Last night their lovemaking had been a tender reconnection of lost love. This morning, however, it had been urgent and more passionate than ever, as if they were both trying to get their fill of each other before facing reality. After their round of very satisfying wake-up sex, Joey went to take a shower while Pacey went to make breakfast. A few minutes into her shower, Joey heard the bathroom door, which she'd left unlocked, open. On a smile, she said, "Took you long enough, Witter."
As Pacey opened the shower door, he looked at her sheepishly. "I wasn't sure…"
She smiled, took his hand and pulled him into the shower with her. They stayed in there until the water ran cold.
Pacey and Joey sat in a comfortably uncomfortable silence as they ate breakfast.
"Wow, Pace, this is really good," Joey said as she took big bites of her omelette. "I think you've found your calling."
He smiled, happy to make her happy, but also happy with his life. "I do love the kitchen life."
She looked up and smiled back. "It suits you, Pace. The directionlessness and restlessness is gone. I'm proud of you."
He blushed. "Thanks, Jo. You don't know what that means to me." He took a sip of his coffee and then braced himself to deal with the elephant in the room. "So, Joey, what is this?" he asked as he pointed between them.
"I don't know, Pace," she answered honestly. "Does it have to be something?"
"So, a one night stand?" he queried. "Closure?"
She put her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand. "I do think it was closure. We had a lot of unresolved feelings bubbling just under the surface despite our attempts to pretend otherwise. What I do know is that we can't be together right now. Our relationship was all-consuming and losing it almost destroyed me, Pacey. I can't go back there. I wouldn't survive a second time, not with all the wounds so fresh."
He nodded in agreement, sadly resigned to facing reality. "I think we need to live our own lives for a while, too. I love you, Joey. I probably always will, but, I agree, it's not the right time for us. I want to see where this new life takes me and you need to live your dream." He reached over and grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently. "So, let's just chalk it up to a hormonal glitch and move forward, our friendship in tact. What do you say?"
Joey chuckled softly at his comment, a throwback to Aunt Gwen's, "I think that's a great idea, Pace." He pulled his hand back and picked up his coffee, satisfied by their resolution. He had just taken a sip when she added, "But... If we were to get caught up in another hormonal glitch, I don't think I'd mind."
Pacey nearly spit out his coffee. He coughed as it went down the wrong hole. When he recovered, he looked at Joey and asked, "What?"
"If this," she said as she pointed between them, "were to happen again. I would be okay with that."
Pacey, shocked, made a show of looking around the boat. When his gaze landed back on Joey, he couldn't help but say, "Who are you and what have you done with Joey Potter?"' He paused a moment and the asked, "You aren't seriously proposing what I think you are?" Then, "Are you?"
Joey laughed at his attempt to lighten the mood and hide his shock, so she played along by reaching out her hand as if she was meeting him for the first time. "I'm her twin, Other Joey." He smiled at that. She pulled her hand back to her coffee mug. "But seriously, Pace, I'm stressed by all the coursework I have and all the drama around our little Capeside Bunch. It would be nice to have someone I trust completely to release it with. I don't want to sleep with random guys. And I love sleeping with you."
"Well, I am Pacey Witter, Friend to Women," he commented good-naturedly with a sexy grin. When Joey smiled, Pacey held up a hand. "But, Jo, I'm not sure if we can keep our emotions and our history out of an arrangement like that. And the last thing I want to do is hurt you again."
Joey got up from her bench and sat next to him on his. "I appreciate that, Pace. So let's just take it one day at a time and see what, if anything, happens. If it gets too weird or things change in our lives, we'll call it off and go back to being friends."
"Can we really do that, Jo? They're bound to find out. It's hard enough not to touch you in public so as it is. I don't know if I could stop myself if we were to start doing that on a regular basis again."
She shrugged. "So, we touch. We always have. They'll just think we got over the awkwardness and be glad everything is back to normal so they can go back to their normal state of oblivion when it comes to us. And, well, Dawson's got bigger fish to fry right now, so I doubt he'll be paying much attention."
Pacey knew this had disaster written all over it, but he couldn't deny Joey anything. He nodded and Joey kissed him. How the hell were they going to pull this off with their hearts still in tact?