Chapter 6. The Truth Comes Out
By morning, Chandler had slept it off and regained his balance. He got up from the bed, and wandered out of the room to find Joey. He even remembered about the door being cut in two, and didn't trip.
Joey was making breakfast in the kitchen, and he wondered if Chandler remembered everything that had happened last night. "You, uh, you okay?"
Chandler looked at him and came near. "What did--did we, um...?"
Joey looked away and cleared his throat. "Nothing, nothing happened! We should forget everything we said and, uh... did, you know?"
"Oh. Okay." Chandler nodded, but looked sad at being rejected.
Joey saw his hurt look, and longed to explain things better, but suddenly, Phoebe opened the door and came in, with Monica close behind her.
The guys jumped away from each other and instantly felt uncomfortable.
"Phoebe! Monica! Where were you all night?" Joey asked.
"What?" Phoebe looked innocent, then ditzy. "Oh, did I forget to call you guys to tell you we were at Ross's?"
"Phoebe!" Monica hit her. "This is why they never showed up." She turned to Joey. "Why didn't you call? I was so worried that you couldn't find Chandler."
"I did call!" Joey answered. "Why didn't you answer? I got the machine."
"You called? Phoebe, was I asleep?"
"How should I know? I was asleep too!" (Actually, Phoebe had been trying to find Rachel at that time, because she should have come home already and reported finding Joey and Chandler in a guilty embrace. Phoebe had called Elizabeth to find out her dad Paul's phone number, but Elizabeth was out and her roommate wasn't of much help. So Phoebe had wrapped Monica into a robe and put her to bed, while she left to try getting the information out of somebody at NYU. Rachel had remained missing all night.)
Monica approached her boyfriend with pleading eyes. "Chandler, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Are you still freaking out? Please stop freaking."
Chandler remained aloof. "I'm--I'm not freaking out." He kept glancing at Joey.
Phoebe saw how the guys nervously looked at each other, and she easily put it together with the way they had jumped when she first burst into the apartment. Something had happened, although they seemed intent on not admitting it.
Monica kept trying to mend things. "Chandler, I really didn't mean to rush you. It's just, Phoebe and Rachel--"
"Phoebe and Rachel! So the people that knew about our wedding before me were you, Phoebe and Rachel, Hildy, and apparently some band called the Starlight Magic Seven!"
"Chandler!" Monica felt ready to cry or throw something in frustration.
Phoebe wasn't about to let go of her plan to instigate a breakup, so she gasped in shock. "Oh my God! That was you guys."
Everyone turned to look at her.
"What?"
"What are you talking about, Phoebe?"
"While you were asleep, I, uh, I got out Ross's telescope thingy to look across the street and see if I could spot Chandler and Joey. I thought I'd found the right window to peek into, but then I saw two guys making out and figured I must be looking in the wrong apartment."
"You must have! Ross said you can't see in here--" But Monica stopped and saw how pale and guilty Joey and Chandler looked. "What? She's right? But that's imposs--"
Joey spoke up first, trying to bluff it off. "Of course we weren't! Phoebe's seeing things. She's, uh, she's had one too many of her herbal drinks." He gave Phoebe an accusing look.
"Chandler, are you going to let Joey stand there and lie like that?" Phoebe demanded. "Or are you going to tell your girlfriend the truth and stop deceiving her?"
Chandler looked undecided for a moment, and glanced at Joey painfully.
Monica was horrified and confused. "No! You're lying, Phoebe. Joey's straight." She gasped and realized that she was positive that Joey was straight, but not that Chandler, the guy she was sleeping and living with, was.
"You're right," Chandler said softly, looking sad. "I came on to Joey last night, and he didn't feel the same about me. He's straight."
Joey looked at Chandler and shook his head. "No, I--"
Monica couldn't take it anymore, so she ran to her apartment crying, and Phoebe started to follow her.
Joey tried to stop her. "Phoebe, did you know--? Did you plan--?"
"Hey!" Phoebe defended her actions, pointing sternly at Chandler. "You don't have the right to get her hopes up with a serious relationship, if you're not 100% committed to her. You just be glad that I got you to admit it before it was too late!" She then stormed off to comfort Monica.
Chandler sighed miserably and looked down at his feet. "I, um, I'll find a hotel to stay at for now. I won't see you again, if you don't--"
"Chandler!" Joey caught hold of him and made him look into his eyes. "I'm not straight. Not 100%."
"Then, last night, why wouldn't you--?"
"Monica, of course! She doesn't deserve to be hurt, and I didn't want to break you guys up, if I could help it. But maybe Phoebe's right, and it's better to face the truth."
Chandler pulled Joey closer and kissed him. Joey held on tight, and didn't let go.
By morning, Chandler had slept it off and regained his balance. He got up from the bed, and wandered out of the room to find Joey. He even remembered about the door being cut in two, and didn't trip.
Joey was making breakfast in the kitchen, and he wondered if Chandler remembered everything that had happened last night. "You, uh, you okay?"
Chandler looked at him and came near. "What did--did we, um...?"
Joey looked away and cleared his throat. "Nothing, nothing happened! We should forget everything we said and, uh... did, you know?"
"Oh. Okay." Chandler nodded, but looked sad at being rejected.
Joey saw his hurt look, and longed to explain things better, but suddenly, Phoebe opened the door and came in, with Monica close behind her.
The guys jumped away from each other and instantly felt uncomfortable.
"Phoebe! Monica! Where were you all night?" Joey asked.
"What?" Phoebe looked innocent, then ditzy. "Oh, did I forget to call you guys to tell you we were at Ross's?"
"Phoebe!" Monica hit her. "This is why they never showed up." She turned to Joey. "Why didn't you call? I was so worried that you couldn't find Chandler."
"I did call!" Joey answered. "Why didn't you answer? I got the machine."
"You called? Phoebe, was I asleep?"
"How should I know? I was asleep too!" (Actually, Phoebe had been trying to find Rachel at that time, because she should have come home already and reported finding Joey and Chandler in a guilty embrace. Phoebe had called Elizabeth to find out her dad Paul's phone number, but Elizabeth was out and her roommate wasn't of much help. So Phoebe had wrapped Monica into a robe and put her to bed, while she left to try getting the information out of somebody at NYU. Rachel had remained missing all night.)
Monica approached her boyfriend with pleading eyes. "Chandler, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Are you still freaking out? Please stop freaking."
Chandler remained aloof. "I'm--I'm not freaking out." He kept glancing at Joey.
Phoebe saw how the guys nervously looked at each other, and she easily put it together with the way they had jumped when she first burst into the apartment. Something had happened, although they seemed intent on not admitting it.
Monica kept trying to mend things. "Chandler, I really didn't mean to rush you. It's just, Phoebe and Rachel--"
"Phoebe and Rachel! So the people that knew about our wedding before me were you, Phoebe and Rachel, Hildy, and apparently some band called the Starlight Magic Seven!"
"Chandler!" Monica felt ready to cry or throw something in frustration.
Phoebe wasn't about to let go of her plan to instigate a breakup, so she gasped in shock. "Oh my God! That was you guys."
Everyone turned to look at her.
"What?"
"What are you talking about, Phoebe?"
"While you were asleep, I, uh, I got out Ross's telescope thingy to look across the street and see if I could spot Chandler and Joey. I thought I'd found the right window to peek into, but then I saw two guys making out and figured I must be looking in the wrong apartment."
"You must have! Ross said you can't see in here--" But Monica stopped and saw how pale and guilty Joey and Chandler looked. "What? She's right? But that's imposs--"
Joey spoke up first, trying to bluff it off. "Of course we weren't! Phoebe's seeing things. She's, uh, she's had one too many of her herbal drinks." He gave Phoebe an accusing look.
"Chandler, are you going to let Joey stand there and lie like that?" Phoebe demanded. "Or are you going to tell your girlfriend the truth and stop deceiving her?"
Chandler looked undecided for a moment, and glanced at Joey painfully.
Monica was horrified and confused. "No! You're lying, Phoebe. Joey's straight." She gasped and realized that she was positive that Joey was straight, but not that Chandler, the guy she was sleeping and living with, was.
"You're right," Chandler said softly, looking sad. "I came on to Joey last night, and he didn't feel the same about me. He's straight."
Joey looked at Chandler and shook his head. "No, I--"
Monica couldn't take it anymore, so she ran to her apartment crying, and Phoebe started to follow her.
Joey tried to stop her. "Phoebe, did you know--? Did you plan--?"
"Hey!" Phoebe defended her actions, pointing sternly at Chandler. "You don't have the right to get her hopes up with a serious relationship, if you're not 100% committed to her. You just be glad that I got you to admit it before it was too late!" She then stormed off to comfort Monica.
Chandler sighed miserably and looked down at his feet. "I, um, I'll find a hotel to stay at for now. I won't see you again, if you don't--"
"Chandler!" Joey caught hold of him and made him look into his eyes. "I'm not straight. Not 100%."
"Then, last night, why wouldn't you--?"
"Monica, of course! She doesn't deserve to be hurt, and I didn't want to break you guys up, if I could help it. But maybe Phoebe's right, and it's better to face the truth."
Chandler pulled Joey closer and kissed him. Joey held on tight, and didn't let go.