16. In a Lonely Place

Complete story — includes the ending

Joey visits Prof. Wilder to explain why she failed to turn up at his house, but he does not allow her to speak and suggests she had avoided him for good reasons. Dawson invites her to watch In A Lonely Place with him. They see Prof. Wilder with an unknown woman and Joey is uneasy. Later, Wilder kisses the woman and leaves the screening early. Joey follows him to the foyer. He explains he sometimes meets the woman although they are wrong for one another (preserving the idea that he hasn't been deceiving Joey), and then waffles about wistful endings in books and life. This makes Joey feel content with their affair never fully becoming an affair. Meantime, Jen is interviewing Steve (Drew Wood) and Wynn (Nick Cornish), members of a rock band, on behalf of the radio station, and brings Audrey along. This leaves Pacey at a loose end, so he goes with Jack to a bar that does not check its patrons' ages — Later, Pacey realises it's a gay bar. He bonds with a food critic who had previously published a critical review of Civilization. Jack points out that the critic is so attentive because he is flirting with Pacey. Pacey takes refuge by claiming that he and Jack are a couple. The critic says in the event that they break up, here's his card and number — and gives it to Jack. Audrey's focus on Wynn is derailed when he reveals he has a girlfriend. Steve runs into similar problems with Jen, but she is reluctant to turn him down.