~ PART 2 ~
We pick up in fall back in Boston...
Joey tapped the side of the jukebox at Hell's Kitchen in frustration. "This is so unfair. When are they gonna play my song?" she mumbled to herself.
Right behind her, she heard, "Well, maybe the jukebox rejected it on the grounds there's been plenty enough whiny chick-rock for one night, thank you very much." Her heart skipped a beat.
"Bite me, Pace," was her cheeky response even as she shifted her body so it was flush against his.
He leaned into her and whispered, "Just tell me when and where," in his seductive voice, causing Joey to recall all the times he'd done just that over the past few weeks. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath against the onslaught of emotions he was stirring within her despite their agreement to cool things off in light of her move back to Boston.
"Anytime, anyplace," was her response. She wasn't about to suffer alone. And his sharp intake of breath followed by his gravelly chuckle and, "Touche, Potter," told her she had succeeded.
Their moment of foreplay was interrupted, however, by a voice they both knew well. "Uh, hey guys," it said, "Any good songs in there?"
At hearing Dawson's voice, Pacey broke away from her and stepped to the side. "Naw, man," he said, voice as cool as a cucumber, "it's all whiny chick-rock. I was hoping they had some sense seeing as this place is called Hell's Kitchen, but I guess not." Then, he cleared his throat. How the hell could he be so calm when she had to have a death grip on the jukebox just to stop her knees from buckling at the thought of him biting her in all the places she liked. "So, how was LA, man?" Pacey asked.
Joey took a few deep breaths as she worked to regain her composure, only half listening to their conversation. When she felt she was as normal as she was going to get, she turned away from the jukebox to face the two boys who meant the most to her in her life, and smiled. When Dawson was finished talking, he turned toward her and said, "Hey, Jo," and pulled her into a tight hug. "I missed you."
She returned the hug, but then pulled away gently. "Hi, Dawson. Sounds like you had a great summer." She loved this boy. Probably always would. But, as she spied an uncomfortable-looking Pacey out of the corner of her eye, wondered why he didn't make her feel the things that boy did.
"How was your summer?" Dawson asked. "You seem happy."
"I am," she answered honestly. Eyeing Pacey and smiling, Joey added, ""You know how it is. Never a dull moment in Capeside." Nope. Definitely not dull. The exact opposite in fact.
"Guess what?! I'm going to be in town for a while."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I'm working on a movie that's shooting here in Boston."
Genuinely happy for her friend, Joey grinned. "That's fantastic. Congratulations."
Pacey, who'd been quiet up until now, added, "Congrats man. You're living the dream just like we always knew you would." Then Joey saw him look toward the table where their friends, including Andie, who was home from Italy to start at Harvard, sat. "I should go say hello. I'll see you in a bit."
Before he stepped away, Dawson halted him, "Wait a sec."
"What?"
"Audrey told me to tell you she'll be back to tomorrow morning. She's looking forward to seeing you. I think she really missed you this summer."
"Thanks for letting me know," was all he said before turning on his heel and walking toward their friends, leaving Joey alone with Dawson.
"So…" he ventured.
"So…"
"We left things kind of open-ended. Maybe we should talk?"
"Well, since Audrey is still in LA, her side of the room is free. Why don't you stay at my dorm? Then we can talk." Joey grasped him lightly by the wrist, "In the meantime, let's focus on our friends. It's Andie's night after all."
~zzzzz~
The moment Pacey had been waiting for and dreading in equal measure had finally arrived. The Soulmates were reunited. He would rather be working the banquet he was missing at the Yacht Club than be witness to this, but he'd promised both Joey and Jack he'd drive up for the weekend. Despite their decision to take a break given the physical distance between them now that Joey was back in school, Pacey was in love with her and couldn't deny her request to come up for her birthday. And when Jack called to let him know they were celebrating Andie's return, he knew there was no way he could skip it. But, on the upside, he was going out with the guys from Civilization after this, so at least he had that to look forward to.
He did his best to keep up appearances and maintain happy conversation with his friends even as he fumed with jealousy on the inside as Dawson kept inching his chair and body closer and closer to Joey, who wasn't stopping him. Clearly their arrangement, hell he didn't even know what to call it, meant more to him than her. He knew this would happen. At least in keeping it a secret, he didn't have to be humiliated and pitied in front of everyone, too. "You ok, Pace?" Andie asked concernedly next to him.
He looked over and smiled genuinely. "Yeah. Just tired I guess. Been working a lot."
"You seem happy, though, present disposition excluded."
"I am." And he was. Mostly. "And so do you."
"I am."
They exchanged smiles and then Andie pulled him into an impromptu hug, whispering, "This thing with Joey will work itself out. Give it time."
When he pulled away, he looked at her quizzically. Arching a brow, he asked her without asking how she knew.
Andie shrugged. Then she smiled as she flicked him on the ear playfully.
She knew because she knew him. They shared a bond as first loves that was special. Seems time and distance hadn't altered it. "I'm glad you're home, Andie," he said sincerely as he took her hand and squeezed.
"I'm glad to be home," she replied as she squeezed back.
When they broke apart and Pacey looked away and surveyed the table, he thought he saw Joey frowning. When he went to do a double-take, though, whatever expression she'd had on her face was gone, replaced with a smile - the one she reserved for Dawson, who was way too close for Pacey's comfort.
Needing distance, Pacey stood up and excused himself to head to the restroom. Since it was a Friday, the bar was packed. As he was walking, he bumped into a woman, causing her to spill her drink on the floor.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!"
"Its okay. Accidents happen," she replied. Then she turned around to face him and he was blindsided.
"Tamara?"
"Pacey?"
"What, ah, what are you doing here?"
"I'm here for the weekend with some friends. What are you doing here?"
He crooked his head toward the table. "Same." She followed his gaze and nodded her understanding. Then, "Wow. I can't believe this. You look great."
When she eyed him up and down and said, "So do you," his stomach did a traitorous flip. Andie was his first love. Joey was his true love. But Tamara had been his unattainable love. What else could she be when she was pushing 40 and he was 15? But he wasn't 15 anymore and, as she stood there in front of him, she didn't seem so unattainable.
Pacey briefly glanced to the table of his friends where Dawson and Joey were heavily engaged in conversation. They'd shared a charged moment earlier, but since then she'd pretty much ignored him in favor of her soulmate. Maybe he needed a distraction. And he knew from experience that Tamara was a great one.
~zzzzz~
Where the hell was Pacey? He got up to go to the bathroom nearly twenty minutes ago and still wasn't back. Joey craned her neck to look for him, but could only see a sea of bodies.
"Whatcha looking at?" Jen asked. "Or, rather, who are you looking for?"
Since Dawson reluctantly had moved away from Joey and was engaged in conversation with Andie, Joey turned her head to look at her friend, who had mischief in her eyes. "Nothing. No one."
"Right." Then, "So what's up between you and Pacey?"
"Huh?"
"Joey, come on. This is me you're talking to."
"Well…" Joey started to say but was cut off when Pacey reappeared at the table with a companion.
"Hey, guys, look who I bumped into."
No. It couldn't be. Could it? What were the odds of the two of them ending up here at the same time?
"Ms. Jacobs?" This from Dawson, shock evident in his voice at their blast from the past.
"Hello, Dawson," she said politely. "Jennifer. Joey. How are you?"
Joey was so shocked by the woman's appearance and how close she was standing to Pacey that all she could do was nod hello.
Pacey then pointed to Jack and Andie. "Tammy, this is Jack and Andie. I think you met Andie once, but not Jack, right?" He was being awfully familiar with her. Tammy?!
The woman nodded. "Yes, hi, Andie. Nice to meet you, Jack."
Jack grinned and exchanged a look with Pacey as he stood up to shake her hand. "Oh, no, the pleasure is all mine." Jack had always been bummed he missed the Ms. Jacobs thing. He'd had a front row seat for the debacle with Pacey and Alex, so Joey thought he was ecstatic to meet the woman responsible for Pacey's preoccupation with older women.
Then Pacey went over to Andie and leaned down to give her a hug from behind. When he stood back up, he said, "Tammy and I are gonna go catch up. I just wanted to say welcome home again. Maybe we can get together again soon, yeah?"
Andie laughed and turned her head to face him, "Sure, Pace. I'm feeling some deja vu here…"
When he winked, Joey fumed. She asked accusingly, "I thought you were meeting the guys from the restaurant?"
He turned his attention toward her then for the first time since the jukebox. "I am, but that's not till later, so I have some time."
"But…"
"Isn't it great, Jo? Andie. Dawson. Tamara. Lots of catching up going on all around." Joey didn't miss his emphasis on Dawson's name. Then, "I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"
She looked downward and then back up. "Ok." The distance was what they both agreed on after all. There was no commitment between them. They were both free to do whatever - and whoever - they wanted to. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt.
When Pacey ushered Tammy out the door with his hand on the small of her back as Jack joked to the table, "Guess we shouldn't wait up for him at Grams'," Joey felt like she was going to cry.
Dawson was back. Everything was how it was supposed to be. How she wanted it to be before that night. So why wasn't she happier?
Why? Because Pacey just walked out the door with the one woman she could never compete with, that's why. With Andie, Audrey, and the others, Joey knew exactly where she stood. But Ms. Jacobs was a wild card because she was no longer a forbidden fruit. And she knew and encouraged the one piece of Pacey that he'd hidden from her until this summer. This was not good.