The rooster crowed at dawn, waking up quite a few people in the apartment building. Fortunately, Joey's neighbor across the way had never minded the noise, and he simply began crooning his usual "Morning's Here" song.
Kate groaned and used a pillow to cover her ears. She didn't know that the rooster would be *that* loud.
"Sorry, honey." Joey kissed her head softly and hugged her. "I'll put some sound proofing in their room today." (The rooster and the duck were living in Chandler's old bedroom, where they slept in adjoining cabinets.)
Kate grunted and rolled over, trying to get back to sleep despite the continued crowing.
Sitting up, Joey looked out of the window behind his bed, and he waved at his neighbor.
The singing man stopped to smile and comment, a little too loudly, "Hey, your rooster's back!"
"Shh! Kate's trying to sleep." Joey pointed down toward his bed, which the neighbor couldn't see unless he leaned rather far out of his window. Not that he ever had that much interest in seeing who Joey was sleeping with.
"Oh. Sorry."
"It's okay." Joey leaned out and spoke softly to him, "It's just her first morning hearing the rooster. Let's just keep it down for today, until I can fix things up for her, okay?"
Joey's neighbor shrugged. "Okay. But your rooster's back?"
"Yeah." Joey nodded happily. "Him and the duck. Kate said she didn't mind them moving back here."
Since when did Joey's girlfriend have a say in where Joey's birds lived? Joey had only listened to Rachel's complaints since she was his roommate, and Joey knew better than to argue with a hormonal pregnant woman (or a new mother).
"Well, have a good morning, then."
"You too. See you tomorrow." Joey waved again, then went back inside and closed the bedroom window, while the other man went back to singing and getting ready for his day.
Because the rooster had finished crowing, Kate managed to fall asleep again, so Joey pulled the pillow off her head and stroked her hair fondly. He loved to watch her sleeping. He could remember how, after the first night that they made love and she fell asleep in his arms, he stayed awake for hours, thinking how beautiful she looked.
After Kate left and Joey greeted his friends the next morning, Ross had remarked that Joey seemed drunk, which was almost true; he was drunk with happiness. Being with Kate now brought back such great memories.
But there were painful memories too. Such as when Kate rejected him afterward, claiming that she had only been caught up in the moment and that the sex meant nothing to her. She was going to stay with Marshall and pretend that nothing had happened.
Joey had been so hurt and disappointed, but no matter what Chandler said to him about it, he still couldn't give up on Kate. Not after that night in her arms. Joey kept obsessing about her, trying to find some way to get her attention and win her over. If he just wore the right cologne or went to the restaurants she talked about or introduced her to his friends who were smart, maybe Kate wouldn't think he was too dumb for her. Maybe she'd see what a jerk that Marshall was.
Of course, it wasn't until the opening night of the play that Joey finally had a breakthrough with Kate. After he walked her home from the theatre, she passed out drunk on her couch, and Joey decided to stay and watch her sleep again. When she woke up later, they finally talked through all their feelings and discussed their families and why they had this pattern of bad choices in romance. Kate finally realized that book smarts had nothing to do with whether a guy had a good heart and the ability to genuinely love. And Joey had realized that he did want to settle down, but only with the right woman, one who could make him forget that anyone else existed.
If only Kate had stayed instead of going to L.A. the next night! They had lost so many years and there was so much catching up to do. Joey still felt guilty for having forgotten her and transferred his emotions to Rachel for a while, as if trying to relive and recapture the warm, aching feeling that Kate gave him. At least everything had been sorted out now.
Joey was excited to have a second chance with his first love, and he intended to do everything he could to make Kate happy. He wanted to wake up with her from now on.
***
Phoebe had been living with Mike for a few days, and they were still adjusting to it. They played "Monica and Chandler" a lot, with Phoebe bossing Mike around and telling him to pick up his socks and such.
She even used the line, "No, we're not having sex anymore!" the first couple of nights, and he just laughed, knowing that they were both too tired anyway. After the gang helped them move Mike's stuff from his old apartment, they had to unpack a lot of boxes.
Also, Phoebe kept trying to decide how to rearrange the furniture to accommodate Mike's furniture, but she couldn't decide what to keep and what to throw away.
They ended up moving the furniture around several times until they just collapsed onto both the couches wearily.
"Let's work on the feng shui later, okay?" Mike suggested, leaning against the cushions and closing his eyes.
"Okay," she said, still looking around and wondering why she couldn't find the right balance in the room, no matter where she put Mike's stuff.
While Mike napped, Phoebe lay on her green couch and sighed. She found herself thinking about David again. David probably would have tackled this like a physics problem, drawing diagrams and sketching out a plan that made optimum use of the space in the room. Of course, the romantic side of him would probably also be willing to just sweep the plans off the table and kiss Phoebe passionately.
Phoebe frowned and told herself not to think about that. "I'm with Mike now," she thought. "Besides, David's probably all happy with that Charlie and her Ph.D. and her 'I date brilliant, intimidating professors, except for Joey' snobbery. She probably thinks that dating a failed physics professor is something wild and different too. Hmph! David may not be intimidating, but he's sweet and loving and earnest. He couldn't even yell at Mike when he showed up at Barbados; he's just too much a gentleman. David's like what Ross would have been if Carol hadn't set free his streak of paranoid jealousy."
Shaking her head and glancing at Mike with guilt, Phoebe realized how far her thoughts had strayed, so she repeated firmly to herself, "David's just a friend. Just a friend, like Ross. And, and if David's got a lurking streak of jealousy somewhere inside, then I'm better off without him, right? Right?" She frowned with a realization. "But if David's Ross, and I'm Rachel, shouldn't we be lobsters?"
Phoebe swallowed and felt very worried, but before she could start berating herself, the phone rang, and she hurried to find it, so that it wouldn't wake Mike up. Looking around all the boxes and extra furniture, Phoebe finally found Mike's cell phone and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Where's Mike?"
"He's sleeping now. Can I take a message?"
"Just tell him to call his girlfriend back."
"What?"
The unnamed girlfriend abruptly hung up, and Phoebe sank down on the couch, deeply shocked.
to be continued...
Kate groaned and used a pillow to cover her ears. She didn't know that the rooster would be *that* loud.
"Sorry, honey." Joey kissed her head softly and hugged her. "I'll put some sound proofing in their room today." (The rooster and the duck were living in Chandler's old bedroom, where they slept in adjoining cabinets.)
Kate grunted and rolled over, trying to get back to sleep despite the continued crowing.
Sitting up, Joey looked out of the window behind his bed, and he waved at his neighbor.
The singing man stopped to smile and comment, a little too loudly, "Hey, your rooster's back!"
"Shh! Kate's trying to sleep." Joey pointed down toward his bed, which the neighbor couldn't see unless he leaned rather far out of his window. Not that he ever had that much interest in seeing who Joey was sleeping with.
"Oh. Sorry."
"It's okay." Joey leaned out and spoke softly to him, "It's just her first morning hearing the rooster. Let's just keep it down for today, until I can fix things up for her, okay?"
Joey's neighbor shrugged. "Okay. But your rooster's back?"
"Yeah." Joey nodded happily. "Him and the duck. Kate said she didn't mind them moving back here."
Since when did Joey's girlfriend have a say in where Joey's birds lived? Joey had only listened to Rachel's complaints since she was his roommate, and Joey knew better than to argue with a hormonal pregnant woman (or a new mother).
"Well, have a good morning, then."
"You too. See you tomorrow." Joey waved again, then went back inside and closed the bedroom window, while the other man went back to singing and getting ready for his day.
Because the rooster had finished crowing, Kate managed to fall asleep again, so Joey pulled the pillow off her head and stroked her hair fondly. He loved to watch her sleeping. He could remember how, after the first night that they made love and she fell asleep in his arms, he stayed awake for hours, thinking how beautiful she looked.
After Kate left and Joey greeted his friends the next morning, Ross had remarked that Joey seemed drunk, which was almost true; he was drunk with happiness. Being with Kate now brought back such great memories.
But there were painful memories too. Such as when Kate rejected him afterward, claiming that she had only been caught up in the moment and that the sex meant nothing to her. She was going to stay with Marshall and pretend that nothing had happened.
Joey had been so hurt and disappointed, but no matter what Chandler said to him about it, he still couldn't give up on Kate. Not after that night in her arms. Joey kept obsessing about her, trying to find some way to get her attention and win her over. If he just wore the right cologne or went to the restaurants she talked about or introduced her to his friends who were smart, maybe Kate wouldn't think he was too dumb for her. Maybe she'd see what a jerk that Marshall was.
Of course, it wasn't until the opening night of the play that Joey finally had a breakthrough with Kate. After he walked her home from the theatre, she passed out drunk on her couch, and Joey decided to stay and watch her sleep again. When she woke up later, they finally talked through all their feelings and discussed their families and why they had this pattern of bad choices in romance. Kate finally realized that book smarts had nothing to do with whether a guy had a good heart and the ability to genuinely love. And Joey had realized that he did want to settle down, but only with the right woman, one who could make him forget that anyone else existed.
If only Kate had stayed instead of going to L.A. the next night! They had lost so many years and there was so much catching up to do. Joey still felt guilty for having forgotten her and transferred his emotions to Rachel for a while, as if trying to relive and recapture the warm, aching feeling that Kate gave him. At least everything had been sorted out now.
Joey was excited to have a second chance with his first love, and he intended to do everything he could to make Kate happy. He wanted to wake up with her from now on.
***
Phoebe had been living with Mike for a few days, and they were still adjusting to it. They played "Monica and Chandler" a lot, with Phoebe bossing Mike around and telling him to pick up his socks and such.
She even used the line, "No, we're not having sex anymore!" the first couple of nights, and he just laughed, knowing that they were both too tired anyway. After the gang helped them move Mike's stuff from his old apartment, they had to unpack a lot of boxes.
Also, Phoebe kept trying to decide how to rearrange the furniture to accommodate Mike's furniture, but she couldn't decide what to keep and what to throw away.
They ended up moving the furniture around several times until they just collapsed onto both the couches wearily.
"Let's work on the feng shui later, okay?" Mike suggested, leaning against the cushions and closing his eyes.
"Okay," she said, still looking around and wondering why she couldn't find the right balance in the room, no matter where she put Mike's stuff.
While Mike napped, Phoebe lay on her green couch and sighed. She found herself thinking about David again. David probably would have tackled this like a physics problem, drawing diagrams and sketching out a plan that made optimum use of the space in the room. Of course, the romantic side of him would probably also be willing to just sweep the plans off the table and kiss Phoebe passionately.
Phoebe frowned and told herself not to think about that. "I'm with Mike now," she thought. "Besides, David's probably all happy with that Charlie and her Ph.D. and her 'I date brilliant, intimidating professors, except for Joey' snobbery. She probably thinks that dating a failed physics professor is something wild and different too. Hmph! David may not be intimidating, but he's sweet and loving and earnest. He couldn't even yell at Mike when he showed up at Barbados; he's just too much a gentleman. David's like what Ross would have been if Carol hadn't set free his streak of paranoid jealousy."
Shaking her head and glancing at Mike with guilt, Phoebe realized how far her thoughts had strayed, so she repeated firmly to herself, "David's just a friend. Just a friend, like Ross. And, and if David's got a lurking streak of jealousy somewhere inside, then I'm better off without him, right? Right?" She frowned with a realization. "But if David's Ross, and I'm Rachel, shouldn't we be lobsters?"
Phoebe swallowed and felt very worried, but before she could start berating herself, the phone rang, and she hurried to find it, so that it wouldn't wake Mike up. Looking around all the boxes and extra furniture, Phoebe finally found Mike's cell phone and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Where's Mike?"
"He's sleeping now. Can I take a message?"
"Just tell him to call his girlfriend back."
"What?"
The unnamed girlfriend abruptly hung up, and Phoebe sank down on the couch, deeply shocked.
to be continued...