Meanwhile, a streak of relationship trouble hit the gang all at once. Unable to choose, Phoebe dated both Vince the fireman and Jason the schoolteacher, until they found out about each other and she lost both.
Ross continued being jealous about Rachel's co-worker Mark, and Rachel got jealous about Ross spending time with a stripper whose son had a play date with Ben.
Monica ran into Richard and tried to be just friends with him, but they ended up naked friends. Richard had a blind date which she insisted he keep, but she still got jealous about it and realized that they couldn't be just friends; she and Richard broke up again.
Then at Central Perk, Joey ran into an old girlfriend of his, who seemed pretty angry at him. He dodged her behind the coat rack, and afterward the gang questioned him about it at Monica's apartment.
"That was Ginger," he said.
"The movie star," Monica sang.
"So did you sleep with her and never call?" Rachel guessed.
"I wish. It's like the most awful, horrible thing I've ever done my whole life."
They naturally clamored to hear more.
Joey reluctantly explained that four years ago, he and Ginger had spent the weekend in her dad's cabin. Joey cooked her a romantic meal, then they fell asleep in front of the fire. When he woke up later, he mistakenly threw Ginger's artificial leg on the fire, thinking it was a log.
They gasped, and Monica asked, "What did you do after you threw her leg on the fire?"
"I ran! I told you it was the worst thing I ever did."
Unlike the others, Chandler had yet to react to the story, and when he finally did, he focused on a seemingly minor detail. "You cooked Ginger a romantic dinner?" he asked quietly.
Joey turned to him and realized that he shouldn't have mentioned the dinner. "Oh, um, that--that wasn't anything."
The gang looked confused and didn't see what the big deal was.
"You *cooked* for her?" Chandler pouted, remembering his first official date with Joey, not long after they first slept together. Joey had cooked for Chandler, and made him feel like more than a casual fling. "So it wasn't just me you did that for? I wasn't special?"
"No, you're special!" Joey answered, taking hold of both his hands. "You are. I love you."
The gang backed away from them uncomfortably, not sure how serious this apparent rift would become between them. They huddled in the kitchen, torn between leaving the apartment entirely or staying to satisfy their curiosity.
"How many other girls did you cook for?" Chandler asked. He had long ago made peace with Joey's rampant sexual history, but the idea that Joey had cooked for girls as indiscriminately as he had sex with them really bothered Chandler. "Did you lie about your mom thinking that you were settling down?"
"No!" Joey insisted. "Come on, you've lived with me; when have there been pots and pans in the sink? I never go to that much trouble for a girl, and for you was the only time I ever had to borrow kitchen stuff from my mom. See, I only cooked for Ginger cause we were away in a cabin and couldn't get food delivered. Really, I just reheated some leftover lasagna my mom had made for me."
"Did you have wine and candles?" Chandler sulked.
"Chandler!" Joey felt the presence of their friends and decided to have this conversation in private. He cleared his throat and pulled Chandler with him back into their apartment.
When they were alone, Chandler sighed and kicked at the carpet. "I guess you think I'm nuts to be upset about a dinner."
"No," Joey answered. "Remember when I moved out and Eddie moved in here? He made some eggs for you, and I got all jealous about you liking his eggs better than mine."
Chandler met Joey's eyes and felt a little better. "So you understand."
Joey nodded. "Yeah, that fight wasn't about just eggs, and this one isn't just about cooking or candles." He held Chandler's hands again and shrugged. "So I heated up some stuff for Ginger once. Does that mean anything? No. But when I cooked you that dinner on our first date, it did mean something, because it was for you. I wasn't just trying to seduce you like all those chicks before. I wanted to do that to take care of you, to show you how I feel. You know I love you."
Chandler thought it over and finally whispered. "I know." He hugged Joey and kissed him. "And you know," he said, "I was just using Eddie's eggs to make you jealous."
They laughed softly and started to go to bed, but Joey paused and called through the door, "We're okay!"
Their friends, who were eavesdropping in the hallway, murmured their relief and said goodnight.
***
When they were in bed that night Chandler realized something. "Hey, Ginger has an artificial leg. I have a third nipple. Do you like physical abnormalities?"
Joey chuckled. "I'd still like you without a nubbin, but let's just say it's like that girl from the Xerox place with the belly button ring. Something extra to play with."
Ross continued being jealous about Rachel's co-worker Mark, and Rachel got jealous about Ross spending time with a stripper whose son had a play date with Ben.
Monica ran into Richard and tried to be just friends with him, but they ended up naked friends. Richard had a blind date which she insisted he keep, but she still got jealous about it and realized that they couldn't be just friends; she and Richard broke up again.
Then at Central Perk, Joey ran into an old girlfriend of his, who seemed pretty angry at him. He dodged her behind the coat rack, and afterward the gang questioned him about it at Monica's apartment.
"That was Ginger," he said.
"The movie star," Monica sang.
"So did you sleep with her and never call?" Rachel guessed.
"I wish. It's like the most awful, horrible thing I've ever done my whole life."
They naturally clamored to hear more.
Joey reluctantly explained that four years ago, he and Ginger had spent the weekend in her dad's cabin. Joey cooked her a romantic meal, then they fell asleep in front of the fire. When he woke up later, he mistakenly threw Ginger's artificial leg on the fire, thinking it was a log.
They gasped, and Monica asked, "What did you do after you threw her leg on the fire?"
"I ran! I told you it was the worst thing I ever did."
Unlike the others, Chandler had yet to react to the story, and when he finally did, he focused on a seemingly minor detail. "You cooked Ginger a romantic dinner?" he asked quietly.
Joey turned to him and realized that he shouldn't have mentioned the dinner. "Oh, um, that--that wasn't anything."
The gang looked confused and didn't see what the big deal was.
"You *cooked* for her?" Chandler pouted, remembering his first official date with Joey, not long after they first slept together. Joey had cooked for Chandler, and made him feel like more than a casual fling. "So it wasn't just me you did that for? I wasn't special?"
"No, you're special!" Joey answered, taking hold of both his hands. "You are. I love you."
The gang backed away from them uncomfortably, not sure how serious this apparent rift would become between them. They huddled in the kitchen, torn between leaving the apartment entirely or staying to satisfy their curiosity.
"How many other girls did you cook for?" Chandler asked. He had long ago made peace with Joey's rampant sexual history, but the idea that Joey had cooked for girls as indiscriminately as he had sex with them really bothered Chandler. "Did you lie about your mom thinking that you were settling down?"
"No!" Joey insisted. "Come on, you've lived with me; when have there been pots and pans in the sink? I never go to that much trouble for a girl, and for you was the only time I ever had to borrow kitchen stuff from my mom. See, I only cooked for Ginger cause we were away in a cabin and couldn't get food delivered. Really, I just reheated some leftover lasagna my mom had made for me."
"Did you have wine and candles?" Chandler sulked.
"Chandler!" Joey felt the presence of their friends and decided to have this conversation in private. He cleared his throat and pulled Chandler with him back into their apartment.
When they were alone, Chandler sighed and kicked at the carpet. "I guess you think I'm nuts to be upset about a dinner."
"No," Joey answered. "Remember when I moved out and Eddie moved in here? He made some eggs for you, and I got all jealous about you liking his eggs better than mine."
Chandler met Joey's eyes and felt a little better. "So you understand."
Joey nodded. "Yeah, that fight wasn't about just eggs, and this one isn't just about cooking or candles." He held Chandler's hands again and shrugged. "So I heated up some stuff for Ginger once. Does that mean anything? No. But when I cooked you that dinner on our first date, it did mean something, because it was for you. I wasn't just trying to seduce you like all those chicks before. I wanted to do that to take care of you, to show you how I feel. You know I love you."
Chandler thought it over and finally whispered. "I know." He hugged Joey and kissed him. "And you know," he said, "I was just using Eddie's eggs to make you jealous."
They laughed softly and started to go to bed, but Joey paused and called through the door, "We're okay!"
Their friends, who were eavesdropping in the hallway, murmured their relief and said goodnight.
***
When they were in bed that night Chandler realized something. "Hey, Ginger has an artificial leg. I have a third nipple. Do you like physical abnormalities?"
Joey chuckled. "I'd still like you without a nubbin, but let's just say it's like that girl from the Xerox place with the belly button ring. Something extra to play with."