“So.”

“Yeah,” I reply. George and I have been waiting on the porch for almost an hour now. Forty-three minutes, twenty-eight seconds, actually. Twenty-nine. Thirty. Ah hell, I’m bored. George knocks his head against my shoulder for the fifth time and rolls his eyes at me. “I know,” I say, laughing.

“We’ve definitely missed the movie,” George remarks, chuckling.

“That we have,” I reply. I place a hand on his thigh and smile, feeling the muscles tense under my touch. I flatten my palm against his khakis and stroke his leg through the thin fabric. Out of the corner of my eyes I see George bite the inside of his cheek. Cool.

“Why didn’t we do this forty-four minutes ago, Jack?” He smiles at me, blushing slightly.

“I didn’t think of it forty-four minutes ago. I was still busy worrying about Joey and Pacey.” I let my hand wander around the inside of his thigh. I lean closer and breath in George’s aftershave. It’s a clean sexy smell. Like lemons and peppers. Like what I imagine a sunset in Mexico would be like. Salty, sandy, hot....I kiss George’s neck once, twice.

“And now?” George’s voice is deep. He tips his head to the side, allowing me better access to his skin.

“Now....I figure Pacey and Joey will be fine. They have to be. And I’m not wasting anymore of our valuable date time.” I place a soft kiss on his upper lip before plunging my tongue into his mouth. Kissing George feels so good. He reaches for my face with both hands, pulling me closer. Making out with George is becoming a habit I’d like to hang on to. Our legs tangle with one another as we continue to kiss. Before I know it I’m on top of George, and we’re sort of lying down on Gram’s front porch steps. I feel a George’s hand snake down to my crotch and an involuntary moan is caught between our kiss. Damn, life is unbelievable lately. Then I hear a loud, uncomfortable cough.

“Um....excuse me guys,” George and I pull away from each other hastily and glance up at the source of the intrusion. Pacey is looking down at us, grinning sheepishly. “I...I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he apologizes.

“No, no....Pacey, it’s fine. We’ve just been waiting for you,” I reply, laughing shakily.

“For me?” Pacey raises an eyebrow, mischief evident in his twinkling eyes. “Jack, George, no offense....I think I’ll stick with Jo.” I reach out a leg to kick him and he laughs.

“I’ll stick with Jack, too. No offense, Pacey?” George offers, chuckling. He snakes an arm around my waist affectionately, pulling me close.

“None taken,” Pacey replies. He looks at us for a second longer, then glances at the front door, then back at his car. “Um....is Jen inside?” Taking another look at Pacey, I notice he’s almost bouncing.

“Yeah, why?”

“I need to bail on the movie,” Pacey responds, shifting from one foot to the other. He looks back at the car again, clearly anxious to get a move on.

“Duh,” I say, rolling my eyes. “We missed the movie like ten minutes ago. Where do you need to go?”

Pacey looks down at me seriously. It looks like he’s considering how much to tell me. “I need some alone time with Joey. Can you just tell Jen I stopped by? I was supposed to be at the B&B over an hour ago, and I really should be on my way,” Pacey says, all the while retreating back down the path, nearly breaking into a sprint to his car.

I scramble to my feet as he opens the car. “Pacey, wait! Joey’s here. She’s inside.”

Pacey freezes, his hand still on the car door. “She’s here?”

“She was upset about something....I don’t know, Jen took her inside. Did you two have a fight?” Pacey stares up at me, slams the car door closed, and bolts to Grams’ front door in three long strides.

He smiles at me happily. “No fight. Not really. But we do have a lot of making up to do. Thanks.” With that, he heads into the house.

George and I look at each other and back at the front door. I shrug my shoulders and straddle George’s thighs. Moving in to kiss him and resume our previous activities, he places a hand on my chest to stop me. “What?” I struggle to keep an even tone, but end up breathless.

“You said earlier that ‘Pacey and Joey will be fine. They have to be.’” George stares at me curiously.

“Yeah, so?” What did I say? Pacey and Joey are joined at the hip, mouth, and forehead. They’ll be fine. Not terribly insightful. Duh.

George takes a small breath and his eyebrows furrow thoughtfully. “You said ‘they have to be.’ Why?”

I think about the question for a second. I think about Pacey and Joey holding hands. Pacey’s smile. Joey’s flushed cheeks. And I respond the only way I can. “Because if they couldn’t stay together the world would make absolutely no sense whatsoever.”