"Andie, thank you so much for coming, I can't tell you how much we
appreciate it. Joey squeezed her friend in a tight hug.
"Are you kidding me? As I told the others before, after what we had to observe in high school, there was absolutely no way that I'd miss this finally happening!"
Dawson chuckled "Yeah we have been known to have dragged out the 'will they, won't they' storyline a tad too long."
"Just a tad!" Andie laughed. "You had us going there at times, but I think that we all knew it would end up this way."
Joey and Dawson smiled at each other.
"Oh you two are so cute you make me sick."
Joey laughed "Well in that case I'll excuse myself- I need to catch Bessie before Alex decides to throw up again."
Dawson watched her walk away his face beaming.
"Andie, I am so happy."
"Well you couldn't tell from looking at you!" Andie replied sarcastically.
He looked down at her and took her hand.
"I only wish that each of my friends will be as happy as I am." he looked at her meaningfully. Andie sighed unenthusiastically.
"What? Don't tell me my only partner in eternal optimism has left me to fight the cynics alone."
"Well experience has only proved contrary to that so called optimism that I used to believe in."
Dawson didn't know what to say, worried that anything that came out of his mouth would sound like the patronising tone of a smug married.
Andie quickly recovered from her momentary self pity knowing that this was neither the time nor place. Plastering a smile on her face she changed her demeanour.
"But you never know- maybe I'll be proved wrong."
"I know you will."
"I hope you're right."
"Well in the meantime, I'll believe for you."
She smiled at him, warmed by his sentiments. ~
From across the hall Pacey watched as Dawson hugged Andie.
"That Andie is quite the sweetheart" Mike spoke noticing the focus of Pacey's gaze.
"Yeah we're fond of her." Jen concurred nodding her head at Pacey, smiling knowingly at Mike.
"What?" Pacey intercepted their smiles.
"You are so smitten."
"Excuse me?" Pacey challenged her.
"Oh come on Pace, look at you!"
"I have absolutely no clue what you're talking about Lindley."
"Hey that's Mrs Purcell to you." Mike intervened jokingly.
"Pace I can see sparks being reignited, and it's only natural, I mean this is a wedding."
"Jen I have absolutely no clue what you're talking about."
"You said that already." she smiled mischievously at him.
"Mike, control your woman" Pacey ordered as he walked away suddenly feeling the need for something alcoholic.
"Oh yeah" Mike turned to his wife "completely smitten."
~
Andie took a sip of her wine and looked around the table. Her eyes rested on Pacey who she felt was deliberately avoiding her for some reason. She had been first to find her place and Pacey was next to come to their table. He had smiled at her awkwardly and taken a seat on the other side of the table instead of the two unoccupied ones next to her. She had also noticed his uncharacteristic silence during the conversation over the wedding meal. She had caught him staring at her at one stage, smiling as she caught his eye, but he immediately turned away, as if burned by her look. He seemed to have something on his mind, and she couldn't quite shake the thought that it had something to do with her.
Andie wasn't quite being paranoid. Pacey's defences had been built, scared by the intensity of emotions that had been stirred over the last few hours. He felt agitated and uncomfortable in his own skin, and he didn't know how to get it out of his system. He couldn't help himself stealing glances Andie's way, mesmerised by the sound of her voice, the lightness of her laugh and the movement of her delicate face. He busied himself by playing with Cole, allowing Jen and Mike to dance for a while and enjoy themselves. But he knew he couldn't keep it up. He knew he had to talk to her, had to spend some time catching up with her, not so much because he had to, but more because we was desperate to. He just had to work up the courage. He lifted his glass to his lips and began to work on it.
"Are you kidding me? As I told the others before, after what we had to observe in high school, there was absolutely no way that I'd miss this finally happening!"
Dawson chuckled "Yeah we have been known to have dragged out the 'will they, won't they' storyline a tad too long."
"Just a tad!" Andie laughed. "You had us going there at times, but I think that we all knew it would end up this way."
Joey and Dawson smiled at each other.
"Oh you two are so cute you make me sick."
Joey laughed "Well in that case I'll excuse myself- I need to catch Bessie before Alex decides to throw up again."
Dawson watched her walk away his face beaming.
"Andie, I am so happy."
"Well you couldn't tell from looking at you!" Andie replied sarcastically.
He looked down at her and took her hand.
"I only wish that each of my friends will be as happy as I am." he looked at her meaningfully. Andie sighed unenthusiastically.
"What? Don't tell me my only partner in eternal optimism has left me to fight the cynics alone."
"Well experience has only proved contrary to that so called optimism that I used to believe in."
Dawson didn't know what to say, worried that anything that came out of his mouth would sound like the patronising tone of a smug married.
Andie quickly recovered from her momentary self pity knowing that this was neither the time nor place. Plastering a smile on her face she changed her demeanour.
"But you never know- maybe I'll be proved wrong."
"I know you will."
"I hope you're right."
"Well in the meantime, I'll believe for you."
She smiled at him, warmed by his sentiments. ~
From across the hall Pacey watched as Dawson hugged Andie.
"That Andie is quite the sweetheart" Mike spoke noticing the focus of Pacey's gaze.
"Yeah we're fond of her." Jen concurred nodding her head at Pacey, smiling knowingly at Mike.
"What?" Pacey intercepted their smiles.
"You are so smitten."
"Excuse me?" Pacey challenged her.
"Oh come on Pace, look at you!"
"I have absolutely no clue what you're talking about Lindley."
"Hey that's Mrs Purcell to you." Mike intervened jokingly.
"Pace I can see sparks being reignited, and it's only natural, I mean this is a wedding."
"Jen I have absolutely no clue what you're talking about."
"You said that already." she smiled mischievously at him.
"Mike, control your woman" Pacey ordered as he walked away suddenly feeling the need for something alcoholic.
"Oh yeah" Mike turned to his wife "completely smitten."
~
Andie took a sip of her wine and looked around the table. Her eyes rested on Pacey who she felt was deliberately avoiding her for some reason. She had been first to find her place and Pacey was next to come to their table. He had smiled at her awkwardly and taken a seat on the other side of the table instead of the two unoccupied ones next to her. She had also noticed his uncharacteristic silence during the conversation over the wedding meal. She had caught him staring at her at one stage, smiling as she caught his eye, but he immediately turned away, as if burned by her look. He seemed to have something on his mind, and she couldn't quite shake the thought that it had something to do with her.
Andie wasn't quite being paranoid. Pacey's defences had been built, scared by the intensity of emotions that had been stirred over the last few hours. He felt agitated and uncomfortable in his own skin, and he didn't know how to get it out of his system. He couldn't help himself stealing glances Andie's way, mesmerised by the sound of her voice, the lightness of her laugh and the movement of her delicate face. He busied himself by playing with Cole, allowing Jen and Mike to dance for a while and enjoy themselves. But he knew he couldn't keep it up. He knew he had to talk to her, had to spend some time catching up with her, not so much because he had to, but more because we was desperate to. He just had to work up the courage. He lifted his glass to his lips and began to work on it.