An hour later they were seated at a table at Tavern on the Green, sitting
in silence still for a few minutes, sneaking glances and one another and
laughing. It was a bit awkward waiting for their drinks in silence with
only the occasional laughing fits to break the silence, but he couldn't
take his eyes off of her. She was just as pretty as the last time he saw
her at the funeral. Before he left they shared a bittersweet goodbye and
now after seven years they were together again, by complete accident. When
the waiter finally brought his beer and her glass of wine he paused and
finally broke the silence.
"So ah how are you?" he said nervously, immediately kicking himself for asking such a dumb question. She looked at him and smiled, knowing he was just as nervous as she was. "I'm sorry that was stupid, but I have all these thoughts in my head and that's the only thing that came out. Pretty crappy opening I know."
"No it's okay really," she laughed, taking a drink of her wine. "I don't think I could have come up with something better. I mean how do you really start a conversation with your best friend after seven years of no contact." Another uncomfortable silence.
"Yeah seven years, seems like only yesterday when we were sitting on the picnic bench in front of my house and then saying goodbye before I left for LA again," he said, trailing off.
"Yeah time really did fly by," she said softly. "So what are you doing here? Are you still out on the West Coast?"
"Ah no actually I moved here about a year ago because the network wanted me to work on a new project they're developing, but I'm still a consultant for the show, but it's a lot less responsibility and time than it was before," he said, watching her nod along. "So what about you?"
"Oh I ah still do some editing part time, freelance for the company I was working with before, but now I'm actually doing more writing and two books that I have kind of been working on for a few years are being published in around spring so it's pretty exciting," she said, grinning from ear to ear.
"That's great Joey, I'm really happy for you," he said, still unable to tear his eyes away from her.
"Joey can I tell you something?" She tensed up for a minute, almost nervous about what he would say.
"Sure Dawson you can tell me anything," she said sweetly, taking another drink.
"It's so good to see you again," he started, feeling his heart start to beat faster. "I feel really bad that we lost touch again after Jen's funeral, but I thought about you all the time, wanting to call or e-mail but just getting distracted by something. But gosh seeing you here now, I just feel like there's so much to tell and find out and there's so much that I want to talk to you about.I guess I'm trying to say in my own way that I missed you a lot, more than you know and.you look really good, great I mean."
"Thank you," she said, her cheeks flaring red. "I missed you a lot too and I thought about you all the time too. I still watch the show and tell all my friends that I know that creative genius, but ah I'm sorry we lost touch too. I wanted to write and tell you about stuff but I just kept putting it off and then I thought it might be too late."
"It's never too late," he said with a smile, reaching for her hand and rubbing it soothingly. After a minute of just staring at one another again, taking in the reality that they were together, Dawson sighed and broke the silence yet again. "So I guess this would be where I ask you the inevitable question, are you seeing anyone?" He felt his heart stop for second, waiting nervously for her answer. She giggled and looked down for a minute.
"I guess that question is inevitable when you run into an old friend," she laughed, finally directing her attention to his eyes. "I actually just got out of a long-term relationship with this guy I met in an art class I was taking. We were engaged but it didn't work out." He didn't know if he should jump for joy or feel bad about what happened so all he could manage was a nod. "So Mr. Leery, what about you?" Pausing for a moment to regain his composure he looked at her.
"No I'm not," he said, watching her face soften and relax, almost smiling. "I mean there were dates here and there but being a chronic workaholic, that leaves little room for anything romantic or long-term. But now that I'm doing something else, maybe I'll be able to finally calm down and be able to change that." She smiled and scooted her chair closer to him, looking at him for a minute before wrapping her arms around him, holding him as tight as she could, burying her face in his shoulder. He was slightly taken aback when she moved closer to him, resisting every urge to kiss her while hoping she would kiss him, but a hug was a start. Smelling her hair and the soft perfume she wore was intoxicating enough for him and the feeling of her in his arms again made him smile. After holding each other, not saying word, for what felt like hours, Joey moved to check her watch and gasped, pulling away from Dawson suddenly.
"Oh my god it's almost two p.m., I have to go," she said frantically, throwing some money on the table and grabbing her bag and hat. The sudden change in her demeanor caught him by surprise and he felt a sense of panic in his chest. She was leaving, but he wasn't going to let her walk out of his life again without a word.
"Joey is everything okay, I didn't upset you did I?" he asked, standing to help her with her bag.
"No it's not that, I just have to get home so my nanny can take off," she said, pausing when she realized she didn't mention that little detail earlier. He froze for a second, wondering if he heard her correctly.
"Nanny?" he said shakily. Both stopped and stared at each other for a minute, knowing she had to tell him.
"Yeah as in baby nanny," she stammered. "I have a two-year old son Dawson and he's at my house right now with the nanny and I said I would be back by two so she could go to class. I'm sorry I was going to tell you.I'm sorry." She looked like she was about to crumble, embarrassed that she kept it from him and neglected to mention it in conversation.
"No it's fine, really, just a shock," he said, trying to figure out if he was really upset because he was jealous that someone else fathered her child.
"I'm sorry but I really have to go, but why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow night, we can catch up more and you can meet my son," she said, immediately catching his attention again.
"I would really like that," he said honestly. She quickly wrote her phone number and address on a napkin and made sure he knew how to find it. After another quick goodbye hug she waved and was gone, disappearing into the crowd that was floating by the park. When she was completely out of his sight he sank into the chair and tried to recap what happened over the last few hours. He bumped into his soul mate, his best friend, his everything after seven years so no talking and now she was single and a mother! The whole thing was almost too much to process and it left him feeling just as confused as he was before. Seeing her again stirred all these emotions up inside him and the reaction he had to her having a child was just the frosting on the cake. He was confused about how he felt, but no matter what he was thinking or dreaming, she was back and he couldn't let her slip by him again.
"So ah how are you?" he said nervously, immediately kicking himself for asking such a dumb question. She looked at him and smiled, knowing he was just as nervous as she was. "I'm sorry that was stupid, but I have all these thoughts in my head and that's the only thing that came out. Pretty crappy opening I know."
"No it's okay really," she laughed, taking a drink of her wine. "I don't think I could have come up with something better. I mean how do you really start a conversation with your best friend after seven years of no contact." Another uncomfortable silence.
"Yeah seven years, seems like only yesterday when we were sitting on the picnic bench in front of my house and then saying goodbye before I left for LA again," he said, trailing off.
"Yeah time really did fly by," she said softly. "So what are you doing here? Are you still out on the West Coast?"
"Ah no actually I moved here about a year ago because the network wanted me to work on a new project they're developing, but I'm still a consultant for the show, but it's a lot less responsibility and time than it was before," he said, watching her nod along. "So what about you?"
"Oh I ah still do some editing part time, freelance for the company I was working with before, but now I'm actually doing more writing and two books that I have kind of been working on for a few years are being published in around spring so it's pretty exciting," she said, grinning from ear to ear.
"That's great Joey, I'm really happy for you," he said, still unable to tear his eyes away from her.
"Joey can I tell you something?" She tensed up for a minute, almost nervous about what he would say.
"Sure Dawson you can tell me anything," she said sweetly, taking another drink.
"It's so good to see you again," he started, feeling his heart start to beat faster. "I feel really bad that we lost touch again after Jen's funeral, but I thought about you all the time, wanting to call or e-mail but just getting distracted by something. But gosh seeing you here now, I just feel like there's so much to tell and find out and there's so much that I want to talk to you about.I guess I'm trying to say in my own way that I missed you a lot, more than you know and.you look really good, great I mean."
"Thank you," she said, her cheeks flaring red. "I missed you a lot too and I thought about you all the time too. I still watch the show and tell all my friends that I know that creative genius, but ah I'm sorry we lost touch too. I wanted to write and tell you about stuff but I just kept putting it off and then I thought it might be too late."
"It's never too late," he said with a smile, reaching for her hand and rubbing it soothingly. After a minute of just staring at one another again, taking in the reality that they were together, Dawson sighed and broke the silence yet again. "So I guess this would be where I ask you the inevitable question, are you seeing anyone?" He felt his heart stop for second, waiting nervously for her answer. She giggled and looked down for a minute.
"I guess that question is inevitable when you run into an old friend," she laughed, finally directing her attention to his eyes. "I actually just got out of a long-term relationship with this guy I met in an art class I was taking. We were engaged but it didn't work out." He didn't know if he should jump for joy or feel bad about what happened so all he could manage was a nod. "So Mr. Leery, what about you?" Pausing for a moment to regain his composure he looked at her.
"No I'm not," he said, watching her face soften and relax, almost smiling. "I mean there were dates here and there but being a chronic workaholic, that leaves little room for anything romantic or long-term. But now that I'm doing something else, maybe I'll be able to finally calm down and be able to change that." She smiled and scooted her chair closer to him, looking at him for a minute before wrapping her arms around him, holding him as tight as she could, burying her face in his shoulder. He was slightly taken aback when she moved closer to him, resisting every urge to kiss her while hoping she would kiss him, but a hug was a start. Smelling her hair and the soft perfume she wore was intoxicating enough for him and the feeling of her in his arms again made him smile. After holding each other, not saying word, for what felt like hours, Joey moved to check her watch and gasped, pulling away from Dawson suddenly.
"Oh my god it's almost two p.m., I have to go," she said frantically, throwing some money on the table and grabbing her bag and hat. The sudden change in her demeanor caught him by surprise and he felt a sense of panic in his chest. She was leaving, but he wasn't going to let her walk out of his life again without a word.
"Joey is everything okay, I didn't upset you did I?" he asked, standing to help her with her bag.
"No it's not that, I just have to get home so my nanny can take off," she said, pausing when she realized she didn't mention that little detail earlier. He froze for a second, wondering if he heard her correctly.
"Nanny?" he said shakily. Both stopped and stared at each other for a minute, knowing she had to tell him.
"Yeah as in baby nanny," she stammered. "I have a two-year old son Dawson and he's at my house right now with the nanny and I said I would be back by two so she could go to class. I'm sorry I was going to tell you.I'm sorry." She looked like she was about to crumble, embarrassed that she kept it from him and neglected to mention it in conversation.
"No it's fine, really, just a shock," he said, trying to figure out if he was really upset because he was jealous that someone else fathered her child.
"I'm sorry but I really have to go, but why don't you come over for dinner tomorrow night, we can catch up more and you can meet my son," she said, immediately catching his attention again.
"I would really like that," he said honestly. She quickly wrote her phone number and address on a napkin and made sure he knew how to find it. After another quick goodbye hug she waved and was gone, disappearing into the crowd that was floating by the park. When she was completely out of his sight he sank into the chair and tried to recap what happened over the last few hours. He bumped into his soul mate, his best friend, his everything after seven years so no talking and now she was single and a mother! The whole thing was almost too much to process and it left him feeling just as confused as he was before. Seeing her again stirred all these emotions up inside him and the reaction he had to her having a child was just the frosting on the cake. He was confused about how he felt, but no matter what he was thinking or dreaming, she was back and he couldn't let her slip by him again.
