The mall was rapidly getting busier and busier as the clock quickly approached one o'clock in the afternoon. Lauren and Dominic decided it to take a break, and get some lunch.
Dominic spotted the restaurant section of the mall. He didn't care where they ate. He just wanted some food. "I don't care where we eat. I just want some food, and I'm dying of thirst," Dominic said dramatically.
Lauren laughed. "Well, it looks like all the Coney Islands are jam packed. We'll have to go to a restaurant. Unless you want to get in line and wait," she said pulling her phone out of her purse. Lauren noticed she had a few missed calls.
"Um…" Dominic said searching the food court. Then he remembered last week, Jessica had taken him to a new sports bar and grill located on the other side of the mall. "There's actually a new sports bar on the other side of the mall that just opened. Jessica took me there last week. The food is amazing. I believe it's called Sharky's."
"Lead the way," Lauren said with a smile.
Sharky's wasn't busy at all. Lauren and Dominic were shown to their seats immediately, and were able to put in their drink and appetizer order.
While Dominic decided what he wanted for lunch, Lauren picked up her phone to check her messages. Speed had called her, and Speed's parents had called her twice. "Hey, Dominic, do you mind if I make a few phone calls?" Lauren said.
"No. Not at all. Go ahead. I'm still trying to decide what I want. I'm so hungry I could eat just about everything on this menu," Dominic said keeping his eyes on the list of food items in front of him.
Lauren shook her head, and dialed Barbara Speedle's cell phone number. It rang twice. "Hello! Lauren, is everything okay? I called twice and you didn't answer," Barbara said.
"Yes. Everything is fine. Dominic and I have been running around all morning. There's so much stuff to get done before tonight. I'm sorry I didn't pick up."
"I should've known. I'm just so excited about everything that's going on today."
"It's okay. Did you guys get in safely?"
"Yes! We got in a couple hours ago. Everyone is good. We're in the hotel room right now. Tim's other's surprises are here with me too. They were able to get the same flight as Richie, Harry, and me."
"That's great! I can't wait for Tim to see them. It's been way too long," Lauren said excitedly.
Their server, his name was Daniel, came back with their drinks. Dominic got a coke and Lauren got a Dr. Pepper. He said he would be back in a couple minutes to take their order.
"I know me too. Well, I'll let you go and enjoy your lunch. Is there anything I can do to help out for tonight?"
"Uh, no I don't think so. Just relax and be at The Shore Club around 7:30. I'm hoping to be there with Tim around 8 o'clock."
"Okay. I'll see you later, honey. Call me if you need anything else."
As soon as Lauren ended her call with, Barbara, Daniel was back to take their orders. Lauren decided on a bacon burger and a side of fries. Dominic on the other hand took a couple minutes to decide. He ended up getting the half pound Angus steak burger with a cup of bake potato soup and a side of fries.
"I have one more phone call to make," Lauren said picking up her phone and dialing, Speed's number. Dominic decided he should probably send Jessica a text to let her know how things were going.
Speed picked up on the fourth ring. "Hello," Speed answered.
"Hey, love. I saw you called. Everything okay?" Lauren said.
"Yeah, it's just my mom called me. She said you weren't answering your phone."
"Yeah, I know. Dominic and I have been busy shopping at the mall. I didn't hear my phone. So anyway, what are you doing?" Lauren asked taking a sip of her pop.
"Working. Calleigh, Eric, and I just got back from lunch. Did you buy anything good?"
Lauren laughed. "When you say, buy something good, did you mean, did I buy anything good for tonight?"
"Maybe," Speed said.
"I know you, Tim Speedle, and to answer your question, maybe. You'll have to wait and see." Lauren could hear him laugh again through the phone. "Well, I'll let you get back to work. You're getting off at six, right?"
"Yeah, hopefully, but I'm sure Horatio will let me leave regardless. But anyway, I'll see you later on. Love you."
"Love you." Lauren ended the call, and put her phone in her purse.
Lauren looked up she saw Dominic texting, Jessica. It had been a while since Lauren and Dominic had a heart to heart talk. She wanted to know how he was doing; she wanted to know how he was handling his parents' death; she wanted to know how he was doing as far as living on his own; she wanted to know how he was doing over all. He seemed like he was doing fine, but Dominic could hide his emotions well.
Dominic put his phone down and smiled. He said, "I love her. She's the best. Jess is the best."
Lauren grinned. "Aw! Did you tell her you love her yet?"
Dominic looked down. "No, not yet. I'm kind of scared. She hasn't said anything either. I don't want to screw this up. I finally have something good going in my life."
"You're not going to screw it up." Lauren took another sip of her pop.
"What should I do?" Dominic asked. "I mean you and Tim seemed to move fast with your relationship. It's like, Jessica and me."
"First off, mine and Tim's relationship isn't like yours and Jessica's. We've been friends for a long time. That's why it was easy for us, but to answer your question, just be yourself. Tell her how you feel. If you think she might not be ready to say she loves you, tell her that's it's okay."
"But what if she never does?" Dominic looked down the straw in his glass.
"Dominic, listen to me. Don't think about the future. Think about now. Just talk to her. You never know. She might be scared about saying she loves you too."
Dominic sighed. "I know. It's just hard."
Daniel soon came out with their food. Lauren would have to talk to him later. They needed to eat and get back to planning Speed's birthday party.