll be right back doll," Zak said as he stood up. "I have to go to the 'little boys room'," he explained, and I laughed quietly at him mocking "little girls room".
"Are you okay? You went through your water fast," I said, a little concerned that maybe he wasn't feeling well.
"My throat is a little dry, that's all," Zak replied.
I frowned slightly.
"I hope you're not getting Cheryl's cold," I said. "Do you want me to get you another water if our server comes back?" I asked.
Zak smiled at my concern, and as he began heading to the restroom, he leaned down and lightly kissed my cheek.
"That would be great, thanks doll," Zak said softly.
"No problem," I replied softly, smiling back at him.
Zak smiled again before he walked off toward the restrooms.
Shortly after Zak left, our server returned and collected our empty salad plates.
"How were the appetizers?" He asked.
"They were great," I replied. "Could my boyfriend get another water with a slice of lemon, please?" I asked.
"Of course, would you like me to bring a pitcher of water as well?" He asked, noticing my glass was half empty as he picked up Zak's empty glass.
"That would be great," I replied. "Thank you," I quickly added, smiling.
"You're welcome," The server replied, smiling before he walked off.
Once he was gone, I quickly went over the encounter again in my mind – which I often did because of my social anxiety – looking for anything I may have done wrong. It was then I realized I had said "my boyfriend", and I felt nearly giddy on the inside, despite the fact Zak and I had been on several dates now.
"My boyfriend..." I thought, smiling to myself as I looked out the window.
My thoughts were suddenly distracted when I heard a girl's voice.
"Excuse me...?" The girl's voice said, sounding a bit timid, and I looked to see a man and a little girl standing near Zak's empty chair. They man looked to be in his late twenties, while the girl looked to be around eight-years-old.
"Yes?" I asked.
The girl's eyes widened slightly when I had turned to face her, and then widened a bit more when I spoke.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, but you're Alicia Wilde...aren't you? From 'Ghost Adventures'?" She asked, and then it hit me.
Fans.
I felt like an idiot for not realizing it sooner, but kept my composure.
"Yes, I am," I replied, feeling suddenly nervous and awkward as my social anxiety kicked in.
Both the girl and the man – who I assumed was her father - smiled.
"Wow...I'm a huge fan of the show, and I love you on the show now too. You're so awesome!" The girl replied. "I'm Kaitlyn, and this is my dad, Paul," Kaitlyn said.
I couldn't stop my face from flushing, but also smiled. Kaitlyn was so sweet.
"Oh, thank you sweetie, it's nice to meet both of you," I replied, reaching out and shaking both of their hands, not knowing how to react to this.
Do I stand up? Or stay sitting? Should I offer to autograph something? Or take a picture with them? Ugh, no! That's having a huge ego stupid! Why would they want your autograph? Or a picture with you? Would they think I was rude if I didn't offer? No! Let them ask you! I thought.
Thankfully, I was saved from my inner negativity demon as Zak returned to the table. I knew he had returned because I saw Kaitlyn's eyes go wide as she looked behind me.
"Zak!" She practically squeaked, then quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment.
I couldn't help but smile at her reaction, it was cute.
"Hi, I see you made some friends while I was gone," Zak said, as he stopped near me, his hand resting gently on my back in a comforting way, and I smiled up at him.
"This is Kaitlyn, and Paul," I said, as Kaitlyn was still overwhelmed by Zak's sudden appearance, and Paul was rubbing her shoulder to help calm her down.
"We're sorry to interrupt, my daughter's a huge fan of the show," Paul said, smiling down at Kaitlyn before looking back at Zak. "And she is so glad Alicia joined the show," Paul added.
"Nice to meet both of you," Zak said, holding his hand out to shake Paul's hand, and then Kaitlyn's, who was smiling from ear to ear. "I'm glad she joined us too," Zak said, smiling, his fingers lightly playing with the hair at the end of my ponytail – almost like he wanted to be affectionate with me, but in secret.
I felt a shiver go down my spine.
"Since my little girl is still speechless," Paul teased, and we all laughed, including Kaitlyn. "We don't want to bother you, but could she get a quick picture with you?" Paul asked, as he took his phone out of his pocket.
I saw out of the corner of my eye that Zak was glancing down at me, and I knew it was because he wasn't sure how I was reacting to all this. But other than being shy because they were strangers, I didn't mind. Especially since the little girl was so sweet.
"Sure, no problem at all," I replied, and I felt Zak help me with my chair as I stood up, and he was smiling at me.
"Awesome! Thank you so much," Paul said as he got his phone ready.
"You're so pretty!" Kaitlyn shyly said, as she watched me stand up.
I felt my face flush again but smiled at her.
"Thank you, you're pretty too!" I replied, and she smiled brightly.
"Do you want a picture with both us?" Zak asked, smiling at Kaitlyn.
For the first time since Zak showed up, Kaitlyn finally spoke to him.
"That would be awesome..." she replied shyly. "Could I also get a picture with you? And a picture with Alicia?" She added, shyly.
"Kaitlyn...they're-" Paul started, but I interrupted.
"It's okay, we can do that," I said, smiling reassuringly at him and Kaitlyn.
"Thank you!" Kaitlyn nearly squeaked again, and then rushed over to Zak and I.
I smiled, and without saying a word to Zak, we both knelt down so we were at Kaitlyn's level, with her standing between us. Her face lit up completely when Zak and I each wrapped an arm around her.
"Say 'Ghost Adventures!'" Paul said, as he knelt down and held his phone steady to take our picture. We all laughed before we all said "Ghost Adventures" and Paul took our picture.
"Came out great!" Paul said, smiling at the picture.
"Zak next!" Kaitlyn exclaimed excitedly, yet shyly, and I smiled and stood back up and stepped aside so I wasn't in the way.
Zak smiled at Kaitlyn as she shyly moved in a bit closer to him, and Zak wrapped his arm around her and rested his hand on her shoulder, which cause her to absolutely shine with happiness.
I smiled myself as I watched them, and couldn't felt feeling all "mushy" inside watching Zak with a child.
"Okay, here we go...say 'cheese'!" Paul said, holding his phone up.
"Cheese!" Zak and Kaitlyn said at the same time, and Kaitlyn ending up giggling as Zak said it in a silly, high pitched voice. But the picture must of come out okay, because Paul spoke up.
"One more," Paul said. "What do we say Kaitlyn?" He added, looking at her.
Kaitlyn turned and looked shyly at Zak.
"Thank you Zak," Kaitlyn said shyly.
"You're welcome sweetheart," Zak said, squeezing her shoulder before standing up and moving aside for me to step in.
"Can I get a hug for this picture?" Kaitlyn asked, looking up at me, and I smiled.
"Sure sweetie," I replied, and then an idea came to me.
I stepped forward and then knelt down directly behind Kaitlyn, and wrapped my arms around her from behind, hugging her, and leaned my head down so it was next to hers.
"How about this?" I asked.
"I like it!" Kaitlyn replied, smiling, as she brought her hands up to rest on my arms.
"One last time...say 'girls rock'!" Paul said, once again holding up his phone.
Kaitlyn giggled and I laughed, but we both managed to say "girls rock!" And then Paul took the picture.
"Okay Kaitlyn, we need to let Zak and Alicia get back to their dinner now," Paul said, holding his hand out toward her.
"Okay daddy," Kaitlyn said, as I let her go and she suddenly spun around and hugged me herself. "Thank you Alicia!" She exclaimed.
I was momentarily stunned, but quickly and gently hugged her back.
"You're very welcome sweetie," I replied, before pulling back and stood back up as Kaitlyn ran back to her father and took his hand.
"Bye Zak! Bye Alicia!" Kaitlyn exclaimed, waving to us.
Zak and I both smiled and waved back.
"Bye sweetheart," Zak replied.
Kaitlyn smiled, and as she turned to leave with her father, Paul looked back at us.
"Thank you so much, sorry to take up so much of your time," Paul said genuinely.
"No problem at all," I replied smiling.
Paul smiled in return and then he and Kaitlyn walked away, heading back to their table.
Once they were gone, and Zak and I were basically alone again in our section of the restaurant, I was surprised when Zak came up to me, placed his hands on my hips, and kissed me passionately.
I kissed him back passionately after getting over my moment of shock, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. After a moment or so, I pulled back from the kiss, not wanting to end up getting kicked out for our behaviour.
"What was that for?" I asked softly, looking up at him with confusion on my face.
"For being perfect..." Zak replied softly. "You were amazing just now," Zak added.
I smiled.
"I was nervous and doubting myself the entire time," I replied honestly.
"Well, you had no reason too. You were perfect," Zak said, reassuringly, and I smiled.
"Thank you...you were pretty amazing yourself you know," I replied. "You were so sweet with her," I added.
Zak smiled and looked a little embarrassed.
"I usually feel awkward around kids, but it felt more...natural...with you there..." Zak replied softly.
Oh boy...don't let your thoughts wander there Ali...
Before I could think of a response, I saw our server coming with our meals, and also noticed he had brought Zak's water and the pitcher of water at some point.
"There's our food..." I said softly, looking up at Zak.
"Damn..." He mumbled, before lightly kissing me again and then pulled back, and led me back to the table, and I smiled the entire time.