Episode Two "A Little Scary"
The room stood still as the two lost lovers looked at each other in awe. Pacey looked at Joey. Joey looked at Pacey. The whole room seemed to be moving in slow motion.
The first thing that caught Pacey's eye as he entered his new apartment was the sight of the girl who had been driving him crazy for the past two years. The girl he had been avoiding for so long. But now he couldn't look away from her questioning brown eyes.
He was assaulted with the memory of her. The way it felt to hold her, to hug her, to love her. Every little thing about her which made him fall in love with her in the first place came back to him, and he wondered how he managed to live without her these past few months.
Joey was surprised, shocked and excited all at once. Staring at the guy who she had loved and lost and still loved. Seeing him after all this time, she still felt everything she had the first time she realized she was in love with him. He looked so good to her, refreshed and happy. The trip must have done him good.
She had so many thoughts running through her mind but above all, she felt happiness. She had ached to see him again for so long, and finally he was here.
They got so lost in each other's eyes that they didn't even think about what was going on. They didn't think about this meeting being a set up, or that anyone else was even in the room. All they could see was each other.
They stood staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity, but was in fact only a few seconds before the magic was broken.
"Pacey! Oh my god!" Jen screeched running to give him hug. That was her initial reaction to seeing her friend again. But as she hugged him she realized that something was definitely not right. What was he doing here? Something told her that Drue knew. "How are you? I missed you so much." Pacey tried to register what Jen was saying and what he had just walked in to.
"Uh…fine…fine." He mumbled, looking over Jen's shoulder at Joey, who was still standing completely still, just looking at him.
"Jen, it's getting kind of hot. You want some ice cream? Yeah you do, don't you?" Drue grabbed Jen's hand and his keys.
"Wha…at?" Jen asked, still not processing what was going on.
"Ice cream." Drue said, gesturing to the door.
"Right, yeah, I really want some. You guys don't want any, do you? I didn't think so. We'll be back soon." Jen said, as she was pulled out the door.
As the door shut behind Drue and Jen, Pacey walked further into the house, not knowing quite what to say. He looked at Joey and his heart ached. His eyes screaming how much he still loved and missed her.
Joey's heart ached at the sight of him. She couldn't believe he was here. She had missed him so much and now he was here. Standing right in front of her.
They didn't need words to tell each other how much they missed each other. They just had to look at each other and the whole world could tell how much love existed between them.
"Jo I…" Pacey was cut off by Joey who had simply walked across the room and hugged him. He was taken by surprise at first but soon got lost in the feel of her. He hugged her back, equally as fierce.
They didn't know how long the hug lasted. To them it was too short but they held on for a long time. Neither wanted to really let go of each other.
Slowly, Joey pulled back and looked away. She was embarrassed that she had just done that and was also trying to cover up the tears that were making their way down her face.
"Pacey-"
"Jo-"
They both started at the same time and then laughed nervously. They didn't know what to do or how to act.
"When did you get back?" Joey asked finally, sitting down.
"I uh…about a week ago." Pacey said hesitantly.
"A week huh?" Joey slowly tried to process that Pacey had been here all this time and she hadn't known. "What are you doing here?" She asked, only just realizing that Pacey had come to Drue's place and had used a key.
"I…uh. I live here. With Drue."
"What?" So that's what Drue had been up to. Drue knew that Pacey was in Boston all this time?
"I moved in on Wednesday." Pacey said. This was too confusing for Joey at the moment so she decided she would ask Drue about it later right before she killed him!
"Are you…you living here? I mean, in Boston?"
"Yeah. I work at the marina." Joey didn't know what to think. Pacey was here. He was living in Boston. He had a job in Boston. Maybe the sign she was looking for was always out there. It just hadn't been the right time for them before. She tried to keep herself from thinking those thoughts, but she couldn't help it.
"So what about you? How's school?" He asked. He was asking her these pointless questions when all he really wanted to do was kiss her. He wanted to take her in his arms and tell her he loved her, not ask about school.
"Good. It's going good." Oh god, why couldn't she just tell him that it was killing her to be away from him and that she needed him and loved him?
They both sat on the sofa lost in thought, not knowing what to say to each other.
-&-
"Drue, you are the sneakiest person I know! How could you do that?" Jen assaulted Drue with questions as they exited his building. "What exactly did you do?"
"Well, my fine friend, I ran into Pacey at the marina on Tuesday. I had no idea he was there, but then we spoke, and I told him he could come to my place for lunch. Over lunch he told me he was looking for a place. I told him I was looking for a roommate. And presto, the solution was right there." Drue grinned.
"I can't believe you didn't tell me!" Jen didn't know whether to be angry or happy.
"Tell you? Miss big mouth?"
"Hey!" Jen hit him in the stomach. "I'm not a big mouth!"
"I wouldn't know. You haven't given me an opportunity to find out." Drue put his arm around Jen suggestively.
"Uggh. Well you're not going to!" Jen moved his arm away, although she didn't really want to.
"Anyway, Pacey moved in on Wednesday. I know he's been wanting to contact Joey since then if not before. He just needed a little push."
"So you orchestrated this whole meeting?" Jen stopped and looked at Drue. He nodded. "I don't know whether to hit you or kiss you!"
"Please go with the latter." Drue moved closer to her and she just hit him again.
"We're in the middle of town Drue!"
"Does that mean you'd kiss me if we were alone?" Drue asked hopefully.
"I guess you'll never know." Jen grinned, walking ahead of him.
"You are too cruel Lindley!" Drue laughed, chasing after her.
-&-
Joey fidgeted on the couch, waiting for Pacey to come out of his room. He had gone in to change, giving Joey a little time to figure out what she was going to do. A few things were coming to mind. None of which she could really do.
She couldn't believe Drue and Jen had just left her, although she hadn't even noticed them leave. It felt weird to actually be scared of what to say to Pacey but it was the truth. She didn't want to say anything that would send him further away from her.
Pacey's bedroom door opened and he came out, pulling a T-shirt over his head. Joey caught a glimpse of his finely toned stomach and that alone made her legs weak.
"You think Drue and Jen got lost?" Pacey joked, coming towards Joey.
"I would say yes, but I know the Ice cream place is just outside Drue's… your apartment."
Pacey watched Joey as her trademark half smile appeared for the first since they had seen each other. She bit on her lower lip like she always did when she was nervous.
"God, I missed you Jo." Pacey said, knowing Joey didn't even realize how much he meant it.
"I missed you too, Pace. I missed you so much that…" She trailed off nervously.
"What?"
"I'm just wondering if you've had the time away from me that you needed to have. Because seriously Pace, I can't handle being away from you any longer." Her voice was so desperate that it made Pacey reach out and hold her hand.
"It's definitely been enough time. It killed me to be away from you too, Jo." The sincerity in his voice made Joey start to cry and Pacey quickly hugged her.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything that went wrong." Joey said, through her tears.
"Sssshh. I told you. You didn't do anything wrong." Pacey soothed her, rubbing her back gently. She sat up, wiping her tears away slowly. Pacey would never admit that she had done anything wrong but she knew it was true.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to start crying."
"It's okay."
"What are we going to do Pacey?" She asked desperately. She didn't know exactly what she was asking, but she knew that Pacey would be the one to give her the answers. He always gave her the right answers.
"What do you mean?" Pacey didn't know what she was asking either. But he knew that things couldn't just go back to the way they were. So much had happened, and so much had changed.
"I don't know…I just, I don't want this to ruin us. Despite everything that happened, you're my best friend Pacey. I know I always said that Dawson was my best friend, but he's not, not anymore. For so long, he was the one who knew me better than anyone else. But that changed. I don't know why I was scared of that changing but I was." She took a deep breath, not sure why she was eager for Pacey to hear this. Maybe because it was something she should've told him a long time ago. "I'm not afraid anymore, Pace. You know me…You know me better than anyone else Pacey, and I need you."
"I need you too, Jo." He said, truthfully.
"Maybe we could…uh…" She felt stupid. She didn't know what she was trying to say. All she knew was that she didn't want to lose him again.
"What?"
"I don't know. Try to be friends again? Like we used to be?" Joey suggested it hesitantly because she wasn't sure Pacey even wanted to know her. All she wanted to do was be with him, but she knew that wasn't possible now. Too much had happened and Pacey had moved on.
"Of course we can." Pacey was dying inside. He didn't know how he could be friends with Joey when every time he saw her all he could think about was kissing her and making love to her.
"Good."
"Good."
They looked at each other, trying to dissipate the awkwardness between them. Suddenly there was a knock on the door, forcing them to look away from each other as Pacey went to open it, thinking it was Drue and Jen.
"Hi gu…Pacey!!" Jack screeched. "What are you doing here?"
Pacey turned and looked at Joey and they both started laughing.
"What did I miss?"
-&-
"Hey you two." Jack said, spotting Drue and Jen sitting on a bench by the beach.
"Jack, hey." Jen greeted him.
"So, I see I missed a lot. Someone please explain Pacey in your apartment to me." Jack said.
"Ask Mr. I'm-so-hot-even-Ja-" Jack quickly covered Jen's mouth.
"What was that about me being hot?" Drue asked, confused.
"Nothing!" Jen and Jack said simultaneously. Drue shrugged, not even attempting to understand the two best friends.
"So what was going on when you went up?" Drue asked. "Is it safe yet?"
"Well Pacey and Joey were laughing, which has to be a good sign. Mind you, they were laughing at me so it was a little worrying, but they seemed okay. They told me you guys were here, so I decided to just come here instead of imposing on their moment."
"That has to be a good sign." Jen said, smiling.
"So you knew Pacey was here all along?" Jack asked Drue.
"Knew he was here? Pacey is living with Drue!" Jen said.
"What?" Jack was very confused now.
"Yep." Jen confirmed.
"This is too weird. Oh great, I was going to ask you if it would be okay for Tobey to spend the weekend in your spare room. But it's not spare anymore is it?"
"Well Tobey could sleep in Jen's room and she can come and share my bed if you want." Drue grinned, but Jen just rolled her eyes.
"In your dreams."
"Damn! It was worth a try." Drue smiled at Jen. "Well if Tobey doesn't mind sleeping on the couch he's welcome in the apartment. Sorry about the spare room."
"Nah that's okay. I'm sure he can rough it on your couch for a couple days."
"Why isn't he sleeping in your dorm?" Jen asked, surprised.
"I just…I don't want that added pressure, you know?" Jack blushed slightly.
"Right. I get you."
They all looked towards Drue's apartment wondering what was going on.
"So what do you think they're doing?"
-&-
"So then, Mr. Kublick came up to me out of no where and said that he referred me to his friend for this job." Pacey said, recounting the tale of how he got his job. "I was really surprised. I met Mr. Gradson, the guy I work for, and he hired me straight away."
"So you're in charge of the place? Doesn't that mean you have to do the books and stuff?" Joey asked. After Jack had come and gone, they had just started talking and catching up on the past few months. It felt good to tell Pacey about everything he had missed and listen to his adventure.
"Yeah, which is the sucky part. But I do work on the boats a lot too because the marina here isn't that big." Pacey explained.
"So it's uh…it's a good job? Like for a long time?" Joey asked, trying not to show her excitement at the prospect of him being here with her.
"Yeah, it looks like it." Pacey smiled.
"It's weird." Joey commented.
"What?"
"You ending up here in Boston. Like it was meant to be." Joey smiled nervously and he just smiled back. They both remembered the sign they had been looking for and wondered if maybe this was it.
"Maybe I'm just always meant to be this annoyance in your life. Someone you can't shake." Pacey joked.
"I know! Just when I thought I got rid of you." Joey laughed, even though she secretly hoped he would always be there, even if he did annoy her sometimes.
"I wonder where the others are." Pacey said finally.
"I think they ran away."
"We're not that scary are we?" Pacey asked lightly. He wanted to keep the conversation as light as possible today because he still needed to think about everything. "I think Drue might be scared of me killing him." Drue has set them up. Pacey should have known that Drue wouldn't keep his secret for long. But maybe it was better this way.
Joey was a bit upset that Pacey had purposely not come to see her for so long, even though he was living right here. But she realized that having him here now was better than not having him at all.
"It's getting a bit late. I think I better get going." Joey got up hesitantly. Pacey stood, walking her to the door. "I missed you Pacey. I'm really glad you're back."
"I'm glad you're glad." Pacey joked.
Joey hesitated for a second and then slowly leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. It just felt so right for her to do that, like she had been doing it her whole life. It was short and sweet, but with that kiss they told each other just how much they missed each other.
"Bye." Joey said, as she pulled away.
Pacey watched her walk away, not knowing quite what had happened. They were together again, but they couldn't suddenly go back to what they had been. But they both knew that they didn't want to go back to what they were. Moving forward together, however, was a whole different matter.
-&-
Drue crept into his apartment, trying his best not to wake Pacey. He closed the front door behind him and tiptoed into his living room. It was just after midnight when he had dropped Jen off outside her dorm before coming home. Jack had left them at the beach, needing to take care of a few more things before Tobey's visit and he and Jen hadn't known whether it was safe to return to the apartment.
They had lain on the beach for hours, talking to each other. He told her about his parents. His Dad hadn't contacted him since he got to Boston and his mother had decided sending money to him was an easier form of communication. He didn't like to talk about it but Jen was always there, willing to listen to anything he wanted to say.
He loved spending time with Jen. Every day he could feel himself falling for her more and more. He knew she felt something too, but he didn't know what exactly. It's not like he had even kissed her, or asked her out for that matter. He didn't want to, because he couldn't risk ruining things between them. He made it pretty obvious that he liked her. If she wanted more, she would come to him. Until then, he would have to be content to take what he was given.
"Back so soon?" Drue dropped his keys as Pacey's voice startled him.
"Jeez. Are you trying to kill me?" Drue grumbled.
"Maybe." Pacey glared at him. Shit, that's why he had stayed out so late, avoiding Pacey. He heard Pacey could hit mighty hard when he was pissed.
"Listen Pacey…" Drue looked at him, not knowing what to say. "What are you doing up so late anyway?"
"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to wait for you to come home." He wasn't purposely waiting for Drue to come home, he wasn't even that mad at him. It was just a certain brunette wouldn't let him sleep.
"There was nothing I could do. Joey's my friend, she wanted to come to my house." Drue lied.
"Hmm. I probably would've bought that if Joey hadn't told me that you invited her here tonight." Pacey said to him calmly.
"Okay, okay. So I called Joey. I was sick of you two brooding."
"I was not brooding thank you very much." Pacey said, knowing Drue was right.
"Well tell me one thing truthfully Pacey. Wasn't it good to see her? Didn't it make all the pain that you went through while you were apart just disappear the moment you saw her again?" Drue sounded like he was speaking from experience. Except in his case, seeing Jen again in Capeside hadn't been what he expected. "Well?"
"I guess. Okay, you're right. I know I needed to see her." Pacey said finally. "God, I can't believe I just admitted that to you." Pacey mumbled.
"Hey, you'll get used to me being right, sooner or later." Drue grinned, walking towards his room.
"Where are you going? Don't think you're off the hook. I still could've used some preparation time." Pacey warned as Drue shut his bedroom door, waving behind him. Pacey sighed. It was going to be tough living with the likes of Drue Valentine.
He picked up the glass of water he had come out to get and retreated back to his own room. Drue had put him face to face with Joey. Some thing he dreamed of happening the entire summer. Sometimes when he was on dock, he used to see girls who reminded him of Joey and he would actually think she was there. In that split second he thought she was magically there in front of him. But then he realized how stupid he was being.
But now she was here. It was obvious they couldn't jump back into a relationship. Too much had happened. They needed their space apart. But how would they be able to just go back to what they were? Did they even want to go back to that? Did she even want to be with him anymore?
At the same time he wondered how could they just go back to being just friends? He loved her too much for that. He knew how difficult it had been to remain friends when he'd first realized his feelings for her. And his feelings then were only a tenth of what he felt for her now. Now he was so in love with her that being friends just seemed too hard.
But he would have to try. Maybe this was a fresh start for them. They could be real friends again. Friends who could count on each other all the time. Friends that are always there for each other, no matter what. The kind of friends they used to be.
-&-
Jen was looking through her purse, trying to find the key to her room. Drue had just dropped her off, after they spent the majority of the night just lying on the beach talking. She loved how she could do that with Drue. She had forgotten how easy he was to talk to. It was even better now because they told each other what they wanted to, not whatever random thoughts the alcohol brought out of their mouths.
She spent a lot of nights this summer talking to him like tonight and she was glad that they were still doing that. It was nights like tonight that made her want to kiss him. But something always held her back. She just didn't know what it was.
"Jen!" A voice shouted across the hall. She looked up and saw Jack's roommate, Paul walking towards her.
"Hey Paul." She said as he reached her. "What are you doing out so late?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing." Paul smiled as Jen finally managed to dig her key out of her bag.
"Oh I just got back from hanging with a friend." Jen said, opening her door.
"A friend?" Paul raised his eyebrows. Jen laughed.
"Yeah, just a friend." She told him, but she knew it wasn't really true. Drue was more than a friend, she just didn't know how much more. "Uh, do you want to come in?" She asked politely.
"Sure." He whispered as they entered her room. As she walked in she found her roommate's bed empty. "I just got in myself and I saw you coming up so I thought I'd say hi." Paul explained.
"Thanks." Jen smiled at him as she sat on her bed. Paul took the chair by her desk and sat down. She always thought Paul was cute, ever since she first saw him, but they had never really spoken.
They sat, not knowing quite what to say to each other. It looked like Paul wanted to say something to her but he just sat there fidgeting.
"Uh… Anyway, just thought I'd say hi, I better go."
"Okay?" Jen looked at him strangely as he got up and headed for the door.
"Maybe I'll see you around?"
"Sure." Jen smiled at him. She opened her door and found herself face to face with her roommate, Brenda. "Sorry."
"It's okay." Brenda said, taking a long look at Paul.
"Bye." Paul said, leaving.
Jen closed the door behind him and looked at her roommate. Jen didn't understand Brenda. They had barely spoken more that a few words to each other since they arrived. Brenda was totally neat and tidy and seemed like the studious type. She kept to herself and appeared shy. The strange thing was she stayed out until late at night, almost every night. Where was she spending all of that time?
"He's cute." Brenda said, surprising Jen.
"Paul? Uh, yeah." Brenda gave her this look and Jen suddenly felt the need to explain. "We're just friends."
"Right." Brenda said not believing Jen. It was after midnight, and Paul was leaving her room that sure didn't look good.
"Goodnight." Jen said, knowing there was nothing else she could say.
-&-
Joey stared blankly at her English book. She could not concentrate and Shakespeare was making no sense to her. Except maybe the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Tragedy she could relate to. Except in her case the only people stopping her and Pacey from being together were themselves. She didn't think they would actually go and kill themselves either, so that didn't make any sense either.
She sighed loudly getting dirty looks from the other people in the Library who could actually concentrate this morning. She didn't know why she even bothered to try and study today. She couldn't concentrate on a thing she was reading because she couldn't get her mind off Pacey.
She wondered what he was doing right now. Was he thinking about her like she was thinking of him? Did he miss her already after only having seen her last night? Because she missed him a lot.
She kissed him and it felt so right. It felt more right than anything had felt in a long time. Without him, everything had been so empty. She wanted to see him again. She needed to see him again. Just to convince herself that she wasn't dreaming. To convince herself that he was still there.
They were friends right? Seeing him would be totally normal. There should be no reason stopping her from going to see him. Then why did she feel so scared? Would she feel this nervous every time she saw him? Probably. Her heart seemed to skip a beat every time she looked at him.
She just hoped they would be okay. She wanted everything to be okay. She didn't want to feel awkward when she saw him. She didn't want him to not be able to talk to her like he used to. She wanted to be able to tell him everything even more than she had before.
The only way that could happen was if they really became friends again. Real friends. And that would mean it was totally fine for her to just show up at his work place and ask him to lunch. Well, that's what she told herself as she packed up her books and headed for the exit.
-&-
Jack stood at the train station looking around nervously. Tobey's train had just come in but there was no sign of him yet. Jack was a bit worried about Tobey's visit. They had spent the whole summer together. Tobey was the first guy he really, really liked and nothing had gone wrong.
It still seemed weird to him when he looked back. He couldn't believe he had hated Tobey when they first met. But maybe he was just trying to deny his true feelings. Either way it had worked out in the end. The summer had been awesome. They had gone out, like a couple. Which had been weird for Jack at first but Tobey had made him feel so relaxed.
He had spoken to Tobey nearly every day since he arrived in Boston. He looked forward to his phone calls every day. He missed Tobey so much. Much more than he even realized he would. He didn't realize how hard it would be to be away from him.
But he was reassured that Tobey felt the same. They had become so close.
"Jack!" The sight of his boyfriend brought a smile to his face.
"Tobey." He called back as Tobey approached him. He smiled widely.
"It's so great to see you." Jack said, embracing Tobey. Feeling him in his arms again felt so good.
"I missed you so much." Tobey said sincerely, as they headed out of the airport.
"I missed you too."
"So where are we heading?" Tobey asked.
"Drue's apartment." Jack said, a little nervously. He wasn't sure whether Tobey wanted to stay with him in his dorm or somewhere else. But Tobey just smiled at him and took his hand.
"Cool."
-&-
Pacey stood tapping his heals, bored, as he filled gas into one of the boats at the marina. Every time he thought his mind was on something other than Joey, he would be reminded of her again. Right now he would swear that the girl walking towards him was Joey. His mind kept doing that to him.
The girl approached him and he smiled, realizing that it was in fact Joey and not just a figment of his imagination.
"Pacey!" Joey said, acting surprised to see him. "Fancy meeting you here." She smiled at him.
"Hmm, I could've sworn I told you I work at the Marina yesterday." Pacey said, smiling back at her.
"You were talking about THIS marina?" Joey laughed lightly.
"So what brings you here? Shouldn't you be at school?" Pacey said, walking to the next boat to fill up.
"It's Saturday doofus." Joey laughed.
"Oh yeah. Sorry but I'm a working man. I don't get Saturday off."
"Well I'm sure you get a break for lunch don't you. And it looks like it's nearly lunch time to me." Joey hinted.
"Really? I hadn't noticed." Pacey grinned.
"Come on Pace, doesn't the manager get to choose his own lunch break?" Joey said.
"Are you asking me to lunch Potter?" Just hearing him call her Potter again made her feel this sudden burst of happiness that she couldn't shake.
"Well I'll ask if you pay. Since you're a working man and all." Joey joked. This is what she wanted. She wanted to be able to talk to Pacey like she always had. And it felt so right.
"That I am. But I don't know…" Pacey pretended to think.
"Come on, don't make me beg you to do something you so obviously want to." Joey laughed.
"Oh really? How would you know I want to have lunch with you?"
"Because you love to find excuses to spend time with me." Joey pretended to be snobby, but really she was hoping that he would give in and come with her. She just wanted to sit and talk to her best friend.
"Hah! More like the other way around." Pacey grinned. "But since you're begging…" Pacey quickly finished up his last boat and put the 'Out To Lunch' sign up. "Let's go."
Joey smiled, taking hold of Pacey's hand and walking away from the Marina.
-&-
Drue stood outside Jen's dorm waiting for her to answer. He didn't tell her that he was going to come by today and he just hoped she was in. He hated to admit it but he really missed her when she wasn't with him. And they spent quite a lot of time together.
"Yes?" Brenda said, answering the door. Drue was surprised because she was hardly ever home and he had only seen her a few times.
"Uh, is Jen here?" He asked.
"No."
"Oh. Do you know where she went?"
"No. Although I'd try that cute guy Paul's room." Brenda said.
"Excuse me?" Drue was taken aback. Who was Paul? Jack's roommate was called Paul wasn't he?
"He was here last night, pretty late. So she might be with him." Brenda said, not knowing how wrong she was. Or how much she was confusing Drue.
"Uh. Okay. Thanks." Drue mumbled, walking away from the dorm. Jen was with him last night? When had she been with Paul?
Brenda seemed to think something was going on with them. She did share a room with Jen, she would know right? He tried to tell himself to stop jumping to conclusions but he couldn't help it.
He couldn't lose Jen to some other guy, not before he even had a chance to do anything himself. Maybe waiting for Jen to make the first move wasn't such a good idea. Jen was a great girl, she was gorgeous, there were bound to be plenty of guys out there, who weren't afraid to ask her out.
He had to work fast or he could lose Jen. And he didn't think he could handle that.
-&-
"So tell me more." Joey said, looking up from her menu. They were sitting in a little café that was situated close to the beach.
"More?"
"About your summer. What was it like?" Joey asked, really wanting to know what he was doing all summer that had kept him away from her. Pacey paused and thought for a minute.
"Remember the first time we docked last summer. We felt like we were entering a whole different world where we could be anyone we wanted to be?" Joey nodded, remembering the way she had felt. "It was a bit like that. On the boat I was working and to my fellow workers I was somebody, I was worth something. And outside I was just another guy. Not some screw up who didn't graduate." Pacey paused, regretting having said so much.
Joey leaned over and put her hand over his.
"You're not a screw up Pacey. And you did graduate. But even if you hadn't it wouldn't make you a screw up."
"Thanks Potter." He thought better than to argue about whether he was a screw up or not.
He smiled at the waitress who came over to take their order. She couldn't help it; he made her jealous even when he was just being polite. He ordered for them both, knowing exactly what Joey wanted without having to ask. She smiled at him, amazed that he had been able to order for her and get it right.
"Anyway it felt really magical." Pacey turned his attention to her once again. "You remember what it felt like to look up at the stars while out on the sea. It was amazing." Every time he closed his eyes he could picture it. But for some reason he always pictured Joey there, right beside him.
Joey watched him; amazed she survived three months without him. The way his voice was filled with passion and the look in his eyes told her how amazing it had been. He kept reminding of their summer together.
"So tell me about your summer." Pacey said, breaking the silence.
"My summer?" He nodded. "Well without you to wreak havoc it was pretty boring."
"Something good must have happened. Come on."
"Hmm. Well me, Jen, Jack, Tobey and Drue spent a lot of time together. A lot of the time it was just me and Jen and Drue because Tobey and Jack liked to spend their time together. They are so cute Pacey. I'm really happy for Jack. I think he finally found a guy he really loves. After all the heartache he went through it was about time. I felt so bad when Jack had to leave for Boston. Goodbye is not something anyone wants to say to someone they love." She lowered her voice for the last sentence, knowing how true it was to her.
"That's really great." Pacey said, dispelling any awkward moment that was sure to occur. "Drue left me a note saying they Tobey would be staying with us for the weekend. I never really spoke to him much before so I think it'll be good."
"Yeah. I only started spending a lot more time with them this summer myself. But I can't wait to see Tobey again." Joey smiled at the thought.
"What about Drue and Jen?" Pacey asked, still curious about how that happened.
"Well I don't know what happened in the beginning but Drue started spending more time with Jen at the start of the summer. I think it was after Prom. And since all my time was spent with Jen…well I came to realize that Drue isn't so bad." Joey groaned. "I can't believe I just said that." Pacey laughed. "Actually he isn't bad. He reminds me a bit of you." She admitted. Pacey nearly choked on his water.
"Me??? Me!!!!" Pacey screamed. Joey just laughed.
"He's just as annoying and just as much of a smart ass. He thinks he knows everything and is very cocky. Yep definite similarity's there." Joey laughed.
"I don't think I'll even respond to that." Pacey grinned.
"He's really sweet actually. Well when you watch him with Jen you'll see. At first I was really against hanging out with him, but he found interesting things for us to do. And he does like anything Jen says. I swear that boy is whipped." Joey laughed. "Although he is not very good at hiding his love for her as she is."
"You think Jen likes him?" Pacey asked.
"Definitely." Joey nodded, smiling as their food arrived. "Not at first I don't think. But slowly slowly, spending more time with him I think she realized there is more to him. I mean even I see it and I think they've shared a lot more then Drue and I ever will." Joey explained.
"Well I guess that makes more sense. It was weird to walk into a world where everyone likes Drue."
"I never said I liked him." Joey joked. "Besides, from what I hear you agreed to move in with him the day you met him here."
"Well…I needed a place to stay." Pacey laughed.
For the first time in a long time he felt at ease. Talking to Joey and just sharing her company made him feel like things had never changed. That maybe, just maybe they could make it through all of this and still be friends. He didn't want to think about anything more, because that would just get him into trouble.
Joey smiled at Pacey as they both ate their meals. Sitting with Pacey, even in silence, always made her feel better. She always felt relaxed and content just to share his company. This was it. She could feel it. This was the beginning of a new life. She would put everything behind her and build a new life for herself. A life where everything would go right because she would make it right.
A life with Pacey.
-&-
Jen lay on her bed thinking. The last day had been a bit strange. Pacey was back. She knew he'd come back. If there was one thing she knew it was that Pacey loved Joey too much to stay away. It may have been the job that conveniently placed him in Boston but she always knew that he would find a way to come no matter what.
Pacey wasn't a quitter. She heard him say it many times. Witters aren't quitters. He had just lost that for a little while there. She knew that Pacey and Joey hadn't been as perfect together as they would've liked. Last year was filled with mistakes and hurt feelings. But she knew they would make it through. And however horrible it sounded, she was glad that this year they had a chance to build a real relationship without Dawson getting in the way.
Joey had grown a lot this summer without Pacey or Dawson. She realized that she needed to be independent but she also realized how stupid she had been to let Pacey go. Jen had never understood why Joey had clung to Dawson throughout high school. It didn't seem normal for a girl to cling to her past so much. But she realized Joey had been scared. Change can be scary. Jen could understand that. She could really understand that.
Maybe that's why the idea of being with Drue was scaring her. It would change things. She didn't know if she wanted to change things. What she had with Drue now was comfortable and fun. But she wanted more. She wanted more and it scared her.
Just like the phone ringing suddenly scared her. She jumped, and then quickly reached for the phone.
"Hello?"
"Jenny! What's up?" Drue greeted. He decided that getting upset over what ever Brenda had said was not his style. Instead it just made him realize that he needed to tell Jen the truth soon.
"Drue!" She said, putting on her best-disgusted voice.
"What? Not happy to hear my voice?" Drue asked, mock hurt.
"Of course I am. Just about as happy as having some lunatic call me up and ask me what my favorite scary movie is." Jen said, acting unaffected by his voice.
"Funny." Drue deadpanned.
"Is Tobey there yet?" Jen asked excitedly.
"Well his bags are here, but he's not. I gave Jack the spare key so I think they must have just dumped Tobey's stuff and then gone out."
"Yeah. I don't think an apartment with two other guys living there is their ideal make out spot." Jen joked.
"Figures. No one makes out in my apartment." Drue sighed dramatically. Jen just smiled. "So where were you before?"
"When?"
"This morning, about eleven. I came by your place but you weren't home." Drue tried to keep the suspicious tone out of his voice.
"Oh, I was just down in the laundry room. I couldn't put off washing my dirty clothes any longer. I was running out of clothes to wear." Jen joked.
"Well you could always borrow my clothes." Drue grinned.
"Uggh. I just know you're sitting there picturing me naked." Jen shuddered at the thought. Drue laughed at how right she actually was.
"Anyway what are you doing tomorrow night?" He said, cutting to the chase. He realized that hanging about was just not good enough.
"Hmm. A boring Sunday night. Let me check my calendar."
"Jen…" Drue said impatiently.
"Well first I was going to go to the health spa. Get all freshened up you know. Then I think my boyfriend is going to pick me up and take me out for an expensive meal." Jen put on her best high-class voice. "But let me see. I think I can fit you in between pampering myself and going to dinner." Jen grinned to herself.
"Well you're going to have to stand up this expensive boyfriend of yours because I'm picking you up at seven." Drue said, smiling at Jen. It was so cute when she did funny things like that.
"Where are we going?" Jen asked, not liking the sound of this.
"It's a surprise."
"I hate surprises." Jen told him.
"Tough. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Jen." He hung up before she had a chance to protest.
She sighed. She didn't know how many more times they would be able to go out alone together before she could no longer control herself. She hated to admit it but she was really starting to like Drue. Like really like him.
-&-
The phone continued to ring again and again as Pacey fished his pockets for his keys. He quickly opened the door and ran into the house to answer the phone. He picked it up, secretly hoping it was Joey.
"Hello?"
"Pacey. So nice of you to finally pick up." Doug Witter said on the other end of the line.
"Well since it's only you I didn't have to rush inside now did I?" Pacey joked. He had called Doug a few days after moving in but had gotten the machine. He left his number, hoping his brother would call back.
"Well it was nice of you to finally call. Not that I was really worried."
"Oh no, I would never think that you cared about me." Pacey joked. He settled on the couch comfortably. He had spoken to Doug throughout the summer but out there he never really had time to talk for long.
"Have you seen her?" Doug asked, not too subtly.
"Her? Hmm. I have no idea who you are talking about." Pacey replied feigning innocence.
"Haha. You know very well who I'm talking about." Doug said. However unstable his relationship with Pacey seemed, he really cared about his brother. And he knew how much he loved Joey. He just wished he had been there more often last year instead of leaving things to Gretchen. Pacey needed his brother, but Doug was just a little late to realize it.
"I saw her yesterday. It's quite a funny story. One best left for a long conversation. How's everything in Capeside?" Pacey asked.
"Same old. Same old. So what's it like in Boston?"
"Great. The job is going really well. I love it here. I think I can really make something of myself." Pacey admitted.
"That's really great Pace. Maybe I'll have to come visit you sometime, if I get some time off."
"You mean if the non existent cars speeding lets up?" Pacey joked.
"Hey, I do more than stop speeding cars." Doug protested. "So tell me more about Joey. I know you don't have anyone to tell so you may as well bore your brother with the details." Doug encouraged, knowing Pacey wouldn't just come out and tell him.
"Well I told you I was living with Drue…"
"Yeah. How the hell did that happen?"
"Long story. Anyway, Drue set up Joey coming over even though I specifically asked him not too. We were both kind of shocked when we saw each other. We talked. She decided we should be friends. She kissed me. We went to lunch today. Hmm, that's about it." Pacey said, trying to act casual. Doug rolled his eyes, all the way back in Capeside.
"She kissed you? Before or after she decided to be friends?" Doug repeated.
"After." He didn't know why he mentioned the kiss. It just came out. It was just that it felt so right. It felt like the most right thing they had done since they saw each other. But it couldn't be. It would be so easy to just kiss her and lose himself within her, but in the end it wouldn't mean anything. In the end it would ruin everything.
"Pacey…" Doug said breaking him out of his reverie.
"Sorry. Anyway we decided to be friends really. I mean I know it can't go back to the way it was. And I do want to spend time with her so I guess friends is the only option. I just, I'm really glad I'm back. I missed her so much." Pacey admitted.
"Of course you did. What you and Joey share is special Pacey. And I think going back to being friends is a good idea. You need to make right things that went wrong between you guys last year. Some of the things were mistakes you both made, some were just shitty timing, and some were just beyond your control. But you need to start again to make sure you don't make the same mistakes this time. Either of you." Pacey smiled at his brother's advice. It made a lot of sense, surprisingly.
"Thanks Doug."
"No problem. I just don't want things screwing up and you coming to live with me again!" Doug joked.
"You know you loved it. I brighten up that sad excuse for a bachelor pad. You and your Divas." Pacey sighed dramatically.
"You can leave me and the Divas alone thank you very much." Doug said.
"Okay, okay. Thanks for calling Doug. It means a lot." Pacey said sincerely.
"No problem. Stay out of trouble." Doug said.
"Bye Doug."
"Bye lil' brother." They hung up the phone and Pacey looked around his apartment and sighed. Make right things that went wrong. Pacey wondered why that seemed easier said than done.
-&-
Drue walked out of his room to find Tobey and Jack curled up on the couch together. Jack was leaning on Tobey's shoulder and Tobey was holding onto Jack's hand. They looked really cute together. From the looks of things they had been watching TV and must have fallen asleep.
Drue quietly walked into the kitchen to get some breakfast but he wasn't quiet enough because Jack stirred and opened his eyes. He looked around and then realized where he was.
He looked at Tobey who was still fast asleep. He smiled at his boyfriend, getting up from the couch slowly not wanting to disturb him.
They had spent the entire day together yesterday, enjoying each other's company after being away from each other for so long. Jack took Tobey to all the touristy places, gave him a quick tour of his dorm and then they went out to dinner. Afterwards, they found themselves walking on the beach and had decided to go back to Drue's to watch some movies.
Jack made his way into the kitchen and found Drue making himself some coffee.
"Hey." He whispered. "I hope you don't mind me crashing here."
"Hey Jack. No problem man. You know you can crash here any time you want. Just don't get up to anything naughty in my sight." Drue grinned while Jack just blushed. "So you guys were out pretty late?"
"Yeah. We just spent the day together touring all of Boston."
"Cool. When does he have to go back?" Drue regretted asking because Jack's face fell.
"He's going back tomorrow night. He could only stay for the weekend."
"Do you want some?" Drue asked, referring to his toast. Jack shook his head, no. "Jack, can I ask you something?" Drue said, hesitantly. Jack raised his eyebrows. Drue never hesitated in asking what he wanted.
"Sure."
"What's up with Jen and your roommate?"
"Jen and Paul?" Jack looked confused and Drue nodded.
"Nothing that I know about. Why?" Jack didn't know where this was coming from. Sure he knew Jen had said Paul was cute but she never mentioned anything else going on.
"Oh nothing. Just uh, her roommate mentioned something about him being there the other night and…Don't worry I'm sure it's nothing." Drue mumbled, feeling stupid.
"I'm sure it is nothing Drue. But you know, Jen's a pretty girl. She's not going to wait around forever."
"I know."
"I thought you were supposed to be this cocky, 'gets-what-he-wants' kinda guy. Why haven't you just kissed her yet?" Jack was actually surprised that Drue hadn't done anything yet. He didn't understand what those two were waiting for.
"I uh…I don't know. Jen is…well she's different. She's…"
"Scary?" Jack supplied.
"Yeah!" Drue laughed. "I don't know. I don't get intense like this and with Jen…well it's going to be intense."
"Because you love her?"
"Yes. No. I…" Drue looked confused. "I gotta get ready." He sighed and quickly left the room.
Jack just smiled as Drue left the room. Drue really was a complex guy and not just a punishment to society. Jack just hoped he worked out whatever issues he had quickly before he had to sit through another 'Why won't Drue kiss me?' talk with Jen.
-&-
"Knock. Knock." Jack poked his head around Joey's door that had been left slightly ajar. "Anyone home?"
"Jack!" Joey said, getting up from the bed where she had been reading.
"I brought someone to see you." Jack said, grinning, as Tobey walked in.
"Tobey!" Joey quickly gave him a hug. "How are you?"
"Good. Great even. "Tobey said smiling.
"I didn't think I'd get to see you because you guys were so busy yesterday." Joey said, motioning for Tobey and Jack to sit on her bed.
"Well yesterday we were doing that whole sightseeing thing. But I couldn't come to Boston and not see you." Tobey said, smiling. He really felt welcomed as a part of the group this summer when he had hung out with them all. Now they were all good friends.
"I was thinking of going to dinner tonight. You know, the whole gang? But I just stopped by Jen's and she and Drue have a date tonight." Jack grinned.
"He finally asked her out!" Joey shrieked.
"Well Jen insists it's not a date. But he's picking her up, no one else is invited and where he's taking her is a surprise. Sounds like a date to me." Jack said grinning.
"It's about time." Joey said.
"I know. Even I thought they would have gotten together by the time I came to visit." Tobey supplied.
"So anyway, do you want to come?" Jack asked.
"Don't you guys want to be alone? I don't want to intrude on a romantic evening." Joey hesitated.
"We did the whole alone thing last night didn't we Tobey? I could invite Pacey if you want." Jack asked hesitantly, not sure if now was the right time to bring Pacey up. However much Tobey had become closer to the gang, Jack didn't think that Joey would want to discuss Pacey in a group.
"I uh…Can I get back to you? I might have a lot of work to do tonight." Joey said, trying to dispel the awkwardness.
"Sure."
"Where are you guys heading now?" Joey asked.
"Oh, we're going to the beach. You want to come?" Jack asked. Joey thought about it for a second, not wanting to intrude on Tobey and Jack's time. But there was a good chance Pacey would be at the beach. Even if he wasn't working, which was likely because it was Sunday, he would be around there.
"Sure. Let me get my things." Jack gave her a look, knowing what she was thinking.
-&-
"Lindley!" Pacey greeted Jen, who was standing at his doorstep. "Boy it sure is busy around here."
"Not pleased to see me?" Jen mocked hurt.
"Always pleased to see you Jen." Pacey grinned, moving so Jen could come in. "It's just been a full house around here this morning."
"Is Drue here?" Jen asked.
"No. He left about an hour ago. Something about a big date." Pacey grinned.
"He told you he had a big date?" Jen asked.
"Actually no. After he left I asked Jack where he went and Jack said, and I quote 'He's gone to prepare for his big date tonight with the scary Jen Lindley'." Pacey grinned at Jen's angry face.
"Scary? I am not scary. And it is NOT a date!"
"You're kinda scary now." Pacey joked and Jen just hit him lightly.
"Do you want something to drink or are you going to find him?" Pacey asked.
"I think I'll stick around here. After all I haven't seen you for months. You didn't care that I needed you this summer to help me beat off Drue's advances." Jen joked.
"Well I'm so sorry for leaving you in your time of need, Lindley. But from the looks of things I don't think you really want to beat off Drue's advances, although I still don't get that." Pacey grinned, grabbing himself a coke and Jen a diet coke out of the fridge.
"No one believes me when I say I don't like him" Jen sighed.
"So why do you keep saying it?" Pacey asked.
"'Cause I'm in denial." Jen stated. "How are things with you and Joey?" Pacey tensed for a second and then smiled again.
"Things are fine. We went to lunch yesterday."
"Yeah she told me."
"She told you? I mean, uh, what did she say?" Pacey asked, trying to make it sound like he didn't care. Jen just smiled.
"Just that she's glad you're back. She's madly in love with you and wanted you to take her right there on the table." Jen grinned while Pacey nearly choked on his coke.
"She didn't say that!"
"No she didn't. But she was thinking it." Pacey just rolled his eyes. "You can ask me about him if you want Pacey."
"Who?" Pacey looked confused.
"Dawson. I know you're wondering how close they've been since you left. How often they talk to each other. Whether she went back to him…"
"I'm not." He lied. He had definitely been curious about it over the summer. He wondered if Joey had realized what a mistake the last year had been and had gone back to Dawson. He knew Dawson had gone away to California for the summer, and that had made him feel slightly better.
"Well she didn't go back to him. They haven't been that close. They email each other now and again and she's only spoken to him on the phone a couple times since the start of the summer." Jen supplied.
"I really don't care Jen. I admit Dawson was always a factor in our relationship. But only because we let him be. We just weren't strong enough." Pacey said sadly.
"You were strong Pacey. You just had some rough times."
"It doesn't matter now anyway. I really did a lot of thinking this summer and I feel much better about myself. And I think Joey and I need to try and go back to being just friends."
"You and Joey can never be just friends Pacey."
"Well I've got to try." Pacey said, sighing.
-&-
Joey glanced up at Pacey's apartment, hoping that he would just decide to come out and bump into her. She didn't want to seem like she was stalking him by turning up every day, but she really wanted to see him again.
"You could just go up there you know?" Jack said, pulling Joey out of her daze.
"Huh?"
"It won't look bad if you just go up and see him." Jack repeated.
"What? I don't…I'm here with you guys." Joey said sternly.
"Yeah right, that's why you haven't taken your eyes off of their apartment since we got close enough to see it." Jack grinned. "Why don't you pretend you're looking for Drue or something?"
"Fine, fine. I'm sorry." Joey said as she was pushed towards Pacey's apartment. Why did she feel like she was the only one who was dying to see his face every second? Why didn't he ache to see her just like she ached to see him? Probably because she was the one who had messed up. She just had to make up for it.
She climbed the steps to Pacey's second floor apartment and knocked on the door.
"Back so soon Lind… Joey!" Pacey said, as he opened the door.
"Uh…hi." Joey said nervously. "Is Drue here?"
"Hmm how come Drue's so popular today?" Pacey muttered.
"What?"
"Uh nothing. No, he's not here." Joey stood there looking down. She didn't mean to feel nervous around Pacey, but she did. She just didn't want him to hate her more than he already did. Pacey just watched her, smiling. She was still the most beautiful person he had ever seen. She looked so cute, biting her lower lip, shuffling her feet nervously.
"Do you want to come in?" He asked, realizing he had just been staring.
"I uh…I don't want to disturb you, if you're busy…"
"No, I'm not. Come in." He moved out of the way so she could come in and closed the door behind her. "I was just doing some of the accounts." Pacey said, gesturing to the books strewn over the table.
"How's it coming?"
"Okay. This is really the worst part of the job but I manage." He moved some of the books off the table and made room for Joey to sit. "So why were you looking for Drue?"
"Oh…uh. I was at the beach with Tobey and Jack, so I just wanted to see if he wanted to join us." Joey lied.
"Right." Pacey didn't know what to say. It had never been so hard to think of things to talk about with Joey but now he couldn't find the words. Joey was troubled with similar thoughts.
"Well I guess I'll let you get back to it." She said, standing up awkwardly.
"Jo..."
"It's okay Pacey. I don't want to keep you from your work."
"I don't want it to be like this between us." Pacey admitted.
"Me either Pacey." Joey sighed. She didn't want it to be like this, but it just felt so wrong to be talking to him like they were only friends when she knew she wanted so much more.
"You can hang out here if you want to. I'll be doing the accounts, but I'm sure to mess up so maybe you could help me." Joey smiled.
"I'd like that. After all we don't want you to lose your job." Joey grinned and sat down next to Pacey again.
-&-
"Joey! What took you so long?" Jen shrieked, pulling the confused brunette into her dorm room.
"I came as soon as I could. What's the big emergency?" Joey asked, trying to stifle her laughter at Jen's behavior.
"Tonight is the big emergency! I don't know what to wear! Drue just said we were going out. He didn't make it sound like a date. Then Jack keeps telling me it's a date. So do I dress casual or dressy?" Joey just smirked.
"Why don't you ask Drue?"
"Because I can't let him know I actually care!" Jen admitted. "Besides he's gone AWOL, I haven't spoken to him all day."
"Well how bout you wear that really cute blue dress you have. It's not too dressy so it would be good for a casual place, but it will still look good if he does take you somewhere fancy." Joey suggested.
"Yeah, that's a great idea. Thanks Joey. Uggh. I can't believe I'm nervous about going out with Drue."
"Only because you've been waiting months for him to ask. I don't know why you haven't just kissed him yet. You're not usually the type to wait." Joey said, casually looking through Jen's make up while she got her clothes together.
"I don't know either. Things with me and Drue are complicated because of our history."
"Yeah I know how history can mess stuff up." Joey sighed.
"How are things with Pacey?" Jen asked, taking her blue dress off the hanger.
"Okay. I went to his place today. It was really awkward at first, but you know Pacey and me, after we got over the little awkward phase we were bantering and talking like normal. I had a lot of fun."
"That's good. You know you just have to take it slow and build everything up again." Jen advised.
"I know, I know. It's just hard when every time I look at him I want to jump his bones." Jen just laughed. "Did I just say that out loud?"
"Yes you did. But it's okay because I totally understand."
"You want to jump Pacey's bones?" Joey raised her eyebrows.
"No, well yes, any girl in her right mind would want to have Pacey. But I was talking about someone else." Jen smirked.
"That doesn't provide me with any comfort. What if Pacey moves on and gets used to me just being the friend, and falls in love with someone else?" Joey said dramatically. Jen just looked at her like she was crazy.
"You know that's not going to happen." Jen stated.
"Do I? I don't know anything anymore." Joey said sadly.
"Have you spoken to Dawson recently?" Jen asked suddenly, surprising Joey.
"No. Why?"
"Are you going to tell him about Pacey being back? Or do you think Pacey has already talked to him?"
"Well, I haven't really talked about Dawson with Pacey at all. But, Dawson told me about a week ago that he hadn't heard from Pacey," Joey said. "Dawson and I talk about him occasionally, mostly him just reassuring me that I'd hear from Pacey soon. I guess I'll tell him that Pacey's here next time I talk to him. Or Pacey can tell him…whatever."
"What's wrong?" Jen said, picking up something different in Joey's tone.
"Nothing." Jen just gave her a look. "I don't know. It's the whole history thing you were talking about. Sometimes I wish I could've had a relationship with Pacey without all our history with Dawson getting in the way. I felt so obligated to stick to my history with Dawson that it just got in the way of my future with Pacey. I don't even know why I let it happen. I knew I was in love with Pacey. I know I'm still in love with Pacey. But I just kept worrying about what Dawson would think because he WAS my best friend." Joey sighed, not knowing if she was explaining herself properly.
"I know what you mean Joey. I don't understand why you did that so much, but I do understand what you're saying. Maybe it's better that you and Dawson have some space now. And if you really want Pacey back you have to show him that you don't depend on, or look for Dawson's approval in every little matter," Jen said as she pulled her blue dress on. "I know you don't anymore, but you need to make Pacey see it. I've seen you this summer and since school began. Dawson has still been a good friend, but you've managed to live without him with no problem. You just have to show Pacey that."
"I know."
"Good." Jen smiled. "Does this dress make me look fat?" Jen asked self-consciously.
-&-
"Where have you been man?" Pacey asked as Drue walked into the apartment. "You had two gorgeous visitors looking for you today."
"Jack and Tobey are gorgeous? I didn't know you swung that way." Drue joked.
"Haha. Not them, although they were here a little while ago. They just left for dinner."
"It's a bit early for dinner." Drue said, looking at his watch, which read 6 p.m. He had an hour before he had to pick Jen up.
"I think they just wanted to be alone." Pacey stated. "It was Jen and Joey actually."
"Oh great. Jen better not be trying to cancel on me." Drue sighed. He didn't comment on Joey, knowing her visit was probably for Pacey's benefit rather than his own.
"I'm sure she wasn't." Pacey assured him. "So where have you been all day?"
"Trying to make tonight perfect. I swear this whole being a gentlemen thing and keeping the ladies happy is a hard job." Drue said, collapsing on the couch.
"I know what you mean." Pacey said.
"Where did you and Joey have your first date?" Drue asked, curious.
"Well we got together about a second before getting on a boat and sailing away for the summer. But after a couple of weeks we docked on this island. It was really beautiful. Anyway I made her disappear for a while and I sort of prepared this dinner for her on True Love." Pacey smiled, obviously fond of the memory.
"Aww. How sweet." Drue mocked.
"Hey don't mock me. I'd like to see what you have planned." Pacey laughed.
"Actually it's just as sappy, or maybe even more so, so I don't think I'll share." Drue said, getting up.
"No fair."
"I'm sure you'll hear about it from Jen or Joey if all goes as planned."
"True. Those two are big gossips." Pacey grinned.
"I know. Anyway, I have to shower and get ready before I pick up Jen." Drue said heading for his room.
Pacey looked down at his work and sighed. He wished he could go back to the days when it was just him and Joey aboard True Love.
-&-
Drue held on to Jen as she stumbled down the beach, trying not to fall over. She was holding her shoes in one hand and Drue had his hand over her eyes.
"Drue. This is stupid. Can I look now?" Jen complained, secretly loving it.
"No. We're nearly there, Lindley, quit your whining." Jen just sighed loudly and let Drue lead the way. "Okay, you can look now." He said, removing his hand from her face.
"Oh…wow!" Jen really was speechless. A blanket was spread on the beach with an expensive dinner set out on it.
"I would've taken you to an expensive restaurant but I figured the beach really is our place." Drue said hesitantly. The beach had always been a special place for them, even back in New York. When Jen was particularly pissed or just wanted to get away, they would always go to a beach and just lie in the sand, talking, drinking, fooling around, anything to make the pain go away.
"I…"
"We can go somewhere else if you don't like it." Drue added.
"No. I love it. It's just weird when you do things like this. It's so unlike you." Jen smiled, letting him know she wasn't being mean.
"Well I'm full of surprises. You just haven't realized it yet." Drue grinned, gesturing for her to sit down. They were sitting in a deserted area of the beach and the sun was just setting.
"It's so beautiful." Jen said, gesturing to the sun.
"Not as beautiful as you." Drue said, but quickly added, "I know that was cheesy but it's true so don't say a word." Jen just grinned. They ate their food in comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's company.
"You know, you didn't really ask me out on a date. We've been out together before." Jen said.
"Yeah well I thought you might have figured out that's what I meant. You are a clever girl after all."
"That I am. But really it was Jack who kept insisting you had something big planned."
"Damn it! It was supposed to be a surprise date." Drue sighed dramatically.
"Well it was a surprise that you finally asked me." Jen said sarcastically.
"I just had to get up the nerve to ask you."
"What? I'm not scary!"
"No you're not. Well a little when you're mad at me."
"I'm always mad at you."
"Exactly." Drue grinned. "I wasn't sure if you'd really forgiven me for everything." Drue added hesitantly.
"I forgave you a long time ago. And I'm sorry I didn't really give you a chance when you first moved to Capeside." Jen said sincerely.
"It's ok. Just don't expect me to turn into a sap because of tonight." Drue joked.
"It's okay. I won't. After all, it's your adventurous nature that attracts me to you." Jen said smiling at Drue, who moved closer to her.
"I knew you were attracted to me." Drue said smugly.
"Just don't let it go to your head." Jen said.
"So are we dating now?" Drue asked.
"Hmm. I don't know Drue. What we're doing does seem suspiciously like a date to me." Jen said sarcastically.
"Good." Drue grinned moving even closer so that their faces were almost touching. "Can I kiss you now?" Drue whispered with an urgency that made it seem like he had been waiting forever to ask.
"I thought you'd never ask." Jen grinned. Drue moved closer to her and captured her lips in a sweet kiss. It was tentative at first almost as if he couldn't believe he was actually kissing her, while she wasn't drunk or out of it. He kissed her again softly, moving his hands into her soft blond hair. She kissed him back with just as much passion.
After he pulled away, he looked into her eyes and then pinched her arm.
"Owww!" She squealed in pain. "What was that for?"
"Sorry. Just had to check and make sure you were real." Drue said, laughing. Jen couldn't help laughing.
"You're so crazy." Jen said, as Drue pulled her down to lie beside him on the blanket.
"That's why you love me."
"I loathe you." Jen stated.
"You're in denial Lindley." Drue laughed and put his arm around her pulling her close to him. And then they just lay there, looking at the stars.