I Left My Heart In Vegas

Walking The Strip

Flashing lights. Everywhere. Not one inch of darkness on the Vegas strip. I was never interested in a Vegas vacation, but now that I was here, I never wanted to leave. Bree skipped along, fitting perfectly in with the other tourists. "Isn't this amazing?" Bree exclaimed. "I'm so glad that we decided to do this!"
"Me too." I replied, softly. Bree could tell that my mind was elsewhere. I couldn't hide anything from her.
"Hey, you okay?" She asked.
"Yeah, of course. Why?"
"Mel, you know I know when you're lying. Come on, tell me." Bree urged, she pulled me to the nearest bench.
"I don't know. Please, don't judge me but I've been thinking about that guy a lot. You know, Charlie, from the motel."
"And?"
"And I'm supposed to be here to meet Zak. Is it weird that I feel like I'm cheating?"
"Oh, come on, you haven't even met Zak yet. It's not like he's your boyfriend."
"Oh, this coming from the girl who turned down a hot guy because of an imaginary boyfriend." I laughed, as Bree rolled her eyes.
"Yes, true, but Aaron really will soon be my boyfriend." Bree grinned confidently.
"Alright, it's not a big deal. It's probably just lust. I haven't been with anyone in so long."
Bree and I continued walking down the strip. Two men rushed by us, dressed like the Frozen characters. As I laughed, and watched them dance around, Bree gasped at the beautiful fountain in the center of the courtyard. There were streams of colors coming through the ripples of the water. It looked like a magical rainbow shining behind a waterfall. Bree pulled me closer, and took out her cell. "Selfie in front of the fountain, come on!" She yelled. I let out a deep sigh. Another selfie?
As Bree and I looked up to the camera and smiled, something tickled my eardrum. It was a familiar laugh. A distinct laugh, that could put a smile on anyone's face. As Bree scrolled through the recent photos on her cell, I looked to the distant right, and there he was. Aaron Goodwin of the Ghost Adventures crew. He was standing with a couple of his friends, having a few laughs. I couldn't believe my eyes. It felt like a crazy dream. What were the chances of Aaron being the first person we run into? Bree was right, it was fate.
Bree was still so focused on the pictures, she wouldn't even look up. Keeping my eyes on Aaron, I reached my hand out, and grasped her arm. I began to shake her repeatedly. "Mel, what the...." I interrupted her by grabbing her chin, and moving her head to my line of vision. "What are you..." I literally felt Bree's breath growing more rapid. I looked at her, and smiled in shock. "That's...thats..."
"That's Aaron fucking Goodwin!" I finished Bree's stuttered phrase. "Go talk to him!" I urged, as I gave her a slight push.
"No, I can't."
"What? This is what you've been waiting for! This is your dream come true."
"No, I'm too shy. I can't do it."
"Okay, fine." I said, as I released her arm. I felt my heart beating faster, and faster as I made my way to him. I could hear Bree begging me to come back, but I just continued. I wasn't going to let her miss her opportunity to meet him due to her insecurities.
Even though, he was only about 10 feet from us, I felt like it was taking me an eternity to reach him. As if I was walking in slow motion, and he kept getting further and further away. Finally, there I was, standing right behind him. His two friends noticed the 5'2" me peeking around the over 6 foot Aaron. They smiled back at me, which caught Aaron's eye. When he turned, my heart stopped. I knew he was one hundred percent Bree's man, but his smile was even more adorable in person. It was soft, yet masculine. "Hi, there." Aaron said.
"Um, hello." Were the only words I could manage to express.
"Uh, can I help you, hon?" Aaron asked, with a laugh, completely surprised by my intrusion. My stuttering grew steady, as I tried to find the words to say. "Blink twice if you need help." Aaron joked. Finally, I was able to push out a giggle.
"I'm sorry, I'm Melissa. I'm a very big fan of your show." I said, as I reached my hand out for his. Aaron's hands were stained with colorful paint. It looked freshly dried, as if he had just finished creating a masterpiece.
"Oh, nice to meet you, Melissa."
"Pleasure meeting you too, but I actually came over here because my friend Bree was a bit too nervous to come over here herself." I said, as I gestured towards Bree. She awkwardly waved, as I pointed her out. Aaron laughed, and waved back. "She is a huge fan of yours and it's been her dream to meet you so, do you think you could go say hi? Kind of break the ice?"
"Not at all. I'd love to meet her." Aaron said, as he made his way to Bree. She lost every breath left in her body, as he inched closer. As I turned, I noticed his friends were both smiling at me. Feeling awkward, I rushed to follow Aaron. He had greeted Bree with a warm hug, no questions asked. "Hi, Bree it's nice to meet you." Even Aaron was short of breath. He was captivated by her beauty.
"You're beautiful. I mean, you're sexy. Oh, my god!" Bree covered her bright red face. Aaron chuckled, and gently removed her hands from her face.
"It's okay, sweetheart. I won't bite." Aaron said. I knew exactly what was going through Bree's mind. Not too hard, I hope. "So, where are you ladies from? I'm assuming you don't live here in Vegas."
"What gave us away?" I asked.
"Maybe, the fact that she has a thousand selfies on her phone." Bree still had all the embarrassing photos open on her cell for everyone to see.
"Well, we actually made a trip here for Zak's Haunted Museum." I explained.
"Oh, that's amazing. Be careful though, that place is creepy as hell." Aaron's friends joined us. One tapped on his watch, letting Aaron know it was time to go. I could see that Aaron was hesitant about leaving. He wanted more time with the mystery girl who took his breath away. "Not to be too forward but what do you ladies have planned for the night?" I looked at Bree, who was still so involved with his smile.
"Actually, we don't have anything planned."
"Great, would you two like to join us for a late dinner? My treat, of course."
Once again, I looked to Bree for an answer, but she was still completely captivated. It was up to me to keep this relationship alive. "We would love to."