Pacey had just finished packing his bag when Joey walked into the bedroom with his thermos of coffee.
"Thanks," he said as he took the thermos. His mind raced with paranoia that he might be forgetting something.
"I wish you didn't have to go," Joey sat on the bed next to Pacey's bag. "Can't you take one more week off?
"I wish, Joe. I tried everything I could but they need me at the restaurant."
He grabbed his watch off the nightstand and put it on his wrist. He tapped the face of it, noticing how the minute hand wouldn't move, and when it did, it would constantly move counter-clockwise.
"Damn thing," he said, tapping the face again.
"Call me as soon as you get there, okay?" Joey asked.
"Okay," Pacey said. He hooked his arms around Joey and gave her a kiss before climbing into his rental car.
"I'm not gonna spend all my time in New York trying to catch cabs," he said to Joey the day he rented the car. Joey insisted on taking cabs in New York and only rented cars when she was going out of town, which wasn't often for her book editor job consisted more of at-home work and a few visits at the office.
Pacey drove along the fast, busy streets of the city. The sounds of tires running, engines roaring, and horns ringing filling his ears, hummed with the rush of voices from the busy sidewalk. How anyone could spend their entire life living in a place like this, he did not know. He preferred the familiarity of a small town like Capeside, the comfort of knowing what will be around the corner, the state of calmness when he's sitting on his boat, listening to the water lapping and the sail moving through the wind.
Bitterness. Bitter like the chalk of a pill stuck to your tongue before you wash it down. His tongue cringed against the roof of his mouth. He closed the thermos of coffee Joey made him and put it back in the cup holder.
He chewed on a mint and thought more of the sea. He's on True Love. He and Joey are rocking in hammocks, taking turns reading a book. He could feel the rocking and the waves overhead. Then, True Love crashed. No, his car crashed. He had parked in front of a coffee shop and a car banged into his rear.
Pacey cursed under his breath as he climbed out of the car and slammed the door behind him. The sun was bright, but a cool breeze filled the air as he rushed to see the damage of his rental car. The rear bumper was dented and the license plate had bent. He heard the other car's passenger get out of the vehicle behind him.
"Listen man," Pacey started. "I'm gonna be late for a flight, I don't have time for this."
"I feel like we've done this before," the voice said calmly. It wasn't a voice Pacey was expecting.
He turned around to see a glowing face smiling at him. Her blonde hair radiated in the sunlight, her smile brighter than the sun itself. Her hands were placed upon her hips, and her dress danced in the breeze.
"Andie." Pacey smiled. "I should have known."
"Hello there, Officer Pacey." Andie gleamed back at him.