The One Where Rachel Confronts Joey
Chapter Four
Continued from: The One With Rachel's Reaction
By: Jana~
This chapter contains spoilers for season eight (in general) and MAJOR spoilers for episode #816 in particular. Do NOT read if you do not wish to be 'spoiled'.
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--Rachel stood outside his door, nervous about knocking, knowing what was about to happen would change everything between them, forever. But that had already pretty much happened with his declaration of love.
She gathered her courage, then knocked on his door.
She was the last person Joey expected to see at his door…
"Rachel. Hi." He greeted her nervously…
"Hi Joey…" she forced a smile… "Can I come in?"
"Yeah!" he replied, stepping aside… "Come in!"
She walked in the door, stopping at the kitchen counter, leaning on it… "I wanted to talk to you…" she stated softly… "About--"
"Yeah…" he nodded, joining her at the counter, standing across from her, the counter separating them…
"I… I don't know how to respond to this, ya'know?"
He nodded, unable to look her in the eyes… "Yeah…"
"Monica and I talked…" she hesitated… "She suggested something."
"Ok. What?"
"Well, see, the problem is…" she started to cry… "I don't want to lose you!"
"You won't Rach…" he felt tears well up in his eyes… "Ever. You cannot ever lose me, ok?"
She nodded as he wiped her tears… then he wrapped her in a hug…
She pulled back after several minutes, allowing his strong arms to comfort her before moving on to her proposal…
"Monica suggested…" she began again… "She suggested that we…"
"That we…?" he repeated in the form of a question…
"That we… try something…"
"Ok. What?"
"She suggested that we… ummm… well…" she stammered before finally being out with it… "She suggested we… kiss."
Joey's eyes grew wide…
"She said that… that if we kiss… that if there's anything between us, we would be able to tell. If we kiss."
Joey just stood silent, digesting her words…
"I just, I don't know how I feel about her plan though…" she went on to explain… "Cause, well, what if after we kiss, I don't feel anything but friendship… but you feel… more…"
He shrugged… "I don't know."
"So, I guess my question to you is… is it worth it to you to find out?"
"You want me to decide?"
"Well, not alone…"
"Speaking of alone…" Joey broached the subject that had bothered him since he had spoken to Monica… "When I left the restaurant, did you… cry?"
She looked at the ground… "It's the hormones…" she explained… "Cause I'm pregnant…"
"Is that a 'yes'?"
She nodded… "Yes."
"I am so, so sorry…"
"No, sweetie, don't be sorry…"
He turned away… "I should've never said anything…" he chastised himself…
"No, sweetie, please… please don't be upset with yourself."
"But, I made you cry!"
"So do band-aid commercials. It's cause I'm pregnant."
"I never meant to upset you. I guess-- I just thought-- I hoped that… that maybe--"
"Joey? What do you think of Monica's suggestion?"
"I think that… it might work. I also think that-- that my heart is about to get shattered into a million pieces."
She nodded sadly… "So, the question is, is it worth the risk? Can we remain friends… IF--?"
"Yes." He answered before she could even ask the full question… emphatically… "The bottom line is, I love you Rach. And, I want you in my life…"
"I want you in my life too…" tears pooled in her eyes…
"Don't cry, please?" he cupped her face in his hands… "If you're not in love with me… things might be weird for a while, but, we'll be ok… ok?"
She nodded just slightly as she stared into his deep brown eyes…
"Ready?" he asked, his lips inching closer… she nodded slightly again…
With her permission, he kissed her. It was soft and gentle, not at all demanding as she thought it might be. She admitted, if only to herself, that she had a preconceived notion as to the kind of lover he would be. His kisses and his touch would be passionate, but somewhat greedy, and although the woman would come away satisfied, their pleasure would not necessarily be his top priority.
But, if this kiss was any indication, her assumption was completely wrong. The kiss was anything but selfish… in fact, it was the complete opposite. He was obviously taking her feelings into consideration, even above his own. How could she tell? She just could…
He pulled away and looked at her expectantly… her eyes were still closed, but they slowly opened to meet his gaze…
"Well?" he asked in a whisper, almost dreading the answer…
She didn't do anything but stare for what seemed like several minutes, then she stammered and stuttered, trying to find the words to answer him…
The thing was, she didn't know how to answer him, cause she didn't know what her answer was. Did she feel something? Actually, the answer was 'yes', but, what was it exactly that she felt? That was the question… and she didn't have the answer…
"Ummm…" she looked away from his questioning eyes… "I think-- I think-- I think I need to think…" She headed for the door, opening it and standing in the doorway. She kept her back turned, knowing she couldn't face him just yet… "Can I come by later?"
"Sure." Joey answered softly, dejectedly…
She walked away without saying another word…
Joey scoffed at himself, walking to the door and closing it… "Well, that's that…" he muttered to himself… "You're just going to have to get over her. As hard as that's gonna be… you're just gonna have to."
*****
--Rachel walked in the door, in tears, and Ross immediately became concerned…
"Rach? What's wrong?"
She wrapped her arms around him, looking for comfort, and he gathered her into his arms…
"Is it the baby?" he asked worriedly…
She shook her head… "It's Joey."
"What? What about Joey?"
"We kissed…" she whispered her reply…
Ross felt a twinge of jealousy tug at his heart, but he pushed it aside for her sake, not wanting to upset her anymore than she already was… "And?"
"Monica suggested it…" Rachel explained… "She said if there were feelings there, if we kissed, we would be able to tell…"
"And?" He wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer, but he wanted to be supportive…
"I think I felt something."
"Think?"
She pulled away, sitting on the couch, burying her face in her hands…
"Rach? Think?"
"I'm not sure what I felt… it was definitely not 'nothing'. It was definitely 'something'."
He sat beside her… "Well, what did Joey say?"
"He didn't really say anything…" she sniffled… "I kinda left…"
"Ok." He rubbed her back… "Can I ask why?"
"It scared me…" she answered without pause… "I don't know if I can do this again, Ross!"
"Do what again?"
"Fall in love with a friend! We were such a disaster! I don't want to go through that again!"
"Yeah, but Rach, we're ok, right?" She nodded. "And, who says you and Joey would have the same end, right?"
"I guess…"
"You know, it may be cliché, but, it rings true… it's better to have loved and lost then to have never loved at all."
"You're right…" she agreed… "It is cliché…"
He rolled his eyes… "Question is Rachel, do you have feelings for him beyond friendship?"
She gave it a moment's thought… "I think so. Or, at least, I think I could develop feelings. I'm just-- I'm seeing him in a whole new light…"
He nodded…
"Is this going to be weird for you?"
He shrugged… "Don't worry about me…" he replied. He knew it would be, but with her emotions in turmoil, he didn't want to add to her stress… "Whatever I feel, or anyone else feels is secondary. What counts most is how you and Joey feel. And, if you feel something for him, I think you need to tell him that. I know he feels something very strong for you…"
"You think?"
"I know, Rach. I know…"
She nodded… "I gotta go talk to Joey…" She stood and headed for the door, but then stopped… "Am I about to do what I think I'm about to do?"
"Start something with Joey Tribbiani?" She nodded. He smiled and nodded… "Yeah. You are."
She smiled, looking off into space… "Who'd've thought?" She shot Ross a smile, then walked out the door…
"Not me…" he muttered to himself… "Not me."
*****
--Rachel only knocked to announce her presence, then she walked into Joey's apartment, immediately spotting him seated on his recliner…
Joey spun around, beyond shocked to see Rachel standing there, tears in her eyes…
"Rach?" he whispered as he stood…
Without hesitation she went to him, embracing him, welcoming his arms around her…
"This is crazy…" she whispered against his chest…
"What is?"
"I don't understand these feelings I'm having…"
"How do you think I feel? I've never felt like this before, ever! Now, all of the sudden, I can't stop thinking about you! You're in my thoughts when I'm awake! You're in my dreams when I'm asleep!"
"A week ago, you were my friend Joey. Now, you're like this guy that may be my future."
He pulled back and looked at her with hope in his eyes… "Rach? Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
She nodded… "The kiss… I felt something."
He closed his eyes and let out a long, relieved sigh…
"But if we start this…" she prefaced… "There's going to have to be some ground rules."
He nodded… "Ok, like what?"
"Like, no sex till after the baby is born."
He blushed at her statement, and she smiled in response…
"Is that a blush I see Mr. Tribbiani?"
He smiled, the color deepening at being caught… "What else? What other rules?"
"We don't make any serious relationship commitments or decisions while I'm pregnant. The hormones make a pregnant woman moody and ultra-emotional. It's not a good time to be starting a relationship, while in the third trimester of pregnancy."
"Ok. So, where does that leave us?"
"Well… that leaves dating. Spending time together. Getting to know each other on a different level. Then, after the baby is born, we'll see where we go from there. Deal?"
"Sounds good to me."
She smiled… "Good. Now…" she touched his lips… "How about another kiss?"
"We get to kiss?" he asked like an excited child…
She chuckled… "Oh yeah. Absolutely."
His smile changed from quirky to seductive, and he leaned in and kissed her. It started like their first kiss, soft and tender, but it soon grew into more. Much more.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him tighter to her, as much as she could with her protruding belly, and he responded by running his hands through her hair.
Goosebumps peppered her skin as his hands traveled down her back to rest on her hips, but then he pulled back…
"We're coming dangerously close to breaking rule number one here…"
"Rule number one?" she asked, out of breath and somewhat confused…
"Yeah, you know, no sex till after the baby is born."
"Oh. Right." She smiled timidly… "Ok, so, this'll be harder than I thought."
He nodded… "So, we'll be extra careful."
"Agreed."
He smiled before gathering her into his arms and holding her, swaying slightly, almost as if dancing…
"Wanna go to dinner tonight?"
She hummed softly, enjoying the closeness… "Mmmm… sure…"
"And after dinner… you wanna come back here and, maybe watch a movie?"
She pulled back and eyed him with a smirk…
"I'll be a perfect gentleman…" he promised… "I just kinda wanted you all to myself for a while… if that's ok…"
She nodded as she rested her head back against his strong chest… "Yeah. That's ok."
THE END?
You tell me. I could do some interesting things from here, but if there is little-to-no interest, it stops there nicely.
Let me know…