echoes of the past.

Marie ducked around the corner of the counter to refill her pot of coffee and grab a pair of cups for the couple who had just walked in. She caught sight of Suzy and smiled. She would be perfect, if only Marie could convince her to come along. "Hey Suzy, can I ask you a favour?" Marie called out, biting her lip as she waited for a response.

Suzy was behind the counter, writing up the ticket for the table whose order she had just taken. The redhead was in a really good mood that afternoon. The weather was nice, she'd received some decent tips so far that shift, and she hadn't dealt with any asshole customers yet. Yet being the keyword because she didn't want to speak too soon. She had just brought the ticket to Sal in the back and was about to head back out onto the floor to check on her tables when Marie came behind the counter, pot of coffee and two coffee cups in hand. "That's going to depend on what the favor is." She said, smiling slightly. She knew the blonde extremely well, and something told her that she knew what her friend was going to ask.

Marie glanced over her shoulder to look at the table of the couple she was supposed to be serving and was relieved to see that they were immersed in a conversation with each other instead of waiting for their coffee. She turned back to Suzy and grinned. "Well, there's this guy..." she began with a dreamy sigh as she thought of Bucky. "He took me out on a date last week, and he's already called asking for a second one, and I really want to go but he wants me to bring a friend to make it a double date. I think you would get along with his friend really well, he sounds like a nice guy, I promise," Marie rambled, hoping she could spill as much information as possible before Suzy interrupted her with a 'no'. It would be a fun day, another chance for her to get to know Bucky, and maybe Suzy would actually like his friend.

Suzy knew as soon as her friend started off the way she had that she was hoping to set her up on some sort of a date. She honestly wasn't all that surprised, this wasn't the first time that Marie had tried doing something like this, but that didn't mean that Suzy was happy about it. None of the dates her friend had set her up on in the past had ended well, so her hesitancy was to be expected. "Marie, you know that I'm not really looking to be with anyone right now, and how do I know that this isn't just going to end like all of those others dates you set me up on?" She asked, letting out a soft sigh. "And he sounds like a nice guy, so you haven't even met himself yourself? I'm sure all the other ones sounded like nice guys too, and look how things turned out there."

Marie frowned and set down the coffeepot on the counter as she guessed she was going to be here for a while trying her best to convince Suzy to tag along. "I know, I don't exactly have the best track record here, but think about this: what happened to all of those guys? They never made it past the third date because it turned out they were full of crap, so of course their friends were too," Marie explained. Then her lips curled upwards. "But this guy, I promise he is actually a good guy, Suzy. He is so sweet and charming and kind... He just has to have good friends!" she continued, honestly thinking she was on the right path by dating someone like Bucky. "Besides, we can't go to Coney Island as the three of us. They give discounts to couples there, and I'll make sure you'll have lots of fun," Marie said, pleading Suzy to come with her. If Suzy refused to go, Marie didn't know who else she could ask. The rest of the women she knew were either in a relationship or not the type of person she would want to spend more than a quick catch-up over coffee with. At least Suzy was a great gal that Marie enjoyed spending time with.

Suzy wasn't at all surprised that Marie was still trying to convince her to agree to this double date. This was clearly something that her friend wanted too. She could tell that Marie really liked this guy, the signs were all there, from the dreamy sigh that escaped her lips to the far off look on her face, the signs were all there. "But how do you know that he's really a good guy?" She asked. She hated to be the pessimist in this situation, but Marie was right, she didn't exactly have the best track record here. She was silent for a few moments before letting out a soft sigh of defeat. "If I agree to this, you owe me big time."

Marie's shoulders rose, failing to find words to try to explain how she just had a gut feeling that Bucky's friend was a good person. She definitely wasn't going to set Suzy up on a bad date on purpose! The other times had been accidents, completely out of her control. And then Suzy's sigh of defeat met Marie's ears and she grinned. "Of course, I'll do anything!" she nodded enthusiastically. It really meant a lot to her, to meet with Bucky again and to bring along a nice girl for his friend. "We're going on Saturday. Could you be at my place just before 9? And make sure you look like the doll you are, because I'm sure they'll be looking nice too," Marie smiled as she fiddled with one of the cups, wondering what dress she should wear. She was already excited to call Bucky and tell him the good news.

Suzy really hoped that she didn't end up regretting this. She could tell that Marie really liked this guy, so she was really only agreeing to this to be a good friend. She hoped that things wouldn't end badly like most of the previous dates had, but she was telling herself that she was only doing this to make her friend happy, so it wouldn't matter either way. She probably wasn't going to hold this against her if it didn't end well because of that. She nodded. "I'll be sure to look my best, you have nothing to worry about." She told her friend, smiling slightly. "We should probably get back to work before Sal says something."

Marie gave her friend the largest grin in the world. "You really are the best, Suzy. Thank you so much!" she exclaimed. "Right, work, that's a good idea," she added with a chuckle, sweeping up her coffeepot and walking back out to serve her two new customers. Marie poured them their drinks but they hardly noticed her presence, too in love to realise anything else going on in the room. She couldn't help but smile as she walked away to tend another table, wondering if she might have that with Bucky one day.

Suzy smiled. "That's right, and don't you forget it." She said, letting out a quiet laugh. She was only joking, she wasn't that full of herself. She really didn't expect to get anything out of this, she was only doing this for Marie so she could go on another date with this guy she seemed to be rather smitten with. "Yeah, the last thing we need is Sal bitching at us towards the end of our shift." She said, shaking her head. She followed her friend's lead, heading back out onto the floor to check on her tables.

The rest of the week had flown by and Saturday was here. Marie couldn't stop watching herself in the mirror, checking that her blonde hair was resting in perfect curls and that her floral dress was sitting right and flattering her body. She had been nervous all morning, hoping she was going to be able to impress Bucky again. Now that he would be here any minute for their date, her stomach couldn't stop tossing.

---

Steve shoved his hands in his pockets in attempt to stop fiddling from nervousness. Here he was, being dragged on yet another double date by his best friend, and he had a bad feeling about it. Steve expected the usual to happen: his date would quickly realise that he wasn't that handsome or interesting, and then she would find some excuse to leave early. He sighed and looked up at Bucky. "So what did you tell her about me?" Steve asked, wondering if he had to lie to try to impress these girls.

Suzy really didn't know why she was nervous. This date wasn't for her benefit, it was for Marie's. She didn't expect to get much out of it, so why did she find herself fussing over every little thing from her hair to her makeup to her dress and shoes? After looking herself over for what felt like the umpteenth time in the mirror, she finally kind of just said, "The hell with it," and headed on over to Marie's apartment. She was done fussing over herself, she was being silly. She had nothing to worry or stress about at all. Knocking lightly on the door, she waited for her blonde friend to answer it.

---

"Only the good stuff." Bucky responded, a slight grin on his face as he wrapped an arm around his smaller friend's shoulders. He was really glad that Marie had found a friend to bring with her for Steve. He really liked her, and he definitely wanted this second date, but he felt bad leaving Steve hauled up in their apartment while he went out and had a grand old time. That's why he tried to set his friend up on these double dates all the time. He hoped that one of the girls would be the right one for his friend who saw through his outer appearance and saw the heart of gold that he had instead. No such luck so far, but maybe tonight would be different. "I have a really good feeling about tonight."

Marie jumped at the sound of a knock coming from her door. She walked towards it but then strode right back to the mirror to ensure for the last time that she looked the best she could, just in case Bucky was standing on the other side waiting for her. Marie then returned to the door and swung it open with a huge smile that didn't falter when she saw Suzy instead of Bucky. "Hi! Come on in!" she beamed, looking over Suzy's outfit. "I love those shoes, they are adorable!" Marie added, truly approving of the outfit her friend had put together. Suzy looked pretty, and Marie was beginning to hope that Bucky wouldn't have straying eyes like some of the other men she had dated.

---

Steve sighed as his friend's heavy arm weighed down on his shoulders. It was only giving him another reason why the girls always preferred Bucky over him: muscles. Steve was well aware that his figure was lanky and gawky, qualities women weren't looking for. He brushed his blonde fringe to the side, trying to keep it out of his face, as he tried to not think about what his date for tonight might look like. "Really? Why is that? Because I can't stop thinking about how horribly wrong it's going to go for me," Steve groaned, beginning to regret agreeing to coming along.

Suzy smiled, walking into her friend's apartment. "Thanks, I've had them for a while, I just haven't had any reason to wear them as of late." She said. "That dress is really pretty, by the way." After the last couple of rather disastrous dates, she'd kind of taken a break from dating. She just saw no reason to go out on dates with guys when most of them ended up being complete jerks. She wasn't so much giving up, she just wasn't looking. That was why she was kind of confused as to why she was nervous about this date in the first place. She was doing this so that Marie could go out with this guy again that she seemed to like so much. "So, is there anything that you can tell me about my date?"

---

Bucky frowned at his friend's words. "How could you possibly know that things are going to go horribly wrong for you?" He asked as they neared Marie's apartment. He understood where Steve was coming from, none of the other dates he'd set his friend up on had ended well, but that didn't mean that this one was going to too. "Marie's a great girl, and I'm sure that her friend is too, so don't start talking like that when you don't even know how things are going to go." He said. "C'mon, lets go meet our dates." He led his friend into the apartment building and up to the right floor. "32B...here it is!" He walked over, knocking lightly on the door.

Marie beamed as she went to take a seat on the couch and wait for the boys to show up. "Thank you," she smiled, hoping that Bucky would like her dress too. Marie glanced to the side at Suzy's question, trying to recall what Bucky had told her over the phone. "Well apparently he is the nicest guy Bucky knows, so that's really saying something considering how sweet Bucky is," Marie said with a smile at the thought of her date. "Oh! And he has blonde hair and blue eyes, so he's probably quite cute," she added before she was interrupted by a knock at the door. Marie flashed Suzy an excited grin as she leapt from her seat and grabbed her handbag. "Come on, let's go!" she said before opening the door to reveal Bucky and his friend. "Hi Bucky, how are you?" Marie smiled, noticing that he looked incredibly handsome clean-cut and in a suit.

---

Steve shrugged at Bucky's question. He didn't want to be such a downer and ruin their day before it had even begun, but they had done this sort of thing plenty of times before and it had always ended poorly for him and wonderfully for Bucky. "Yeah, sorry, I'm sure she'll be a great person," Steve mumbled. Inside he still feel bad. Just because his date was going to be nice didn't mean she was going to be nice enough to want somebody like him. Steve pressed his fringe out of his eyes once again as Bucky led him up stairs to a particular apartment, his nerves tossing as he waited to lay his eyes on his date for the first time.

Suzy followed her friend over to the couch, taking a seat next to her. "You're welcome." She said. She could tell where her friend's mind was. She had that starry-eyed far off look on her face that made it so very obvious that she was thinking about this Bucky guy. Suzy wondered if he was really as great as her friend made it seem like. She hoped that he was, Marie deserved to find a decent guy who would make her happy. "Alright, I guess I'll take your word for it." She said, smiling slightly. Before either of them could say much of anything else on the matter, there was a knock on the door. She got to her feet, albeit a little less enthusiastically than her friend had, and followed her over towards the door, stopping a little ways back though as Marie answered it.

---

Bucky frowned. He hated when Steve got like this. He understood where his friend was coming from, he really did, but just because things hadn't worked out with any of the other girls, it didn't mean that things weren't going to work out with this girl. Marie made it sound like she was a really nice girl, and he honestly doubted that she'd be friends with someone who wasn't nice, so hopefully things would work out a lot better than his friend was better on. "I'll bet you she is. How much do you wanna put down on this?" He said as he walked up to the floor where Marie's apartment was. He knocked on the door, smiling when the blonde answered. "I'm pretty swell, how're you, Marie? You're looking beautiful as always." He told her. He spotted the redhead standing a little ways behind her. "And this must be Suzy! It's nice to finally put a name to the face. This here's my friend Steve."

Marie beamed up at Bucky. "Aw thanks, Bucky," she said before clicking the lock on her door and ushering Suzy outside of her apartment so they could get going. Marie looped her arm around Bucky's and grinned up at him, almost unable to believe that she had such a great guy interested in her. She couldn't wait to get to Coney Island and have a grand time with him, and for Suzy's sake, she hoped that Bucky hadn't lied about a single detail about his friend Steve. "What ride are we going to go on first? I can't wait, it's going to be so much fun!" Marie said before taking a glance behind her at Suzy to check she was doing okay.

---

Steve was stunned for a few moments. First he was taken aback by Bucky's date, with her pretty blonde curls and gorgeous smile, though he wasn't surprised that Bucky had yet again managed to gain the affection of a beautiful young woman. But then Steve's eyes fell on the redhead who was lingering behind Marie. She had the largest and most beautiful eyes Steve had ever seen, and she looked absolutely stunning in the dress she had chosen. Steve heard Bucky say his name and a moment later he realised that that was probably his introduction. "Hi, it's nice to meet you," he stammered. Steve extended his arm, hoping to portray at least a little confidence by offering to shake Suzy's hand.

Suzy soon found herself being ushered out of the apartment by Marie. It was only then that she really got to get a good look at both of the guys. She could definitely see why her friend was so smitten with Bucky, he was good looking, and there just seemed to be this air of charm about him as well. "That would be correct." She said with a smile on her face. "I hope that you've only heard good things about me." She laughed slightly, her gaze soon shifting to the shorter of the two as Bucky introduced his friend as Steve. He was smaller than she was expecting him to be, though he was still an inch taller than her 5'3" frame, and rather skinny, but he had a cute face and his eyes were this gorgeous shade of blue. She sent a small, genuine smile his way. "It's nice to meet you too." She said, shaking his hand.

---

Bucky smiled. "Anytime, doll." He told her. He was really glad that he had this opportunity of taking her out on a second date. Their first date had gone really well, and he hoped that he'd get to know her even better today than he had the first time around. She already seemed like a great girl, and he was sure that he'd only find even more reasons to think that she was one this time around. He watched the exchange between Steve and Suzy for a moment before focusing his attention back on his beautiful date. "We can go on whatever ride you want to go on first. We definitely need to go on the Cyclone at least once though."

Marie smiled as she saw Steve and Suzy talking to each other and smiling. That was a start in her eyes. At least Suzy wasn't being repelled by him and running for the hills, something that had happened to Marie a few years back on a double date with a very sketchy man. Deciding she would check on them again later, Marie diverted all of her attention back to Bucky. "Oh yes, the Cyclone!" she exclaimed with delight. "I've heard that ride is really fun, but I haven't been on it yet!" Marie continued as she pictured being squashed next to Bucky on the ride. As they stepped outside, she realised she had a really good feeling about the date. Bucky was a special guy, so no doubt their date would be special too.

---

Steve smiled when Suzy took his hand, and he did his best to give her a firm handshake, trying to prove he was a strong and confident man despite not being anywhere near those qualities. But he was hopeful. Most women didn't want to even touch him, so he was off to a good start. Steve shoved his hands in his pockets and followed Bucky towards the exit. "Bucky didn't actually tell me anything about you," he admitted to Suzy. "What do you do? Where are you from?" Steve asked, hoping to start a conversation between them and find out if she really was as nice as Bucky had promised.