In the morning, when the gang saw Ross sleeping downstairs, they asked him what had happened, and he told him.
"Man! You lost both girls," Joey said.
"Not really. I think I could still work something out with Bonnie."
"Good luck," Chandler said. Fortunately, he had already nixed the advice column idea, in favor of pursuing his trashy novel.
Ross went upstairs to talk to Bonnie again, while Rachel came down and needed to talk things over with Monica.
Joey and Chandler asked Phoebe more about her birthmother, but she didn't want to talk about it. The guys convinced her to hang out at the beach with them so that she wouldn't sit moping all day.
Joey amused himself by digging a big hole in the sand, and Chandler tried his best jokes to cheer Phoebe up, but she still moped.
Finally everybody packed to go, and they had an uncomfortable ride home. Joey and Chandler tried to make enough conversation for everybody, then drifted into silence.
***
Back in New York, Ross and Bonnie still argued, and after another week, they broke up. Ross was disappointed, but maybe Bonnie was simply too weird for him all along. So he dated other women and kept clear of Rachel. He figured that if and when Rachel was ready to forgive him for Chloe, then she should come to him.
Wanting to spite Ross, Rachel dated a bunch of guys to make him jealous, but Ross never took the bait anymore, which frustrated her.
At least Phoebe and her birthmom made up with each other, and Pete and Monica were still a happy couple.
Chandler continued writing his fictionalized story about his friends. "Hey, Joey, do you think Phoebe and Ross would make a good couple?"
"What?" Joey looked up from his cooking.
Chandler pointed to his computer. "My story. My characters Phyllis and Russ are starting to get all friendly here, and I'm thinking about hooking them up."
Joey tried to picture it. "It sounds weird."
"I know, but I think it might work. I mean, remember how Phoebe dated that scientist guy David, who moved to Russia? He was a physicist, and Ross is a paleontologist, you know, but I'm thinking their personalities are kind of similar, with that geeky charm of theirs. Maybe Phyllis finds comfort in Russ, and Russ is trying to get over his ex-girlfriend Rochelle. Then, you know, Rochelle gets jealous again and there's juicy drama."
Joey shrugged. "I guess. But what if Phoebe and Ross read it and don't like what you wrote about them?"
"Well, it's supposed to be fiction. I'm not trying to copy everybody's lives exactly. If I did, then I'd never have an ending for the Russ and Rochelle mess."
"You're telling me!"
***
Chandler went ahead with his Phyllis and Russ idea, and when it started to solidify, he let Phoebe and Ross read it. They were surprised, but made no objection to the plot twist, so long as it was done tastefully, without explicit sex. Chandler assured them that he wasn't going all out like his mother did in her erotic novels.
As they walked away from the apartment together, Phoebe leaned over to Ross and whispered, "You remember that night, huh?"
Ross nodded and smiled goofily at her. "Yeah." They were both thinking about their almost-affair years ago. The night that Carol had announced she was a lesbian and wanted a divorce, Phoebe had tried to comfort Ross by sleeping with him. They changed their mind when sex on a pool table proved to be awkward.
"So you ever think about, um, going through with that?"
Ross blushed and stammered, "Wh-what, you mean--" he pointed at them both. "You and me? Seriously?"
"Sure, why not? You're not with Rachel now, or getting over Carol. It might be fun."
"Well, I, um... Wouldn't it spoil our friendship or something?"
Phoebe shrugged. "Look, if you don't want to, you don't want to. I guess we don't want Rochelle to get mad at us, either, not if you want to get your lobster back eventually."
He nodded, and sighed. "I don't know how she's ever gonna forgive me for Chloe, though. She's still feeling spiteful right now."
"I can try talking to her, but it may take awhile."
"Thanks, Pheebs." He hugged her. "You're a great friend."
"Yeah," she smiled. "And you have a cute tushie." She squeezed his butt and made him jump a little.
"Whoa!" He laughed nervously, then cleared his throat. "Well, um, I'll buy you a cup of coffee downstairs. After you."
She went ahead of him, still smiling.
"Man! You lost both girls," Joey said.
"Not really. I think I could still work something out with Bonnie."
"Good luck," Chandler said. Fortunately, he had already nixed the advice column idea, in favor of pursuing his trashy novel.
Ross went upstairs to talk to Bonnie again, while Rachel came down and needed to talk things over with Monica.
Joey and Chandler asked Phoebe more about her birthmother, but she didn't want to talk about it. The guys convinced her to hang out at the beach with them so that she wouldn't sit moping all day.
Joey amused himself by digging a big hole in the sand, and Chandler tried his best jokes to cheer Phoebe up, but she still moped.
Finally everybody packed to go, and they had an uncomfortable ride home. Joey and Chandler tried to make enough conversation for everybody, then drifted into silence.
***
Back in New York, Ross and Bonnie still argued, and after another week, they broke up. Ross was disappointed, but maybe Bonnie was simply too weird for him all along. So he dated other women and kept clear of Rachel. He figured that if and when Rachel was ready to forgive him for Chloe, then she should come to him.
Wanting to spite Ross, Rachel dated a bunch of guys to make him jealous, but Ross never took the bait anymore, which frustrated her.
At least Phoebe and her birthmom made up with each other, and Pete and Monica were still a happy couple.
Chandler continued writing his fictionalized story about his friends. "Hey, Joey, do you think Phoebe and Ross would make a good couple?"
"What?" Joey looked up from his cooking.
Chandler pointed to his computer. "My story. My characters Phyllis and Russ are starting to get all friendly here, and I'm thinking about hooking them up."
Joey tried to picture it. "It sounds weird."
"I know, but I think it might work. I mean, remember how Phoebe dated that scientist guy David, who moved to Russia? He was a physicist, and Ross is a paleontologist, you know, but I'm thinking their personalities are kind of similar, with that geeky charm of theirs. Maybe Phyllis finds comfort in Russ, and Russ is trying to get over his ex-girlfriend Rochelle. Then, you know, Rochelle gets jealous again and there's juicy drama."
Joey shrugged. "I guess. But what if Phoebe and Ross read it and don't like what you wrote about them?"
"Well, it's supposed to be fiction. I'm not trying to copy everybody's lives exactly. If I did, then I'd never have an ending for the Russ and Rochelle mess."
"You're telling me!"
***
Chandler went ahead with his Phyllis and Russ idea, and when it started to solidify, he let Phoebe and Ross read it. They were surprised, but made no objection to the plot twist, so long as it was done tastefully, without explicit sex. Chandler assured them that he wasn't going all out like his mother did in her erotic novels.
As they walked away from the apartment together, Phoebe leaned over to Ross and whispered, "You remember that night, huh?"
Ross nodded and smiled goofily at her. "Yeah." They were both thinking about their almost-affair years ago. The night that Carol had announced she was a lesbian and wanted a divorce, Phoebe had tried to comfort Ross by sleeping with him. They changed their mind when sex on a pool table proved to be awkward.
"So you ever think about, um, going through with that?"
Ross blushed and stammered, "Wh-what, you mean--" he pointed at them both. "You and me? Seriously?"
"Sure, why not? You're not with Rachel now, or getting over Carol. It might be fun."
"Well, I, um... Wouldn't it spoil our friendship or something?"
Phoebe shrugged. "Look, if you don't want to, you don't want to. I guess we don't want Rochelle to get mad at us, either, not if you want to get your lobster back eventually."
He nodded, and sighed. "I don't know how she's ever gonna forgive me for Chloe, though. She's still feeling spiteful right now."
"I can try talking to her, but it may take awhile."
"Thanks, Pheebs." He hugged her. "You're a great friend."
"Yeah," she smiled. "And you have a cute tushie." She squeezed his butt and made him jump a little.
"Whoa!" He laughed nervously, then cleared his throat. "Well, um, I'll buy you a cup of coffee downstairs. After you."
She went ahead of him, still smiling.