To Have And To Hold

10 - Sentimental Sap

On their first proper day off together for weeks, Joey and Lauren decided to go out for the night. Joey felt like they hadn't been on a date in forever, and there was a show they'd been talking about seeing which he got them tickets for, so they were both looking forward to spending some quality time with each other.

Ready to leave, Joey walked into their bedroom to check how Lauren was doing. She was just finishing her makeup, and met his eyes in the mirror with a smile. She'd straightened her hair and was wearing a flower patterned dress - looking drop dead gorgeous, as ever.

"Wow, Lo," he said softly. 

She turned around to him with a grin, taking a few steps towards him and standing on her tiptoes until he met her in a kiss. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingertips brushing her jaw, but she instantly untucked it. Joey laughed.

"It's supposed to rain tonight," Lauren said, as she deliberated taking a jacket. 

He went over to the window, seeing clear blue skies. "I think you'll be okay. We won't be outside long anyway."

She nodded, handing her phone to him to put in his pocket before walking to the door. Joey, who was only wearing a short sleeved shirt, grabbed his jacket as a precaution on the way out.

He managed to park a short distance from the theatre, unbuckling his seatbelt and jogging round to the passenger side to open the door for Lauren, who rolled her eyes but then looped her arm through his.

They maintained contact the whole way through the show, Joey holding her hand and rubbing a thumb over the back of it when she cried, which was a very regular occurrence when they went to the theatre. She sat in a stunned silence long after the lights came up, until Joey had to coax her from her seat. He didn't want to rush her, but they did have a dinner reservation to get to.

"So where are we going?" Lauren asked.

"It's a surprise!" he said, laughing.

As they exited the theatre, she made to walk in the direction of the car, but he tugged her hand to pull her the other way.

"We can walk, it's not far." 

Joey saw Lauren's eyes narrow as she mentally ran through the restaurants in this part of town, and grinned. He refused to look at her again in case he unintentionally gave anything away.

They rounded a corner, and Lauren's head turned sharply to look at Joey. He finally allowed himself to smile down at her as she took in the restaurant front they were approaching: the same restaurant he brought her to on their first date in LA.

"You're so sentimental," Lauren said, her eyes soft as she gazed up at him.

"You knew what you were getting yourself into," he joked. "Besides, it must mean something to you if you remember it too." He nudged her shoulder, squeezing her hand and leading her into the building.

"We've got a table for Richter," Joey said when they entered. The waiter nodded and led them over to a table in the back corner. He gestured for them to sit down and went to greet the group who had just come in the door, but Joey heard Lauren's small intake of breath as she stopped short.

"Joey," she breathed.

He also took in the table they'd prepared for them after his call ahead; it was everything he could have hoped for. One end of the table was adorned with candles, and on the windowsill was a vase of roses, Lauren's favourite.

"I wanted it to be special for you," he said, turning to look at her earnestly.

His eyelids dropped closed as she tiptoed to chastely kiss his lips, and too soon she pulled away and sat down. He took his seat opposite her, skimming through the menu in between glances up at her, her features soft in the candle light. He couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at how much he loved the girl in front of him, and he rapidly glanced down at the menu again to avoid more questions about why he was staring at her.

As they ate their meals, they caught up on all the little things they'd missed while they'd been busy in the past few weeks, and then spent the time telling stories to make each other laugh. Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of pattering against the glass.

"I told you," Lauren groaned as raindrops started gathering on the window.

"Maybe it'll ease off by the time we leave," Joey said hopefully. They both stared out of the window for a moment. When Joey looked back at Lauren, she was already looking at him, the expression on her face unfamiliar. He tilted his head to the side and was about to ask her what was wrong when her expression cleared, and he shook the weird feeling off.

"Do you want dessert?" he asked her.

"How long have you known me?" she laughed, picking up the menu. Joey's nose scrunched up in a grin.

She deliberated between the coffee cake and the chocolate cake, until Joey told her to just get both before he lost his mind, offering to split them with her. She grinned at him, reaching out to pat his hand across the table.

Between the two of them they cleared the plates, just a smear of icing and a smattering of crumbs left, and they both sat back contentedly in their chairs.

"Thank you," Lauren said, twining her fingers with his.

"You're welcome," he said gently, resting his chin in his hand and thinking about how she deserved even more than he could ever give her. But he was glad he could do little things like this to make her happy.