Chapter 5
Moving in with Dawson time. We managed to find a place pretty close to Joey's so I think it's going to be great. Not that I tried too hard to find a place close to Joey's. It just happened. I mean I didn't want that house on the beach because it was too… uhm… it was too big for me and Dawson. Way too big. I don't like staying in a big house. Makes me feel lonely. Small is better. See? Nothing to do with the fact that it was half an hour from Joey's place. Nothing at all.
So now it's time to move in. Not that I have many stuff to move in from the hotel room to the house, but Dawson insisted we take the whole day off so that we can arrange everything, establish some house rules and everything.
Now, me and house rules, we're not exactly friends. My dad had some and I never could get myself to respect them. Then I moved in with Doug, my elder brother, and yeah he was a bit nicer but his rules sucked just as much. Excuse me if I didn't quite want any more of that.
So here we are. My room is totally empty since I don't exactly have money to buy a bed. I managed to get a matress but it's not exactly my idea of comfortable so instead of taking Joey out on a date for my first paycheck, I'll have to settle for a bed. Dawson's a bit luckier than me, he managed to convince some neighbour to give him one. How can you just give a bed? And, ugh, how can Dawson take it? I mean, who knows what happened in that bed!
I'm not envious that he gets to sleep in a bed and I don't. Really. That's not like me, I never envy anyone.
So, back to house rules.
"OK, I think we should have some ground rules, nothing too fascist" Dawson says with an empty sheet of paper in front of him. So far so good.
"Not fascist sounds good."
"We don't get into each other's rooms without knocking."
D'oh!
"Ok."
He writes it down. I thought that was common sense, but then again, who knows where Dawson lived before?
"How about food? Do we each have our food or do we share?"
"I think we should share…"
"Yeah I think so too… I mean, I'm not much of a label type of guy."
I chuckle. Somehow a mental image of me and Dawson fighting over green and red labels came to mind. Not that Dawson is the label type of guy cause he's not. He seems pretty cool and laid back.
"So, maybe we should take turns in shopping, since I'm not the shopping type either and something tells me neither are you…"
"You got that right."
"Okay, we got that figured out… Take turns in shopping" He writes down carefully.
"What about… girls?" he says.
Okay, sensitive area up ahead.
"Well…" I try to start but I fail cause I can't think of anything to say.
"I mean, you obviously have Joey and I might have a girlfriend now and then too."
I snicker.
"Could happen" I try to stay cool but we just end up giggling.
"So…?"
"How about we stick it to our rooms and try to be private and everything?"
"That should work"
Anything left? Can I call Joey and ask her to review my newest acquisition now?
"Uhm… bathroom? Cleaning, washing and everything?"
Ugh. The really nasty part.
"Well… uhm… I'm not really the cleanest guy on the planet" I try to make myself sound good.
He smiles: "…well me neither, but there's a limit to the amount of dirt I can handle."
"Ok, so when it gets too bad we clean… and we take turns"
"Fine."
Doesn't sound like we'll have a very clean place. Well, unless we get a maid. Which we can't afford. Great.
Dawson writes down again.
"How about when a new rule comes up we write it down? I mean, we can't possibly think of every possibility there…"
"Sure. I'll just place this in the kitchen."
"Okay."
"Oh… how about common furniture?"
"Sorry?"
"I mean, the living room, the kitchen and the bathroom… that we share…"
"Oh… we pay half, right?"
"Yeah, but what if we don't agree on it?"
"You think too much Dawson. I don't care what kind of furniture I have as long as it holds"
"Fine"
"Trick or treat" Joey comes in with two bags.
"Uhm… how about treat?"
"Treat sounds good" she takes out some italian food out of the first bag.
"What if I had said trick?" I get closer with a wicked smile on my face.
"Well, I guess you'll never know now, will you?" She smiles back widely.
"Can't I have a peek?"
"Nope"
"Please"
"Nope"
I try to steal the second bag but she's too quick for me.
"Damn it, woman, I'm curious here! What if I give up on the treat, can I have the trick?"
"No, you already made your choice. You can't turn back time. It's not realistic."
"Who gives a dime on realistic? I just want to know!"
"No" she takes the second bag and throws it on the window. Okay that had me stunned. She looks quite pleased with herself, may I add. I look out the window, damn, she's good. The bag is in the trash can. Mental note to check trash later.
"You're not actually thinking of checking the trash later, are you?" She has an inquisitive look. This is spooky. I mean we only went out, like, three times and she can read my mind!
"No" I say innocently.
"Right" She picks up on my act.
"Right" I say even more innocently. I have to distract her. "Can I have that treat now?"
"You have to wash your hands, while I lay the table."
Wash my hands? What is this, junior high?
"Uh… How about you wash your hands, since you're the one who comes from outside and I lay the table, since I am the host."
"And because you are the host you get to eat with dirty hands."
"Hey, I resent that! I'll have you know I wash my hands frequently! And they are cleaner than yours right now."
She raises her hands towards me. Have I ever mentioned she has beautiful hands? Cause she does. I just take her hands in mine and I have this silly impulse on kissing them. And I act upon it.
"What are you doing with my dirty hands?" Joey raises an eyebrow suggestively. To hell with dinner.
"I am cleaning them" I grin and start kissing her up arm. Joey takes a step back, I follow her, never actually separating from her arm. She takes another step back. I follow.
She's against the wall now and my mind is light years ahead of the body. I start kissing her neck.
"Pacey what about dinner?" she breathes heavily.
"I decided to choose my own treat."
Joey giggles and, boy, I never thought I'd say this, but giggling is sexy.
"Ahem. Rule number three" Dawson intrudes yet again. We stop and stare at him.
"What's this? Italian? I love Italian!"
"Great, we can share." Joey says enthusiastically and I try hard not to grab a knife and stick it into Dawson. Not that I hate him or anything… but the guy has an awful timing.
I sit down at the table next to Joey.
"So…" Dawson starts. Great. Dinner conversation. Just my thing.
"So what do you think?" I take Joey to my room.
"It's… uhm… empty" she tries hard to sound like she's not criticizing.
"Yes, but don't you see the possibility here?"
"Oh yeah. Lots of possibility. Like the possibility of getting a cold by sleeping on the floor…"
"I do have a matress…"
"You're too close to the floor"
I take it that excludes the possibility of her sleeping on that matress. Boy, I do need to get a bed. Don't get me wrong, not that I want her too bad… which I do… But it's not like it's everything I want from her. Not that I can think of anything else right now.
Okay, I'm 19. I'm a guy. Don't blame me for thinking about sex. It's up there with eating and breathing on my list of priorities. Not that I want to rush Joey into it, or anything, we haven't even talked about it yet. But I'd say, by the way we can't seem to keep our hands off each other whenever we're in each other's presence, that the desire is mutual. Whether or not she wants to act upon that desire, that's another question.
It's time for her to leave and I walk her to the door. And I kiss her good night. She tastes like tomato sauce. And I love tomato sauce. And I want to have more of it.
And there we go again against the door, my mind leaves my body, my body acts instinctively and…
I hate Dawson.
"I take it you and house rules don't get along too well…" he says from behind me.
After Joey left I tore down the piece of paper from the kitchen wall.
