True Love Really Doesn't Run Smoothly
Part 2: A Mistake
Author's Note: This is my first fanfic, so please, read and review. Your opinions are important to me.
A line of dashes means the time is changing.
The song used in this chapter is Please Forgive Me by David Gray.
**********
Joey froze.
Rachel, even though she'd been expecting this, burst into a flood of tears. She wanted so much for him to comfort her, to tell her everything was going to be fine, but this was Joey. He hadn't had a serious relationship since - well, ever. How could she expect him to deal with this?
But Joey was unable to ignore this sobbing girl. He cared a lot for Rachel, maybe more than he realised. He knelt on the floor next to her, taking her hands into his.
He looked at her. Her crying eyes glistened.
"Rachel?" She looked up. " Why are you crying?"
Rachel stared at him. " Your reaction wasn't exactly the best, " she said, managing a small laugh.
Joey smiled. "I know, and I'm sorry. It's just, y'know, alot to deal with."
"I understand, " said Rachel, gripping his hands tightly.
"And you have to - to know that I'm not going anywhere," he said softly.
She smiled. " Thank you."
They looked at each other. Rachel felt what seemed like an electric current pass through her, and she shivered. Joey looked deep into her eyes, and saw something, something he'd seen before, but so long ago he couldn't remember what it was.
Rachel didn't move. It was like she'd been frozen. She just stared at him.
Then he said something.
"I just don't understand how it happened."
-----------
It was six weeks ago.
They had just celebrated Rachel's thirtieth birthday. Rachel and Joey were clearing up their apartment, but Rachel was upset about her breakup with Tag.
Joey piled up the dishes and put them in the sink, trying to cut out Rachel's stifled sobs from over the room.
He and Rachel had never been that close, not until she moved in after Phoebe's apartment was set on fire. They'd got to know each other better, he knew a lot more about her, they'd become, you could say, best friends.
Their relationship had always been platonic: he fancied her, that was only natural, but he would never ruin what they had.
But looking at her now........ She looked so sad. There were tears dripping down her face; her eyes shone. His heart went out to her; he had to do something.
He walked nearer; slowly, so as not to startle her, but she looked up sharply.
She appeared to have stopped crying, but the sight of Joey's sympathetic face set her off again.
She looked like she was about to collapse, so he held her up and led her to the couch.
He sat her down."Rachel?"
She looked up, water covering her cheeks. For some unknowable reason, Joey couldn't take his eyes off her.
"You've got to stop crying, Rachel."
She did, although she had no idea how. "Oh, Joey," she said, almost in a whisper. "What have I done wrong? Why is my life such a mess?" she asked, her face pleading for an answer.
Joey stumbled, trying to find the right words. There was something happening to him, but he didn't know what it was, or why it was happening. "Why - what are you talking about? You've got a great job -"
"I mean me," she interrupted. " Why do all the guys I go out with have something wrong with them? Tag didn't want to be serious, Paul cried, Ross was jealous, Paulo was a cheater, Joshua was - "
Joey kissed her. It was only soft, lightly on the lips, but Rachel's deep blue eyes stared into his, before she pressed her lips against his. Their minds went blank : neither was thinking, but neither cared.
**********
Joey woke up as sunlight streamed in through the window. He struggled to open his eyes, trying to adjust to the light.
Next to him he saw the outline of a body. He smiled, not remembering the previous night. Then his eyes opened fully.
It was Rachel.
"Ahh!" he yelled.
That woke her up.
"Wh-what?" she groaned.
Joey stared at her, as everything came flooding back. He looked down at himself : he was naked.
Rachel's eyes had adjusted a lot quicker than his, and she looked just as panicked.
"What did we do?" she asked.
"I think that much is obvious!" yelled Joey.
Rachel, holding the bed covers over herself, was scrambling off the bed for her clothes.
"Turn around," she commanded, and Joey did so.
"What are we going to do?" she asked his back.
"Well," he said, "I think we should just forget it ever happened. Is that okay with you?"
Rachel, almost fully dressed, replied "Yes! Yes. That would be best. Forget it. Never mention it again. Good." She straightened up. "You can turn around now," she said. "Anyway, I'll see you later. Bye." She walked briskly out of the bedroom.
"Bye," said Joey quietly.
-----------
Please forgive me if I act a little strange
For I know not what I do
Feels like lightening running through my veins
Everytime I look at you
Everytime I look at you
**********
"It wasn't supposed to turn out like this!" yelled Joey.
Now it was Joey who was crying. Tears streamed down his face as he realised just what had happened.
Rachel sat quietly. A minute ago he had been so calm, so understanding. She was saddened by his tears; she knew he wasn't really angry, but he wouldn't let her say a word.
And she knew that the one thing she wanted to say was the one thing that could make the situation worse.
**********
Help me out here all my words are falling short
And there's so much I want to say
Want to tell you just how good it feels
When you look at me that way
When you look at me that way
**********
Joey saw, through a sheen of tears, Rachel sitting.
He wasn't angry; he was confused. He had never thought that something as simple as a kiss could lead to something so complicated.
The weight of responsibility had crashed down on him. He didn't know what to do. It had been a mistake. That's all. A mistake.
Just a mistake.
**********
Throw a stone and watch the ripples flow
Moving out across the bay
Like a stone I fall into your eyes
Deep into that mystery
Deep into some mystery
**********
Rachel watched him.
He was shouting, but she couldn't hear the words. A feeling had come over her. A feeling that the outcome of the thing she was about to do could be bad, or it could be very, very good.
She stood up. He didn't notice.
Suddenly her hearing came back. She moved nearer to him.
".......It was a mistake!"
She put a finger on his lips. He stared at her.
She stared back.
"Was it?"
She kissed him.
Part 2: A Mistake
Author's Note: This is my first fanfic, so please, read and review. Your opinions are important to me.
A line of dashes means the time is changing.
The song used in this chapter is Please Forgive Me by David Gray.
**********
Joey froze.
Rachel, even though she'd been expecting this, burst into a flood of tears. She wanted so much for him to comfort her, to tell her everything was going to be fine, but this was Joey. He hadn't had a serious relationship since - well, ever. How could she expect him to deal with this?
But Joey was unable to ignore this sobbing girl. He cared a lot for Rachel, maybe more than he realised. He knelt on the floor next to her, taking her hands into his.
He looked at her. Her crying eyes glistened.
"Rachel?" She looked up. " Why are you crying?"
Rachel stared at him. " Your reaction wasn't exactly the best, " she said, managing a small laugh.
Joey smiled. "I know, and I'm sorry. It's just, y'know, alot to deal with."
"I understand, " said Rachel, gripping his hands tightly.
"And you have to - to know that I'm not going anywhere," he said softly.
She smiled. " Thank you."
They looked at each other. Rachel felt what seemed like an electric current pass through her, and she shivered. Joey looked deep into her eyes, and saw something, something he'd seen before, but so long ago he couldn't remember what it was.
Rachel didn't move. It was like she'd been frozen. She just stared at him.
Then he said something.
"I just don't understand how it happened."
-----------
It was six weeks ago.
They had just celebrated Rachel's thirtieth birthday. Rachel and Joey were clearing up their apartment, but Rachel was upset about her breakup with Tag.
Joey piled up the dishes and put them in the sink, trying to cut out Rachel's stifled sobs from over the room.
He and Rachel had never been that close, not until she moved in after Phoebe's apartment was set on fire. They'd got to know each other better, he knew a lot more about her, they'd become, you could say, best friends.
Their relationship had always been platonic: he fancied her, that was only natural, but he would never ruin what they had.
But looking at her now........ She looked so sad. There were tears dripping down her face; her eyes shone. His heart went out to her; he had to do something.
He walked nearer; slowly, so as not to startle her, but she looked up sharply.
She appeared to have stopped crying, but the sight of Joey's sympathetic face set her off again.
She looked like she was about to collapse, so he held her up and led her to the couch.
He sat her down."Rachel?"
She looked up, water covering her cheeks. For some unknowable reason, Joey couldn't take his eyes off her.
"You've got to stop crying, Rachel."
She did, although she had no idea how. "Oh, Joey," she said, almost in a whisper. "What have I done wrong? Why is my life such a mess?" she asked, her face pleading for an answer.
Joey stumbled, trying to find the right words. There was something happening to him, but he didn't know what it was, or why it was happening. "Why - what are you talking about? You've got a great job -"
"I mean me," she interrupted. " Why do all the guys I go out with have something wrong with them? Tag didn't want to be serious, Paul cried, Ross was jealous, Paulo was a cheater, Joshua was - "
Joey kissed her. It was only soft, lightly on the lips, but Rachel's deep blue eyes stared into his, before she pressed her lips against his. Their minds went blank : neither was thinking, but neither cared.
**********
Joey woke up as sunlight streamed in through the window. He struggled to open his eyes, trying to adjust to the light.
Next to him he saw the outline of a body. He smiled, not remembering the previous night. Then his eyes opened fully.
It was Rachel.
"Ahh!" he yelled.
That woke her up.
"Wh-what?" she groaned.
Joey stared at her, as everything came flooding back. He looked down at himself : he was naked.
Rachel's eyes had adjusted a lot quicker than his, and she looked just as panicked.
"What did we do?" she asked.
"I think that much is obvious!" yelled Joey.
Rachel, holding the bed covers over herself, was scrambling off the bed for her clothes.
"Turn around," she commanded, and Joey did so.
"What are we going to do?" she asked his back.
"Well," he said, "I think we should just forget it ever happened. Is that okay with you?"
Rachel, almost fully dressed, replied "Yes! Yes. That would be best. Forget it. Never mention it again. Good." She straightened up. "You can turn around now," she said. "Anyway, I'll see you later. Bye." She walked briskly out of the bedroom.
"Bye," said Joey quietly.
-----------
Please forgive me if I act a little strange
For I know not what I do
Feels like lightening running through my veins
Everytime I look at you
Everytime I look at you
**********
"It wasn't supposed to turn out like this!" yelled Joey.
Now it was Joey who was crying. Tears streamed down his face as he realised just what had happened.
Rachel sat quietly. A minute ago he had been so calm, so understanding. She was saddened by his tears; she knew he wasn't really angry, but he wouldn't let her say a word.
And she knew that the one thing she wanted to say was the one thing that could make the situation worse.
**********
Help me out here all my words are falling short
And there's so much I want to say
Want to tell you just how good it feels
When you look at me that way
When you look at me that way
**********
Joey saw, through a sheen of tears, Rachel sitting.
He wasn't angry; he was confused. He had never thought that something as simple as a kiss could lead to something so complicated.
The weight of responsibility had crashed down on him. He didn't know what to do. It had been a mistake. That's all. A mistake.
Just a mistake.
**********
Throw a stone and watch the ripples flow
Moving out across the bay
Like a stone I fall into your eyes
Deep into that mystery
Deep into some mystery
**********
Rachel watched him.
He was shouting, but she couldn't hear the words. A feeling had come over her. A feeling that the outcome of the thing she was about to do could be bad, or it could be very, very good.
She stood up. He didn't notice.
Suddenly her hearing came back. She moved nearer to him.
".......It was a mistake!"
She put a finger on his lips. He stared at her.
She stared back.
"Was it?"
She kissed him.