Chapter Nineteen

“AJ, I’m tired,” Megan whined.

“You had a nap earlier on the bus.”

“I know, but it didn’t help.”

AJ pulled her up from the bed where she sat and hugged her. “You’ll feel better after you eat something. Then we can come back and crash.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

“Otay.”

Hand in hand, they left their room, AJ locking the door behind them. The others were waiting for them by the eleveators.

“I was just about to come get you!” Nick exclaimed, punching the down button. “I’m starving!”

Megan glanced over at Dana and Kevin, at the sickeningly giddy looks on their faces, and knew without a doubt, just how they’d spent the last hour. The elevator doors opened and out tumbled Leighanne, loaded down with luggage.

“Leigh!” Brian cried, jumping forward to help her. “You weren’t supposed to be here till tomorrow!”

“I missed you, so I decided to come early. Where are you all off to?”

Nick tapped his foot impatiently on the carpet. “Dinner! Can we move this little party along?”

“Nice to see you too, Nick-ay,” Leighanne said, smiling. “Bri, help me take this to the room, and then I’ll go with.”

“Sure thing.”

The happy couple started off down the hallway, leaving Nick to groan in frustration. “I’m wasting away here, people!”

Megan pulled a pack of gum from her pocket. “Knock yourself out.”

“Er, no thanks.”

Brian and Leighanne came back a few minutes later and then they headed out. They had to sneak out through an employee door because of all the fans that had the front and back entrances covered. A big black van pulled up to the curb and they climbed in. The ride to the restaurant was loud, with everyone talking at once about the first show of the tour, and how Megan and Dana were going to love it.

“What do you think, Leighanne?” Megan asked. “Is it really all they make it out to be?”

“Only if one of them loses their pants,” she answered. “Preferably Kevin, since he has the nicest buns.”

“Hey!” Brian protested, and Kevin grinned.

They arrived at the restaurant, nicer than a McDonald’s, but not terribly fancy, and were quickly seated in a private dining room. Menus were passed out and wine was ordered. Nick glared at everyone else when he ordered a Mountain Dew.

“And keep it coming,” he growled.

“My gawd, the prices are high,” Megan muttered. “Um, who’s paying for this meal again?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Howie told her. “It’s all taken care of. Order what you want.”

When the waiter came back with the wine and Nick’s Mountain Dew, everyone knew what they wanted. Megan mentally added up the cost of it all and nearly fell out of her chair at the amount.

“Will you be wanting a dessert menu later?” the waiter asked politely.

“Yes please,” Kevin said, handing back his menu.

Small chit-chatty conversations began going around the table until Megan picked up her spoon, breathed on it, and stuck it to her nose. Nick saw this and followed suit. Soon everyone at the table was trying to balance their spoons on their noses.

“Aha, ha! See! I did it!” Brian cried. He looked incredibly ridiculous, his arms out at both sides as if to balance himself.

AJ groaned as his spoon fell and hit the table. “Hey, we could play a real game of spoons,” he said, glancing between Megan and Kevin.

“No!” they both yelled.

“I don’t trust her with a real utensil,” Kevin said, half smiling at her.

“Yeah, I don’t trust me either.”

Their food arrived and they all dug in. Megan had ordered what she thought was a simple plate of spaghetti. What she got was a platter of noodles drowned in sauce and meatballs, plus breadsticks and a huge salad.

“Damn, I’m never gonna be able to finish this!”

AJ eyed her overflowing plate and licked his lips. “I’ll help.”

At one point, Megan had sauce on her chin and AJ wiped it off with his finger, then offered it to her. She locked eyes with him and licked it off.

Kevin, sitting across the table from them, shifted uncomfortably in his chair, remembering the frosting incident at her house. Dana tapped his arm, grinning.

“Aren’t they perfect for each other?” she asked softly.

Kevin just nodded. Nick, on the other hand, threw his napkin at them and yelled, “Cripes, I’m trying to eat here!”

AJ ducked and laughed. “Whoa! It suddenly got hot in here!”

Megan looked up and caught Kevin staring at her with those intense green eyes of his. She knew what he was thinking about, because she was thinking the same thing. Her hand was shaking as she reached for her water glass, and he noticed. She ended up knocking it over.

“Shit!” she cried, trying to mop up the mess.

Kevin took his napkin and did the same. Their hands touched, and they each felt the spark. Not a painful one, but a jolting one nonetheless. It didn’t last long though, as AJ and Brian helped clean up the spilled water.

“Way to go, Megan,” Brian said, clapping her on the back.