Joey woke up to find herself nestled snugly against Dawson's chest, one arm strewn across his torso. He was gently stroking her hair while he watched Candid Camera on tv. The volume was turned off and he was reading the closed captioning. Joey lifted her head up and was mortified to discover that she had left a small puddle of drool on Dawson's chest. She quickly wiped her mouth.
"Ahh, Sleeping Beauty finally awakens," Dawson remarked playfully. He wiped the drool off of his chest with the sheets. "Thanks, Jo," he said. Joey smacked him with a pillow.
"Oh, shut up," she said. "What time is it?" Dawson looked over at his digital clock.
"Almost 8 pm," he told her. "Are you hungry?"
"Starving." Joey stretched and stood up. She picked up a photo album that Dawson had on his nightstand and began to flip through it, smiling as she looked at pictures of the two of them in Capeside, clowning around on the beach with Pacey and Jen, eating lunch at the Ice House for Joey's birthday, and graduating from high school.
"Kirby invited us to go out with them again tonight," Dawson said. "I think they're going to this new Italian place by campus." Joey put the photo album back and began to play with a strand of hair.
"Actually, I was kind of hoping we could do something with just the two of us," she said.
"Absolutely!" Dawson smiled, and Joey wondered if he was hoping it was a date. "I know things have been a little hectic since you got here," he said apologetically. "But I promise everything will be back to normal soon."
"Well, I'm going to get dressed," Joey said, walking into her room. "I'll be ready to go in about half an hour." Dawson snorted and laughed.
"Half an hour?! You're turning into a girl on me!" He took a blue and white striped button down out of his closet and laid it on the bed.
"Well, Dawson, in case you've failed to notice, I am of the female sex," Joey answered.
"Okay, Josephine," Dawson said. He noticed the angry expression on Joey's face and raised his eyebrows. "Don't take it the wrong way, Jo. It's just that, I like the way I can talk to you about anything, like one of the guys. And I don't want that to change," he said softly. Joey opened her mouth to respond, but didn't. She just smiled and walked into her room.
Once Joey had shut the door, she sat down in front of her vanity and slowly opened the drawer containing her limited supply of makeup. She pulled the Elle magazine that she'd been reading on the plane out of her backpack and flipped it to an advertisement for MAC makeup. After carefully studying the model in the ad, Joey selected a charcoal eyeliner and began to artfully recreate the smoky eyes that the model had, smudging the thick lines carefully and then sweeping dark, steel colored shadow across her lids. She completed the look with some peachy blush and nude lipgloss, and then looked up at her reflection. A smile spread across Joey's lips as she admired herself, satisfied and proud.
She took a dark gray tube top with pearl and silver beads across the top out of her closet and held it up to herself, studying it in the mirror. Perfect, she thought. Joey slipped off her T-shirt and shorts and took her jeans out of a drawer. Then, biting her lip, she opened her top drawer and selected a lacy black thong from Victoria's Secret that Jen had given her last year for her birthday. At the time, Joey had been humiliated by the gift, certain that Jen was mocking her, and had made a comment about how impractical it was. But now she smiled mischeviously, removing her usual full-seated cotton briefs and sliding the thong on.
"Jo, are you ready?" Dawson flung open the door and Joey let out a shriek and ducked behind her bed. "Whoa!" Dawson said, blushing. "Sorry, I…"
"Goddammit," Joey whispered to herself, hoping Dawson hadn't seen anything. "Just a minute!" she exclaimed. Dawson shut the door and Joey pulled on her jeans and the tube top and then put on a pair of black, strappy heels that she'd worn in the Miss Windjammer pageant and then never so much as looked at again. Joey brushed her hair and pulled it into a high ponytail, securing it with a black rubber band. Before leaving, she spritzed on some Clinique Happy and put in a pair of pearl earrings.
When she walked into the living room, Dawson was visibly impressed. He stood up and looked at her from head to toe, his mouth open in astonishment.
"Joey, I…" he cleared his throat. "You're wearing makeup," he finished awkwardly.
"I'm not just one of the guys, Dawson," Joey said. Dawson was speechless. He smiled and reached out to her, taking her hand in his.
"I know," he said. They looked at each other and for a moment, Joey thought he might kiss her. But Dawson broke her gaze and grabbed the door, holding it open for her.
"So, where do you want to go to dinner?" he asked. Joey tried to hide her disappointment, determined not to let herself be discouraged.
"How about LaFonda?" she asked. "I hear it's pretty fun." Dawson hesitated.
"LaFonda? It's kind of a… wild atmosphere," he told her. "I thought you were against underage drinking. I don't know if you'd like it." Joey giggled and grabbed his hand, leading him outside.
"Don't be embarrassed just because you overdid it last night," she said. "I'm in the mood to have some fun." Dawson laughed. He looked at her again, obviously pleased by what he saw.
"LaFonda it is!" he told her. "Get ready, Jo. I have a feeling you're in for quite a shock."
"Me too." Joey walked down the stairs towards Dawson's car, looking over her shoulder at him and smiling excitedly. Tonight, she would prove to Dawson that she was so much more than just one the guys.