No More J-Man and Channy's
Joey, standing in his kitchen, stares out into the living room of his apartment, which now seems very empty after he was told that Chandler was moving in with Monica. He takes a swig from the milk carton he is holding and allows a heavy sigh to escape from his lips. His eyes slowly run over every inch of the living room, only stopping when his gaze falls upon the two Barcaloungers. He tries to imagine just how different the apartment will look once Chandler moves out. It will never feel the same again. No more movie marathons. No more late-night pizza deliveries. No more impromptu games of foosball. No more stories about some hot girl one of them had seen that day. No more Joey and Chandler. He thinks about what that means for him going forward and what other changes, besides one less recliner in front of the television, the next few months are going to bring.
Joey does not like change that much. He does not like having to alter any of his own rituals or habits. He likes things the way they are. There is a sense of comfort he derives from the familiar day-to-day occurrences of his life that this new living arrangement is going to send into upheaval. Everything was perfect now. Why do Chandler and Monica want to mess all that up? Now Rachel has to move, and he is going to have to find a new roommate. What if no one likes the person who moves in? What if that person does not like all of his friends? What if he can never find a roommate and has to move out and find a cheaper apartment? What if he and Rachel have to live somewhere across town? Would the gang ever get to see each other as much as they do now? Joey shook his head as he let all the different possible outcomes play out in his head. The prospect of having to navigate through this brand-new world that was being thrust upon him does not make him happy.
For Joey, figuring out his new living arrangements in a post-Chandler world is not the worst of it. He knows the real reason he is feeling so down about all of this is that it means he has to finally come face-to-face with the realization that his relationship with his best friend is about to irrevocably change forever. It is no longer going to be Joey and Chandler. Now, moving forward, it would always be Chandler and Monica.
He always knew this day was coming. It was inevitable. These changes did not suddenly happen this morning after he was told that Chandler would be moving across the hall. The dynamic between him and his best friend was already changing. It practically started on the very same day he figured out that Chandler and Monica were sleeping together. That day, as he sat there on Monica's bed, averting his eyes to their kiss, a part of him already knew things were going to be different. While he was initially made to feel uncomfortable witnessing such a passionate display of affection between these two people he had thought of as part of his extended family, he also could not deny what was becoming clear to him in that moment. They both appeared to be happier than he had ever seen them before. He knew this thing between them was real. He knew it was going to be life changing. Even if he did not have the wherewithal to formulate those thoughts succinctly in that moment, looking back at that day now, he knows it to be true.
From that moment on, the changes to their lives came very quickly. Suddenly, it seemed that every time he came home late from date or after the rare occurrence of actually working an acting gig, Monica was there. Hiding in Chandler's room, giggling the night away and making noises he had never heard a woman that Chandler was with make before. He would bump into her in the middle of the night as she came out for a glass of water and he was on his way to the bathroom, sharing an awkward smile and a knowing nod. Even though Joey had been around when Chandler had a girlfriend before, he could tell, this was just different. He felt it in every conversation he would see them have. Every touch he would catch them stealing when they thought no one was looking. The way their faces lit up when they saw each other. The way Chandler would talk about her. The lengths that they would go to in order to protect each other. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before.
Chandler was different too. It was as if overnight, his awkward roommate turned into this confident man. Well, confident for Chandler anyway. He was calmer, he laughed easy, and smiled more than he had ever seen anyone smile. He was suddenly someone who was sure about what he was doing. Oddly enough, to Joey, it made sense. This was not Janice or Kathy, or some girl he picked up from the sleep clinic or at one of Joey's plays, this was Monica. Someone that knew every stupid thing Chandler had done before or probably knew all the dumb things he would do in the future. She may be the only person in the entire world who knows him as well as Joey does.
Maybe that was why he had his initial aversion to their coupling, or at least, to the very graphic displays of their relationship that he might stumble upon from time to time. He did not want to see them making out, because he knew it was different and he knew that changes were coming. Every time he saw them, kissing in the Barcalounger, holding hands in the kitchen, or when he heard them making loud and obnoxious noises from the bedroom; he knew it meant that they were all getting closer and closer to the inevitable end of Joey and Chandler. Not only would he be sharing his best friend with someone else, but that person was going to inevitably take his place.
He takes another swig from his milk carton, leans up against the kitchen counter and smiles. He cannot help himself. Even in the face of all this unwanted change, he is happy for his two friends. They both really wanted this. He knew that right away just from the looks on their faces. He cannot think of two better people who deserved a shot at happiness. Both of them had always been looking for love, failing to find it, only to have it right under their noses this entire time. Looking back at their friendship, Joey is surprised he never saw it before. The closeness. It was always there. The entire time.
The door to the apartment swings open and Monica walks in, she looks at him and then her eyes fall to the milk carton in his hand. She twists her face up in disgust. "Joey, remind me never to borrow milk from you again."
Joey shrugs his shoulders and places the milk on the counter. "Hey, what's up?"
"I'm going to go downstairs to see if maybe Rachel is still there. You want to get a cup of coffee?"
"Oh, Uh, I'd love to, but I got an audition in an hour."
"Oh. Okay. Chandler went to work and I was just hoping to have someone with me when I told her." Monica makes her way into the living room and crashes down onto Chandler's Barcalounger.
"I can blow it off if you want me to."
Monica shakes her head. "No. I'll be fine. She might not even be there anymore and is probably already on her way to work." Monica lets out a sigh and starts to look around the room.
"Mon, you okay?"
"I'm a little nervous."
"About telling Rach?"
"About this whole me and Chandler living together stuff."
Joey walks over and sits down in the chair next to her. "Oh, well, you don't have to worry about Chandler. He is a great roommate. He was the one who told me that towels needed to be washed."
"You didn't wash your towels?"
"What? I just use them to dry off after I shower. How do they get dirty if I am clean?" He shoots her a prideful look as if he just made a salient point.
Monica sits forward and starts to gesticulate with her hands emphatically. "But Joey! They get damp and that can cause mildew and then they smell and….you know what…never mind." She sits back down and lets out a long exhale. "I'm not worried about living with him."
Joey allows a puzzled look to cross over his face. "No? What is it then?"
"I'm worried that, once he lives with me, he won't be able to handle it."
Joey sits back and starts to laugh. "Seriously? He's nuts about you."
Monica glares at him and sternly admonishes him with her eyes. "Joey! Living with me is different. Phoebe couldn't do it. None of my other boyfriends could even stick around long enough to want to try."
"What about Rachel?"
Monica huffs and looks off to the side. "She had no choice. She didn't have anywhere else to go."
Joey scoffs. "That's not true. Rachel loves living with you."
"Yeah, now. But it wasn't like that in the beginning. I just know that I can be too much sometimes. I can be a little, particular about things."
"You mean crazy?"
Monica sits up and smack him on the arm. "Joey!"
"Ow!" Joey rubs his arm and sneers at Monica, but then his features go soft and he reaches out to hold her hand. "Mon, Chandler knows all of this already. He knows exactly how you are. What was his reaction when you asked him to move in?"
"Well, actually, this was his idea. He asked me."
Joey sits back, a stunned look on his face. "Wait. This was Chandler's idea?" Monica nods. "Mon, that's huge." Monica looks down and allows a shy smile to spread across her lips. "I've never seen him like this before with any other woman."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I mean, he is such a different person now. Can you imagine Chandler from a year ago asking a girl to live with him?"
Monica laughs as she shakes her head. "No."
"Right. Don't you see? This is all different now. You, him. We can all see it. You guys are in this for the long haul."
"Okay, don't get too far ahead of us now."
"No, I'm not; it's just that I can already see it. You two are going to live together now, and then, in a year or so, you'll be engaged. You two will get married and have kids. Let's face it; Chandler is just as weird a name as Hoyt is."
Monica laughs and looks down, tugging at her shirt nervously. "So, you don't think he will feel like this was all a big mistake?"
Joey takes her hand once more and compels Monica to look him in the eyes. "I've never seen two people fall in love like the two of you have. Even with Ross and Rachel, they still had to learn all about each other; but you two are already there. All those things that all those other people you two dated couldn't handle about you guys, well, it seems you two love that about each other. Or, at least, love each other enough to accept all that stuff. You guys want to be around each other all the time. That's special Mon. To have that close of a bond with someone. The rest of us can only hope that happens to us."
Monica smiles and looks down once more. She nods and stands up, pulling him up with her to give him a tight hug. "Thanks Joe. I guess I needed to hear someone say that. Just, uh, do me a favor and don't tell Chandler any of this? I don't know if he could handle a conversation about marriage and babies yet."
Joey laughs and nods knowingly. "Yeah, You're probably right about that. He is different lately, but he ain't that different."
