She adjusted the floral centerpiece on the table for what felt like the one millionth time that day and took a step back admiring her handiwork. The room looked perfect and she walked over to glance at the mirror that hung above the dresser, her black sandals sinking into the plush pink carpet. She brushed a strand of brown hair away from her face and managed a shaky smile as she smoothed out her dress.

She wanted everything to be perfect. She had finally told Pacey she loved him and he hadn’t said it back, but it didn’t matter. She knew he felt the same way. She’d been thinking about how they’d be able to work it out once they got back to Boston, since he played baseball he’d be away most of the time but she figured she’d be able to work something out. She’d even been doing her best to learn more about the game. She smiled to herself, it just might all work out after all.

Pacey knocked on her hotel room door, it was their last night in Texas before they’d be heading back to Florida for a week home stand and then back on the road. He made sure to shower and shave before he snuck out past Jordan. Not that he really needed to sneak; the slightly older man kept giving him knowing looks. But as far as he was concerned, his relationship with Joey was his business and his business only. He smiled softly as he waited for her to come to the door; she loved him. And it wasn’t just that someone loved him, it was Joey Potter who loved him. His Joey.

Joey opened the door with a shy smile. “Hey.”

“Hey,” He stepped inside, running his eyes down her body and back up, “You look...fantastic.”

She grinned. “So do you.”

He rested a hand on her hip and drew her into his embrace, a half smile on his face before giving her a long, sensual kiss. “Missed you today.”

The corner of her mouth turned up slightly. “Missed you too.”

He rested his forehead against hers, his arms wrapped loosely around her waist, “What’d you do today?”

“Worked on my article, did some shopping,” she shrugged.

“How’d it go?”

‘It went pretty well.”

He nuzzled her neck, “Our plane doesn’t leave until noon tomorrow,” he reminded her.

She smiled. “What’s your point?”

“We have all night to paint the town, and each other, red,” he wagged his eyebrows playfully.

She tilted her head slightly. “Oh, the age old question, do I stay in or go out?”

“We have all night to do whatever you want,” he kissed the tip of her nose. “Only question is what’s first.”

“Any suggestions?”

“It’s up to you, babe.”

“Tough decision.”

“All the best ones are.”

She stuck her tongue between her teeth. “You’re no help.”

He finally noticed the flowers and candles decorating the table behind her, “What’s all this for?”

“Um, nothing?”

“Nice try,” he tickled her side, “Do you already have something planned?”

“Oh, yeah, you got me.” She smiled. “I was going to try to seduce you so I could have my way with you.”

“Well, damn, Joey. I think you should know, I’m not that kinda guy.”

“I’m sorry.”

“But for you...” he kissed the corner of her mouth. “I think maybe I’d let you seduce me.”

“Aww, you’d do that just for me?”

“What can I say? You do bad things for my morals.”

She scoffed. “As if you had any in the first place.”

“I think I should be offended.”

“You talk too much.”

He smirked, and brushed his lips teasingly over hers before slanting his lips over hers more firmly. With a swift move, he dipped her over his knee and kissed her with everything he had.

Joey smiled against his lips as she eventually pulled away. “So we’re staying in?”

“If that’s what you want.”

“Hmm, or maybe we should go out.”

“Or maybe we should stay in,” he nipped at her lower lip as he pulled her to stand.

“I can be pondering this for hours.”

Pacey was interrupted from replying by the ring of his phone. “Saved by the bell,” he gave her a light kiss and pulled his cell phone from his pocket.

Joey crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue between her teeth before rolling her eyes and turning to rearrange the flowers on the table.

“Hello?” He smiled as he watched Joey fidget with the flowers.

“Hello? Pacey?”

“Yeah,” his brow furrowed, not recognizing the voice. “Who am I talking to?”

The woman exhaled sharply. She wished she didn’t have to make this phone call. “It’s Tamara.”

The smile disappeared from his face. “Um...Hi.” He blinked. “I haven’t heard from you in...Years.”

“I know and this isn’t exactly a social call.” There was a long pause as she figured the best way to go about it. “I received a call from a reporter a few days ago.”

“A reporter?” He repeated.

“Yes, from the Boston Globe. Joey Potter, I think. I’m not sure. Anyway, she was asking about you.”

His eyes flashed to Joey and he turned away, dread rising up through his body. “And she called you?”

“Yes, she did.”

His body grew stiff, “She didn’t ask about...?” He closed his eyes, one hand clenching at his side. “She did, didn’t she?”

“I didn’t answer any questions but I wanted to let you know someone was snooping around. I have no idea how she found me.”

He clenched his jaw, “She’s smart.” Tamara’s words kept ringing through his head. The look on Joey’s face as she asked about his childhood. “Thank you for calling me,” he said numbly.

“It’s not a problem.”

“Don’t-don’t worry about anything. I’ll make sure your name stays out of the papers.” He tried to assure her, but he couldn’t seem to get his mind off the fact that Joey had been digging up dirt on him.

“Okay.” There was another pause. “I should go.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he shook his head to clear it. “Have a good night.”

“You too.”

“Goodbye.”

“Goodbye Pacey.” She hung up the phone.

He stood frozen to the spot, the lightweight phone hanging limply between his fingers as he tried to comprehend the fact that Joey had lied to him. About so many things. The person she was, the reporter she was, and the woman she was.

Joey fiddled with the flowers one last time before glancing up to see if Pacey was off the phone yet. She smiled. “So I was thinking maybe we can go out and get something to eat?”

He lifted his eyes to her, shaking his head, “And what? You’ll get the opportunity to start drilling me about Andie?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, you already covered Tamara, didn’t you?” He narrowed his eyes at her, “And you got everything you wanted out of me last night. Every last dirty, trashy, heartbreaking detail!”

Joey’s eyes widened in surprise. “I don’t understand.”

“Did you, or didn’t you call Tamara Jacobs and ask about my relationship with her?”

She bit her lip nervously remembering the phone call. “Yes.”

“I can’t believe you’d stoop so low for a story.” His face contorted, “You made me believe you loved me!” He could feel the pain radiating throughout his chest, slowly enveloping his entire body.

“What?!” she gaped at him in disbelief. “That’s crazy. Yes, I called Tamara. I’m a reporter, that’s what I do. I investigated a lead.”

“A lead to what? To ruin her life? She’s an innocent woman who made a mistake ten years ago! If you’d go after her so ruthlessly, it’s hardly a stretch of the imagination for you to lie to me in order to gain my trust.”

She swallowed trying to make herself handle this rationally. “That’s not what I did. I just called her that’s all. I didn’t even use it.”

“Of course you didn’t. Why would you? Everyone loves your article so far. But what happens if interest starts to dwindle? Huh? You pull out the little tidbit about Tamara. My childhood indiscretions, that’ll hook the readers, wont it? Than you’ll reel them in with the horror stories of my childhood. I can just see the headline, “Baseball star falls apart when talking about father.” The anger was so much easier to deal with than the hurt. He swore to himself that his father would be the last person to hurt him this way...and he’d failed at that simple task.

Joey felt her eyes begin to water and she willed herself not to cry. “Pacey, I would never do that. I love you.”

“Do you know what it took for me to tell you that?” he demanded, “Do you have *any* idea? I trusted you!”

She wringed her hands together anxiously, her eyes pleading, begging him to believe her. “And you can trust me. I only asked because I care, because I love you.”

“And because that information would propel to the top of the journalism world!” He shook his head, “Don’t try and convince me it was because you cared, I know how much that article meant to you!”

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Is that what you think? You think I would lie about loving you because of some dumb article? Don’t you know me at all?”

“No, maybe I don’t, but I do know myself. And no one has ever loved me, and I thought you were different, Potter.” Her name came out as a sneer. “I was obviously kidding myself.”

Her lower lip quivered and she bit down on it. “If you loved me at all, you would trust me.”

The word love shot through his body, along with the realization the only way he could hurt this much was because he did love her. “I don’t love you,” he choked on the words, “I never did.”

Once he started, he couldn’t stop, “It was only three weeks, and you and I both knew that. I used you for sex, you used me to build your career.” He bit his tongue, but the words slipped out anyway, “At least you’re getting your money’s worth, the sex wasn’t very good.”

“Get out.” Her eyes clouded with tears and anger, she clenched her fists at her sides. “Get the hell out of my room!”

With hands clenched, he turned away from her, there was nothing left to say. He stormed toward the door, knowing he couldn’t stay there any longer, watch her cry over good sex, and pretend he actually meant something to her. The air in the room was suffocating him; her presence was suffocating him. He felt like he’d been kicked in the stomach and no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t catch his breath.