Joey grinned sheepishly. "I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

He leaned against the door and gave her a mock stern look. "I was wondering where you were."

"Jen's. I forgot to bring my keys." It was almost three in the morning, and she hadn't realized that she didn't have her keys until she was in the elevator. "I see that you were still up, though," she commented, noting his blue shirt and khaki pants. "Did you just get in?"

"Pretty much." Pacey closed the door and started for the couch. "I thought you were with Finn," he said conversationally.

"Nah. Made it an early night." She moved to sit beside him. "Listen, Pace, I thought we could - "

"Sweetie? Where do you guys keep the - Joey! Hi." Anne emerged from the bathroom and smiled warmly at her. "How are you?"

Joey stopped halfway from the couch and stood. "Hey!" She smiled back. "I'm good. On a sugar rush, actually. Jen and I went on a little ice cream binge. But I'm just gonna go to my room now. It's pretty late."

"Oh, don't rush away on my account," Anne said. "Pacey and I have been talking about work all night, and we could use some stimulating conversation." She laughingly added.

Pacey had found his calling in the world of website design, and had started his own design firm after one year in college. From a roster that was composed only of two people - David, Jen's boyfriend, was his partner - the company had grown to include six more. Business was going well, but the atmosphere at their office had remained extremely casual, since they were all almost the same age, and they considered one another friends.

Anne was the public relations director for one of the companies that Pacey's firm was handling, and Joey had liked her the moment they were introduced. She was genuinely friendly and sincere, although a couple of years older. They'd been dating for almost six months.

Joey laughed. "After a whole evening with Pacey? You would definitely need it."

"Get outta here, Potter. We don't need you anymore, thank you." Pacey retorted.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Anne, how can you stand it? I think I'm starting to feel sorry for you," she stated, her expression serious.

Anne sighed. "Sometimes I wonder, Joey. Really. I mean, am I that desperate already? I need to get out more, don't you think?"

Pacey groaned. "I knew it was a bad idea to take you here, Annie."

"Aw, we're just catching up on some girltalk." Joey said sweetly, then smiled conspiratorially at Anne. "I need to go sleep now. Just make sure he doesn't go in there to slit my throat, or something."

"I will!" Anne replied. "Goodnight, Joey."

***

Joey sighed for the nth time and stared up at her bare ceiling. She couldn't sleep. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. 4:45. She groaned, covering her face with a pillow and shutting her eyes tight.

Sleep, dammit.

She felt terrible. Actually, to be more precise, she felt guilty. Incredibly guilty. She still couldn't remember what had happened with her and Pacey the night before, and she felt bad for not telling Finn. Was not telling him the same as cheating? Her forehead wrinkled. She also felt terrible about Anne.

Did Pacey tell Anne?

Joey bit her lip. She didn't know what to think, and decided to analyze it in a logical manner.

Okay, what if we did have sex?

Sh*t.

Her mind went blank.

"Aaargh!" She thumped her hand on a pillow in frustration. She remembered the way Pacey had looked that morning, with his hair rumpled from sleep and his toned chest bare. She had actually been tempted to… touch him. And she hadn't been able to keep it off her mind even when she was with Finn, at one time actually finding herself comparing the two.

Finn was handsome in a country club, college student sort of way, but Pacey - Pacey was…

Sexy.

She covered her face with her hands, mortified that she was having these thoughts about her roommate. Her best friend. The person who saw her in the mornings when she was at her grouchiest; who cheered her up whenever she had a fight with her boyfriend.

Joey sighed. And turned impatiently in bed, determined to sleep.

I must be PMSing.

***

Pacey slumped on the couch, staring blindly at the TV. He'd brought Anne home, but he didn't feel much like sleeping. His eyes wandered to Joey's door.

The image of her standing before him in only her blanket had been crowding his mind all day. He'd gone to work shortly after she and Finn left for school, but ended up sitting in front of the computer doing nothing. He hadn't even been able to focus while he was with his girlfriend. It was beginning to drive him crazy.

He ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

Quite a hole you've dug yourself into, Witter.