Joey nodded and looked away. "That's great, Dawson. I'm really happy for you. I still can't believe we lost touch for so long."

"You still haven't told me how New York's been for you." He chided. "How are Jen and Jack doing?"

She grinned. "Jack has a more active social life than I do. The last guy he introduced to me was named Peter. Pretty cute," she added cheekily. "Jen's having a great time writing for an edgy, girl-power kind of magazine, taking a light load in school." She finished.

"And Pacey?"

Joey glanced at him and sighed. "Pacey," she thought for a while before continuing, "is making his fortune with a web design company he started with Jen's boyfriend, David. Still the same old Pacey Witter we both know." Except I think I'm in love with him.

She bit her lip, feeling a little guilty for not telling Dawson the whole story. He [I]was[/I] one of their closest friends. But it just didn't feel right, and it was confusing enough dealing with her own feelings.

He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close for a brief moment. "It's great catching up with you, Joey."

"It is," she agreed.

***

Joey rolled to her side in bed and looked out the window, the pale moonlight outside diffused by her curtains. She couldn't sleep. As usual, she thought wryly. She'd stayed up reading until 2 a.m., and she still hadn't felt the least bit sleepy.

Her gaze fell on the telephone on her nightstand. The sudden impulse to give him a call threatened to overtake her, and she squelched it, imagining the awkwardness if Anne was the one who answered. Her fists clenched tightly under the light blanket. She wanted to hear his voice so badly.

She sat up and shoved her hair impatiently off her face, annoyed with herself for not even being able to get a decent night's sleep because of him. She had to stop this.

The light from her bedside lamp cast a soft yellow glow on the room while she paced restlessly, thinking of what to do. She opened the door and checked to see if any of the B&B's guests were still awake. Finding nothing but stillness, she stepped outside, barefoot, and walked quietly to the back porch.

She hugged herself as the cool summer night air touched her skin. She'd worn a tank top and loose cotton pajamas to bed, as she'd been doing since the night that she and Pacey had spent together. She laughed to herself humorlessly, remembering.

Her eyes stayed on the creek, loving the solace they provided. She bent down to sit on a wicker chair and almost screamed in surprise, feeling someone there. She stood back up and whirled around. Her eyebrows wrinkled as she tried to make out the person's face in the half-light.

"Joey?" He said in surprise, straightening in the chair.

Her heart felt like it was going to stop beating. Too many different emotions went through her at once - fear, surprise, relief, joy, anger. She stood there staring at him for several seconds, open-mouthed.

"Pacey!" Her voice sounded shrill to her own ears. "What are you doing here?"

He rubbed his eyes and looked up at her with an awkward smile. "I arrived about a half hour ago, didn't want to wake anyone up. I must've dozed off."

"You were going to sleep on the back porch?" She asked incredulously and turned on a light, making him wince and squint. "Why didn't you go to your parents', or Doug's?"

He looked away and frowned. "I was - I just came here without thinking, okay? Then when I got here, everyone was asleep, so I sat here for a while to think of what to do next. I must have fallen asleep. It is almost four in the morning. Forgive me for not being alert." He stood up, obviously annoyed, and started to leave.

"Why are you mad at me?" She retorted.

Pacey turned to face her and sighed. "I'm not mad at you," he said in exasperation. "Just… tired. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm gonna go."

Joey caught his arm. "Pacey," she said softly. "I'm sorry. I was just surprised, that's all. Why don't you stay here?"

His eyes held hers for several long seconds. "Jo…" he murmured. "I can't do this anymore." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, his mouth searching hers for the answer he needed.