Joey laughed even harder and leaned
back as far as she could, allowing rain to fall in her mouth. Pacey pulled
her back up towards him. She caughthis eye. "Pacey."
It happened so quickly. One minute
she was drinking rain the next minute her lips were on his. The way she
had looked at him so intently. The way she had breathed his name, rather
than said it. The way she looked as raindrops soaked her hair. Pacey wanted
that kiss so badly. He needed it to stop even more.
"Joey. We can't do this right now.
You're not thinking straight."
"Don't tell me what I can and cannot
do," she said angrily before she kissed him again. "I know what I'm doing."
"Joey --."
She silenced him, "Let's go home
Pacey, we're getting soaked."
***
Pacey leaned against the wall of
the elevator, tipped his head back and closed his eyes. He was waiting
for Joey to press the button for the third floor. She was humming quietly
as she searched the panel.
He heard the doors close and felt
them being moved upward. He could barely comprehend what had happened in
the previous 15 minutes. From the moment they left the alley Joey hadn't
said a word. During the car ride home she had stared out the passenger
side window quietly and hummed to herself. It was driving him crazy because
he couldn't recognize the song.
When he had tried to help her up
the steps to the dorm she had refused him with out a word and made it to
the doors on her own.
Now in the elevator Pacey sensed
her standing beside him. "Joey --," he began again, he needed to figure
out what was happening.
She put her hand over his mouth and
repeated the same words as before, "I know what I'm doing." She sounded
as though she was trying to reassure herself as well as Pacey.
The doors opened and they stepped
off the elevator. Joey glanced down the hall where her room was and then
in the opposite direction towards Pacey's, as though she was judging the
distance. "Let's go to your room," she began walking.
"Joey hold on a second. We need to
talk."
"About what?" she asked quietly as
she leaned against the wall beside Pacey's door.
"About what happened back in the
alley," he said not making any efforts to open the door.
"Oh that," Joey closed her eyes as
though she was deep in thought. "Can we please go inside Pacey I'm freezing."
He was suddenly aware of how uncomfortable
he was in his wet clothes.
He fished out his keys and unlocked
the door. Joey walked in and closed the door behind her. She crossed the
room and slumped on to Pacey's desk chair.
Pacey went in to auto-pilot. He handed
Joey a pair of sweatpants and a large sweatshirt. Then he grabbed his hospital
pants and another sweatshirt and left the room. He changed in the men's'
room; half because he figured that Joey wouldn't make it to the ladies'
and because he needed to splash some cold water on his face in hopes that
it would bring him back to life.
Pacey stared at himself in one of
the mirrors. "Oh God don't let me regret this in the morning." He looked
like death warmed over. When had everything changed so suddenly? How? What
did the kiss in the alley mean? Sure Joey was drunk, but she said she knew
what she was doing. "I need a drink," he told his reflection.
He jogged down the hall back to his
room. Joey's wet clothes were in a pile on the floor. She was sitting on
the chair again waiting for him, now dressed in the dry sweats he had given
her. Pacey didn't say anything, instead he opened the mini fridge beside
Bryan's bed and took out a beer.
Joey stayed at her place beside the
desk and watched as Pacey downed the beer in record time. "You'll make
yourself sick."
"Well I'd rather be drunk than sober
right now."
"What is the matter? So I kissed
you!"
"That's right, you kissed me."
Joey stood up quickly, "Give me that,"
she said as she took the can of beer from Pacey and took a swig. "It's
not the end of the world."
"But it could've been. That can seriously
mess things up right now." He angrily opened another can, "What are we
Joey?"
"I don't understand the question."
"Friends don't kiss, not the way
we kissed."
"Do you regret it?" Pacey was unable
to answer her. She asked him again, "Do you regret it?"
"I don't think it was the right time.
You're drunk --."
"We've already established that but
I still know what's happening to me Pacey." She stomped her foot, "Answer
my question. Do you regret it?"
He gulped down another can of beer.
"NO!" he shouted.
"Thank you!" Joey stepped towards
him and kissed him again hard on the mouth. Pacey was taken by surprise
and was barely able to respond.
"Stay here tonight," Pacey said breathily
as he broke the kiss.
"We can't--."
"No, not that. You can take Bryan's
bed if you want. Just don't leave this room."