Looking for Something

Chapter 7

"Relationships include: Fights, jealousy, arguments, faith, tears, disagreements, but a real relationship fights through all that with love."

"The best feeling in the world is knowing that you actually mean something to someone."

~~Dominic~~

I pull up to the restaurant and park as close to the door as possible.

"Damn, you'd think people cook more nowadays." I laugh as Syd climbs out of the car and walks over to where I am. She grabs my hand as I lock the doors to the car and we make our way to the entrance. People are standing all on the walls outside and inside. The second we get inside, you can hear Caroline's voice.

"Syd, Dominic! Over here!" I let Syd walk in front of me and I follow behind her as we make our way towards them. "Heeyyy Boo, you look amazing!" They hug and I nod in her direction when she says hey to me.

"So, where's Chance?"

"Oh, he is running late. Had family business to take care of. Oh my gosh, I am so nervous! What if he doesn't like me, Syd?" After that, I just have to get out.

"Aye, I am going to stand outside." I whisper this to Syd and she nods as I make my exit. As I turn the corner I run into this girl and I have to grab her arm to keep her from falling. "My bad." She looks up at me and smirks.

"You are good." She is still smiling at me when I turn and walk away. Females and their constant attempts to flirt are going to kill me.

When I make it outside, Chance is standing against the wall.

"Hey man, you're here already? Wassup. Why are you out here?" I go up and shake his hand.

"Could ask you the same thing."

"Caroline is running her mouth off, and it is claustrophobic in there. Your turn."

"Bruh, I don't want to be here. On the drive up here I started thinking about it, and Caroline is not my type. She talks too much, is narcissistic as hell, and she probably doesn't even know how to say or even spell narcissistic, let alone, know what it means." That makes me laugh.

"So, why are you here?"

"Because your girl has a mouth like a serpent and some how she guilt talked me into coming."

"Chance, can I be honest with you?"

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

"It is not all Syd's fault that you are here. Deep down, I know you are hoping this will work out. Look, no offense or anything, but you have been acting lonely as hell since Cassie and it has been bringing some of us down."

"Thanks for telling me." I can hear the sarcasm in his voice. "Look okay, maybe I am hoping a little bit, but am I really going to find my dream girl through this...valley girl?"

"You never know what could happen. Sometimes the first date changes your whole perspective."

"Is that what happened to you?"

"Nah, mine changed waayyy before that, but the day I first met her, I would never have thought that I would fall for her. She didn't seem like my type...real laid back, nonchalant, always reading or studying or something." I smirk as I reminisce on our first week meeting.

"Damn, that girl in there? So Lil' Syddy was a nerd before?"

"Still is man, but her brain is sexy and it adds on to my attraction. Point is, sometimes the qualities you find unappealing at first, are the ones you could possibly learn to love in the end. Get it?"

"Yea yea, okay." Syd walks out of the restaurant door.

"Hey, our table is ready. Chan Chan, you made it!"

"Uh huh, for your ass." He play smacks her and she punches him in the side before following him inside. We follow her to the table where Caroline is looking at the menu. When she sees Chance coming she seems to tense up a bit. I grab Syd's hand and I pull her back beside me, letting him take the lead.

"Hey, Caroline."

"Hi!" She says this with her perky attitude as she slides over for him to sit down. Since it is the semi circle booth, we let the girls sit in the middle and we sit on the ouside. It is real quiet and awkward, but I don't know how I can get them talking to each other.

"Sooo...Caroline, your brother just made his school's football team right?" Caroline nods, not really following where Syd is going. "Well maybe Chance could tell you some things that you can pass on to him."

He clears his throat. "Um yea, what position is he playing?"

"He is a running back." Aye, that's Chance's position. Chance immediately starts talking about what he should do and how he should do it. I pull Syd closer to me she lays her head back on my shoulder.

"You wanna share an appetizer? I'm starving." She isn't lying, I need some food.

"Yea, me too. Lets get onion rings."

"Fine fine, just don't take all the sauce this time."

"Well, they should give us more."

"Hello, my name is Mallory and I'll be serving you this evening. Can I start you off with something to drink?" The waitress gives her introduction speech but her eyes do not leave mine. I immediately break my gaze to look over at Sydney and the look on her face reads "This b***h" and I am about to butt in when she speaks.

"Yea, I...well WE, would like two waters." She plasters a fake smile on her face.

"Yea, me too." Chance and Caroline seem to be oblivious to the mood change.

"Alright, and are you ready to order?" She looks back at me smiling. I am so uncomfortable.

"Uh yea." I can feel Syd's eyes on me on one side and the waitress's eyes on me on the other." Can we get an appetizer? Let's get the onion rings, with extra sauce. And I want the baby back ribs."

"And your two sides?"

"Macaroni and cheese and a house salad."

"Okay, and what will you be having?" She is still looking at me and that's when I look at her confused.

"Um, bit---oowee, I mean miss, I am over here!" She flicks her eyes to Syd.

"Riiight, what do you want?"

"Chicken Ceasar salad."

"Dressing?"

"Ranch."

"Aw ok. Now you." She starts asking Caroline and Chance what they want and I see Syd glaring at her until she walks away.

"Well wasn't she just pleasant?" She rubs her hand through her hair and crosses her arms. Oh s**t. Okay, I know I have issues about guys looking at Syd and all and I get aggressive, but Syd gets like a pregnant woman with rushing hormones. "Don't you just loooove our waitress Dominic?" She doesn't even look at me. I look up at Chance and he is just having a ball trying to fight his laugh and all. I flick him off mentally and glare at him. Well, can't look to him for help.

"Uh, I guess she is cool. I don't know...I wasn't paying attention."

"Mhm, wasn't paying attention my ass. It's okay, honesty is always the best policy in any situation." I am being honest.

"Babe, I am being honest. I swear." She squints at me.

"I believe you, I believe you." Of course she does. This is about to be a long dinner.

Usually when she is mad at me, I whisper to her. It keeps her from yelling MOST of the time. So I pull her closer to me and I try to get an answer out of her.

"Why are you so mad at me?"

"I'm not mad...at you." She starts playing with her napkin on the table.

"What's up then? Why are you upset?"

"She is being rude. CLEARLY, I am here with you as more than just a friend on this date and she has the audacity to stand there and try to flirt with you? You don't think that is rude? Or maybe you just like the attention."

"No, Syd, I am not saying that. I just don't want you getting all wired up because of some irrelevant girl. We don't even know her."

"Mhm, I will try. She has one more time to snap at me though." A man comes back carrying our onion rings. We both instantly dive in for one. Damn, I am so hungry, and I didn't realize how hungry until now. Syd takes a bite of a ring, then feeds me the rest. She must not be that mad. If she was really mad she would have left me hanging.

"Aye, I'll be back. I have to go to the bathroom." I move out so that she can go, and Caroline goes with her.

"Sooo, how is she dude?" He sighs, and takes a ring off the plate.

"I will admit, she is not how I thought she would be, but she is kind of annoying. It is like she is in college majoring in the Caroline degree. Every thing we talk about some how finds its way back to her. For example, if she asks me what my favorite color is and I say blue, then she says oohh that's cute, I like how blue brings out my eyes!" I laugh at his interpretation of Caroline. She really does talk like that.

"Aha, I'm sorry man. Maybe you should mention it to her. She might hold back then."

"I won't know how to say it without being rude. We need to eat so I can get back to my loving, warm room."

"This is why you are going to be lonely for the rest of your life. Work with her dude, you never know what the outcome might be." While we are talking, the food comes and the girls are still in the bathroom. We help the men set the plates down on the table and then they leave.

"You boys need anything else?" The waitress comes back over to the table.

"Nah, we are good." I quickly look over my food and make sure everything is okay.

"Alright, don't be afraid to call." She grins at me before walking away.

"I think she wants you dude."

"You think?" He laughs as he eats a fry. "She needs to chill out before Syd comes back and beats my ass and hers."

"I don't think that is going to happen until we are out of here." The girls come back and Syd looks too happy to see her food on the table. It gets quiet because everybody is eating.

"Here is another water for you." The waitress sets another water down in front of me. I haven't even barely drank my first one.

"Um, his glass is full."

"So, I'm just doing my job."

"Well, apparently not because my glass is empty, yet I see no second glass for me." This is getting ugly fast.

"Well, maybe I wasn't paying attention to you."

"Oh so paying attention isn't apart of your job either, huh? That's alright. Your tip is ruined." I pick up the new water and give it to Syd.

"Babe, here. You can have this one. Just calm down."

"Are you defending her?" 

"No! I am simply trying to keep the arguing to a minimum."

"Right!" She goes back to eating her salad, but she is literally stabbing it. The waitress says something else but I ignore it. I hear Chance respond to her and then she walks away again.

"Baby..."

"I'm fine."

"Syd..."

"Nope, I am perfectly fine!

*

*

We are sitting in the car in the backseat, looking out at the ocean of the beach. We are centered and she is leaning back against my chest while in my lap.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For the way I acted. She just made me mad."

"Now, you know the way I get doesn't compare to the way you get, so you did good. How do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Keep from scratching their eyes out."

"I don't know. I was close to scratching hers out."

"Well, all I know is, every time a guy even seems like he is looking at you, I get mad. You are sexy and you are mine. They need to learn to f**k off." I feel her laughing, but I am dead serious.

"Sweetie don't be like that. Like you said, I am yours. I am not going anywhere." I feel her kiss my cheek. I poke my lips out for another kiss. I see her smile as she kisses me on the lips.