Anything for Love
Chapter 6: The One That's Still Joey's Birthday
Joey rushed straight over to Phoebe without even thinking to tell Alex he'd be right back.
He took Phoebe in his arms, and she sobbed harder. "I'm sorry. I must be making a scene," she said after a moment.
"Don't apologize. That guy is a jerk! What were you even doing with him?" Joey asked her. "What did he say to you to make you cry? I'll make him sorry he ever laid eyes on you, I'll tell you that!"
Phoebe sniffled. "I was feeling lonely, and nobody was free to hang out with me. It was just me wanting to celebrate your birthday on the actual day with no one to celebrate it with. So, out of desperation, I called Mike and asked him to dinner. He agreed, and said he wanted to talk. I thought he might want to get back together. I didn't really want to get back together with him, but I figured that maybe he and I could at least be friends again, or at the very least get back on good terms. It turned out he only wanted to tell me that that little Trollip he cheated on me with is pregnant and he's going to marry her. He said that the problem with getting pregnant probably lies with me." She burst into tears again. "The doctor never said I was infertile! He just thinks that Mike and I weren't genetically compatible."
"I'm going to punch him in his face! No, I'll kick him in the groin! Or both! That'll teach him." Joey grinned. "Yeah. I'll punch him in the groin for cheating on you, and then I'll punch his mouth for saying such a mean and nasty thing to you!"
Phoebe smiled through her tears as he handed her a napkin and she blew her nose into it. "No, just leave it be. He did kind of take it back after and reminded me about the genetic thing. It just made me feel like a loser. I can't get pregnant, but eighteen-year-old Kayla gets pregnant right off the bat! Now he wants to marry her as soon as our divorce goes through, which is in a couple of weeks. Seeing as he got over me that quickly, I'm beginning to think he never loved me to begin with."
"Well then he's a damn fool!" Joey said. "It's his loss, Phoebs; not yours. Believe me."
"I know," Phoebe said with a sniffle.
Joey took a clean napkin and dabbed her eyes for her. "No more tears over him, Sweetheart. He's not worth a single one!"
"I'm not just crying about him. I'm crying about you too. You're going to leave me again, aren't you?" Phoebe asked, a fresh round of tears flowing.
Joey was confused. "Leave you? Why would I leave you?"
"Because you have an exciting new movie offer back in LA. I also see that Alex is back in your life. You're moving back to Los Angeles to be with her again and star in your movie, aren't you?" Phoebe didn't mean to sob in front of Joey. She especially didn't mean to sob in public, but she couldn't help it. Between everything that had just happened with Mike, and now knowing she was probably going to lose Joey again… It was all too much for her.
Joey smiled, and gently squeezed her hand. "You're not going to lose me, Phoebs."
"But I am! You haven't even picked out a permanent place to live here. You obviously don't want to stay. Now that you have Alex to go back to, why stay here?" Phoebe asked bitterly.
"I'm staying here because I was missing you so much I couldn't stand to be away from you for another moment!" Joey said. "You're the reason why I left Los Angeles," Joey confessed.
"And the others," Phoebe said through sniffles.
Joey nodded. "Partly. But it was mainly because of you, Phoebs. Oh, and I decided not to take the movie offer. I don't want to leave you again. Besides, I love working on Love and Freedom. I really enjoy it, and my co-workers are all great to get along with. The crew is too. I think soap operas are my main quiche."
Phoebe smiled. "I think you mean niche."
"That too!" Joey said. He then smiled too, and gently stroked her tears away from her cheeks with his thumbs. "See? That's my favorite girl's beautiful smile."
"Did you really mean what you just said?" Phoebe asked.
Joey nodded. "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't!"
"What about Alex?" Phoebe asked.
"She wanted to make sure it was over between her and me before she went off to London with her fiancé. She wants to practice law there instead of the US and live in London with him. So, she's getting married to someone else, but I am more than okay with it. She told me she was relieved, because she is really in love with him, and doesn't feel guilty now that she knows I'm over her," Joey explained.
"Oh," Phoebe said.
"What about you? Were you hoping to get back with Mike?" Joey asked her, an eyebrow raised.
Phoebe shook her head. "Oh gosh, no! I was just trying to make you jealous." Phoebe blushed. She hadn't meant to say that. She looked away. "I was also trying to spy on you."
Joey smirked. "Why?"
Phoebe looked him in the eyes again and sighed. She could hear both Rachel's and Monica's voices in her head coaxing her on. "Because I think I'm falling for you, Joey!" She shook her head. "No, I know I'm falling for you. The idea of you going back to your ex-made me crazy jealous, and a little sick to be honest. Pretty stupid, huh?"
Joey shook his head. "It's not stupid at all, Phoebes, because I feel the same way about you. I hated seeing you with Mike tonight. I wanted to punch his lights out and I didn't even know why yet. Though, I suppose cheating on you was reason enough."
Phoebe smiled shyly. "I wanted to rip Alex's face off and I don't even know her."
They both laughed.
"I want to be with you, Phoebe. I want to be more than friends. Do you think that would be something you're interested in?" Joey asked her gently, taking her hands in his own.
"Heck yeah I would be!" Phoebe said. "I just don't want it to ruin our friendship. I'm worried that it will."
Joey gently stroked the hair away from her face. "Don't worry, Phoebs. It won't. I won't let it. I promise."
"Well, then okay. I'd like that very much," Phoebe said with a shy smile.
Joey then leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips, and Phoebe kissed him back tenderly.
They smiled when they broke the kiss.
"You know what?" Joey asked her.
"What?" Phoebe asked him.
Joey grinned. "I'm beginning to like birthdays."
Phoebe grinned too.
"Are you hungry?" Joey asked her.
"Now that I'm not sad anymore, I could eat," Phoebe said with a nod.
"You can join Alex and me," Joey said, suddenly remembering Alex. Oops.
"Are you sure she won't mind?" Phoebe asked.
Joey shrugged. "It's my birthday and I want to have dinner with you."
Phoebe smiled. "Okay. Let me freshen up in the ladies' room first. My mascara's running."
Joey nodded. "All right. I'll go tell Alex."
Phoebe then headed to the ladies room, and Joey headed back to his table. However, when he got there, Alex was gone. She had left a cocktail napkin with a message on it written in red lipstick.
Joey picked it up and read it. It read, "Goodbye, Joey."
Joey smiled to himself. "Goodbye, Alex," he said softly. "Good luck with your new life."
Phoebe came out of the ladies' room shortly after. Her eye makeup was fixed, and she looked good as new.
Joey kissed her cheek and held her chair out for her.
She smiled adoringly at him. "Thanks, Joey. So, where's Alex?"
"She had to leave," Joey informed her.
"I hope it wasn't on my account," Phoebe said, feeling bad.
Joey shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I think she went off to be with her new man. Now no more worrying! It's my birthday, and I demand that you be happy."
Phoebe grinned. "I am now that we're more than friends."
Joey grinned too, and took her hands across the table. "Me too." He signaled to the waiter. "Can you please get my girlfriend a new glass? She will be sitting with me now instead of my former companion."
The waiter nodded, and took Alex's glass away. "Right away."
"Thanks!" Joey said. He nudged Phoebe's menu over to her. "Well, it looks like we'll be doing dinner together on my birthday after all!"
"I have to admit, you're a much better date than Mike was tonight," Phoebe said, managing to find a little humor in it at least.
"This doesn't seem weird to you, does it? Us transitioning into more than just friends?" Joey asked her suddenly.
Phoebe shook her head. "No, it feels right. At least to me. Does it feel weird to you?"
Joey shook his head. "Not at all. You know, I always had a secret crush on you."
Phoebe smirked. "Yeah, right! I know Rachel is the one you had your eyes on. After all, you dated her. You never dated me."
"That was only because you were never into me. With Rachel, I could sense that she was, and I don't know, it made her more attractive to me. With you, we were such good friends, it just seemed natural to keep it that way. Trust me, Phoebs, it was never that I didn't want you in that way." Joey explained. "You just didn't want me!"
"I always wanted you, Joey! How could I not? You're sexy, you're funny, you're adorable… The list goes on!"
Joey blushed.
"I guess I was just worried that it would ruin the friendship too much," Phoebe explained.
Joey raised an eyebrow. "What changed your mind?"
'When we began spending more time together just the two of us, it made me think that it was worth a shot, you and I as a couple. I mean, in these last few weeks, I've fallen in love with you Joey. I love you. I'm not afraid to say it. I love you in a way I never did before. Being with you more often lately has strengthened my feelings for you."
"It's funny because that's exactly how I feel, Phoebe." Joey squeezed her hands in his. "I love you too, and I'm more than sure I love you more than I ever loved another woman in my life—even Alex. Well, I love my mother and my sisters, but they don't count in this sense."
Phoebe laughed. "I would hope not!"
Joey laughed too.
The waiter came with Phoebe's glass then, and poured her some wine.
"I hope red wine is okay," Joey said to her.
"It's perfect!" Phoebe said.
They ordered their dinners then, both smiling at the other having told each other they love each other. Phoebe even had the waiter take a picture of her and Joey with her phone. After all, she wanted something to commemorate both Joey's 40th birthday and their first date together.
Dinner was great, and the restaurant even surprised Joey with a buttercream frosted red velvet birthday cake comped by them. Of course, Joey was still expected to pay for the two meals and the wine, but he understood that. Restaurants needed to make money and through a celebrity was the best way to do it.
Of course, Phoebe took even more pictures.
"It must be nice to be a celebrity where restaurants already know your birthday and give you a free cake if you eat there on your birthday. I mean, I've heard of a free slice, but a free whole cake? No fair!" Phoebe griped as she downed her last bite. "Mm! So good. Thank you for sharing with me."
"You're my girl now. Of course I'd share with you," Joey said.
"Had I known being your girl came with free cake, I'd have made sure to be your girl sooner!" Phoebe teased.
"Then I wish I had offered you free cake sooner!" Joey said as he pulled out his wallet to pay for the meals.
Phoebe shook her head. "No way! You're not paying on your own birthday. I've got it."
"Well there's no way my girlfriend is paying on our first date!" Joey said matter-of-factly.
"How about this. "I'll pay for yours, and you pay for mine?" Phoebe suggested.
Joey nodded. "It's a deal!"
They paid the check, but Joey drew a line at her helping with the tip.
Joey helped her out of her chair once the bill was paid and the tip was given. "Where's your coat?"
Phoebe blushed. "I didn't want to ruin my outfit by wearing one."
Joey rolled his eyes. "Women!" He took his coat and helped her put it on.
"Now you'll be cold," Phoebe said.
"It's not too bad out for January. I'll be fine. I'm not having my sweetheart be cold." Joey put arm around her and kissed her again.
Phoebe smiled. Lately, she was smiling all the time. She couldn't help it though. Joey made her so happy! She could hardly wait to tell the others she and Joey were dating. She knew they'd be so excited. Well, at lease the girls would be. The guys, she knew, would probably just play it cool as guys usually did.
Joey and Phoebe kissed some more when they got outside. They didn't care who saw them. Their relationship would be public soon enough anyway. They had nothing to hide.
"Kissing you is even better than when we just did it for fun," Phoebe said to him yet again, smiling as she rested her forehead against his.
"I don't know. I need more convincing," Joey said, gently taking her face between his hands and kissing her some more.
Phoebe was more than happy to give him more proof.
Joey licked his lips. "You know, I think you're right!"
They kissed some more, and then got into Phoebe's cab.
"I want you to stay with me at The Plaza tonight like old times. I won't be there much longer, and it would be nice to spend the rest of my birthday with my new girlfriend," Joey said to her.
Phoebe looked at him. "Are we really ready to sleep together?"
Joey blushed. "I didn't necessarily have that in mind."
Phoebe blushed too. "Oh."
"I just figured we could watch movies, maybe order some more food once our food settles, and then cuddle in bed. We can just go with how we feel in the moment. There's no pressure to do anything we're not ready for. We have all the time in the world, Phoebs. We can take out time and set our own pace," Joey assured her. "Right now I'd be happy just to hold you."
Phoebe smiled. "Okay. But I have to go to my place to pack a bag and grab your birthday present first."
Joey took her hand and kissed it. "You don't have to give me anything for my birthday. You already gave me the best gift I could ask for."
"What?" Phoebe asked, oblivious.
"You," Joey answered her.
Their eyes lowered, and they slowly leaned in and kissed each other from across the seats, their hands touching each others on the seat between them.
When Phoebe grabbed her things, she made sure to pack her lingerie just in case. She still wasn't sure if she wanted to sleep with Joey. In some ways, she really did. In other ways, it was only their first night together as a couple. They didn't need to rush things. She packed her regular pajamas also just in case. She supposed, she would know which way to go when the time came. She also tossed Joey's wrapped gift in her suitcase, and then off they went back to The Plaza. She was only going to stay one night this time.
When they got to The Plaza, Joey opened the car door for her, and was also carrying her bag. He was such a gentleman, and she loved that about him.
The doorman opened the Plaza door and offered to take the bag from Joey.
"Thank you, but it's just one bag. I've got it," Joey said to him.
He and Phoebe headed up the elevator.
He pulled her in for another kiss since they were alone. "Man I love doing that!" he said.
Phoebe grinned. "Me too." They kissed some more.
They got into the hall and made a quick walk down to Joey's room, hand-in-hand.
Joey opened the door, set her suitcase in the room, and they entered, kissing passionately.
Joey kicked the door closed, and gently backed her down onto the bed.
They lie in bed kissing on top of the made bed.
Phoebe tangled her fingers in his hair, and just when she was starting to think she was more than ready to sleep with Joey after all, the bathroom door burst open and nearly gave her a heart attack as "Surprise!" was shouted throughout the room.
She and Joey instantly stopped kissing and looked over to see Rachel, Ross, Monica, and Chandler all looking at them with shocked expressions on their faces.
Rachel was the first to squeal. "Yay! You two are finally together?" She put her hands together and smiled big.
"No, Rache, they're giving each other dental exams with their tongues," Chandler joked.
Rachel shot him a dirty look.
"It's about time you two realize that you're perfect for each other!" Monica said to them.
Phoebe and Joey both sat up quickly, and wiped their mouths.
"So what are you guys doing here? I thought you all had plans," Phoebe asked, trying to break the ice. She was a little embarrassed to have been caught this way.
"I always planed to be back from my convention on time. Congrats, guys, by the way," Ross said with a grin as he gently punched Joey on the arm. "And Happy Birthday!"
"Happy Birthday!" the others all said to him.
"The Olsen Twins really were at my restaurant, but only for an hour. Everything went fine, they were well pleased, and hopefully, they will tell their friends and Chez Monica will soon become a celebrity hangout!" Monica said with a grin. She then looked at Joey. "You didn't really think we'd miss your fortieth, did you?"
Joey shrugged. "It happens. I don't expect us all to be free on all of our birthdays every year."
"Well I do!" Monica said. "I think we can all manage six days a year to spend together. A few more if you count the holidays. That's something time should never change."
"We always need to make time for our friends," Rachel agreed. "I have an assistant now." She laughed. "As if I'd stay late and miss my friends' birthday because of a stupid shipment. That's what assistants are for."
"And our nanny wasn't really sick. Oh gosh, I hope I didn't jinx her by lying," Chandler said.
"Why didn't you guys tell me your plan?" Phoebe complained.
"Because, Phoebs, you're a blabber mouth. You're awfully close to Joey, and we knew you'd slip up at some point and tell him," Monica explained.
Joey thought about it. "You would," he said to Phoebe with a nod.
She sighed, and crossed her arms over her chest. "I wouldn't have!" But deep down, she knew she probably would have accidentally let it slip.
"Speaking of being close to Joey, it appears you two are a lot closer than we thought! When did this happen?" Chandler asked.
"At dinner tonight," Joey informed them. "It's a story for another time." He wanted to be sensitive to Phoebe. He didn't know how much she was ready to tell them about Mike. As for Alex, he'd tell them eventually, but he didn't think it was that much of their business that they needed to know right now. "Where were you guys hiding anyhow? And how did you know when we'd be here?"
"We called the front desk and explained that we're friends of yours and wanted to surprise you on your birthday. We told the front desk clerk your room number and our names, so he knew that we weren't just fans of yours trying to find out your room number. He told us what time you left, and we guessed you'd be back in a couple of hours. He let us stay in your room. We came up here about an hour after you left and he called the room when you were in the lobby. The clerk informed us that you were on your way back up to the room. We all hid in the bathroom," Monica explained.
"That bathroom is huge by the way! Man, it's practically a bedroom in itself!" Chandler said.
"I ordered a whole spread of food for us to celebrate tonight. The hotel is going to bring it up for us when we're ready for it," Monica said.
"We figured we'd just have a quiet night in to celebrate your birthday just the six of us for an hour or two," Rachel added. "The presents are hidden in the closet."
"We know you already ate dinner, but since when has that ever stopped you, right?" Ross asked.
Joey grinned. "Right!"
"I'm sorry, Phoebs," Rachel said quietly to Phoebe when she noticed her suitcase. "Did we interrupt something?"
Phoebe smiled and shook her head. "No, I'm just staying for the night. It's just so that he didn't have to spend his birthday night alone. We're not rushing it. We were just going to pig out on dessert and watch TV anyway. We're taking things slow."
Rachel rubbed her shoulder. "Good! I really am so happy for you two, Phoebs." She hugged her tightly, and Phoebe smiled, and hugged her back just as tightly.
Phoebe held back a sigh. There was always tomorrow night to be with Joey. She guessed her sexy lingerie was going to have to wait.
It was a fun evening. For a while, it felt like old times. There was a huge, delicious chocolate on chocolate birthday cake for Joey as well as a meat and cheese platter. There was a variety of drinks including champagne, coffee, water, sodas, and wine. Chandler had even brought in chips and dip. They had opened presents first. Phoebe had gotten Joey a really nice monogramed robe for his birthday. It was made of cashmere. It was royal blue with white stitching for the monogram. She had saved up for weeks for it.
"Phoebs! I love it!" Joey rubbed his face against it. "It's so soft. You really shouldn't have spent so much on me."
"You're worth it," Phoebe said with a smile and a shrug.
Monica and Rachel both let out awes.
"You two are so stinking cute!" Rachel said to them.
After Joey opened up the rest of his presents, which included cuff links, a nice watch, a handsome sweater, and the latest pair of Jordans, they enjoyed their food while sitting around the room and chatting about both old times and current times.
It was nearly midnight by the time the gang left. It had been a fun night, but they were all tired and had to get up early the next day.
"Well, I guess tonight isn't the night, huh?" Joey asked Phoebe with a smile as he sat down on the bed.
Phoebe smiled. "I suppose it's not." She yawned. "I'm going to go get ready for bed."
"Okay," Joey said with a yawn as well.
Phoebe grabbed what she needed from her suitcase, and then headed into the bathroom.
Ten minutes later she came out in her regular pajamas, and Joey took his turn in the bathroom. He came out ten minutes later in a pair of plaid pajama pants and plain green a T-shirt.
They turned off the lights and crawled into bed.
Joey pulled Phoebe close and kissed her for a few minutes, but they both knew that was as far as they were going to go for the night.
"Goodnight, Sweetheart," Joey said before giving her one more passionate kiss for the night. His arms were still around her.
She smiled, and kissing him back with just as much passion. "Goodnight, my darling."
"Don't worry. We'll get there. We have all the time in the world." Joey said to her, close to drifting off.
Phoebe rested her head on his chest. "Okay." But time or not, she thought as she felt sleep over take her, she hoped it was sooner than later.