Chapter 5

A very giddy Jen broke into a very sleepy Joey's room.

"Wake up, sleepy head!"

Joey mumbled something without any meaning.

"Come on, wake up! Wake up! Life is beautiful, it's a beautiful morning and you're gonna wake up!"

"Who are you and what have you done to my ever pessimistic and cynical Jen? I want her back…" Joey sighed.

Jen grinned from one ear to another.

"What?"

Jen giggled:

"Jack proposed"

"He did what?" OK now she was awake.

"He proposed!" Jen started jumping up and down in the room. "I can't believe he proposed! I'm going to die of happiness!"

"I see, so he's finally making an honest woman out of you."

There was nothing that could bring down Jen.

"I am an honest woman! I live with him openly!"

"I take it you agreed…"

"Doh! Do I look dumb to you? A total hunk that just happens to have some brains too, I can't possibly refuse"

"A total hunk who happens to have brains… well, at least you got your priorities sorted out…"

"Hey hunkness is a very good part of attraction… and attraction is a very good part of love…"

"Attraction and love don't always have something in common."

"Attraction and love always have something in common dear. I mean, yeah, attraction is not always love but love is always attraction."

"You can love someone without being especially attracted to him!"

"Yeah if they're your brother or father or something. When you talk about love in a romantic relationship, you talk about attraction. Otherwise it's just two good friends."

"You know, a relationship is not always about sex…"

"Of course not! But if you don't have good sex you don't have a relationship. You just have a sort of hanging-out thing with someone until some good sex comes along. Cause it's part of our nature as humans who are programmed to want the conservation of the species, to want sex."

"There's the cynical Jen again… I thought since you were so giddy and everything you might wanna talk about destiny and how you and Jack are meant to be…"

"There's no such thing as meant to be, Jo. You either are or you aren't. If you're not and you wanna be than you have to make it happen, it's not like it's just gonna come to you."

"You messed up with Jack first, but it worked out eventually."

"That's because he made it happen, Jo. Because he came looking for me… you don't actually think that it was a coincidence or that it was fate that we met… he had come with a precise intention: to look for me. Luckily for me, this was not only depending on me… "

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"Guys, I really didn't come all the way to this very expensive restaurant and away from 'The Simpsons' re-run just to see you make out", a slightly annoyed Pacey pointed out to a very giggly Jack and Jen making out without even caring about the people at the other tables who didn't seem to pleased with the situation either.

"What did you come here for, then?"

"I came here for food."

"We have food at home"

"I'm sorry but chips and popcorn to not agree with my definition of food."

"Chips and popcorn are food. Junk food" Jen grinned. Jack seemed to agree with her since kissed her again.

"So what you're saying is that since I obviously have food, I should understand that I am not wanted here and leave two to make out in yet another location"

"Yeah, that pretty much sums it up" Jack kissed Jen's ear.

"Does that sum it up for us too?" Drue interfeared.

"Depends on whether you're here to eat food quietly or complain about someone who dares be happier than you"

"Eat food quietly?" it was Audrey's time. "The whole purpose of lunch is socializing! If I wanna eat food quietly, I order pizza in bed!"

"I doubt that would have anything to do with quietness" Drue whispered in her ear. Audrey shot him a hot look.

Joey felt out of place again. What was she thinking coming here with all these couples? Jen was so different when she was with Jack. She had never been sappy…

"Josephine, you're being awfully quiet today", Pacey turned to her.

"Don't call me that." Grams was the only person in the world who could call her that and not get beaten up.

"Isn't that your name?"

"My name is Joey"

"You take pride in having a guy's name? Wanna elaborate a little on that?"

"Joey is not a guy's name. Joey is short for Josephine."

"…and Joseph"

"That's just a tiny coincidence."

"It's just an interesting name for a girl"

"That coming from a guy named Pacey" Joey rolled eyes at him.

"No one could possibly mistake Pacey for a girl name" he said seriously.

"That's because no one could possibly think Pacey is a name"

"Uh, hello… you two… you wanna eat or are you just here to throw sticks at each other?" Audrey pointed to the waiter who was waiting patiently for them to stop talking and for Jack and Jen to stop kissing.

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OK so she can't sleep. Actually she hadn't slept properly since she came to Florida. But doesn't have anything to do with anything. It was the change of temperature. She was used to cold now she's got hot. Literally. That's not a metaphore…

OK so he's in the dark kitchen and he's staring at her. There's no law against standing in dark kitchens and staring at the people who dare disturb you. There should however be a law against big beautiful blue eyes. Big beautiful blue eyes that sparkle.

"Hey Josephine. Can't sleep?"

Her name sounded really sexy when he said it.

"I'm thirsty. I just came down to drink something"

"So drink something" he said. There's that sparkle in his eyes again. He wasn't smiling, or at least he didn't seem to smile, cause the dark didn't make the picture very clear. But she could tell that he was amused. Again. What is it with this guy? The way he can communicate without actually saying or doing something…

Joey drank a full glass of cold water in one breath. It didn't help. Funny how she thought it would.

"OK I'm going to bed now" she mumbled.

"OK"

She couldn't move.

A long silence. Pacey wasn't moving either.

"Are you coming?"

He caressed her arm gently. His expression was blank but his eyes were on fire.

"I'm coming, Josephine"

Joey had no control of her hands grasping his body in a desperate move. Of her moving backwards towards her room while he was kissing her. She had no choice. There were lots of reasons against it but for the life of her she couldn't remember any. She'd been dead for so long that she was just happy to be alive.

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Pacey was there. In her bed. Holding her. She had slept in his arms and it was the best sleep she ever had. Joey had to control the satisfied grin from spreading on her face.

And that's when she remembered Dawson.