It’s been nearly three decades since we were last seriously swooning over Joey Potter and Pacey Witter’s romance in Dawson’s Creek which, much to the delight of our tender teenage hearts, was also A Thing off screen. 

In 1998, Katie Holmes, then just 19, confirmed that she and co-star Joshua Jackson had fallen for each other whilst filming, telling Rolling Stone Magazine, ‘I’m just going to say that I met somebody last year, I fell in love, I had my first love, and it was something so incredible and indescribable. I feel so fortunate because he’s now one of my best friends. It’s weird, it’s almost like a Dawson-and-Joey type thing now.’ 

Now, of course, the internet has gone completely wild after the pair, who split a year into their romance, reunited to collaborate on a brand new movie, Happy Hour, with snaps emerging of the duo looking very cosy together as they appear close on set. 

In recent pictures published last week, a usually straight-faced Katie, 46 – who tends to shy away from too much attention following her toxic high-profile divorce from Tom Cruise in 2012 – appears unable to help herself from breaking into a wide smile as she openly giggles with Joshua, 47, on set. 

In April, Joshua, who has been single since his split from Black Panther actress Lupita Nyong’o  last year, did nothing to dampen rumours of a budding romance with Katie, saying on the podcast Dinner’s On Me,  ‘Katie and I are very close.’ 

Now an insider tells Closer that it’s ‘common knowledge’ on the set of their new movie that Katie’s feelings for Joshua go beyond friendship. 

The source says, ‘Katie’s certainly very sweet on him and she’s made that clear, anyone with eyes could see it. Joshua’s been flirting on the set with her, too. 

‘Katie would say there’s nothing between them other than friendship and they were never together but it’s open knowledge in her circle that she likes him more than just a pal.’ 

Tellingly, Joshua has also revealed that while the pair professionally separated following the finale of Dawson’s Creek back in 2003, Katie later got back in touch following her shock divorce from Tom, 63, who is now dating actress Ana De Armas. 

And after her split from Jamie Foxx in 2019 after six years together, and now with her teenage daughter Suri, 19, in tow, the source says spending time with Joshua has reminded Katie of their unique bond. 

The insider tells us, ‘Having a long history with Joshua and such a strong connection on every level does make him very attractive. He was also great with Suri when she came to the set. He’s a dad himself now [to five year old Juno Rose] which is also a big plus for Katie. 

‘This ticks a lot of boxes for Katie but ultimately it comes down to whether Joshua is actually at a place in his life where he can offer her a real commitment after all this time.’ 

However, fans will have been devastated to learn that there may be trouble in paradise already after Joshua was spotted enjoying dates in NYC with two different women in August alone. 

Just last week he raised eyebrows after enjoying a coffee date with Eric Dane’s ex Priya Jain, 27 – just a week after being spotted with Bridgerton actress Simone Ashley, AKA Mrs Anthony Bridgerton. 

And the source says that for Katie’s pals, Joshua’s ‘dates’ have set off ‘alarm bells’. 

 ‘It’s looking very much like he wants his cake and to eat it, too,’ the source says. 

‘His coffee date with Priya set off alarm bells because everyone assumed Joshua and Katie were headed toward a romantic reunion.’ 

They add, ‘He has a reputation as a good time guy and there’s a reason for that. He tends to be a serial monogamist, Jodie [Turner-Smith] was his longest relationship ever and that really wasn’t long considering he’s well into middle age. 

‘That doesn’t mean he couldn’t change his ways for Katie, but the signs don’t exactly point that way, not with him taking Priya and Simone out, and so publicly, too.’ 

Katie has already endured her share of heartbreak after going through one of the most famous celebrity divorces of all time. 

Following almost six years of marriage to Tom – the movie star she had dreamt of marrying – she was reportedly forced to flee to a ‘gateway’ apartment in New York and use a burner phone so she couldn’t be traced when she decided to ‘escape’ their marriage with their young daughter. 

It is now widely believed that Katie had feared the influence that Tom’s religion of scientology had, and would have, on their daughter’s life. 

Meanwhile Joshua dated a string of high profile actresses including Rosario Dawson and Diane Kruger before marrying actress Jodie Turner Smith, with whom he shares daughter Juno, in 2019. In 2023, fans noticed the pair had ‘unfollowed’ each other on Instagram and they confirmed their divorce filing that October. 

But despite Joshua’s dating history, the source says their shared past is a huge bonus for Katie, who they say may struggle to see the recent snaps of Joshua’s dates. 

The source says, ‘Truth is, she doesn’t date much because she has a hard time meeting men she’s into, she gets plenty of offers [for dates] but turns down 99 percent of them because she’s extremely picky and doesn’t trust easily.

‘So Joshua running off with other women will be hard for her to take so soon after they reconnected. Friends say it’s a sign he’s not such a knight in shining armour after all. 

‘Joshua is known to be a bit of a womaniser and the last thing Katie needs is to hook up with another bad boy. It’s going to be sad for her to realise it may not be the happy ever after ending she clearly believes it should be.’ 

However, after having been single since her split from musician Bobby Wooten III after eight months in 2022, the source says Katie is finding the connection she shares with Joshua ‘intoxicating’ and still hasn’t ruled out a blossoming romance. 

‘She’s in a really tough situation because she has so much fun with him to the point that it can be a little intoxicating,’ the insider says. 

‘He’s so handsome and charming and they’ve been spending so much time together, it’s only natural she’d develop feelings. And flirty as they are and as much time as they’re spending together, they haven’t made any promises to each other so Katie is insisting Joshua is totally within his rights to date other women. 

‘That doesn’t mean it’s easy to stomach. In so many ways Joshua could be her perfect happy ending. Getting back together with essentially her first love would be such a cute way to close the long strange story that has been her romantic life.’

But the source says her pals are still warning Katie not to get too swept up in the moment and take things slowly. 

They add, ‘Her friends aren’t telling Katie not to spend time with Joshua or enjoy herself, she deserves to have fun. They just want her to keep her eyes open and her expectations realistic. 

‘He’s always been a player and probably isn’t going to change his spots.’