Dawson Leery found himself lying awake watching old
movies, even though it was well into the night. He was thinking about what he had done
earlier that evening, and was trying to determine whether or not it was the right thing. He had finally put his pride in check, and had told Joey exactly how he felt about her. She had confessed that she felt the same way and they kissed. However, right after the kiss they mutually decided to
separate for the night and examine their feelings. Ever since that moment Dawson knew exactly what those feelings were. To him, Joey was absolute perfection. She was everything he had ever wanted in a girlfriend, as well as in a best friend. That was the magic of the situation. He had
the best of both worlds, all in one. His thoughts drifted to Jen, and how just a few months ago, he was having these strong feelings toward her.
"She was just an infatuation, a thrust into the tormentations that are teenhood." he said quietly to himself. "Joey is the one who has always been there, no matter what. I'm more comfortable with her than anyone else in the world, and I know she feels the same about me."
He walked over to his desk and pulled out a book of poems and stories that he and Joey had written last summer. In it were stories of how Dawson and Joey would change the endings to ET, and Jurassic Park, and pictures of them sitting on the beach with Pacey when they were little. Also, there were the letters Dawson and Joey had written to each other when Joey's mom died and her father was put in jail. Inside Dawson's hands were so many irreplaceable memories that all added up to the perfect friendship and the perfect love. Dawson knew that his blind optimism often led him to trauma and heartbreak, but this time for sure, he knew that it was perfect.
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Joey was still awake reliving every perfect moment when Dawson had told her he loved her. It was those three words that she had longed to hear since they were 8 years old. The thought of being 8 made her thoughts drift back to the time that she and Dawson had kissed to "just see what it was like". They swore not to tell anyone, not even Pacey. Dawson was the center of her life, and he always had been, and she knew he always would.
Her mind tried to tell her that it would ruin her friendship and she should remember about Jen, but her heart told her that love would always find a way and overcome all. She felt the uncontrollable urge to see him one more time and her experience told her that Dawson was still awake and thinking about her too.
Quietly, so as not to wake Alexander, she wrote Bessie a note and got in her rowboat to go see Dawson. She climbed through his window and
he asked her if he was dreaming.
"Don't speak Dawson, words are useless to the heart."
She ran to join him on the bed and enjoyed the comfort of his arms around her. Slowly, her eyes met his, and the familiar tension appeared. The kind that everyone gets when they know they are about to be kissed.
It was the most romantic, fairytale kiss ever. He gently held her in his hands and kissed her tears of joy away from her face. Things proceeded rapidly, more than either of them expected. But, out of true love and passion, they stopped themselves on the brink of something wonderful and disastrous and just fell asleep next to each other, in various stages of undress.
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The next morning, Dawson woke up with his face covered up with his shirt and he was holding Joey’s shirt in his hand. His other hand was wrapped protectively around the perfect love of his life. He thought about what had happened a few hours earlier and suddenly realized the consequences of what would happen if someone were to walk in at that moment.
As luck would have it, someone did. Dawson's dad walked in, so Dawson pretended to be asleep, in hopes that his dad would at least wait until they were awake to crucify him. He wasn't so lucky. However, Mr. Leery was an enlightened man who, being somewhat sex crazed, understood that Dawson was a responsible individual. He decided to talk to them later and quietly closed the door. Immediately, Dawson woke Joey up and it took her a second to remember where she was and what had happened a few hours earlier. She began to be ashamed, but then saw Dawson's loving, perfect blue eyes staring down at her.
"Dawson, refresh my memory, we didn't did we?"
"No, we wanted to, but didn't. We came pretty damn close though." Dawson said with a sheepish smile.
"That's good, we'll plan it better when we do, although spontaneity does have it's moments!"
"OK, I promise, but first we better come up with an alibi cuz I'm pretty certain my dad saw us."
What will happen between Joey and Dawson next?
Will his dad get angry?
Will they actually make love?
Stay tuned for Part Two: Consequences