Chapter 5
Suddenly, Joey was awakened by Rachel's thrashing around, and her voice calling out:
Rachel: No! Stop it! Somebody save me please!
And then suddenly she awoke, looking around in a panic, not knowing where she was.
Joey: Shh, Rach its okay, you just had a bad dream.
He pulled her over onto his lap, her trembling body now damp with sweat. As he sat there holding her in his arms, he began to think about all the good times they had together. All the times she had helped him prepare for auditions, tapings, interviews, listened to him when he was having problems, rejecting him when he said he was falling in love with her...God he had to stop! This is your friend Rachel, she needs comforting tonight, stop thinking about yourself!
Rachel [bringing her head up to look Joey in the eye]: I think I'm ready to talk now.
Joey: Okay, are you sure? I don't want to pressure you into anything
Rachel: Positive. I don't really know what happened. I mean, after I moved into Ross's apartment when he said that Emma needed a real family, I thought, okay, I can do this, it's for Emma's sake. And for a while, I was okay. But then, Ross just started getting so paranoid and possessive. Everyday after work it was "Where have you been?" "Why are you late" whenever I got home two minutes after I should have. He kept accusing me of seeing you, and then I started getting depressed, being at home was no fun, work seemed like a waste of time, so I just told Ross I had a bad case of the flu. Then today I kept spacing out when Ross was home, and I think he had begun to get a little suspicious about my staying home from work anyway, and he just lost it. He started accusing me of only ever thinking of you, and didn't I ever think about my family. Then tonight as I was lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, I couldn't remember why I had ever thought of "getting back together" with Ross again. I kept hearing all his irritating habits, and if I wasn't hearing them I was thinking about them. I was listening to the dead quiet after he had gone to bed, and I realized that I never had any fun anymore, and I just thought, why am I doing this to myself? And that's when I decided to come here.
Joey: Wow, so Ross is pretty controlling and overprotective.
Rachel: Yea, you got that right. Anyway, I just needed to get out of that apartment, I felt like everything was closing in on me, the walls, the ceiling, the hallways. I need to take a break from Ross; he is just really getting on my last nerve lately.
Joey: I understand Rach. Whatever you need, Joey is here for you, 100%.
Rachel: Okay, well I have one favor to ask of you.
Joey: What is it Rach, I'll do anything.
And she could tell he really meant it.
Rachel: Can you call Monica and Chandler, and ask them to tell Ross that I am staying with them for a few days; I'd really be staying here, as long as that's okay with you?
Joey: Yea, sure Rach, stay as long as you want, as long as you need to think things over.
Rachel: Thanks Joe.
Joey: No problem, just being there for a friend in need.
She noticed he said friend. Joey got up and walked over to the kitchen and started to make some coffee.
Rachel: Hey Joey, do you mind if I just curl up here on the couch to go to sleep?
Joey: No Rach, don't be silly, I'll sleep on the couch, you can take my bed.
Rachel: I don't wanna impose or anything...
Joey: Don't be stupid, you could never impose on anyone
Rachel: Thanks.
She gets up slowly off the couch, and walks over to Joey.
Rachel: Thank you so much for letting me stay here, you don't know how much it means to me, you're such a great friend.
With that, she gives him a huge hug, which he returns looking surprised as she yet again buries her face in his chest.
Rachel: 'Night!
It seemed kind of ironical to say goodnight when it was actually 4:30 in the morning. But it worked. She stood on tiptoe and planted a kiss on his cheek, and then turned around, and went into his bedroom. She looked at the soft mattress, so appealing after her long and emotionally exhausting day. Then, something caught her eye, sitting on Joey's nightstand. It was a single, solitary picture, turned over. She turned around telling her that it was none of her business, but her curiosity caught the better of her, and she quickly moved over to the nightstand. She sat down on the edge of the bed, and quickly flipped the picture over in her hand. When she saw who it was of, her breath caught in her throat. There she was, captured in a single snapshot, laughing, probably at something funny Chandler had said. It was at that soap-opera party that Joey had roughly a year ago. But how did he get that picture? She wondered to herself. And then it came to her. Joey had hired that professional photographer, who had gone around taking pictures of everyone all night long, and he had had a rather odd infatuation with her, but she didn't think much of it at the time. She remembered the flash bulb continuously going off in her face, wherever she turned. She didn't mind though, she had felt flattered. Then, a corner of what seemed to be a strip of smaller photos which she had not seen before, were sticking out from underneath his bed. For the second time that night, she gasped, as she saw a long strip of pictures, all of herself in different poses. Happy, laughing, sad, thoughtful, wistful, smiling as Joey was given a gift from all of his cast-mates. Then she suddenly heard his voice coming from the other room, and was drawn to the door to listen. She pressed her ear against the door, and began to listen:
Joey and Chandler are talking; Chandler was called on the phone and asked by Joey to come over.
Joey: I'm sorry man, I would've waiting 'til morning, but I really need to talk now! Yes it's important!
Chandler: Well come on tell me about it.
Rachel listened to Joey recount all the events of his day since she had arrived at her apartment.
Chandler: Dude are you insane? Do you know how long it has taken you to even get over Rachel the tiniest little bit! Don't you see, you're just setting yourself up to be hurt all over again!
Joey: Shh... she's sleeping in the next room! I don't want to wake her, she's had a rough day.
Chandler: Still... I don't think this is a very good idea Joe. I mean, do you think you've moved on from her so you can just be a comforting friend to her?
Joey: I know you've heard this before Chandler, but it's hard to get over the love of your life. Whenever I see her I think "God she's beautiful", even when she used to emerge from her room in the morning with no makeup on, she was still the most gorgeous thing I had ever laid eyes on. Every time I used to see her and Ross together, I'd just want to grab her and kiss her, and take her from my own, and it hurt so bad that I couldn't! It still does...So if you're asking if I'm still in love with her...
Chandler [quietly and kindly]: Joey, I think it's pretty obvious that you are.
Rachel suddenly felt wet on her cheeks, and once she touched her fingers to them, she realized she had been crying. How could any one man feel so much love for her, she had never heard Ross talk about her that way before. She felt like she shouldn't be listening anymore, so she walked softly over to his bed, and lay down quietly, sinking into the soft and feathery mattress, pulling the covers over her. His smell surrounded her, on his clothes and on his sheets. Finally, for the first time that night, she fell into a deep and calm sleep, a small smile playing across her face.
Suddenly, Joey was awakened by Rachel's thrashing around, and her voice calling out:
Rachel: No! Stop it! Somebody save me please!
And then suddenly she awoke, looking around in a panic, not knowing where she was.
Joey: Shh, Rach its okay, you just had a bad dream.
He pulled her over onto his lap, her trembling body now damp with sweat. As he sat there holding her in his arms, he began to think about all the good times they had together. All the times she had helped him prepare for auditions, tapings, interviews, listened to him when he was having problems, rejecting him when he said he was falling in love with her...God he had to stop! This is your friend Rachel, she needs comforting tonight, stop thinking about yourself!
Rachel [bringing her head up to look Joey in the eye]: I think I'm ready to talk now.
Joey: Okay, are you sure? I don't want to pressure you into anything
Rachel: Positive. I don't really know what happened. I mean, after I moved into Ross's apartment when he said that Emma needed a real family, I thought, okay, I can do this, it's for Emma's sake. And for a while, I was okay. But then, Ross just started getting so paranoid and possessive. Everyday after work it was "Where have you been?" "Why are you late" whenever I got home two minutes after I should have. He kept accusing me of seeing you, and then I started getting depressed, being at home was no fun, work seemed like a waste of time, so I just told Ross I had a bad case of the flu. Then today I kept spacing out when Ross was home, and I think he had begun to get a little suspicious about my staying home from work anyway, and he just lost it. He started accusing me of only ever thinking of you, and didn't I ever think about my family. Then tonight as I was lying in bed and staring at the ceiling, I couldn't remember why I had ever thought of "getting back together" with Ross again. I kept hearing all his irritating habits, and if I wasn't hearing them I was thinking about them. I was listening to the dead quiet after he had gone to bed, and I realized that I never had any fun anymore, and I just thought, why am I doing this to myself? And that's when I decided to come here.
Joey: Wow, so Ross is pretty controlling and overprotective.
Rachel: Yea, you got that right. Anyway, I just needed to get out of that apartment, I felt like everything was closing in on me, the walls, the ceiling, the hallways. I need to take a break from Ross; he is just really getting on my last nerve lately.
Joey: I understand Rach. Whatever you need, Joey is here for you, 100%.
Rachel: Okay, well I have one favor to ask of you.
Joey: What is it Rach, I'll do anything.
And she could tell he really meant it.
Rachel: Can you call Monica and Chandler, and ask them to tell Ross that I am staying with them for a few days; I'd really be staying here, as long as that's okay with you?
Joey: Yea, sure Rach, stay as long as you want, as long as you need to think things over.
Rachel: Thanks Joe.
Joey: No problem, just being there for a friend in need.
She noticed he said friend. Joey got up and walked over to the kitchen and started to make some coffee.
Rachel: Hey Joey, do you mind if I just curl up here on the couch to go to sleep?
Joey: No Rach, don't be silly, I'll sleep on the couch, you can take my bed.
Rachel: I don't wanna impose or anything...
Joey: Don't be stupid, you could never impose on anyone
Rachel: Thanks.
She gets up slowly off the couch, and walks over to Joey.
Rachel: Thank you so much for letting me stay here, you don't know how much it means to me, you're such a great friend.
With that, she gives him a huge hug, which he returns looking surprised as she yet again buries her face in his chest.
Rachel: 'Night!
It seemed kind of ironical to say goodnight when it was actually 4:30 in the morning. But it worked. She stood on tiptoe and planted a kiss on his cheek, and then turned around, and went into his bedroom. She looked at the soft mattress, so appealing after her long and emotionally exhausting day. Then, something caught her eye, sitting on Joey's nightstand. It was a single, solitary picture, turned over. She turned around telling her that it was none of her business, but her curiosity caught the better of her, and she quickly moved over to the nightstand. She sat down on the edge of the bed, and quickly flipped the picture over in her hand. When she saw who it was of, her breath caught in her throat. There she was, captured in a single snapshot, laughing, probably at something funny Chandler had said. It was at that soap-opera party that Joey had roughly a year ago. But how did he get that picture? She wondered to herself. And then it came to her. Joey had hired that professional photographer, who had gone around taking pictures of everyone all night long, and he had had a rather odd infatuation with her, but she didn't think much of it at the time. She remembered the flash bulb continuously going off in her face, wherever she turned. She didn't mind though, she had felt flattered. Then, a corner of what seemed to be a strip of smaller photos which she had not seen before, were sticking out from underneath his bed. For the second time that night, she gasped, as she saw a long strip of pictures, all of herself in different poses. Happy, laughing, sad, thoughtful, wistful, smiling as Joey was given a gift from all of his cast-mates. Then she suddenly heard his voice coming from the other room, and was drawn to the door to listen. She pressed her ear against the door, and began to listen:
Joey and Chandler are talking; Chandler was called on the phone and asked by Joey to come over.
Joey: I'm sorry man, I would've waiting 'til morning, but I really need to talk now! Yes it's important!
Chandler: Well come on tell me about it.
Rachel listened to Joey recount all the events of his day since she had arrived at her apartment.
Chandler: Dude are you insane? Do you know how long it has taken you to even get over Rachel the tiniest little bit! Don't you see, you're just setting yourself up to be hurt all over again!
Joey: Shh... she's sleeping in the next room! I don't want to wake her, she's had a rough day.
Chandler: Still... I don't think this is a very good idea Joe. I mean, do you think you've moved on from her so you can just be a comforting friend to her?
Joey: I know you've heard this before Chandler, but it's hard to get over the love of your life. Whenever I see her I think "God she's beautiful", even when she used to emerge from her room in the morning with no makeup on, she was still the most gorgeous thing I had ever laid eyes on. Every time I used to see her and Ross together, I'd just want to grab her and kiss her, and take her from my own, and it hurt so bad that I couldn't! It still does...So if you're asking if I'm still in love with her...
Chandler [quietly and kindly]: Joey, I think it's pretty obvious that you are.
Rachel suddenly felt wet on her cheeks, and once she touched her fingers to them, she realized she had been crying. How could any one man feel so much love for her, she had never heard Ross talk about her that way before. She felt like she shouldn't be listening anymore, so she walked softly over to his bed, and lay down quietly, sinking into the soft and feathery mattress, pulling the covers over her. His smell surrounded her, on his clothes and on his sheets. Finally, for the first time that night, she fell into a deep and calm sleep, a small smile playing across her face.