"Pacey, Anna called--about ten times."

"Thanks." Pacey replied, with an undeniably irritated tone of voice...

Joey raised her eyebrows at the opening scene of Pacey's life. "Nice," was her only comment, trying to sound as sincere as possible when she found Pacey's roommate sprawled out on the sofa with a bag of Doritos resting peacefully on his stomach. He seemed like a good-looking enough guy to Joey, but she could see a serious lack of sociability in his countenance.

"Justin, this is Joey."

Justin glanced away from the TV long enough to grunt something completely inaudible.

Joey laughed softly as she realized this is exactly what she had in mind when she pictured Pacey's living arrangements: a slob of a roommate, who seemed to care about food and clothing as little as Pacey. However, the apartment was nicer than she expected. The living room was bright, and spacious enough to hold two worn-out sofas and a recliner. It lacked any sort of womanly touch, but she would've been nervous had there been any girly decorations. Pacey lead Joey down the narrow hallway, where she found a semi-large room with a messy double bed and a tall dresser hidden behind piles of clothing.

"I've never been one for cleaning."

"Oh, don't say that. This is everything I thought it would be…and yet so much more." Her sarcasm was immediately felt and appreciated by Pacey, who returned with, "I did it all for you." He smiled mischievously as he picked up random clothes and threw them in the corner of his small room.

"Now, where exactly would I be sleeping? In between that pile of garbage and this pile of clothes? Because that's the only clear space I can see. How about you…any space over there?"

"Unfortunately, no. I guess it's just you and me in the bed. Funny how things work out."

"Hmm. That is funny."

Joey eyed Pacey. "And yet, not possible."

"No, really, it'll be fine."

"Pacey, I know I was easy in the past, but honestly, you don't expect me to put out the first night, do you?"

"Sure I do. You always have before."

"Banter aside, maybe I should get another place to stay. You're place seems pretty full already. With Justin on the couch and you here and…"

Pacey walked over to Joey, who was standing helplessly in the middle of his pitiful, cluttered room. "I promise I'll clean this up. You get the bed, and I'll kick Justin off the couch and sleep there. I sleep out there half the time anyway, so it's no big deal."

He picked up her bags and set them in the corner of his room, on top of his clothes. "Let's grab something to eat and we'll clean this up later."

"We? Probably not." Joey smiled playfully as Pacey grabbed her hand and towed her out of the room. They passed Justin on their way out, and Pacey hastily stopped before opening the door.

"How's it going, Justin?"

"Same old."

"We're going to get something to eat; you need anything?"

"No, I'm good. Thanks." Joey witnessed Justin's first signs of humanity. It seemed almost a miracle that he could be cordial, considering his first impression made him seem pretty cold.

She followed Pacey to the Jeep and sat comfortably next to him. As he started the car, she promptly reached out and softly placed her hand over his. "Thank you for letting me come and stay with you. I know I am probably putting you out, but…being here with you. This is just what I needed and I feel better about my decision every minute I spend with you."

"Jo, don't worry about a thing. You're not putting anybody out. Just as long as you put out—that is the key."

She punched him on the shoulder and couldn't stop herself from laughing. "Can you stop with the sexual innuendos, please? You're making me sick."

Pacey winked at her and started the Jeep. Again, it was impossible to talk as they drove, but they were both contented on simply being together again. She could feel his eyes on her as he drove, so she purposefully averted her eyes. He pulled over at Jack's Only Seafood Restaurant, a local place Pacey and the boys loved at eat at. 

"How does seafood sound?" He asked hopefully.

"Sounds good."

Again, Pacey reached for her hand and lead Joey into the restaurant. It was almost instinct for him to hold Joey's hand, and he colored slightly when he realized what he was doing. It had been years since he had done that, and for him to do it now seemed a little awkward. Pacey glanced at her face to see if she showed any signs of discomfort, but she simply watched her surroundings. Internally, he warned himself not to reach for her hand again.

The place seemed like a hole to Joey, but she didn't want to say anything. There was an overbearingly dank and musty smell that caught her lungs off guard as she entered the restaurant. The lighting was so dim, that as the hostess escorted them to their table, she knocked her knee against a couple of tables unknowingly. The eagerness in Pacey's eyes forced Joey to hold her tongue. They were seated in a damp, little corner of the restaurant at a booth. She gazed eagerly at the menu and asked Pacey for his recommendations. Finally deciding on Cajun shrimp and halibut, they eased into a comfortable conversation.

"What's up with your roommate, Justin? Is he always so friendly?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry about him. He's got an excuse, though. His girl just hooked up with a one of our old surfing buddies, so he's pretty pissed right now."

"How sad."

"Yeah, he's a good guy. Usually, he's a lot friendlier. Hopefully he'll get over that soon. So, what did you think of the apartment?"

"Honestly? It's a lot better than I expected. You made it seem like you lived in the ghetto, but I didn't think it was that bad…didn't Justin mention an Anna? Is that his girlfriend?"

"Not quite…Anna is…she's just this random girl I hang out with sometimes."

"Come on, Pacey. Cough it up. Is she your girlfriend?" Joey replied coaxingly.

"Not really, we're just friends."

"Sounds suspicious. So, tell me about her. How long have you been 'hanging out'?"

"There's not much to tell."

"Whatever. You can tell me, Pace." Pacey laughed at her sudden seriousness.

"It's not a big deal, really."

The food was brought to them, allowing an immediate change of subject. Joey tried to bring up Anna several more times, but Pacey was unyielding. They did, however, get a chance to talk about Joey's future plans, Dawson, and even Joey's past relationships since living in New York. Pacey was secretly grateful there wasn't much to tell. She hadn't dated anyone seriously in the two years since she left Capeside, due to her obsession with studying.

"So, what you're telling me is that no one has been able to satisfy you, since we broke up." He smiled to himself, as if he had achieved some lifetime goal.

"Oh, Pace, if only it was that simple. Really, it was that everyone could satisfy me so much more. I never knew how things could really be until I went to New York."

"Jo, you know that's not true. But, I'm willing to play along if you are…I'm not afraid to prove myself, over and over again, if need be."

"I'm going to have to pass on your tempting little offer there."

"We'll see about that. You ready?"

 Joey nodded in agreement and they got up to leave the restaurant when someone tapped Pacey's shoulder. Pacey quickly turned around to greet his other roommate.

"What's up, Pace? Who's this?"

He flashed Joey a bright smile and she was instantly taken in with whoever Pacey's friend was. He was well built, with clear eyes and dark hair.

"Tyler, this is Joey Potter."

"Joey, it's good to finally meet you after all this time. All Pacey has done is talk, talk, talk about you and your beautiful face. Hey, we should all go out and get to know each other better. What do you say?"

Pacey interjected curtly, before Joey could respond. "Tyler, I'm just going to show her around and then we'll probably head home."

"Home? Let's go play tonight. Show this girl the town, Witter. She's too hot, I mean beautiful, to just leave at home. Oh sorry, everyone, this is Gina, Gina this is Pacey and the legendary Joey Potter." Tyler had finally acknowledged his date's presence, which happened to be a very pretty girl, although she looked about sixteen years old. Joey slightly colored at his reference to her beauty in front of his date. She couldn't decide if he was being sincere or arrogant.

Pacey watched Joey and Tyler interact, and became noticeably irritated as Tyler continued hitting on Joey. Pacey rapidly changed the subject and said affirmatively, "We'll see you later."

Joey took Pacey's hint, and without any objection, said goodbye to Tyler with great kindness, and walked out of the restaurant. Pacey followed directly behind her and she slowed to allow him to catch up with her. She scanned his face for an explanation of his suddenly rigid disposition. However, Pacey gave no allusions as to his real feelings, while he continued to avoid eye contact, driving away in silence.