Chapter Five
The Short Chapter
Chandler sat on Monica's couch surrounded by his friends. He had his head rested on Monica's shoulder and she was massaging his hand. To his right, Ross and Rachel were cuddled together. They were watching a news program on TV, but he wasn't absorbing any of the current events. At the commercial, five concerned faces turned to look at him.
"You okay? You need anything?" Monica asked, rubbing his hand. "I'm fine. You guys, stop worrying about me," he said. Rachel sighed, "Chandler, go talk to her. You're not going to feel any better until you do."
He felt annoyance rising inside of him, "And then what? If she is a slut, that's going to make me feel better?" Rachel shook her head, "That's not what I meant. I'm just saying, it'll be better if you know what's going on between you and her." Chandler looked over at Phoebe who was still feeling guilty.
"What do you think I should do?" he asked. For once, Phoebe was serious. "I say forget about her. Just pretend like you never met her."
There was a silence as they all looked at eachother. Chandler kept his gaze on his friend, "I can't do that."
Phoebe rolled her eyes, "You were with her for one night, you couldn't possibly have developed any serious feelings in that amount of time.ime."
The annoyance turned into anger and he let go of Monica's hand. "But I did! I do care-" He cut himself off, his body frozen as he realized what he was saying.
He remained frozen in that position, not sure if he should leave and go home or go to Joanna. Then he felt a hand pull him gently. "Chandler, relax," Monica said softly, massaging the base of his neck. He sank into her warm embrace.
"Go talk to her," she said, "you're just going to be stuck like this if you don't." He nodded, holding her small body close to him.
Chandler stared at the door with the number 6. If you wrote that down three times, he thought, that would be the devil's number. He hesitated then pressed the doorbell.
As he waited, he could hear shuffling in the inside. Then the door opened and he was greeted by a smiling but puzzled Joanna.
"Chandler!" she greeted him, stepping aside to let him in, "I thought we had plans for Saturday."
She let you in, so there's no one else here, he thought. He felt slightly more confident.
"I just wanted to stop by," he said lamely. She gave him a puzzled grin, "That's nice. Well, I'm just doing the dishes, so come to the kitchen and keep my company."
The two made their way around in the small apartment and he leaned against the countertop as Joanna resumed her task. "So what's up?" she asked.
In any other circumstance, he would try to hold things off as much as possible. But seeing Joanna there, her pretty face smiling at him, he felt a familiar feeling stir inside of him. He really did care about her, and because of that, he had to face her.
"I talked to Phoebe," he said. She stiffened, "Phoebe Buffay?" He nodded. She slowly set down a plate and picked up another one, scrubbing is slowly. "And what did Phoebe say?"
"She told me about you," he said. She sighed, "Nate?" Chandler nodded. Joanna rinsed her hands and turned the tap to cut the flow of water.
"That was stupid," she said. She walked out of the kitchen. Chandler followed her into the living room and sat down to the place she pointed to.
"That was stupid," she repeated. She sighed, "People do really stupid things when they're young. I'm no exception. And to betray a friend like Phoebe, there's nothing I can say to justify that. I feel horrible whenever I think about it."
Chandler stared at her as she gave him her confession. He wanted to believe her. More than anything he wanted to believe her.
"There's nothing else I can say. I did something very stupid that I regret. What else do you want to hear?" she asked. She took his hand and sat beside him.
"I guess that's all I wanted to hear," he said. She smiled.
She's so pretty, he thought. He stroked her face gently, tucking a lock of hair behind her ears so he could see her entire face.
He leaned in and brushed her lips with his. He was about to pull away when he felt her arms around him and a hand pulling him forward.
Joanna felt Chandler wrap her in his arms and sighed contently. She kissed him hungrily. All is well now, she thought.
Meanwhile, unbeknowest to the two, Phoebe was standing outside with her ear pressed to the door. She sighed sadly and walked away, careful not to make any noises as she closed the door to the building.