“The True Love?”
“It was a boat that Pacey and Joey sailed on at the end of season three. He fixed it up and named it the True Love for her.”
“Oh.”
Deacon was not appropriately impressed, for Jenna’s liking.
“Youdidn’t watchDawson’s Creek?” she asked, teasing him.
He shook his head.
Jenna grinned. “It was a cultural touchstone for an entire generation, and it’s my comfort show.”
“Oh.” His eyes widened. “You still watch it?”
“Yes.”
His brow furrowed. “Isn’t it a teen drama?”
“I’m sorry.” She tilted her head. “Did we not agree this was a judgment-free day?”
“Oh, no.” He shook his head. “That was areaction.”
Before she could have areactionto hisreaction,the waitress arrived to take their orders.
Once she left, Deacon leaned his forearms on the table. “So, let me guess, you werein looovewith one of the characters? Pacey or Joey, I’m guessing.”
“Okay, don’t cheapen it. And I feltseenby Jen actually, who was played by Michelle Williams. And I did love Joey, but not in that way. She was smart, and had a shitty family and had to scrape by, and never quite fit in,whichI related to. She also had a big heart. And Pacey was the perfect boyfriend, okay. He saw Joey. He loved her for all of her flaws, and parts of her life she was embarrassed about. He made her feel safe and proud of herself. So yes, I did love him, but not for me, I loved the way he loved her.”
Deacon nodded, as if committing the information to some internal database. “But it’s ateendrama, right?”
Jenna picked up a napkin, crumpled it, and threw it at him. He ducked as he laughed.
26
“Well,this is not exactly The St. Claire, is it?” The room was a sad relic, like a once-glamorous starlet now disheveled and forgotten, its floral wallpaper peeling at the edges and the carpet stained with the remnants of countless guests. A faint smell of mildew and decay lingered in the air, adding to the overall feeling of neglect and abandonment. “You think you’ll be okay?”
Deacon looked down and smiled. “I think I’ll survive.”
This wasn’t his first rodeo, and he’d had some items delivered to make their stay hygienic and safe, which was all he honestly cared about.
“The bed is small.”
“I’ll sleep on the floor.”
“No, you will not. We’re adults and we’refriends. It’ll be like old times. A sleepover.”
“I never went to a sleepover.”
“Shut up.” Jenna slapped his arm playfully. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“Youneverwent to a sleepover?”
“No. Security risk.”
“What about your house? Your parents didn’t allow you to have friends over?”
