Part 8
Giving in
I knew as soon as I saw her face I was in trouble, and I winced in anticipation
as she approached.
"I am going to kill you Jennifer Lindley." she hissed, then turning to Pacey,
she indicated to him that he should follow, which he did.
We stopped briefly at her dressing room to grab her flowers and then headed out.
Joey hadn't said anything more yet so I knew I was in for a nice long talking to
unless I came up with something fast. "Jo - I'm sorry. He called and wanted to
see the show - and - "
"Not now." Joey said sharply. "Not in front of him."
I thought about that as Joey gave our cabbie her address. She didn't want him to
think she was mad for him being there. She was only mad that she wasn't
warned...
Pacey spoke calmly when we took off, but sounded genuine."Um, would it be
possible for us to go back to Jen's? I've got this intense case of jet lag
coming on, and well..."
"No." Joey said, and I looked at her face carefully. She was struggling with
something, but I wasn't sure what. "If you want to pass out you can do it at my
studio. Jen is coming over to talk. Therefore you are too." she paused. "I'm
sorry Pace. This isn't about you." she looked him full in the face over my head.
"Anything I can change into? I'm not really in the mood to sleep in a penguin
suit." he indicated his tux, smiling.
I shrank in my seat, feeling trapped.
"I think some of Geoff's things are still there." she said calmly.
Pacey's eyes darted to her quickly, and she smiled. "From the last time Steve
kicked him out." she elaborated, and I heard him exhale deeply.
Their eyes met, and locked. I looked from one to the other, and realized that it
was going to take a little bit of manipulating to get them to start talking
honestly again. Then it hit me. She'd said his name.
~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@
Part 9
Tears
I paid the cabbie and we entered the building and went up to my studio. I showed
Pacey the guest bedroom and he went to change. "Jennifer - kitchen - now."
We entered my small kitchen area. I'd partitioned it off with screens, seeing as
it was a studio, and turned to face her. She spoke first. "Jo - he made me swear
on my grandfather's grave."
"Why would you even consider it Jen?" I asked incredulously. "You knew what
would happen!"
"And it didn't - "
"Yet." I cut her off. There had been so many close calls. She knew I hated to
cry. I'd done so much crying in the past three years - I wanted to stop crying.
I wanted to move on - and seeing him was not helping.
"Jo - eventually you have to face him. You know you might cry - you have a right
to cry, he hurt you. I just have one question for you. In the cab - that was the
first time since the letter wasn't it?"
I knew what she was referring to as all of a sudden it hit me that she was
right. I sat down on one of the stools and looked at her.
"It was wasn't it?" she asked, sitting down next to me.
I nodded slowly. "I can't do this Jen. I can't go through this - not again."
"Can't go through what?" Pacey's voice sounded from the partition.
My head whirled and I smiled involuntarily when I saw him. Geoff was a good foot
and a half shorter than Pacey, so not only were the sweats too short, they were
too tight. He also hadn't been able to find a shirt. I shook my head sharply,
banishing the images that floated to mind. "Sharp outfit Witter." I commented,
deliberately avoiding his question.
"You're avoiding the question Potter." Pacey replied, stepping closer as Jen
quietly slipped from the room. "Why is that?"
I looked at him carfully, trying to stop my heart from interfering with my mind.
He looked the same. Older, but the same. His hair was messy - and his eyes were
still that sharp blue that I'd always felt could see my soul, and that hadn't
changed. He'd also been working out. I felt a flood of emotions come over me.
How much I'd loved him - still loved him - and how hurt I'd been when I'd found
him with her. Tears came to my eyes, and I tried to stop them, but couldn't. I
saw his face fall as he realized what I was thinking. He closed the distance
between us quickly and wrapped his arms around me to let me cry.
~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@
Part 10
Painful Memories
As Joey fell into my arms sobbing I knew what she was thinking, and what she
hadn't seen. I also knew that what she hadn't seen would kill her.
***
It was the week after school had let out, and we were all getting ready for UCLA
in the fall. Joey was going pre-law, and Dawson and I were entering film school.
We'd wanted to stick together. That day Dawson and I were finishing off his
entry project, and in the last scene, the male lead finally got the girl. Dawson
had cast my ex- girlfriend Andie opposite me. Joey had been fine with it. But
she didn't know we were filming that night, or that we were using Dawson's room.
It was movie night, and Dawson wanted to surprise her with the final cut of the
film. We'd just finished filming, and Dawson had gone to the washroom. I'd just
gotten my pants on when I heard her gasp from the window. Andie had jumped up,
and I saw Joey's eyes fill with tears. She hurried blindly down the ladder, and
to her boat. I followed, but by the time I reached the dock, she was gone. I'd
assumed she would need time to think, so I let her go. The next day, she was
gone, and no one would tell me where.
***
Her sobs subsided, and she was clinging to me. I let my arms relax to hold her
gently. She pulled away slightly and stared into my eyes. I brought my hand up
and wiped her face, pushing her hair back behind her ears. She closed her eyes
and breathed in and out a few times.
"It's late Pace, and we're both exhausted. Can we talk about this tommorow? I
still want to hear your side of what happened that night." she said softly.
"Not tommorow, but soon. I want to show you something when we get to LA." I said
to her, not wanting to release her from my arms.
"Sure."
"So you're still coming?" I said, brightening a little.
"Yeah." she touched my face lightly, then shrugged out of our embrace. "Go rest
Pace. I'll see you in the morning."
I got up quietly and left the kitchen, entering the guest bedroom as Jen hung up
the phone.
~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@
Giving in
I knew as soon as I saw her face I was in trouble, and I winced in anticipation
as she approached.
"I am going to kill you Jennifer Lindley." she hissed, then turning to Pacey,
she indicated to him that he should follow, which he did.
We stopped briefly at her dressing room to grab her flowers and then headed out.
Joey hadn't said anything more yet so I knew I was in for a nice long talking to
unless I came up with something fast. "Jo - I'm sorry. He called and wanted to
see the show - and - "
"Not now." Joey said sharply. "Not in front of him."
I thought about that as Joey gave our cabbie her address. She didn't want him to
think she was mad for him being there. She was only mad that she wasn't
warned...
Pacey spoke calmly when we took off, but sounded genuine."Um, would it be
possible for us to go back to Jen's? I've got this intense case of jet lag
coming on, and well..."
"No." Joey said, and I looked at her face carefully. She was struggling with
something, but I wasn't sure what. "If you want to pass out you can do it at my
studio. Jen is coming over to talk. Therefore you are too." she paused. "I'm
sorry Pace. This isn't about you." she looked him full in the face over my head.
"Anything I can change into? I'm not really in the mood to sleep in a penguin
suit." he indicated his tux, smiling.
I shrank in my seat, feeling trapped.
"I think some of Geoff's things are still there." she said calmly.
Pacey's eyes darted to her quickly, and she smiled. "From the last time Steve
kicked him out." she elaborated, and I heard him exhale deeply.
Their eyes met, and locked. I looked from one to the other, and realized that it
was going to take a little bit of manipulating to get them to start talking
honestly again. Then it hit me. She'd said his name.
~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@
Part 9
Tears
I paid the cabbie and we entered the building and went up to my studio. I showed
Pacey the guest bedroom and he went to change. "Jennifer - kitchen - now."
We entered my small kitchen area. I'd partitioned it off with screens, seeing as
it was a studio, and turned to face her. She spoke first. "Jo - he made me swear
on my grandfather's grave."
"Why would you even consider it Jen?" I asked incredulously. "You knew what
would happen!"
"And it didn't - "
"Yet." I cut her off. There had been so many close calls. She knew I hated to
cry. I'd done so much crying in the past three years - I wanted to stop crying.
I wanted to move on - and seeing him was not helping.
"Jo - eventually you have to face him. You know you might cry - you have a right
to cry, he hurt you. I just have one question for you. In the cab - that was the
first time since the letter wasn't it?"
I knew what she was referring to as all of a sudden it hit me that she was
right. I sat down on one of the stools and looked at her.
"It was wasn't it?" she asked, sitting down next to me.
I nodded slowly. "I can't do this Jen. I can't go through this - not again."
"Can't go through what?" Pacey's voice sounded from the partition.
My head whirled and I smiled involuntarily when I saw him. Geoff was a good foot
and a half shorter than Pacey, so not only were the sweats too short, they were
too tight. He also hadn't been able to find a shirt. I shook my head sharply,
banishing the images that floated to mind. "Sharp outfit Witter." I commented,
deliberately avoiding his question.
"You're avoiding the question Potter." Pacey replied, stepping closer as Jen
quietly slipped from the room. "Why is that?"
I looked at him carfully, trying to stop my heart from interfering with my mind.
He looked the same. Older, but the same. His hair was messy - and his eyes were
still that sharp blue that I'd always felt could see my soul, and that hadn't
changed. He'd also been working out. I felt a flood of emotions come over me.
How much I'd loved him - still loved him - and how hurt I'd been when I'd found
him with her. Tears came to my eyes, and I tried to stop them, but couldn't. I
saw his face fall as he realized what I was thinking. He closed the distance
between us quickly and wrapped his arms around me to let me cry.
~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@
Part 10
Painful Memories
As Joey fell into my arms sobbing I knew what she was thinking, and what she
hadn't seen. I also knew that what she hadn't seen would kill her.
***
It was the week after school had let out, and we were all getting ready for UCLA
in the fall. Joey was going pre-law, and Dawson and I were entering film school.
We'd wanted to stick together. That day Dawson and I were finishing off his
entry project, and in the last scene, the male lead finally got the girl. Dawson
had cast my ex- girlfriend Andie opposite me. Joey had been fine with it. But
she didn't know we were filming that night, or that we were using Dawson's room.
It was movie night, and Dawson wanted to surprise her with the final cut of the
film. We'd just finished filming, and Dawson had gone to the washroom. I'd just
gotten my pants on when I heard her gasp from the window. Andie had jumped up,
and I saw Joey's eyes fill with tears. She hurried blindly down the ladder, and
to her boat. I followed, but by the time I reached the dock, she was gone. I'd
assumed she would need time to think, so I let her go. The next day, she was
gone, and no one would tell me where.
***
Her sobs subsided, and she was clinging to me. I let my arms relax to hold her
gently. She pulled away slightly and stared into my eyes. I brought my hand up
and wiped her face, pushing her hair back behind her ears. She closed her eyes
and breathed in and out a few times.
"It's late Pace, and we're both exhausted. Can we talk about this tommorow? I
still want to hear your side of what happened that night." she said softly.
"Not tommorow, but soon. I want to show you something when we get to LA." I said
to her, not wanting to release her from my arms.
"Sure."
"So you're still coming?" I said, brightening a little.
"Yeah." she touched my face lightly, then shrugged out of our embrace. "Go rest
Pace. I'll see you in the morning."
I got up quietly and left the kitchen, entering the guest bedroom as Jen hung up
the phone.
~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@~~~@