Lace spent the next several months trying to forget the man in the caf�, but to no avail. For some reason, she couldn't get him out of her head. The connection had been too strong; somehow he had some unbreakable hold on her. She was standing at the kitchen sink daydreaming after washing the dishes, when the telephone rang, breaking into her reveries. �Dammit, why does that always happen at the good parts?' She wiped her hands off on a towel, and picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Lacey, I'm so glad you're still home."

"Where else exactly did you expect me to be Becca?" Becca was Lace's best friend, and the only person who had ever called her Lacey and lived.

"Oh, I don't know, it was just a conversation starter." She paused a second and lace heard her shuffling some papers around. "Um, I have a bit of a favor to ask you, Lace."

Lace groaned, knowing it was never a good thing when Becca asked for favors. The worst part was that she couldn't say no to her, and Becca knew it. She sighed deeply, stealing her strength for whatever she was about to hear. "What is it?"

"Promise me first."

"No way!"

"C'mon Lace. Please. I swear there will be no harm to your person," Becca pleaded gently.

"Bec, why do you do this to me?" She took a breath. "Fine, I promise."

"Great! I have to write a concert review tonight and I need you as my photographer. You're getting paid as a free-lancer. It's all set to go."

Lace kicked repeatedly at the table leg in front of her. "Why does it have to be me? First, I haven't photographed anything in months. Second, I haven't got any inclination to see anybody in concert. I don't have time to follow music anymore, remember?" She stopped kicking the table as she felt her toe go numb. "I'm a home care worker now, Becca. That photography thing was just a dream."

"Lacey, face it. You loved photography, and you were really, really good at it. Just because Ethan was an ass and made you give it up doesn't mean you can't start again now."

Lace took a few minutes to mull over what Becca was saying. It was true; her ex-boyfriend Ethan had been the reason she'd given up photography. But she'd thought it was a good decision. It was very unlikely that she could ever support herself as a photographer. Why would she want to start all that again. She was relatively happy in her job. It wasn't very creative, but it was satisfying knowing she helped people.

But photography had made her feel so ... special, for lack of a better word. There was something about it that made her feel unique, as if her being in the world mattered. She glanced around the room for any evidence of that side of herself, and quickly made a decision.

"Okay, Becca. I'll do it. Just this once. Who are we going to see?

"Man, it's good to be almost home." Nick stretched as he walked into the dressing room, eyeing the tables set up against one wall. "Three more shows and time off!"

AJ looked blankly at Nick for a second until the remnants of the daydream he'd been having filtered away. "You say something?"

Nick sighed, used to the fact that he was often ignored. "Nah, man. Where's everybody else?"

AJ shrugged, looking around as if he had just realized he'd been alone in the room. Nick looked at him strangely before turning to the table where the food was laid out.

"What's up with you Bone? You been acting weird all day. Spacey or something."

AJ wandered to the table, scanning it, thinking how nothing on it looked as appetizing as a quarter pounder. "Nah, I'll leave spacey to you man. You're the cute, blonde one." He ducked as Nick swung at him. "Whoa, Nick, watch the face," as Nick's hand stopped only inches from his nose.

Nick shrugged nonchalantly, "Sorry." He turned, plate in hand, and wandered over to one of the chairs before asking the question again. "So, what's up with you?"

AJ picked at some of the food, deciding what he wanted, ignoring Nick's question. He knew it was driving Nick nuts that he wouldn't answer, but the only answer he had sounded insane.

"Hey B," Nick called to Brian as he entered the room ,followed closely by LeighAnne, "you noticed AJ's been acting all weird too, right?"

AJ now regretted not just giving Nick some stupid answer to get him off his back. The last thing he needed was all four of them asking him what was going on. He turned in time to see Brian shrug.

"Never really paid much attention to AJ the last couple days, Nick. Been otherwise occupied." He glanced at LeighAnne, who smiled.

"Shoulda known you'd be no help," Nick mumbled. "C'mon AJ. Just tell me, what's up?"

"What's up with what?" Howie stopped in the doorway, looking from AJ to Nick.

"Nothin' D. Nothin's goin' on. Nick's imagining stuff."

"Am not! You're acting all weird." He turned to Howie, hopeful that he'd found an ally. "He's like a space cadet lately. Didja notice?"

Howie shook his head, moving his hair behind his shoulders while he thought. "Well, you have been a little ... " he paused thinking of the right word.

"Spacey," Nick supplied. "See, I told you. Now what's going on?" He sat back in his chair, satisfied with himself for having proven his point. AJ glared over top of his sunglasses until Howie spoke again.

"Actually, I don't think spacey is quite the right word. More like preoccupied." He felt Nick glaring at him and turned to him, "But spacey works, too." He turned toward AJ, next. "So, like Nicky said, what's going on?"

Nick scowled at Howie for calling him Nicky before turning his attention back to AJ, sure that he'd get an answer now that Howie had asked.

AJ contemplated the situation. If it had been Howie alone, he might have spilled. But he didn't want to give Nick the satisfaction. "I told ya, nothing. Leave it alone, already." How could he tell them he was daydreaming over some chick that he'd never actually met, but he'd spent a large amount of time staring at in a coffee shop several months ago. He should have long forgotten her. He saw hundreds, thousands of women and girls every day. Why should he remember that one, over all the others. And why did her image haunt him so much.

"AJ, dude, we gotta go." Howie waved a hand in front of his AJ's face, bringing him back to reality.

"Oh, right. I'm with ya."

"See, told ya he's spacey," he heard Nick mumble as he followed Howie out of the room.

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