The One With The Vision Quests
Chapter Three
***
When Joey arrived home from his audition around five o'clock, he was a little surprised to find Chandler sitting in one of the loungers in his living room. Granted, it wasn't unusual for them to hang out in each other's apartments, but his friend was simply staring off into space, his tie loosened and his shirtsleeves rolled up. His suit jacket was nowhere to be seen.
"Chandler?" Joey paused just inside the door, waiting until his friend turned and acknowledged him. He smiled uneasily and began to take off his jacket. "Hey, man. What are you doing here?"
Chandler was silent for a long moment, then he opened his mouth as if to speak but no sound came out. Finally he swallowed. "Just sittin. Thinkin," he responded, a little hoarsely.
"Yeah?" Joey was puzzled. He decided to play it light. "Can't you do that in your own apartment?" he kidded him. "You know, the one with the gorgeous woman who makes you dinner every night?"
Nothing. Chandler's expression didn't even change. "She's not home," he said, monotone.
Uh-oh. Trouble in paradise?
"Did you guys have a fight?" Joey asked cautiously.
"No." Chandler glanced down, picking a piece of lint off his pants and studying the wedding ring on his hand as though he'd never seen it before. "Not yet, anyway. I have no idea how Monica's going to react when I tell her..." His voice faded, and for some reason he looked up toward Rachel's closed bedroom door.
Joey approached, crouching down beside the chair. "Tell her what, man?" he asked quietly.
Chandler took a deep breath. He didn't meet Joey's eyes. "You remember back a few years ago, after... Kathy and I broke up. "
Joey's eyes widened. "Oh my god, you slept with Kathy! You slept with Kathy again, didn't you?"
"No!" Chandler glared at him. "Jesus. One, I haven't even Iseen/I Kathy since we broke up, and two, are you crazy?! You think I would cheat on Monica?"
Joey had the decency to look ashamed. "Okay, okay. Sorry. Go on."
Chandler blew out his breath in annoyance. "Fine. Okay. It was a couple of months after Kathy and I broke up, and I... I went out to a bar one night, had a few drinks..."
"Yeah?" Joey waggled his eyebrows suggestively, but quickly sobered when he saw the look his friend was giving him.
"Anyway, I - I brought someone back here. I don't know if you met her, I don't even remember if I told you about her... it was just a one night thing, she left the next morning and I never saw her again."
Joey frowned, deep in thought. "What's her name?"
"Dana Hinsley." Chandler's voice cracked slightly.
Remembrance dawned. "Ohhh. Wait. Blond hair, big eyes, great legs?"
"Yeah," Chandler said wryly. "I guess you do remember."
"Yeah, I met her," Joey said, nodding.
"You did?"
"Yeah, when she was leaving in the morning. I had to get up pretty early for an audition, so I made her pancakes. Nice girl."
Chandler's expression was a mixture of amusement and disbelief. "You guys talked?"
Joey shrugged. "Sure. Why not? I would've hit on her, but I figured you might have gotten pissed. Anyway, she was like a writer or something like that, right?"
"Yeah. Now she's an editor for a magazine out in Los Angeles."
Joey looked at him. "Now? You mean - "
"I ran into her today," Chandler said evenly, looking away again.
"Wow. Where at?"
"My office," Chandler said wryly.
Joey stared at him for a long moment before he got it. "She came to see you?"
"This morning."
"Did she want to, like...?" He gestured.
"No, Joey." Chandler rolled his eyes. "She's married now."
Joey frowned. "Huh. So what did she want?"
"Well, that would be the $64,000 question, Joe," Chandler said under his breath. He nodded toward Rachel's room again. "And the answer, believe it or not, is behind door number one."
To Be Continued (after I take my finals.)
Chapter Three
***
When Joey arrived home from his audition around five o'clock, he was a little surprised to find Chandler sitting in one of the loungers in his living room. Granted, it wasn't unusual for them to hang out in each other's apartments, but his friend was simply staring off into space, his tie loosened and his shirtsleeves rolled up. His suit jacket was nowhere to be seen.
"Chandler?" Joey paused just inside the door, waiting until his friend turned and acknowledged him. He smiled uneasily and began to take off his jacket. "Hey, man. What are you doing here?"
Chandler was silent for a long moment, then he opened his mouth as if to speak but no sound came out. Finally he swallowed. "Just sittin. Thinkin," he responded, a little hoarsely.
"Yeah?" Joey was puzzled. He decided to play it light. "Can't you do that in your own apartment?" he kidded him. "You know, the one with the gorgeous woman who makes you dinner every night?"
Nothing. Chandler's expression didn't even change. "She's not home," he said, monotone.
Uh-oh. Trouble in paradise?
"Did you guys have a fight?" Joey asked cautiously.
"No." Chandler glanced down, picking a piece of lint off his pants and studying the wedding ring on his hand as though he'd never seen it before. "Not yet, anyway. I have no idea how Monica's going to react when I tell her..." His voice faded, and for some reason he looked up toward Rachel's closed bedroom door.
Joey approached, crouching down beside the chair. "Tell her what, man?" he asked quietly.
Chandler took a deep breath. He didn't meet Joey's eyes. "You remember back a few years ago, after... Kathy and I broke up. "
Joey's eyes widened. "Oh my god, you slept with Kathy! You slept with Kathy again, didn't you?"
"No!" Chandler glared at him. "Jesus. One, I haven't even Iseen/I Kathy since we broke up, and two, are you crazy?! You think I would cheat on Monica?"
Joey had the decency to look ashamed. "Okay, okay. Sorry. Go on."
Chandler blew out his breath in annoyance. "Fine. Okay. It was a couple of months after Kathy and I broke up, and I... I went out to a bar one night, had a few drinks..."
"Yeah?" Joey waggled his eyebrows suggestively, but quickly sobered when he saw the look his friend was giving him.
"Anyway, I - I brought someone back here. I don't know if you met her, I don't even remember if I told you about her... it was just a one night thing, she left the next morning and I never saw her again."
Joey frowned, deep in thought. "What's her name?"
"Dana Hinsley." Chandler's voice cracked slightly.
Remembrance dawned. "Ohhh. Wait. Blond hair, big eyes, great legs?"
"Yeah," Chandler said wryly. "I guess you do remember."
"Yeah, I met her," Joey said, nodding.
"You did?"
"Yeah, when she was leaving in the morning. I had to get up pretty early for an audition, so I made her pancakes. Nice girl."
Chandler's expression was a mixture of amusement and disbelief. "You guys talked?"
Joey shrugged. "Sure. Why not? I would've hit on her, but I figured you might have gotten pissed. Anyway, she was like a writer or something like that, right?"
"Yeah. Now she's an editor for a magazine out in Los Angeles."
Joey looked at him. "Now? You mean - "
"I ran into her today," Chandler said evenly, looking away again.
"Wow. Where at?"
"My office," Chandler said wryly.
Joey stared at him for a long moment before he got it. "She came to see you?"
"This morning."
"Did she want to, like...?" He gestured.
"No, Joey." Chandler rolled his eyes. "She's married now."
Joey frowned. "Huh. So what did she want?"
"Well, that would be the $64,000 question, Joe," Chandler said under his breath. He nodded toward Rachel's room again. "And the answer, believe it or not, is behind door number one."
To Be Continued (after I take my finals.)
