When You Know

Zachary Levi

If Zachary Levi was being well and truly honest with himself, all he wanted was to finally find that person he was going to stay with. Missy had been wonderful and beautiful..but a wonderful and beautiful mistake. Not one he regretted, just one he acknowledged.

It had been a few years and every day when he drove to set or to a photoshoot or a studio meeting, he would see the world passing by around him and wonder why he couldn't quite feel like a part of it unless he had someone to share it with. Did he hold too much to relationships? To having someone who told him how much they loved him and sometimes just wanted to look at him?

Zac would shake his head away from these thoughts and sometimes that would work. Usually though, it didn't take more than a few minutes for the thoughts to start creeping back. He wasn't sure if he should be worried about his feelings about it all or if he simply needed to feel loved again. Most days, it was all he could do to keep these parts of himself in check. Most nights, he fell into bed unsure how he'd made it through the day and faced with the deafening reminder that he was sleeping alone again tonight.

His fame ebbed and flowed, making it at least occasionally difficult to find a woman who hadn't seen his face before. It wasn't that he was against dating a fan, just fearful that it'd be too..similar to idol worship; they knew the fame and fortune side of Zac, the one he was forced to wear like a new skin for the probing eyes of the public. Not that he wanted the entire world to know every bit of his life, but that didn't mean the constant charade didn't wear thin. All he wanted was someone he could vent the stresses of it to, someone who didn't have to understand, but who sympathized with his overwhelming emotions and just tried to ease his pressure.

Yet again, by the time he pulled in to park, Zac found that he'd lost himself in thought the entire drive. Running a hand over his face and sighing, he pulled the keys out of the ignition. Flip the visor back up, unbuckle, make sure wallet and phone are in pockets. With all the boxes of routine checked, he stretched a long leg out of his car and toward the blacktop. There was nothing particularly interesting about the step he took out of the car; it just happened to be the final moment of his life that he came to know as Before Her.

Before her, Zac had been rather timid in his personal life. He'd found in time that while it was possible to act his confident part when needed, like any work function or a party with big wigs, women tended to prefer when he was genuine; sometimes shy, a little dorky, and wholly lovable. That's why, when she squeaked out an embarrassed greeting-slash-apology for nearly running over his foot, Zac didn't even pretend like he could form words. He was sure, even in that very first moment, that there was no version of his future that didn't involve him marrying this woman.

"I was trying to stop in time, honestly I was, Spotify was just freezing up and the song was distracting and..well it was just a very hectic moment," she rushed out with an obvious blush dusting her cheeks. It faded a moment later and Zac noted the adorable freckles she had sprinkled across the bridge of her nose and cheekbones.

"Nora," she introduced, sticking her hand out. "And you do not look like just another lowly assistant such as myself. Have I almost maimed someone that Twitter would have my head for?" Nora winced and Zac couldn't help but find it incredibly cute the way she scrunched up her nose. The little crinkles at the corners of her eyes and her grimace completed, to Zac, the face of a fucking angel.

"Zac," he finally managed to cough out, grasping her small hand in his. It had to be half the size of his own hand, the way it disappeared from view when they shook. He cleared his throat. "Zachary Levi. Twitter might be..mildly stressed out, I'll give you." There ya go, Zac, he thought. Act the part, that's what you're good at, idiot.

"Zachary Levi. Well, Mister Levi, I humbly apologize." She spun her arm out fancily and bowed low at the waist. Nora straightened up and Zac let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and didn't know why. "If you'll forgive me, I'm just about late to work and that's hell to pay, in my parts."