This is my first fanfiction ever, so please be nice and r&r so I can get better at it. A big thank you to HilsonMarvey27 for doing beta work and I think now I need to remember something about the characters not being mine
Joey ran into the dark apartment, in and out his bedroom and he had almost reached the door when he heard a noise coming from Chandler's bedroom.
He was late, he was really, really late, but the duck had been sick for over a week now and Joey just couldn't leave without checking on him, so he went back and entered.
Chandler was sitting in the dark, on the nearest side of the bed, head in his hands and the chick and the duck in front of him. When Joey turned on the lights, he blinked a couple of times and looked up at his friends, surprised.
"Hey, weren't you supposed to be on a date, like half an hour ago?"
"Well, yeah, but when I was almost there I noticed I forgot my wallet here, so I ran here to…." He explained, gesturing in his haste, then suddenly he stopped, realizing something. "Hey, weren't YOU supposed to be on a date an hour ago?"
Chandler just shrugged his shoulders.
"Man, Monica's going to be furious with you!"
"I don't think so…"
" Well I do, wasn't that chick a friend of her's from work or something?"
" Yes that's her, Meg, Monica's friends from work, the one you flirted with almost all Monica's birthday party."
"Me? Flirting with a Meg?"
"The blonde one, with that green dress…"
Joey stayed silent in thought, vigorously searching his memory for a match of the described woman, until Chandler continued.
" The one who brought that pie…."
" Ohh yeah" Joey remembered with dreamy eyes, "Hey, she was hot! And..." he put his hands on his chest, indicating a big breast.
Chandler just nodded.
"Then what's going on?" Joey asked, sitting on the bed next to him and putting his arm around the other guy's shoulder. " Why are you sitting here in the dark?"
Chandler didn't even respond.
"You didn't go, did you? Why?"
Chandler almost laughed at that. " Oh, but I did go!"
"Then,what? She didn't show up? You could wait a little more, an hour late is a lot but…" That reminded him that he was late for his date, too, but his curiosity was too strong.
"No, you don't understand. She was there, too." Joey frowned, not understanding.
"So, why are you here?"
"I don't wanna talk about it"
"Come on, man, you know you can talk to me!" Chandler sighed.
" Ok, well…"
One hour before
Chandler was waiting in front of the restaurant, his hands sweating and his thoughts to the pack of cigarettes in the left pocket of his jacket. He met this girl at Monica's birthday party a couple of weeks before. They didn't talk a lot, just a couple of minutes so he was really surprised when a week later Monica told him she asked for his number and so they arranged a date.
When he saw her, he approached and called her name. She turned to face him, smiling, but when she saw who he was, the smile dropped.
For several seconds she just stared at him, as if she was trying to remember who he was and then finally a trace of recognition appeared on her face.
"You are Monica's friend, Chandler's roommate!"
"Ehm, no, I am Chandler."
" What? You are kidding right?" He didn't like where the conversation was going.
"I'll show you my ID if you want."
"Isn't Chandler the really cute Italian guy?" Now he absolutely didn't like where the conversation was going.
"No!" He exclaimed with a really high voice that in another situation he would find very embarrassing.
"That's Joey, my roommate…"
"Ohh."
"Wait, so you didn't want my number…"
"This is awkward."
"But.." Meg was now backing up.
"This is really, really awkward… and you know what? I just remembered I need to do that thing…"
"But…"
" Yeah, that thing with… with the cat…"
"But-"
"The cat! I need to feed my cat, Joe….. sse…. Yes, my cat Joesse"
"But, but-" Meg turned around and left.
Chandler was left there, opening and closing his mouth for four or five hundreds of times, as she walked away.
Then he slowly reached in his pocket and lit a cigarette, then another, than another, until the pack was empty.
Present
Chandler watched as his friends laughed at the story, fell from the bed and then laughed a little more.
"I told Monica there was no way that girl wanted YOUR number after the moves I used on her at the party…" Joey started sitting up again on the bed still laughing a little bit. Then he looked up at his friend and when he noticed the look on his face he stopped smiling and became serious.
"Aww, come on man, this isn't the first time some girl blew you off! I mean, I think it's more the time you don't score than the t…"
"Thanks, Joe!" Chandler stopped him. "You always know how to cheer me up!"
Joey smiled at that until he finally sensed that the voice was full of sarcasm and frowned.
"No, but seriously, what's different about this chick? You talked to her for what, five seconds, and you already fell for her? She is not that hot."
"It's not her! I didn't fall for her, I don't even like her that much; blondes are so not my type and you know it."
" Yeah I know, too similar to both of your parents, I know. So why are you so damn sad?"
" It's nothing, Joe, seriously, go; I'm fine."
"No, I know you are not, and I'll stay here until you spill." Joey decided resolutely.
"Weren't you late for a date?"
"Crap!" Joey looked at the clock; he was supposed to be at the restaurant more then an hour before. He quickly stood up and ran out.
Chandler remained still for several minutes, hating himself for reminding Joey about his date. Maybe he really needed to talk to someone about this thing. And his roommate, even if he wasn't the brightest guy in the world, always had the ability of make him smile, doing anything in particular the most of the times, just being so perfectly Joey.
Joey returned into Chandler's room causing him to jump." Okay, I called the restaurant and told…. Ehmm…"
"Jessica." Chandler helped him.
"Jessica! Told Jessica I was sick. Then I called the pizza delivery and ordered a Joey's special and a peperoni; they'll be here in half an hour. Now came on, get up and change into something more confortable." He gestured at the suit he was still wearing for the date "I'll wait on the canoe with two cold beers, and you'll tell me what is wrong with you, okay?" He stared at Chandler until he nodded.
"Okay then; let's go!" Then, he exited the room closing the door. Chandler stood up and went to change with his first smile of the evening.
They didn't really talk until the pizza boxes were empty and there were at least six empty cans of beer around them, then Joey opened another can of beer, passed it to Chandler, opened another one for himself, and started.
"So, tell me why I'm here and not with… ehmm…"
"Jessica."
"Jessica! I knew that! Okay, so tell me why I'm not with Jessica at the moment."
"I don't know, Joe, you are the one who cancelled your date."
"Come on, man, you know what I meant. Just spill it!"
"Okay, okay, you are right; I took this worst that I had to. I didn't like Meg, I wasn't looking forward this date and, if I have to be completely honest, she seemed pretty dull."
" So, why that sad face? You got to spend your night with me instead of a dull girl who you know you couldn't score with anyway, even if she really wanted your number. Don't you prefer this?"
"Exactly my point! Every single woman I ever dated and I will date preferred you to me! And I preferred you to every single woman I ever date! " Chandler then suddenly shut up putting one hand on his mouth, eyes wild.
"Aww, man" said Joey putting an hand on Chandler's shoulder, "you know I love our nights doing nothing together, too." Chandler seemed to relax a little at that, but not so much. " That's not even my point."
"So what is your point?"
Chandler sighed, he couldn't tell Joey the truth, so he said "Am I so horrible that the only women I can get are Janice or your rejects, and not even all of them? My date preferred you to me, Monica, Rachel, and Phoebe all hade a crush on you when you met them the first time, so I can easily say they prefer you to me! Man, if I have to be honest, I prefer you to me!"
The words now were leaving his mouth in that fast way they do when he was nervous. But what he didn't say, what he mustn't EVER say to a soul, what he wanted to all his heart not to even think was 'Am I so out of your league?'
Joey looked at his friend, confused.
" What are you talking about? I don't understand. Everybody loves you! Why do you think we spend so much time with you if we didn't like you; why do you think I spend so much time with you?"
" I don't know, pity?" There was hurt now in Joey expression, and when he spoke again his voice was low, the very opposite of Chandlers that in the last few sentences was high and squeaky.
"Do… do you really think so? Do you think I would live with someone for years and hang out with him almost every day out of pity?"
Like every time he was having an important conversation with someone Chandler didn't think before spiking " No, you live here because you have to, you can't afford an apartment without a roommate" Joey opened his mouth to reply but Chandler went on " who pays your rent and bills".
Joey got up, looking at his feet, and before Chandler could think about what he said, started to reach the door out of the apartment. Chandler stood up too and followed him, grabbing his arm. " No, Joe, sorry, sorry, I didn't mean it like that! Sorry!"
" You think I live with you for your money? No, wait, don't answer, I change my mind: I don't wanna know what you're thinking right now!" He freed his arm from the other guy's grip and walked out.