[I realize belatedly that Janice has been mean in the TOW Heckles Dies, where she arrives to gloat about being married and pregnant. But in a way, Chandler deserved it, after dumping her so many times in season 1. But Monica is generally right that Janice is usually not mean, and is unaware of how annoying she can be.
Anyway, I estimate only two or three more chapters to this story, so the end is in sight.]
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While Joey moped in silence, Gunther came along to wipe up the nearby tables, and he noticed that Joey looked upset, and even a little teary eyed, which was rather unusual for such a happy-go-lucky guy. Also, Joey wasn't greedily gobbling up his muffins, so something must be seriously wrong.
After a hesitation, Gunther decided that he was curious and friendly enough with Rachel's group (he always thought of them as Rachel's group) to risk asking, "What's wrong?"
Joey sniffled and didn't look up. "It's Chandler."
Oh, that must be his roommate, Gunther guessed. Those two guys were practically joined at the hip most of the time, so Gunther used to confuse them. "Did you have a fight?"
"No. It's him and Janice." Joey spoke her name with distaste and pouted about the unfairness of it all. "He loves her, and there's nothing I can do about it."
"Oh. Is her annoying laugh getting to you?" Gunther had seen and heard plenty of Janice when Chandler brought her to the coffeehouse. He shrugged. "Eh, girlfriends of your buddies. What can you do? Sometimes, you just gotta tolerate them and hope that it won't work out."
But Joey couldn't feel nearly as composed and indifferent about it. "I don't wanna tolerate her! It's not fair. She already had her chance with him, and she shouldn't have come back again! He, he doesn't belong with her." Joey sulked, looking utterly heartbroken and miserable.
"Ohhh." With wide eyes, Gunther sat down at the table and thought he understood now. He recognized that look of longing and frustration on Joey's face, because he had often felt the same way about Rachel, whenever she dated Ross or other guys that Gunther had both envied and hated. So perhaps Joey and Chandler weren't just roommates after all, or at least Joey didn't want them to be just roommates anymore, and Chandler was oblivious in the way that Rachel was oblivious. Of course, Joey was notorious around here for using women, but Joey's words and looks just seemed so emotional and distraught; it convinced Gunther that the heartbreaker had grown capable of more depth now. Besides, Joey was acting far more passionate about this than anyone would get over a mere roommate or friend. Gunther had never got so upset about his own roommate Jasmine, after all.
So Gunther patted Joey's shoulder sympathetically and murmured, "That's too bad. I know how hard it is, watching somebody you love going out with someone else."
"What?" Joey blinked and narrowed his eyes at Gunther in confusion. He certainly didn't love Janice. Did Gunther think this was another love triangle, like he and Chandler had over Kathy? "I don't love *her*!" Joey grimaced and was offended by the very idea.
"I know," Gunther nodded and shushed him. He confided in a whisper, "You and him--that's like how I feel about Rachel. I'd do anything for her, but she still doesn't see me as more than a friend yet." He thought he qualified as a peripheral friend, since he was Rachel's ex-boss and he often got invited to various parties thrown by the six friends. Gunther spoke encouragingly, "But, look, maybe this Janice whoever is like Ross was to Rachel, you know? She'll finally go away for good, then you'll get your chance." Gunther was still waiting for his chance with Rachel, though bad timing and other people still got in his way.
Joey gaped at him, and he finally pieced together what Gunther thought. "Me and Chandler? Me and, and--?!" He was too shocked and mortified to form a coherent expression of outrage, though his face spoke volumes.
"You mean, you don't--? Oh no!" Gunther blushed and was equally shocked by his mistake. Panicking now, Gunther stammered profuse apologies in embarrassment, then he got up and dashed away to the kitchen, cursing at himself in Dutch all the while.
Glancing first around the coffeehouse to see if anyone else had overheard their conversation, Joey hastily stormed out of the door, even leaving behind his unfinished muffin and latte. Then he furiously and aimlessly wandered around the neighborhood as he brooded again.
That was twice! Twice, someone had accused him of being in love with Chandler tonight. Rachel had only done it jokingly with Monica, but now Gunther seriously believed that he was gay. How could this happen? How? Apparently Rachel was correct when she said that he and Chandler gave off misleading signals sometimes, even to acquaintances like Gunther. Joey knew of course that this happened with strangers, because he and Chandler had been mistaken for a couple once when they were babysitting Ben, and they had deliberately pretended to be a gay couple later that day, but he had no idea that such wrong impressions occurred as frequently as Rachel made it sound. Just how serious an issue was this?
Come to think of it, whenever Joey and Chandler took the chick and the duck to the vet, it seemed like the doctor and most of his staff assumed that they were a couple too. Joey had tried to flirt with a nurse once, and she had reacted with surprise because, "You and your friend talk about those birds just like they were your children or something."
Joey had corrected her and started to ask her out, but Chandler had interrupted him and pulled him aside, warning him in a whisper, "If you sleep with her and never call her again, we may never be able to come back to this clinic. Think of the birds!"
So Joey had reluctantly agreed to keep away from the nurse, but he noticed that the nurse went off and whispered to the receptionist something about how "he keeps a tight leash on his guy, doesn't he?"
Feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable, Joey continued turning over other incidents in his mind as he tried to figure out how most people seemed to view his and Chandler's close friendship. It felt like his eyes were being opened for the first time as he discovered a whole new world of innuendo that he'd let go over his head before.
Joey started to question everything they'd ever done together, and he now realized that he had touched Chandler constantly while they were in the kitchen tonight. Joey hadn't meant to, but he got carried away because he missed Chandler so much and wanted to feel closer to him again. He had frequently wanted to kiss Chandler on the cheek, but he knew that this would upset Chandler, so he channeled his kissing impulses into caressing Chandler's arm or shoulder, or brushing his fingers through his hair. He kept standing near Chandler and whispering in his ear, wanting to make him laugh and smile. Wanting to pretend that they were all alone.
Joey gasped and remembered how pleased he had felt when Chandler seemed to blush and like all the attention. During dinner, Chandler had hung on his every word, almost as if to say that he belonged to Joey, not to Janice. Whoa, was that why Janice had kicked him out of the apartment? Because she was jealous of him and Chandler?
Joey had to sit down on some steps as it suddenly occurred to him that he wanted to make her jealous. He wanted to spite her and hurt her and show her how it made him feel when she wouldn't let him be with Chandler before. He wanted to tell her that girlfriends come and go, but he and Chandler were forever.
Oh God. Joey put down his head in his hands and realized that Rachel's sarcastic remark was actually true: he was in love with Chandler. Why didn't he see this before? Joey had wanted to kiss him so many times, and had they really been alone tonight, they might have had some beers again and gotten drunk enough that Joey might have kissed his lips this time. Joey could imagine what that would feel like, because he remembered their brief, impulsive kiss on New Year's, and he longed to refresh his memory now.
But what would Chandler do then? Probably be shocked and slap him. Probably run away and lock himself in his bedroom again, like he had done the other night when Joey kissed his cheek and said "I love you." Chandler was afraid of anything remotely gay, and he surely wouldn't reciprocate.
Joey felt crushed and lonely, even worse then when Kate had rejected him so many times last year. Why did he always have to want people he couldn't have? Joey ached to get closer to Chandler, but Chandler only had eyes for Janice, and there was nothing he could do about it. Nothing at all. So Joey just sat there, holding back his tears and wishing desperately that he was still living in ignorance of his true feelings for Chandler.
***
After reading her daughter a bedtime story, Janice kissed her goodnight and returned to the other apartment. She had asked Monica and Rachel where Joey had gone to, and they just shrugged, saying that he left because he was still angry about Janice kicking him out earlier.
"We tried to reason with him, but sometimes he gets very irrational about Chandler."
"Yeah."
"I see."
Janice suspected that Joey was being so irrational because he was in love with Chandler, either consciously or subconsciously. She didn't want to believe that Chandler would pine away with unrequited love for Joey, until it became so all consuming that it interfered with his love for Janice. Nor did Janice want Chandler to keep insisting that he ought to see a psychiatrist and be cured of these feelings. She wanted him to know that, just like with the trauma from his parents' divorce, repressing his emotions would never make him happy. He needed to accept them and express them in a healthy manner. If only she could figure out how to convince him, though.
Janice returned to Chandler's room and crawled into bed with him again.
He kissed her and asked, "She's asleep now?"
"Yeah, she just missed her mommy, that's all. She should sleep through the night now."
"Good. So you can stay here with me." He hugged her close to him. "I love you."
"I love you too, Bing-a-ling."
"Do you really have to go home tomorrow? Why can't you stay here?"
"Honey, you know I can't. Ruthie's not going to like being away from home much longer, and I have to work, and the daycare is much closer to my place in Chelsea. Besides, after this weekend, I'll be too tired to have any sex for at least a couple of days."
"I know, and it's not really the sex I'm worried about, Janice. It's just, what am I gonna do when I'm alone with Joey again? How am I gonna keep away from him?"
"Oh, honey, don't avoid him! You'll just make him all upset again. He loves you."
Chandler frowned and looked away. "But it's only as a friend. He said I was like family, like a brother to him."
Janice shook her head. "He may say that, but I don't think he acts very much like a brother. Not when he was touching you so much and everything. I mean, he was still so upset about you even now, that he just stormed out when Monica and Rachel called me over there to see Ruthie."
"He did?"
"Yeah."
Chandler thought about it, but he suspected that Joey's action was more out of hatred for Janice than love for him. He wasn't going to tell Janice about that, though. Chandler held her tighter and begged again, "Please stay with me."
Janice kissed him and stroked his head comfortingly. "I'm sorry, but I really can't. Look, what if I ask Phoebe to stay here with you again? She could stay on your couch to keep you company, and you and everybody else can help her through her morning sickness and everything. And if she's feeling up to it, you can sneak in some quickies with her."
Chandler pouted. "But I really want *you*, Janice. Other than this threesome thing, Phoebe's just a friend to me. You're my soulmate, not her."
"Oh, you're so sweet!" She kissed him softly. "I love you too, Bing-a-ling, but I just can't be with you every minute. There's no way I can, unless you come to live with me and Ruthie, but I don't think you're ready for that yet. Are you?"
Chandler thought about it. "Well, I do want to get away from Joey for a while... but how would he support himself alone? And there's the chick and the duck, and all my other friends, and I just got the better apartment..." He sighed and admitted, "Besides, I'm doing okay with Ruthie so far, but I really don't think I can handle a kid on a day-to-day basis. Joey's the one who'd know what to do with her, not me."
"Well, speaking of Joey... what if you got together with him?"
"Janice--" he frowned and grew uncomfortable.
"No, no! Just listen, honey. You don't want just Phoebe, and you can't have me, so why not Joey, huh? He's the only one you seem to want as much as you want me. He could make you happy when I'm not here, and I promise I'll stop being jealous about it, just as long as I know that we're still soulmates. It could work out for all of us."
Chandler wasn't convinced. "No, no, it couldn't! No, I couldn't even--and he'd have to want me too, and I know he doesn't. He's straight!"
Janice sighed and could see that she wasn't making any progress. Chandler was being too stubborn about this, and she had to back off for the moment. "All right, I'm sorry. I just, I just thought it would make you happy, you know?"
"I know." He lay his head on her shoulder and clung to her arms. "But don't talk about him anymore, please. Just, just stay here with me."
She shook her head. "I can't. I have to go home tomorrow."
He nodded and looked sad. "All right, I'm sorry. I'm too needy, I guess. I'll--I'll just find Dr. Meyer tomorrow, and then he can cure me of Joey, and all my issues, and everything. Then I'll be okay."
Janice remained skeptical, but she said nothing, knowing that it wouldn't do any good. But maybe if she talked to Joey instead and found out definitely whether he loved Chandler too, then everything could be resolved. Janice just needed to figure out the proper way to approach this subject, though, and possibly mend some bridges since Joey was feeling so hostile to her right now.
Meanwhile, Chandler just held onto her for security and whispered, "I love you, Janice."
"I love you, too, Bing-a-ling."
***
After sitting on the steps for a long time, Joey finally got up and decided to go home. It was late, and maybe a good night's rest would do him some good. Maybe things wouldn't look so bleak in the morning, and maybe he could figure out how to get himself over Chandler like he got over Kate, when she left for L.A.
When Joey returned to the girls' apartment, the lights were out and everyone was already asleep. So Joey took off his coat in the darkness and tiptoed toward the couch, taking care not to wake up Ruthie on the loveseat. Then he got undressed and lay down under the blanket, trying to get comfortable even though he didn't like sleeping in his underwear.
Joey was glad that this weekend was almost over, and that Janice and Ruthie would go home in the morning. Then he could spend time with Chandler again. But not too much time, he realized.
Joey frowned, feeling jealous and bitter. How could Chandler love her? How could he want to be with her, and put up with her annoying laughter without going nuts? Joey tried to convince himself that Chandler was only seeing Janice for the sex, but he knew that this wasn't true. Chandler had repeatedly called her his soulmate and looked at her with adoring eyes. It made Joey ache inside, and he clutched Hugsy tightly.
Anyway, I estimate only two or three more chapters to this story, so the end is in sight.]
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While Joey moped in silence, Gunther came along to wipe up the nearby tables, and he noticed that Joey looked upset, and even a little teary eyed, which was rather unusual for such a happy-go-lucky guy. Also, Joey wasn't greedily gobbling up his muffins, so something must be seriously wrong.
After a hesitation, Gunther decided that he was curious and friendly enough with Rachel's group (he always thought of them as Rachel's group) to risk asking, "What's wrong?"
Joey sniffled and didn't look up. "It's Chandler."
Oh, that must be his roommate, Gunther guessed. Those two guys were practically joined at the hip most of the time, so Gunther used to confuse them. "Did you have a fight?"
"No. It's him and Janice." Joey spoke her name with distaste and pouted about the unfairness of it all. "He loves her, and there's nothing I can do about it."
"Oh. Is her annoying laugh getting to you?" Gunther had seen and heard plenty of Janice when Chandler brought her to the coffeehouse. He shrugged. "Eh, girlfriends of your buddies. What can you do? Sometimes, you just gotta tolerate them and hope that it won't work out."
But Joey couldn't feel nearly as composed and indifferent about it. "I don't wanna tolerate her! It's not fair. She already had her chance with him, and she shouldn't have come back again! He, he doesn't belong with her." Joey sulked, looking utterly heartbroken and miserable.
"Ohhh." With wide eyes, Gunther sat down at the table and thought he understood now. He recognized that look of longing and frustration on Joey's face, because he had often felt the same way about Rachel, whenever she dated Ross or other guys that Gunther had both envied and hated. So perhaps Joey and Chandler weren't just roommates after all, or at least Joey didn't want them to be just roommates anymore, and Chandler was oblivious in the way that Rachel was oblivious. Of course, Joey was notorious around here for using women, but Joey's words and looks just seemed so emotional and distraught; it convinced Gunther that the heartbreaker had grown capable of more depth now. Besides, Joey was acting far more passionate about this than anyone would get over a mere roommate or friend. Gunther had never got so upset about his own roommate Jasmine, after all.
So Gunther patted Joey's shoulder sympathetically and murmured, "That's too bad. I know how hard it is, watching somebody you love going out with someone else."
"What?" Joey blinked and narrowed his eyes at Gunther in confusion. He certainly didn't love Janice. Did Gunther think this was another love triangle, like he and Chandler had over Kathy? "I don't love *her*!" Joey grimaced and was offended by the very idea.
"I know," Gunther nodded and shushed him. He confided in a whisper, "You and him--that's like how I feel about Rachel. I'd do anything for her, but she still doesn't see me as more than a friend yet." He thought he qualified as a peripheral friend, since he was Rachel's ex-boss and he often got invited to various parties thrown by the six friends. Gunther spoke encouragingly, "But, look, maybe this Janice whoever is like Ross was to Rachel, you know? She'll finally go away for good, then you'll get your chance." Gunther was still waiting for his chance with Rachel, though bad timing and other people still got in his way.
Joey gaped at him, and he finally pieced together what Gunther thought. "Me and Chandler? Me and, and--?!" He was too shocked and mortified to form a coherent expression of outrage, though his face spoke volumes.
"You mean, you don't--? Oh no!" Gunther blushed and was equally shocked by his mistake. Panicking now, Gunther stammered profuse apologies in embarrassment, then he got up and dashed away to the kitchen, cursing at himself in Dutch all the while.
Glancing first around the coffeehouse to see if anyone else had overheard their conversation, Joey hastily stormed out of the door, even leaving behind his unfinished muffin and latte. Then he furiously and aimlessly wandered around the neighborhood as he brooded again.
That was twice! Twice, someone had accused him of being in love with Chandler tonight. Rachel had only done it jokingly with Monica, but now Gunther seriously believed that he was gay. How could this happen? How? Apparently Rachel was correct when she said that he and Chandler gave off misleading signals sometimes, even to acquaintances like Gunther. Joey knew of course that this happened with strangers, because he and Chandler had been mistaken for a couple once when they were babysitting Ben, and they had deliberately pretended to be a gay couple later that day, but he had no idea that such wrong impressions occurred as frequently as Rachel made it sound. Just how serious an issue was this?
Come to think of it, whenever Joey and Chandler took the chick and the duck to the vet, it seemed like the doctor and most of his staff assumed that they were a couple too. Joey had tried to flirt with a nurse once, and she had reacted with surprise because, "You and your friend talk about those birds just like they were your children or something."
Joey had corrected her and started to ask her out, but Chandler had interrupted him and pulled him aside, warning him in a whisper, "If you sleep with her and never call her again, we may never be able to come back to this clinic. Think of the birds!"
So Joey had reluctantly agreed to keep away from the nurse, but he noticed that the nurse went off and whispered to the receptionist something about how "he keeps a tight leash on his guy, doesn't he?"
Feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable, Joey continued turning over other incidents in his mind as he tried to figure out how most people seemed to view his and Chandler's close friendship. It felt like his eyes were being opened for the first time as he discovered a whole new world of innuendo that he'd let go over his head before.
Joey started to question everything they'd ever done together, and he now realized that he had touched Chandler constantly while they were in the kitchen tonight. Joey hadn't meant to, but he got carried away because he missed Chandler so much and wanted to feel closer to him again. He had frequently wanted to kiss Chandler on the cheek, but he knew that this would upset Chandler, so he channeled his kissing impulses into caressing Chandler's arm or shoulder, or brushing his fingers through his hair. He kept standing near Chandler and whispering in his ear, wanting to make him laugh and smile. Wanting to pretend that they were all alone.
Joey gasped and remembered how pleased he had felt when Chandler seemed to blush and like all the attention. During dinner, Chandler had hung on his every word, almost as if to say that he belonged to Joey, not to Janice. Whoa, was that why Janice had kicked him out of the apartment? Because she was jealous of him and Chandler?
Joey had to sit down on some steps as it suddenly occurred to him that he wanted to make her jealous. He wanted to spite her and hurt her and show her how it made him feel when she wouldn't let him be with Chandler before. He wanted to tell her that girlfriends come and go, but he and Chandler were forever.
Oh God. Joey put down his head in his hands and realized that Rachel's sarcastic remark was actually true: he was in love with Chandler. Why didn't he see this before? Joey had wanted to kiss him so many times, and had they really been alone tonight, they might have had some beers again and gotten drunk enough that Joey might have kissed his lips this time. Joey could imagine what that would feel like, because he remembered their brief, impulsive kiss on New Year's, and he longed to refresh his memory now.
But what would Chandler do then? Probably be shocked and slap him. Probably run away and lock himself in his bedroom again, like he had done the other night when Joey kissed his cheek and said "I love you." Chandler was afraid of anything remotely gay, and he surely wouldn't reciprocate.
Joey felt crushed and lonely, even worse then when Kate had rejected him so many times last year. Why did he always have to want people he couldn't have? Joey ached to get closer to Chandler, but Chandler only had eyes for Janice, and there was nothing he could do about it. Nothing at all. So Joey just sat there, holding back his tears and wishing desperately that he was still living in ignorance of his true feelings for Chandler.
***
After reading her daughter a bedtime story, Janice kissed her goodnight and returned to the other apartment. She had asked Monica and Rachel where Joey had gone to, and they just shrugged, saying that he left because he was still angry about Janice kicking him out earlier.
"We tried to reason with him, but sometimes he gets very irrational about Chandler."
"Yeah."
"I see."
Janice suspected that Joey was being so irrational because he was in love with Chandler, either consciously or subconsciously. She didn't want to believe that Chandler would pine away with unrequited love for Joey, until it became so all consuming that it interfered with his love for Janice. Nor did Janice want Chandler to keep insisting that he ought to see a psychiatrist and be cured of these feelings. She wanted him to know that, just like with the trauma from his parents' divorce, repressing his emotions would never make him happy. He needed to accept them and express them in a healthy manner. If only she could figure out how to convince him, though.
Janice returned to Chandler's room and crawled into bed with him again.
He kissed her and asked, "She's asleep now?"
"Yeah, she just missed her mommy, that's all. She should sleep through the night now."
"Good. So you can stay here with me." He hugged her close to him. "I love you."
"I love you too, Bing-a-ling."
"Do you really have to go home tomorrow? Why can't you stay here?"
"Honey, you know I can't. Ruthie's not going to like being away from home much longer, and I have to work, and the daycare is much closer to my place in Chelsea. Besides, after this weekend, I'll be too tired to have any sex for at least a couple of days."
"I know, and it's not really the sex I'm worried about, Janice. It's just, what am I gonna do when I'm alone with Joey again? How am I gonna keep away from him?"
"Oh, honey, don't avoid him! You'll just make him all upset again. He loves you."
Chandler frowned and looked away. "But it's only as a friend. He said I was like family, like a brother to him."
Janice shook her head. "He may say that, but I don't think he acts very much like a brother. Not when he was touching you so much and everything. I mean, he was still so upset about you even now, that he just stormed out when Monica and Rachel called me over there to see Ruthie."
"He did?"
"Yeah."
Chandler thought about it, but he suspected that Joey's action was more out of hatred for Janice than love for him. He wasn't going to tell Janice about that, though. Chandler held her tighter and begged again, "Please stay with me."
Janice kissed him and stroked his head comfortingly. "I'm sorry, but I really can't. Look, what if I ask Phoebe to stay here with you again? She could stay on your couch to keep you company, and you and everybody else can help her through her morning sickness and everything. And if she's feeling up to it, you can sneak in some quickies with her."
Chandler pouted. "But I really want *you*, Janice. Other than this threesome thing, Phoebe's just a friend to me. You're my soulmate, not her."
"Oh, you're so sweet!" She kissed him softly. "I love you too, Bing-a-ling, but I just can't be with you every minute. There's no way I can, unless you come to live with me and Ruthie, but I don't think you're ready for that yet. Are you?"
Chandler thought about it. "Well, I do want to get away from Joey for a while... but how would he support himself alone? And there's the chick and the duck, and all my other friends, and I just got the better apartment..." He sighed and admitted, "Besides, I'm doing okay with Ruthie so far, but I really don't think I can handle a kid on a day-to-day basis. Joey's the one who'd know what to do with her, not me."
"Well, speaking of Joey... what if you got together with him?"
"Janice--" he frowned and grew uncomfortable.
"No, no! Just listen, honey. You don't want just Phoebe, and you can't have me, so why not Joey, huh? He's the only one you seem to want as much as you want me. He could make you happy when I'm not here, and I promise I'll stop being jealous about it, just as long as I know that we're still soulmates. It could work out for all of us."
Chandler wasn't convinced. "No, no, it couldn't! No, I couldn't even--and he'd have to want me too, and I know he doesn't. He's straight!"
Janice sighed and could see that she wasn't making any progress. Chandler was being too stubborn about this, and she had to back off for the moment. "All right, I'm sorry. I just, I just thought it would make you happy, you know?"
"I know." He lay his head on her shoulder and clung to her arms. "But don't talk about him anymore, please. Just, just stay here with me."
She shook her head. "I can't. I have to go home tomorrow."
He nodded and looked sad. "All right, I'm sorry. I'm too needy, I guess. I'll--I'll just find Dr. Meyer tomorrow, and then he can cure me of Joey, and all my issues, and everything. Then I'll be okay."
Janice remained skeptical, but she said nothing, knowing that it wouldn't do any good. But maybe if she talked to Joey instead and found out definitely whether he loved Chandler too, then everything could be resolved. Janice just needed to figure out the proper way to approach this subject, though, and possibly mend some bridges since Joey was feeling so hostile to her right now.
Meanwhile, Chandler just held onto her for security and whispered, "I love you, Janice."
"I love you, too, Bing-a-ling."
***
After sitting on the steps for a long time, Joey finally got up and decided to go home. It was late, and maybe a good night's rest would do him some good. Maybe things wouldn't look so bleak in the morning, and maybe he could figure out how to get himself over Chandler like he got over Kate, when she left for L.A.
When Joey returned to the girls' apartment, the lights were out and everyone was already asleep. So Joey took off his coat in the darkness and tiptoed toward the couch, taking care not to wake up Ruthie on the loveseat. Then he got undressed and lay down under the blanket, trying to get comfortable even though he didn't like sleeping in his underwear.
Joey was glad that this weekend was almost over, and that Janice and Ruthie would go home in the morning. Then he could spend time with Chandler again. But not too much time, he realized.
Joey frowned, feeling jealous and bitter. How could Chandler love her? How could he want to be with her, and put up with her annoying laughter without going nuts? Joey tried to convince himself that Chandler was only seeing Janice for the sex, but he knew that this wasn't true. Chandler had repeatedly called her his soulmate and looked at her with adoring eyes. It made Joey ache inside, and he clutched Hugsy tightly.