CHAPTER TWO

~ Sounds Good ~

"I still don't understand why we have to go to the diner." AJ grumbled, half an hour later as the three walked through the lobby of the hotel and several girls gawked.

"Because Al likes to be difficult." Nick teased, walking behind Allie, wrapping his arms around her waist and planting a kiss on her cheek.

"Yup. That's it." Allie agreed nodded her head, as AJ opened the hotel doors and they walked into the breezy weather of a Detroit early fall, because it was the beginning of September. "Aren't you guys tired of room service any way?"

"Nope." Nick and AJ responded in unison, walking across the street, as Nick let go of Allie's waist and took her hand.

Allie wrinkled her nose at the boys. "And I'm the difficult one?" she questioned, looking at the hand painted sign that said Missy's, in front of the cute little diner Allie had been talking about. She pulled open the door and it jingled, revealing an almost empty diner, expect for a man - about late twenties or early thirties - sitting a table reading a newspaper, and sipping coffee, and a girl about 21 with black pants on and a black shirt with pink lettering on it that said Missy's, and a pink baseball cap pulled down low over her shoulder length black hair. Her legs were straddling the counter, a magazine on her stomach, and she was propping herself up by her elbows. The three friends stood waiting for someone to come seat them.

The girl, assumably the waitress, looked up, but her face was still covered by the hat. She stared at them for a few seconds and then stated, "You can seat yourselves. I'll be with you in a minute."

The voice seemed familiar, but neither could place it. She hopped off the counter, and Allie, Nick and AJ walked to a table towards the back of the diner. The waitress disappeared behind a set of doors as Nick and Allie sat to the left and AJ sat to the right.

"She's hot." Nick said to AJ. All of the Backstreet Boys had been pushing AJ to date but ever since Luci had left.  He had barely even looked at a girl, which was totally out of character for him.

"Nickolas!" Allie cried, playfully slapping Nick. "What are you saying?"

"Umm.." Nick floundered. "She's hot but your so much hotter than she is." He leaned toward his girlfriend and kissed her forehead.

Allie sighed and shook her head, but kept her mouth shut.

"She is cute, dude, but what's the point? We're only going to be here for two weeks." AJ answered, as the waitress walked back into the dining area, carrying three menus. Nick nodded at AJ, as she walked up to them.

She put the menus on the table, and played with the bill of her hat. "If you haven't figured it out yet I'm your waitress today. Due to the fact that we are just so damn busy, you can call me over when you ready to order." she informed them sadistically, before walking away again.

"Friendly too." Nick laughed quietly, as she walked to the man and began to talk to him.

"What are you guys getting?" Allie mused, opening the menu and scanning it, as the guys did the same.

"Pancakes, eggs, sausage, and...orange juice." AJ answered with a nod to finalize it, causing Allie and Nick to laugh.

"Waffles, sausage, eggs and orange juice, I guess." Nick replied.

"Um...what are grits?" Allie asked, looking slightly bewildered, and both guys shrugged. "Okay....then I guess toast, eggs and apple juice."

"Should we call Miss Friendly back?" Nick kidded, as they dropped their menus on the table.

"Yeah, but have you guys noticed how familiar her voice sounds?" AJ pressed, pushing his sunglasses back up on his nose.

"Yeah. You probably just met her at like a concert or something. You know, one of those meet and greet things." Allie suggested, before calling, "Uh...we're ready to order."
The waitress got of the booth, that she had been sitting in with the man, and walked back over, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen in the process. "Yeah?" she questioned, poising her pen above the paper.

"Waffles, pancakes, toast, 3 orange juices, 3 orders of eggs, and two orders of sausage and apple juice." AJ stated, as she scribbled everything down, and then gathered the menus.

"Be back in a few." the waitress replied, walking out of the dining area and back through the set of doors.
 
Allie turned her head to see the man staring at them with a friendly smile. "Yes?" she inquired, returning the smile, causing Nick and AJ turn toward him too.
 
"Oh...nothing in particular. You just look familiar." the man stated in a deep voice that seemed to fit the way he looked. He was African American, but his skin was light, with chocolate brown hair and eyes, that seemed to be smiling. He was built with muscles and looked to be taller than about six feet.
 
Nick and AJ looked at each other and rolled their eyes, but kept their mouths shut. Allie smiled tightly. "Do you come here regularly?" she inquired, peering around Nick.

"Yeah, I guess you could say so." he answered, as a short and skinny woman with bleach blonde hair walked into the diner. She was holding the hand of a little girl about five years old, with fine blonde hair, and baby blue eyes.

"Ronnie!" the little girl cried, running up to the man, and throwing her arms around him, as the woman walked over at a slower pace, before sitting across from Ronnie, just as the waitress walked back out with the room, without being noticed.

She deposited the food in onto Allie, Nick and AJ's table without a word to them. "Hey Haley...Kim. How are you?" she asked politely, with her back to the girl, woman and man.

"Hi-Hi!" the little girl answered, running up to the waitress, and attaching herself to her legs. The whole scene totally confused Nick, Allie and AJ, but they watched quietly as they started to eat their meals.

The waitress picked the little girl up and walked over to the counter with her. "We're pretty good, but I'm kinda in a rush. I have job interview in like a half in hour." the woman answered, standing up. "I'll call tonight." She walked over to the young girl, kissed her cheek, whispered something to her, and left.

"So what are we doin' today?" the little girl asked, standing up on the counter and playing with the bill of the waitresses' hat.

"After I am done working we are going to my house to wait for your father, then we are ordering out for Chinese food, and I rented some movies. Sound good, Miss Haley?" the waitress responded, with such a total change from the way she had treated Allie, Nick and AJ.

"Yuppers." Haley agreed, suddenly pulling off the hat, causing Allie, Nick and AJ's mouths to nearly hit the ground.