“We are unbelievable losers.”

 “I don’t remember asking for your opinion, Mr. Witter,” Joey said stoicly, going to her next index card.

 “Hey, all I’m saying is that it’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon and we’re inside, studying.”  He propped his chin up on his hand.  “Don’t you ever get tired of being virtuous, Potter?”

 She shot him a look.  “We have a history midterm on Monday and neither of us are ready.”

 “So? I mean, honestly, Jo, do you think this one grade is going to make or break your academic career?  Besides, there’s always Sunday.”

 “Pacey, you’re being distracting.”  Joey didn’t want to let him know just how distracting he was.  Today he had showed up at her front door wearing low-slung khakis and a blue shirt that made his eyes look aquamarine.  When he leaned back in his chair, his shirt rode up to show his washboard stomach and the waistband of his boxers.  She was trying desperately to focus on Alexander Hamilton and the capitalist ethic, but it was all she could do to keep from wondering what would happen if she just threw him down on the floor and-

 “So capitalism was a revolutionary economic system that encouraged the individual to value personal gain over universal economic egalitarianism and stability,” Pacey said slowly.  He was standing behind her, reading over her shoulder.  His breath tickled her neck as he spoke.  She shivered.

 “Cold?” he asked, innocently.  “I’ve got a sweatshirt in the other room if you want to borrow it.”

 Actually, I’m feeling quite warm, she thought.  “What? No, I’m fine.”

 He massaged her shoulders gently.  “Relax, Jo.  It’s going to be okay.  You’ll ace this one like you’ve aced all the rest.”

 She leaned back, letting him support her with his hands.  It felt to very, very good.  He kneaded between her shoulder blades, watching her intently.  She looked so breathtakingly beautiful, her silky brown hair falling over her face, her eyes half closed.

 He bit his lip to keep himself from saying what he so desperately wanted to.  You are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.  I’m falling in love with you.  Hell, I have fallen in love with you.   I’m completely, head-over-heels, ass-backwards in love with you, and I am so scared because I have no idea if you could ever love me back.

 Joey opened her eyes to see why he had stopped, and noticed that he was staring distractedly into space.  “Pace, you alright?”

 He blinked, coming out of his reverie.  “I’m…Joey, you want to go out tonight?”

 “With you?  I was actually planning on staying in, renting a movie--”

 “Oh, so you already have plans.  Never mind.  I thought since we’ve been so studious all week we could have a night off, paint the town red, so to speak--” he babbled.

 Joey put her hand on his arm.  “Pace, I was planning to stay in with you.”

 “Seriously?”

 She nodded.  “Believe it or not, I’ve begun to…like your company a little bit.  And you’re right, we do need a night off.  So what do you propose?”

 He shrugged.  “Pizza and Lethal Weapon?”

 “Make it pizza, Die Hard and Dirty Dancing and you’ve got a deal.”

 Pacey made a face.  “Dirty Dancing?”

 “You know you love it.  Hot chicks in very little clothing grinding each other--”

 “Well, when you put it that way, it doesn’t sound so much like a cheesy 80s chick flick.” He held out his hand and they shook on it.  “Deal.”

 “…and Pacey?”

 “Hmm?”

 Joey looked down shyly.  “Thank you for the massage.”

 “You like?”

 Joey was blushing when she said, “Let’s just say that if you don’t get into the college of your choice, you should definitely look into massage school.”

 He smiled.  “I believe that was a compliment I just received from you, Ms. Potter.”

 “Bite me, Pacey.”

 “Maybe later, Josephine.”

 Joey was lying with her head on Pacey’s chest, watching the movie intently.  Pacey was watching Joey intently, examining her deep gray eyes, when she said suddenly,   “I could never dance like that.”

 Pacey grinned.  “Why do you say that?”

 “’Cause I have no coordination with my hips…I couldn’t…I don’t know, move like that.”

 “That’s going to make some other activities rather difficult,”  Pacey said, his voice laced with innuendo.

 She sat up.  “Pacey…”

 He put up his hands.  “I apologize, Jo.  That was a low blow.”

 “Are you saying that you could dance like that?”

 Pacey shrugged.  “Maybe.  I mean, no, I couldn’t dance like Patrick Swayze does when they do the mambo or whatever, but I could probably do the sex with your clothes on stuff.  It’s not that hard.”

 Joey arched an eyebrow.  “Really.  And you know this…how?”

 He winked.  “I have my ways.”

 “I don’t believe you.”

 Pacey got off the bed. “I could show ya.”

 Joey’s eyes widened.  “I don’t think-“

 He took her hand and pulled her to her feet.  “C’mon, Jo.  You know you want to try it.”

 She looked up at him, temporarily silenced by the intensity of his blue eyes.  “I…um…”

 What are you doing, Witter? Pacey asked himself as he placed his hands gently on her waist.  Almost without thinking, she slid her arms around his neck.  He pulled her closer, and he admired how their bodies seemed to fit together so nicely.  Cold showers…baseball…shit, shit, shit…

 Pacey had steered Joey away from the TV so that she couldn’t see what was happening onscreen.  When the music began softly, he thanked God for his foresight.  Having three sisters meant he’d seen the movie more times than he could count on two hands…and he certainly remembered what scene this music went with.

 Joey leaned into him, her arms tightening around him.   He slid his hands up her back, pulling her closer against him.  They were now chest to chest, his hips brushing hers lightly as he guided hers gently.  She resisted the urge to wrap her legs around his waist, instead concentrating on the puzzled intensity of his eyes, which seemed bottomless.  They moved together, swaying gently, lost in the music.

 “Jo…” Pacey said softly.

 Joey looked up at him, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears.  “Pace…I’m sorry…”  He used his thumb to wipe away one tear that had slid down her cheek.

 “What’s wrong?”

 “I shouldn’t have--”

 “Joey.”  Pacey held her still with his hands.  Reaching behind him, he pressed stop on the remote control and clicked off the TV.  “Please tell me what’s wrong.”

 “I shouldn’t have kissed you.  I was…I thought…”

 Pacey started.  “Wait, you…you remember?”

 Joey smiled lopsidedly through her tears.  “Of course I remember…I wasn’t that drunk, and…I just didn’t know how to--”

 “Joey…god…I’ve been driving myself crazy…but lord, Jo…no need to apologize.”  With that, he leaned in and kissed her fiercely.  She brought her hand up to his face, lightly grazing his cheek.  The kiss deepened as she licked his lips before letting her tongue explore his mouth.

 When they broke apart, they were both breathless.  Joey inhaled sharply and sat down on the bed..  Pacey eyed her warily.  “Are you okay?  I didn’t mean-“

 She didn’t let him finish his sentence, pulling him down beside her.  “I-can’t-believe-I-took-so-long-to-do-this,” Joey said in between kisses.  “I’m such an idiot.”  Her hands tangled in his hair as she pulled him closer, letting her tongue dart in between his lips.  She slowly leaned back onto the bed and he followed, still kissing her frantically.  They were now pressed chest to chest, and Pacey suddenly became very conscious of the fact that the only thing separating them was her flimsy tank top and his undershirt.   He didn’t even bother trying to think of distracting images. He knew it wouldn’t do any good.

 She pulled away for a second, and his breath caught in his throat.  She doesn’t like it.  She wants to stop.  She made a mistake.  I knew…

 “Take it off,” she said firmly.

 “Excuse me?” he asked.

 “The shirt.  Take it off.  It’s in the way.”

 “Isn’t that supposed to be my line?” Pacey said, smiling lopsidedly.

“Nope, mine,” Joey said.  She tugged on his shirt, giving him no choice but to sit up and lift up his arms, letting her slide it over his head.   Her eyes were dark with concentration and intent.  Their eyes met, and Joey was surprised by the shiver that ran through her entire body.  He’s so beautiful, she thought.

 She’s so beautiful, he thought.

 She pushed him down onto the bed again, and he laughed at her ferocity.  “Touché, Potter.”

 “Yeah.”  She straddled him, kissing his neck and then his chest.  She flicked her tongue over one of his nipples, and he gasped.

 “My God, Jo--”

 Right then, the phone rang.

 They both froze.  Joey looked at Pacey, her eyes silently communicating, Don’t answer it.

 “It could be for my sister,” Pacey said.

 It rang again, and Joey sighed, leaning over and picking it up.  “What?” she said testily.

 “Joey?”

 “Dawson?”

 Shit, shit, shit.  She’s still definitely straddling me, Pacey thought.

 Joey cleared her throat.  “What’s up, Dawson?”

 “I did call Pacey’s number, didn’t I?”

 “Yeah, you did.”

 “What are you doing at Pacey’s house?”

 Joey blushed furiously, thanking her lucky stars individually and by name that he couldn’t see her.  “Uh…we were watching a movie.”

 She could almost hear Dawson’s ears perking up.  “Really?  What movie?”

 That movie where I rip off his clothes, and then we…  “Um, Dirty Dancing.”

 “You got Pacey Witter to watch Dirty Dancing?  I’m impressed, Jo.”
 
 “Yeah, well…I convinced him it would be worth it.”

 “Um, Jo…” Pacey was shifting uncomfortably under her.

 “So…what’s going on with you, Dawson?”  Joey asked innocently as she shifted her weight.  She carefully swept her hand down his chest and his stomach, stopping at the waist of his pants.  Pacey was biting his lip to keep from making any noise.

 “Hey, while I have you here, I had a question about the history midterm.  Do you think he’s going to have stuff about the economic systems?  Trickle-down economics and the capitalist ethic and stuff like that?”

 “Yeah, probably.  Pacey and I studied it just in case.”

 “You still studying with Pacey because of that bet?” Dawson asked.  “I’m sure that must be a nightmare…”

 Or a dream come true, she thought.  “Yeah, it’s pretty crazy.  But we’re managing.  We’ve done a lot of stuff.”  Except each other.  Dammit!  She winced.

 “That’s good.  Well, I’m going to crash…I was actually calling to see if Gretchen was home, but I guess she’s not…”

 “I think she’s out with her friends,” Joey said easily.  She was tracing Pacey’s bellybutton with one finger.

 “Well, I’ll call some other time.  Talk to you later, Jo.”

 “Bye, Dawson.”  Joey replaced the receiver in the holder and exhaled.  “I thought he’d never shut up!”

 “Jo…you’re killing me.  I really thought I was dying.  Actually, I thought I’d already died and gone to heaven…but then the phone ringing made me think quite the opposite…”

 Joey eased herself off of Pacey and lay down beside him.  “You were the one who said we had to answer it.  I would have just let it ring.”

 Pacey brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.  “You know what I always admired about you, Potter?”

 “What?”

 “You’re so calm under pressure.”

 She pushed him lightly.  “Yeah, well, it’s a gift.” He kissed her neck, running his tongue over the sensitive area right under her chin.  She giggled.  “That tickles.”

 “Stay with me tonight, Jo.”

 “Meaning…”

 “Stay with me.  Here.  Sleep here.  I’m tired, and I shouldn’t drive when I’m tired.”

 She laughed softly.  “This wouldn’t just be a ploy…”

 “If you want to go home, I’ll drive you home, Jo.  No pressure,” he said seriously.

 “I want to stay with you.”

 “Good!  You can even sleep downstairs if you want…”

 She pushed him, harder this time, and he almost fell off the bed.  “You think I’m crazy?”

 “No, I think you’re Josephine Potter.  Borderline insane, but not full out nuts.”

 “I’d have to be, to want to sleep with you,” she said petulantly.

 “Yeah, well…considering my history with girls, I’m not going to comment on that one.  I think I’m attracted to a little insanity.”

 “You’re so dead, Witter.”  Joey began tickling him mercilessly.

 “Jo-you’re-killing me-“ Pacey said breathlessly.  “I give, I give!”

 “You give what?” she asked.

 “I will give you anything you want,” Pacey said, and although his voice was light, his eyes told a different story entirely.

 “Anything?” Joey’s eyes glimmered with something that Pacey couldn’t quite read.
Was it fear?

 He nodded.  He had temporarily forgotten how to speak.  He didn’t understand the power this girl held over him, but at that moment, he didn’t mind it at all.

 She kissed him lightly on the lips, her hand resting on his chest.  He felt as if electricity was running through his entire body.  If this is what it feels like to be with Joey, I don’t ever want it to stop, he thought.

 Joey looked into his eyes, which had become a bright, intense green in the low light of the room.  If this is what it feels like to be with him, I don’t ever want this to stop, she thought suddenly.

 “Even your heart?” she whispered.
 
 “Jo, you’ve already got it.  You’ve had it for a long time.  And you can keep it if you want it…” Pacey mumbled.

 She silenced him with a kiss.