His Forever Flame

4. The Talk

Friday night rolled around and Lauren was so nervous. She had no idea what to wear and, she had torn her closet apart twice. Kelly had given up trying to help her and called Shay. She'd gone out shopping and promised she would be back before now, but she wasn't. When she answered she told Kelly she was pulling in and to chill out.

Once Shay unloaded her bags, she'd bought clothes for herself and Lauren, she helped Lauren decide on a red strapless dress she'd bought for her. The dress fell to mid-calf and looked absolutely stunning on Lauren. The red complimented her dark hair and tan and made her stand out. If nothing else, Shay was making sure Lauren would knock him dead.

By five thirty Lauren was pacing the living room. Kelly couldn't take it anymore and pulled her down beside him. "It is going to be okay, Sis!"

"I know, I know. I just... I'm afraid it's not going to work out like I want."

"It'll work out like it's supposed to. It's not going to be easy and you're not going to be able to pick up where you left off five years ago, but you'll make it work."

Lauren nodded and about that time there was a knock on the door. "Crap! He's early." Kelly chuckled as he went to get the door. Halstead was waiting on the other side. Once he entered the apartment, he didn't know what to say. Lauren was absolutely stunning in that dress, and she was just as beautiful, if not more so, that he remembered. It was definitely going to be a long night he thought.

Lauren was extremely self-conscious and couldn't stand him just staring at her. "So, um... are you ready to go?"

"Oh... uh.... Yea of course. I made reservations for six fifteen."

"Oh, ok. Umm... do I need to change? Am I over or under dressed?"

"No. No, you're perfect." He let it slip before he remembered he was supposed to be protecting his heart from her. A blush crept up her cheeks at the comment. "Thank you," she whispered as she walked passed him. She gave Kelly a hug and told him not to wait up. Kelly snorted at her and said, "Jay, take care of her." He said it as a warning, and Lauren smacked him as she walked on out the door. Jay nodded his understanding and followed her out.

When they got downstairs, she saw his bike parked out front. "Oh, no, no, no," she said. I am not riding the bike in a dress."

"Well, it's a nice night, and I thought you might enjoy the ride. I know you used to love it." Deep down he'd just been looking for an excuse to have her close to him.

"I do still love it, but I'm in a dress."

"So what? Never stopped you before," he challenged remembering one particular summer afternoon that involved a hot day, Lauren, his bike and a tight skirt. Of course she blushed almost the color of her dress as she too remembered that day.

"Fine, you win this one," she conceded. Jay smiled as he climbed on. Feeling her climb on behind him and wrap her arms around him, made him realize he was just going to be torturing himself all night long. He turned to give her a helmet and saw that her dress had rode up to just above her knees. Yeah, he was definitely out to torture himself. Oh well, she deserved to be able to tell her side, and he wanted to feel her wrapped around him again, so he would suffer through it for one last ride because he was dead set on not changing his mind.

Lauren had no idea where they were going, and she was especially surprised when they pulled up at the restaurant on the river. She was shocked Jay had picked it since it was the place he'd given her the promise ring. She was wearing it, but she didn't think he'd noticed.

When Lauren just kept sitting on the bike, Jay cleared his throat and said, "I figured you'd enjoy eating here again. I know how much you used to love this place, and I didn't think you would have eaten here in the last five years."