Drifting Back
Chapter 4 - Wake-Up Call
Joey tiredly padded into the kitchen. She was stunned to find Audrey at the counter, wide-awake on a Sunday morning. Audrey was reading a magazine while drinking a health shake, her back toward her.
Joey stood across from her, confused by her friend’s mood. “Is something wrong?” She grabbed the container of orange juice from the refrigerator and poured herself a glass.
“Our roommate is an ass.”
“I meant is something new wrong?”
“I don’t understand why I’m still drawn to him. Keith’s not worth dwelling on. There are numerous, logical reasons. But…”
Joey finished, “You still anticipate the opportunity to hook up with him. The bad news is, he knows it. There’s nothing worse than a creature who knows the prey is interested in being devoured.” She took a seat on the opposite side of the counter.
Audrey ran her fingers through her hair as she mumbled, “Certainly wouldn’t have minded devouring him the other night.”
Joey exclaimed, “You have to stop thinking that way! That will only make everything harder.”
“I’m sorry. Keith has made me a frustrated mess since the moment he entered my life.” Audrey took a sip from her drink. “I probably should just borrow something from your soft porn collection.”
“I do not have a porn collection!” Joey protested.
“Right, then that was you making the giggling and moaning sounds last night.” Audrey laughed at that image as Joey blocked her face with her hand to keep from blushing. “So, what is required to get you off? Do you prefer sweet talking first or role-playing?”
She was about to tell Audrey to shut up when Brendan piped up, “I think Joey’s got a bit of an S&M streak in her.”
Joey cowered further under her arm, not sure if she should be embarrassed or amused by his input. Audrey whirled around in her seat as he entered the kitchen area, grabbing a box of cereal from the cabinet. “That’s making the joke go a little too far,” Audrey warned, then giggled, “But Joey is turned on by closets so that wouldn’t be a surprise.”
“That is a lie!” Joey protested. “Eddie and I were just…tangled in the coats while looking for boxes.”
Audrey glibly reminded her, “The coats were your blankets, sweetie.” Brendan sat down next to Joey as Audrey said, “On the subject of roleplaying, Jen and Scott want to throw a Halloween party here.”
“Why here? Why not at Jen’s?” Joey asked.
“It’s more fun here,” Audrey said excitedly. “I can’t make my famous witch’s brew there.”
Joey explained to Brendan, “It contains everything in the liquor cabinet.”
“Ah, a recipe for disaster,” Brendan remarked, not a bit surprised that’s what she meant.
Audrey continued unfazed, “I have the perfect costume all planned out. Trust me, I’ll be so hot.” She jumped off the chair, heading to her bedroom. “I’d better get to the rental shop so nobody else steals my idea.” She left the door open as she continued rambling about her outfit.
Joey asked, “How much of that conversation did you hear?”
“Your room is closest to the kitchen,” Brendan replied simply as he grabbed a handful of cereal. “I probably shouldn’t have interrupted at that moment so I could have heard you talk your way out of Audrey’s inquiry.”
She turned in Brendan’s direction, smirking, “Why? You already know the answer and it’s not leather and whips,” playfully pushing him.
He raised an eyebrow before leering, “You’d better be careful, little lady,” knowing that would only provoke Joey to shove him harder. Brendan grabbed her hand, they both struggling lightheartedly for control.
Audrey exited her bedroom, coat on and purse slung over her shoulder. “Do you need my help finding a costume?” When she saw the two absorbed in their own world instead of hers, she said louder, “Hello? Need a costume?”
Joey stopped what she was doing before answering, “No, I’ll find my own.”
Audrey nodded distractedly. “Okay. I’ll see you later.”
As soon as the door shut, Brendan let go of Joey’s hand and asked, “Was Audrey the inspiration for the Clueless characters?”
“Hey! She’s not that bad.”
“She thinks you were watching porn instead of…”
“Participating?” Joey challenged.
Brendan looked away briefly, feeling his face turn red. “Well, yeah, sort of.” He propped his elbow on the counter and rested his chin on his palm, facing Joey again. “We could go to that costume party as a bride and groom and she still wouldn’t get it.”
“That’s so boring.” Then she thought aloud, “Unless I was the Bride of Frankenstein, which would be kind of cool.”
He briefly considered that then shook his head. “I wouldn’t be a convincing monster. Bride of Chucky would work better."
Joey shivered at the thought. "Thanks for that visual. Those dolls are creepy." She finished her juice then stood up. "I'd better get dressed now if I want to get to work on time."
Brendan held his arm out to block Joey's path. "You're gonna deprive the patrons of Hell's Kitchen from seeing this lovely outfit?"
She stared down at the pink T-shirt, which had the words 'Get Lost' scrawled in black letters, then joked, "That would make my job easier." Joey leaned, kissing him on the cheek. "Are you working today?"
"No, so I can't borrow the shirt either. But I have a programming assignment due at noon tomorrow so I'll be functioning on junk food today."
"Well, if you get bored, you can always stop by my job." Joey wrapped her arms around Brendan's waist. "Or, rather, you could alleviate my boredom."
"Am I just some sex object to you? One time and you think I'm available for your every whim?" Brendan bit his lip to keep from laughing, but that only triggered Joey to come closer, pressing her lips to his.
She broke away to ask, "Do you really believe that?"
"Truthfully?" Joey nodded. "Absolutely not." He pushed her away, pointing in the direction of her bedroom. "Get your butt moving."
* * * * *
Jen, Jack and Grams were sitting in a café, saving a table while mulling over their order. They were heading to a fundraiser, allowing Jen the chance to convince Grams to take a Sunday morning meal prepared by someone else. Jack would be moving into his new place the following day so it was their last chance as living companions.
Jack had everything scribbled down about to order when Jen spotted Keith enter the café. She snatched the sheet. “On second thought, I’ll do it.”
Jack gave her an odd look as Jen stood up and headed on line. She was only a few feet behind him when she stopped to take a breath. “Hi there.”
Keith twirled around, shocked to hear Jen’s voice. “Hey. This is a surprise.” He took in Jen’s green and blue polo shirt and faded jeans, able to get to him when she wasn’t even trying.
Jen smiled at his reaction, wanting to sound nonchalant as she asked, “Come here often?”
“Not as often as I should. Whenever I go for a run, I stop here for a bagel, then make the trek back home.” That was when Jen realized the way he was dressed - baseball cap turned backwards, gray T-shirt, navy blue jogging pants - was not for a start to the day.
The line moved, breaking their stares. It was Keith’s turn. “I’ll have a blueberry bagel with cream cheese and a carrot juice.” Turning back to Jen, he added, “And the lady will have…”
Jen saw he had wanted to treat her and now regretted having this order. She read off the sheet, “Two large coffees, one black with two sugars, the other skim milk with one sugar. A small tea with honey. One bran muffin. One egg and cheese on a croissant. A tomato bagel with cream cheese. And a…” She squinted as she tried to make out the last word. “Cinnamon roll.”
As they waited for the order, Keith joked, “I hope I don’t sound cheap but I didn’t expect you to have such an appetite.”
She pointed back to the table where Jack and Grams sat.
“I see,” Keith said dejectedly.
Jen offered, “You could join us, if you want.”
"I'm not sure…”
“Why?” Jen taunted, “Are you afraid of a little old lady?”
"No," Keith replied defensively. It wasn’t just any little old lady. It was one that tamed the wild child in Jen Lindley.
“Well, you should be. Evelyn Ryan has been known to kick some serious ass.” Jen tilted her head, pleading with her eyes for Keith to give in.
"It’s the sweet ones that always seem to have that power,” Keith bantered back, giving her a wink. “I see through your charade.” Jen grinned as she felt he was caving in. “Fine, I'll join you." Jen's order now complete, he picked up the tray and let her lead the way to the table.
* * * * *
"I can't imagine Jen anywhere near a church," Keith commented upon hearing about their later activities. “I imagine picketing signs before her setting foot in one.”
Grams chuckled, realizing he had been around her granddaughter enough to know some of her beliefs. "It's a charity thing so Jennifer's willing to make an exception. I'm not even sure if I should ask but are you a churchgoer?" Jack stifled a laugh.
Keith answered, "I used to be. My dad would push us to go to mass every Sunday."
"I don't believe you," Jen exclaimed, amusement in her tone.
"No, seriously. He was a bit hypocritical because he'd then drink beer in front of the tube, watching football games right after."
Jack remarked, "My dad would do the same thing. Not so much going every week, but when he did, it would be followed up with him and my brother Tim in front of the TV." It felt strange to Jack to agree with Keith on anything, but he knew he’d have to make an effort. Jack had to admit Keith hadn’t yet done anything hurtful - merely a bit careless - and needed to give the benefit of the doubt for Jen’s sake.
The extent of Keith’s knowledge about Jack was that Jen and Grams were his family. This was the first he’d heard about actual relatives. "They don't do that anymore?" Keith asked. By the way the other three reacted, he knew it was the wrong question.
"Um, no. My brother died in a car accident. Even though I played on the high school football team, we never followed that particular tradition."
"Sorry I asked," Keith muttered, as much thinking about the similarity in reason for stopping the custom as for dredging up a painful memory.
"Don't worry about it," Jack replied warmly. "It comes up."
Grams asked, "What reason did you stop?"
"Well, I guess I lost faith, ma'am. My dad passed away." Jen wrinkled her nose, wondering why what he was saying didn't sound quite right. "Everything else fell apart after that." Then she recalled that Audrey found out that Keith's dad was a professor at Worthington, alive and well. So either Keith was lying or there was a large portion of the story missing.
Since neither Grams nor Jack knew about that, he was getting their sympathy. Jack said supportively, "As good of a reason as any. That's basically what happened to my family. It's only now starting to get back together and the accident occurred six years ago."
"Then I have two years to wait," Keith halfheartedly joked, not optimistic about that happening.
Jen noticed Keith was deliberately not looking in her direction - maybe he already knew that she'd bust him. She already figured out how to tell if he was lying and wanted to have a definitive answer to her doubts. He'd fibbed about being too drunk to remember a previous conversation and kiss but Jen hadn't yet confronted that either.
When they were finished eating, Grams offered, "We could always use an extra pair of hands at the clothing drive."
"Thanks but I have too much to do today. Another time, possibly." Keith stood up, ready to escape Jen’s uncomfortable stare.
"Certainly." Grams nodded. “If you ever feel the need to participate, call Jen.” She shook her head. “That sounds strange, as if…”
Jen said harshly, “I’ll lead him right to you if that should happen.”
Keith gave Jen a quizzical look, not sure what had ruined her jovial mood. “Uh, yeah. Help those less privileged.”
When he left, Jack declared, "I know I was the one giving you grief but he doesn't seem so bad."
Jen rose from her seat, picking up the garbage and the tray off the table. “No, you were right the first time. He isn’t worth it. We should get going.” She headed to the receptacle and waited there for Jack and Grams. She wasn’t sure why she was so angry about something that she should have figured all along.
Jack did a double take. "Did I miss something?" he asked Grams.
Grams replied simply, “They’re both lost as to how to deal with each other.”
* * * * *
Joey was walking down the street, trying to catch the bus she needed for work, while admiring the boats along the way. There was a cool, brisk breeze coming from the water, which Joey enjoyed with every step.
It was rare for Joey to say there were no worries but for the first time in years, that was the case. She was allowing herself to just take life as it comes. Audrey had been bugging her to do that since the moment they met but now Joey felt she was actually doing that.
She wasn't sure how things would progress with Brendan but she didn't really care, either. She enjoyed his company, whether it was a friendly discussion or the less-than-friendly activities happening in her bedroom the previous night. There was a comfort level she hadn't felt with a guy in a long time, not since...
"Everyone file onto the boat."
Joey stopped walking, not sure she was hearing correctly. She looked around, only seeing a lineup for a morning cruise about a block away. Nothing out of the ordinary about this.
"Watch your step when boarding."
There it was again. Still only seeing the passengers, Joey walked as fast as she could to get a better view. In the back of her mind, she knew it was only her imagination. So why wasn't she stopping her movement?
"There you go, miss. There are many seats available. No need to push."
Joey was closing in as the crew prepared to leave the dock.
It was muffled from the motor of the boat but she clearly heard the following, "Welcome to Boston Harbor Cruises. My name is Adam and I’ll be your tour guide. Manning the back of the boat is Pacey. If you have any questions, you could ask either of us."
She shook her head furiously. "This can't be." Joey craned her neck and was jumping up and down, trying to get a better view. The tour guide, a heavyset blond guy, was blocking any decent view.
As the boat left the dock, she finally saw him. Pacey was wearing the same dark green shirt and black pants as the tour guide. He was more filled out than Joey remembered, his hair with blond fading out. Definitely appearing different and yet the same old Pacey.
He had left town, with at least some of the reason being the way their relationship ended. If Pacey now worked in Boston, there was only one possible reason she didn’t know about it yet. He didn’t want her to know.
So, as much as she wanted to find out the details, Joey wanted to respect that decision - for now. If he was able to move on with his life, she saw no reason not to do the same. Even if that meant Pacey was stuck in the back of her mind as she went through the rest of her day.
Chapter 5 - Disguises Removed
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