Anything for Love
Chapter 9: The One with Joey and Phoebe's Perfect Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day was approaching, and Joey had plans. He wanted his and Phoebe's first Valentine's Day as a couple to be special and perfect, and he had, unbeknownst to her or anyone else, been making some very special plans for them. He had never been in love with anyone the way he was in love with Phoebe, and by the end of Valentine's Day, he planned to leave no doubt in her mind of that. He didn't want to tell the other's of the entirety of his plans. He wanted his and Phoebe's night to be special and private for the nighttime part of his plans. He wanted it to be just between him and Phoebe. Besides, he knew that Rachel and Ross and Monica and Chandler had their own romantic nights planned. They were in on the daytime part of his plans, but they didn't need to know the rest.
Joey was proud of himself for thinking up all on his own what he had planned. There was a time when he never would have been able to think up something so elaborate. However, as he got older, and as he matured more—well, maybe not matured too much, but the more he lived life, he felt more confidence in himself and in his ideas. He knew Phoebe would love what he had planned for her. At least, he hoped she did. After all, he had put days and hours of work into this. He wanted the night to be a night to remember. He could only hope that Phoebe would appreciate it as much as he dreamed she would.
It was Valentine's Day. Phoebe had gone to bed the night before not expecting too much, but one thing she did expect was for Joey to finally give into her. She needed to be with him intimately, and she didn't know what better day to be intimate with him than on Valentine's Day. She was hoping that Valentine's night he would finally agree to sleep with her. She didn't want to be a pervert. She just really loved him and wanted to be with him in every way. Kissing was just not cutting it for her anymore. Though, she had to admit, his kisses were amazing. That was the problem. They were too amazing. They always left her wanting more, but never getting more.
She woke up Valentine's Day morning to Monica and Rachel smiling down at her. All the friends had keys to the other's place in case of emergency. Clearly they had used theirs.
She sat up in bed with a start. "What the heck are you two doing here?" Before they could answer, she saw that Monica was holding a tray of food.
"I made you breakfast upon Joey's orders." Monica placed the tray over Phoebe's lap.
"Joey had to work today, but he wanted Monica to make you breakfast so that you'd have breakfast in bed on Valentine's Day," Rachel explained.
"Aw!" Phoebe said as she looked at her breakfast. There was fruit cocktail, orange juice, and French toast with extra powdered sugar and strawberries. "All my favorites!" She then looked guilty. "Shouldn't you guys be the ones getting breakfast in bed? After all, you're the ones with husbands."
"Valentine's Day morning isn't that romantic anyway when you have kids," Monica said. "They're always up early and all over the place. It was actually a nice break to come here and make breakfast for you."
Rachel nodded. "Besides, Joey is paying us to do this. We don't mind and would have done it for free, but since he's handing out money, we figured why not take it?"
Phoebe laughed. That was Rachel for you. Oh how she loved her friends! "I wish Joey would have at least called me."
"Oh! He left you a note. I almost forgot!" Rachel ran to her purse and took out a large envelope, and then brought it into Phoebe's room and handed her it.
Phoebe opened the envelope. In it was a handmade Valentine. It was a big red construction paper heart with dips and bumps all around the edges. Apparently Joey had used special craft scissors to give it the textured effect. It had a white heart shaped doily pasted over top and in red ink he wrote his note.
Happy Valentine's Day to the queen of my heart. I'm sorry I can't be with you today, but tonight, I'm all yours. Take my credit card and buy whatever you'd like to wear tonight. By something nice. Also, use it to spend a few hours at the spa. You always pamper other people with your massages, let someone else pamper you for once. Then have a nice lunch and go shopping for your new dress. Get whatever you need. Shoes, a purse, whatever you want. Get it all. I love you, Phoebs. –Joey
Phoebe realized his credit card was also in the envelope.
"Isn't it so romantic what he wrote?" Rachel asked.
Phoebe raised an eyebrow at her. "You guys read it?"
"Monica's the one who read it. I just overheard her reading it!" Rachel quickly said.
Monica smacked Rachel on the arm. "It was the other way around and you know it!"
"Well, you were looking over my shoulder the whole time!" Rachel defended herself.
Phoebe laughed. "It's fine."
"The best part is, Chandler is paying for me, and Ross is paying for Rachel to go to the spa with you," Monica informed her.
"They didn't offer to buy us outfits though, but that's okay because we unbeknownst to them, got duplicates of their cards a few months ago," Rachel informed Phoebe. "I got a duplicate of Ross' card, and Monica got a duplicate of Chandler's card."
Monica grinned. "Happy Valentine's Day to us!"
Again, Phoebe laughed. She had the best friends in the world and she knew it!
"Mm!" this is so good," Phoebe said, closing her eyes as she enjoyed her breakfast. She opened her eyes. "Do you guys want any?"
"We already ate while we were waiting for you to wake up," Rachel explained.
"Don't worry. We cleaned up after ourselves," Monica assured Phoebe.
Phoebe raised an eyebrow at her. "You mean, you cleaned up after yourself and Rachel."
Monica nodded. "You got it!"
Rachel shrugged. "Why do it myself when I have you to do it for me?" she asked Monica.
Monica rolled her eyes.
Phoebe finished her breakfast and they waited while she quickly showered and dressed.
They then headed out to go to the spa.
"I can't believe Joey wrote that note all by himself," Phoebe said.
"I'm surprised he even got the Valentine looking so good," Rachel quipped.
"I'm surprised he remembered to put the credit card in the envelope," Monica said.
They all laughed.
"He may be flighty at times, but I wouldn't have him any other way. I love my Joey," Phoebe said with, in Monica and Rachel's opinion, the sweetest smile on her face.
They smiled too.
"Spoken like a true woman in love," Rachel cooed.
Phoebe continued to smile. She was. Head over heels in fact.
"Phoebs, I have to say, you look great!" Monica said as they exited the spa three hours later. They had all had massages and facials. They had also gotten manicures and pedicures. Finally, they had their hair and makeup done. They all felt refreshed.
Phoebe had her hair in a beautiful updo. Her makeup was perfection with a red lip and a silvery smoky eye. Her eyes were lines with the perfect amount of black eye liner, and her skin looked flawless and flushed. For once, she felt prettier than both Rachel and Monica, but of course, she would never tell them that.
"Thanks! You guys all look great too," she said. Which they did. Monica had gotten beachy looking waves for a different look and it actually suited her well. Rachel had her hair layered again with lowlights, and as usual, she looked like a super model.
They enjoyed a quick lunch at a deli, and then did their shopping.
"Let's not forget our sexy Valentine's Day lingerie, ladies," Rachel said to her friends with a mischievous grin. "Ross has already seen me in all my current lingerie, so I need something new."
"Same here," Monica said without thinking.
Rachel and Phoebe both looked at her in disgust.
It dawned on Monica, and she swatted them both on the arm. "You're disgusting! Not Ross, but Chandler has already seen me in all my lingerie."
"Yeah, well consider yourselves lucky because Joey hasn't seen me in anything except my usual lace underwear and bra and that ridiculous red ribbon you all talked me into," Phoebe said, now embarrassed at the memory of that night.
"Sorry. I guess that kind of thing isn't for everyone," Rachel said.
"You'll find something to knock his socks off, Phoebs. Don't worry," Monica assured her.
"Among other things I hope," Phoebe quipped and they giggled.
They spent the next hour looking for the perfect dresses, shoes, accessories, and of course lingerie. Rachel ended up finding some lingerie that was the skimpiest thing both Phoebe and Monica had ever seen.
"Gosh, why don't you just wrap yourself in dental floss and call it a day?" Phoebe said sarcastically.
Monica laughed. "I know, right?"
"I've already done that. It went fairly well, but you know, I like to mix things up a bit," Rachel said in all seriousness.
Monica and Phoebe looked at each other and rolled their eyes.
Monica found a beautiful red teddy that latched around the neck. It had a heart cut out with mesh overlay over the breast area revealing the inner sides of the breasts, barely concealing the rest. The rest of the lingerie was red lace except for another patch of red mesh down the stomach area. The outer heart was red lace, as were the leg holes, but the inner heart and everything else was red mesh.
Phoebe had decided to go somewhere between sexy and modest, and she had chosen a baby pink color. She had pink silk underwear underneath a silk corseted nightie that went just below her underwear. She also had pink thigh high mesh stockings with pink garters that had little silk bows at the tops of the sides.
They also picked out their dresses, shoes, and accessories, and then Monica had to go. She had to get her purchases, home and then go prepare for one of her restaurants' busiest nights. She and Chandler were going to have a late celebration that night after closing. Monica was grateful that her sous chef was almost as good as she was. Monica of course couldn't spend every waking day at her restaurant even on holidays. Family had to come first. Even so, she thought it was best to go during dinner hour to make sure that all of her customers had the optimal Valentine's Day dining experience.
Rachel had to go too. Ross would be home soon, and she wanted to get ready. The babysitter would be relieving the nanny, and she wanted to be there for that as well.
"Oh! There is another note Joey left for you." Rachel handed Phoebe a handwritten note, and then hugged her friend. "Have fun tonight, and good luck! Happy Valentine's Day, Sweetie."
"Happy Valentine's Day," Phoebe said in return, waving goodbye after hugging her.
"Call me tomorrow. Happy Valentine's Day," Monica said, hugging her as well.
"I will. I'll call you both, don't worry. Happy Valentine's Day," Phoebe replied.
Once Rachel and Monica had gone, Phoebe read the note.
"I hope you had a fun day and got everything you wanted to get. Now go get dressed for dinner and meet me in front of your apartment complex at 5:00. I'll have another surprise waiting for you."
Phoebe smiled, and shoved the note in her satchel bag. She then headed back out to her cab so that she could drive home and get ready for him. She wondered what his next surprise was. She could hardly wait to find out!
Phoebe was already right at five. She then headed down to right outside of her apartment complex as instructed by Joey. She was immediately greeted by the sight of a horse, carriage, and rider with Joey standing there, looking ever so handsome in a white suit. He was wearing a red tie with white hearts all over it.
He smiled big as soon as he saw Phoebe approach, and he took her hand in his and kissed it. "Your carriage awaits, my lady."
Phoebe giggled. "This is so romantic! I thought we were going to dinner?"
"We are! This is our ride," Joey said with a huge grin on his face. He helped Phoebe into the carriage, and then stepped in next to her. He immediately wrapped them both in the blanket that was provided, though thankfully it wasn't too cold of a night despite it being winter.
He kissed her cheek as they rode through the park toward the restaurant. "You look so beautiful tonight, by the way. I mean, you're always beautiful, but tonight you look extra beautiful."
Phoebe gently ran a hand over his cheek and kissed him. "And you're looking especially handsome tonight!"
Joey grinned. "Thank you. Did I do good?"
"You did so good!" Phoebe said. She knew the correct word was "well"; not "good", but she didn't bother to correct him. He was too cute to correct. She kissed him again, and then held his hand under the blanket and rested her head on his shoulder. "So where are we eating at?"
"I figured Carlivati's was a good choice for us since it's where we admitted out feelings for each other," Joey replied.
Phoebe looked up at him. "Why Mr. Tribbiani, I never knew what a romantic you could be!"
Joey shrugged. "You bring it out in me. Anyway, this is only just the beginning of our night."
Phoebe held him close. "Thank you for everything you did for me this morning. You didn't have to do any of it, you know."
"I like spoiling my queen," Joey said simply.
Phoebe grinned up at him. "I used to think of myself as a princess; not a queen."
"You're the queen of my heart, Phoebs, so why not queen?" he asked.
Phoebe kissed him. "When you put it that way, I welcome the upgrade!"
They arrived at the restaurant shortly after. Joey paid the coachman in cash and tipped him handsomely.
Joey helped Phoebe out of the carriage, and even opened the door for her at the restaurant. He pulled her chair out for her once they were led to their table, which was the best seat in the house right by the fireplace, which currently had a nice warm fire going.
"I'm beginning to love this gentleman side you have," Phoebe said to him as he sat down across from her.
"It's reserved only for you, Phoebs," he assured her.
"Well, good! After all, I am a queen and should be treated accordingly," Phoebe teased with a grin and a wink.
"Exactly!" Joey agreed. "Order anything you want. The sky is the limit!" Joey told her.
He ordered a bottle of the best red wine on the house, and they also got ice waters. They ordered their meals once the wine came, and then Joey asked Phoebe to dance since there was a dance floor there.
"I'd love to!" Phoebe said, taking his offered hand.
They then walked out onto the dancefloor and began to slow dance. Tonight, only love songs were being played in honor of Valentine's Day.
"That dress really is amazing, Phoebs," Joey said as he looked her up and down. He whistled. "Worth every penny!"
"Why than you!" Phoebe said, blushing, and pushing a loose tendril of hair behind her ear. She had chosen a red dress that draped down the middle revealing a lacy red bralette underneath that was embellished with a line of faux diamonds that connected from the middle of the bralette all the way up to a thin strip of red material that latched around her neck. She wore the matching faux diamond earrings and bracelet and had paired everything with a silver handbag she had already owned, as well as new red pumps and nude stockings that made her legs look long and flawless.
The song switched from Thompson Twins' "Hold Me Now" to Meatloaf's "Anything for Love". They didn't say anything as they danced, they just held each other close and swayed to the music together, both just happy to be with the other.
When the song ended, they noticed that Joey's soup and Phoebe's salad had arrived, so they sat back down to enjoy their appetizers.
Joey held up his wine glass.
Phoebe held up hers in response.
"To us and many more Valentine's Days together," he said.
"I'll toast to that!" Phoebe said.
They clinked glasses and drank up.
They then kissed across the table and then went back to their meals.
They had a wonderful dinner, and a delicious dessert of chocolate cheesecake with cherries.
Once Joey had paid the bill and left the tip, he led her by hand outside to where a white limo was waiting for them.
"Is this for us? Phoebe asked; surprised.
Joey nodded. "It is!"
"Where are we going now?" Phoebe asked him.
"To my next surprise of the night. It's a two and a half hour trip, but I assure you, it will be worth it," Joey promised.
The limo driver opened the door for them.
"I must say I am intrigued," Phoebe said with a huge grin. She got into the limo with Joey's help, and then Joey got in.
The limo driver shut their door, and got in the driver's seat, and soon, they were of to their mystery destination.
"Can tonight be the night, Joey?" Phoebe asked between kisses, for they had started kissing almost as soon as the driver had shut their door.
Joey kissed her again before replying. "You'll just have to wait and see," he said mysteriously.
Phoebe kissed him again more passionately. If she had her way, tonight was definitely going to be the night. She was tired of waiting.
They arrived at their destination and they got out of the limo. Phoebe's eyes widened when she saw they were in a field of hot air balloons.
"Are we riding in one of those?" she asked.
Joey nodded. "Surprise!" He then thought of something. "You're not afraid of heights, are you?"
She shook her head. "Phoebe Buffay is afraid of anything!" she said. "I've always wanted to ride in one of these things! Joey you're the best!" She pulled him close and kissed him passionately on the lips.
He grinned.
The man who would be running their hot air balloon came over to them and greeted them. "Mr. Tribbiani, I am a huge fan of your work. I think I enjoy Love and Freedom even more than my wife does."
Joey shook his hand. "Thank you. I appreciate that."
"I'm Kevin Richmond by the way. I will be taking you two up in your balloon tonight. Thankfully, it's not that chilly of a night tonight, but the heat from the balloon will keep us warm regardless."
"Which one is ours?" Phoebe asked, her eyes still wide with excitement.
"That one right there." Kevin pointed over to a white balloon with red hearts all over it. "I saved you guys the most Valentine's looking balloon we had."
"That's great!" Joey said with a grin.
"I love it!" Phoebe said, enthralled.
Kevin led them into a small hut like structure where they signed the wavers and he went over all the safety instructions with them. Joey had already paid online.
They then headed into the hot air balloon and it wasn't long before the balloon's burner was lit and they were ascending up into the night sky.
"We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful night," Kevin said. "It's warm for winter, the moon is full, and the stars are out."
"And I'm with the lady I love," Joey said, taking Phoebe's hands in his own.
Phoebe giggled. She loved when he got flirty with her. It never got old.
It was a beautiful scenic ride, and Kevin pointed out landmarks and even told them a bit about some of the stars and constellations that could be seen.
Joey and Phoebe held each other close, kissing once in a while, and enjoying the beautiful lights from the lit buildings way below.
When they were forty-five minutes into their hour flight, Joey knew it was time to put his next plan into action. He took out his phone and brought up a video ahead of time off of You Tube that he had found. He turned the sound off so that he could get it to just the right part of the video without Phoebe hearing it, and then he turned the sound back on and handed the phone to video. "Phoebs, watch this."
Phoebe took the phone from him. "What is it? I would rather watch the scenery than a You Tube video."
"Just watch it. It will only take a few seconds," Joey gently coaxed.
"All right, but I don't know what can be so important that I have to watch it now," Phoebe said. She pressed play and watched as fireworks were displayed in a night sky. They spelled out the words "Will You Marry Me?".
Phoebe looked up at Joey in surprise, and found him on one knee with a red velvet box, which he flipped open.
"I know we've only been dating for a month, but we've known each other for years, and if I'm being entirely honest with myself, I've been secretly in love with you for years. I don't want to waste any more time, Phoebs. I don't need to look any further for the one, because you're it. Phoebe, will you do me the honor of becoming the queen of my heart forever and marrying me?" Joey asked.
Phoebe looked down at the ring. It was in a heart shape cut. It was a red ruby outlined by several small white diamonds. The band was white gold with small white diamonds also going halfway down the band on both sides. It was the most beautiful ring Phoebe had ever seen.
"Joey, this is so sudden. I don't know what to say," she said in almost a whisper.
"Say you'll marry me, Phoebs. You're the only woman I've ever truly wanted to marry. I'll be honest, I've told Alex that same thing before, but even though I thought I meant it with her, I didn't. I mean it with you," Joey promised.
"How do you know you're not going to change your mind later like you did with her?" Phoebe asked him.
"Because if I could marry you right at this moment I would. With Alex, I kept putting a wedding off. With you, I don't want to put it off," Joey said in all honesty.
"I want to marry you too, Joey," Phoebe said, realizing that she meant it with all her heart.
Joey grinned big. "Really?"
"Really!" Phoebe said with a nod.
"Do you mind if I take a picture with your phone for you guys? I really feel this moment shouldn't be missed!" Kevin said, tears in his eyes, he was so touched. He also couldn't believe he got to be the one to witness Joey Tribbiani proposing to his girlfriend! It would be a story to tell to his wife and friends or sure.
Phoebe was crying tears of joy herself now as she absentmindedly handed over Joey's phone to Kevin.
Kevin took a picture of Joey on one knee with the ring, and then he took a picture as Joey slid the ring onto Phoebe's left ring finger. Of course, when Joey stood up and the happy couple kissed passionately, he took a picture of that too.
"I'm so happy! Joey said. I've never been this happy before in my entire life!" He held Phoebe close.
"Me neither," she admitted, holding him close as well.
Kevin took one more picture and then instructed them to look at him with the night sky in back of them, their backs to the side of the basket.
They did as told, and the picture came out great. It would forever be a night they would never forget.
Kevin handed Joey back his phone and Joey thanked him.
Joey and Phoebe kissed some more while Kevin concentrated on getting them safely back to the ground.
The balloon was safely back to the ground fifteen minutes later, and Joey and Phoebe both felt as if they were walking on air.
They said their goodbyes to Kevin and handed him a generous tip.
Kevin promised not to spill to the media about their engagement.
"It's okay. I don't care if the whole world knows," Joey said with a grin.
Phoebe grinned too. She could hardly wait to tell Rachel and Monica!
"Once we get back to your place, how about you pack an overnight bag and come spend the night with me at The Plaza?" Joey asked Phoebe.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Phoebe said dreamily.
"I'm sorry I couldn't use real fireworks to surprise you tonight. I wanted too, but they were mad expensive for something like that, even for me! Besides, the balloon safety people wouldn't let me. They said something about it being too dangerous and that the balloon could be hit by one. I figured plummeting to our deaths wouldn't exactly be the best way to propose," Joey said.
Phoebe laughed. "I'm going to go with a no on that one!" She rested her head on his shoulder once they were back in the limo. "But don't worry. It was perfect as is."
Joey placed an arm around her and kissed her. "The night's not over yet."
Phoebe kissed him, his face between her hands. "It better not be."
They grinned, then kissed some more.
When they arrived at Joey's room at The Plaza, Joey went in first to make sure that everything was set up as he had instructed the staff to do. He was happy to see that it was. He had called when they were twenty minutes away to inform the hotel staff that he would be back soon.
He let Phoebe walk in and she gasped when she saw the red rose petals strewn all over the floor, and the candles lit all over the room. The candles were in glass containers and scented like roses. There was a silver tray with chocolate covered strawberries and, in an ice bucket, champagne. The radio was set on a commercial free love songs marathon, and the bed was turned down for them.
"It's so beautiful," Phoebe said in awe.
"Not as beautiful as you are." Joey gently lifted Phoebe's chin so that her mouth was aligned with his. "You take my breath away."
Phoebe kissed him, already wanting more. She was loving this new, more romantic side of Joey.
"This would have been pretty awkward had you had said no to my proposal," Joey quipped.
Phoebe grinned. She kissed him again, her fingers playing with his hair. "I want to be with you, Joey. You're my fiancé. If any time was the right time, I'd say it's now."
"It is now, if it's what you want," Joey said to her. "I want to make a hundred percent sure it's what you want. Please don't feel pressured because of all this." Joey motioned around them with his hand. "I would have done this for you anyway."
"Believe me, Joey, I'm more than ready. Are you?" Phoebe raised an eyebrow.
Joey kissed her with more passion than he ever had before. "Does that answer your question?"
"Uh huh!" Phoebe replied. She then remembered her lingerie. "Just give me a moment to freshen up," she purred in his ear.
He smiled. "Don't be long."
She kissed his ear, then purred into it, "Don't worry. I won't be."
Once Phoebe disappeared into the bathroom, Joey brought out her gifts and laid them on the bed. He could hardly wait to see Phoebe's face when she saw them.
When she came out, ten minutes later, he gasped. He loved her new lingerie.
"Do you like it? You paid for it, so I hope you do," Phoebe said with a blush. She wanted to be with Joey, but it did still feel slightly weird to her.
"I'd say that it was money well spent! If this is what you buy, then I'm gonna give you my credit card more often!" Joey said.
Phoebe laughed. "I'd have no problem taking you up on that!" Her eyes then fell upon the bed and she gasped. "Is that my….?" She ran over to the guitar and picked it up. "It is my guitar! Joey, you had it fixed? How? When?"
Joey grinned. "The night you told me you put it in the dumpster, I went back out after you left and I dug it out. The next day I brought it to the repair shop. It has new wood and strings, but I figured that as long as it's still your guitar, that is all that matters to you."
"You were right. Joey, thank you so much! This is the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me." Phoebe was tearing up.
"It's no problem, Phoebs. I kind of owed it to you since I was the one who broke it." Joey blushed.
"It was an accident, and you were only trying to impress me. Well, let me tell you, this impresses me even more!" Her eyes then fell upon a box. "Another present? Joey, you've already given me more than enough!"
Joey nodded toward it. "Nothing is too much for my fiancé. Go ahead and open it."
Phoebe opened up the box and was stunned to see a beautiful silver locket with Queen of my heart engraved on it. Inside was a picture of Joey holding a sign that read "I love Phoebe."
"Is it too dorky? I don't know. Sometimes I think my ideas are stupid," Joey said.
Phoebe had tears in her eyes. "It's not dorky. It's perfect and I love it! Thank you, Joey." She kissed him, then put the locket back in the box and set it aside. She would wear it tomorrow. Right now, she was more interested in taking things off than in putting them on. She then remembered her gifts to him. "Oh!" She got up out of bed and went into her bag, and then handed him first a heart shaped box that looked like it held chocolates.
"Mm, chocolates!" Joey said.
Phoebe shook her head. "No, open it up."
He did, and saw that it was a variety of different meats such as salami, sausage, pepperoni, and beef jerky. All were wrapped individually.
Joey looked up at her. "I just fell even more in love with you. I didn't think that was possible! You sure know the way to my heart! This gift means even more coming from you."
Phoebe smiled. "Just because I don't eat meat doesn't mean I'm gonna make you stop eating it."
"Thank God! I would for you, Phoebs, but please don't make me." Joey looked worried. "This isn't like my last meat allowed is it?"
Phoebe shook her head. "I would never ask you to give up something you love, Joey. Except for chasing other women."
"I don't need other women when I already have the best," Joey said to her.
"Right answer!" Phoebe said. "Open your other gift."
Joey did as told and was thrilled to see that she had gotten him a script from Die Hard that was signed by the whole cast. It also had a certificate of authenticity with it.
"I got it off EBay, though, the more I think about it, other celebrities' autographs may seem kind of dumb to you since you're a celebrity now," Phoebe said, wishing she had thought her gift out better. She blushed.
"Are you kidding me? This is officially the coolest thing I own! The script alone is awesome, let alone al the autographs. Phoebs! Thank you." He kissed her. "For one, I'm not that big of a celebrity. I'm at least not as big as Bruce Willis—not even close! Second, even celebrities have celebrities they fan girl over. Or in my case, fan boy."
"So you really like it? You're not just saying that?" Phoebe asked; worried.
"Phoebe, this is the best gift ever besides you accepting my proposal. I honestly love it. Thank you so much!" Joey set his gifts aside and took her into his arms. Tonight was definitely the night. He was tired of waiting.
Joey hadn't admitted it to Phoebe, but he had been slightly worried that it would feel weird when he undressed her. He didn't want to have to go through the whole Rachel fiasco again. However, it all felt so natural to him as he undressed her, and she undressed him.
"You are so beautiful. "Phoebe." He kissed her lips, then down her neck. "So incredibly sexy."
"Right back at ya!" Phoebe said with a shy smile. She kissed him. "Make love to me Joey. Please?"
He didn't have to be asked twice.
He slowly laid her down onto the bed, and climbed on top of her. He pulled the covers over them just out of habit, then began kissing her. His hands slowly roamed down her body as he drank in the vision of her beauty. He could hardly believe he was so lucky to have her as his fiancé and soon-to-be wife. "I love you. Phoebe," he said to her. "That's never going to change."
"I know," she replied. She gently stroked his hair. "And I love you. That's never going to change either."
They kissed again, and then they were making love, their love for each other growing even though neither one of them knew it was possible to love the other any more than they already did. They were only aware of the other and their love for each other. It was better than either of them had ever imagined, and when it was over, they already missed being intimate.
"Did I go a good job?" Joey asked, worried.
"Heck yeah, you did! Did I?" Phoebe asked him, now also worried.
He grinned. "Phoebe, you were perfect!" He kissed her. "How you' doin'?" He then asked, moving his hands over her body. He already was hungry for more.
She giggled. "I can get used to this."
He grinned. "Me too."
"Hey. This song was playing when we danced at dinner tonight," Phoebe said.
Joey listened. "Anything for Love" by Meatloaf was playing. "Oh yeah!" He pulled her closer. "I guess this is officially our song then." He began kissing down her neck.
"Yeah, it must be!" Phoebe agreed, closing her eyes as the feel of his lips and hands on her made her hungrier for him than ever.
He got on top of her again, and they soon forgot the music…
"So I guess we can't live at The Plaza," Joey said as they sat in bed together an hour later. They had gone to the bathroom, dressed in their night clothes, and were now pigging out on their chocolate covered strawberries and champagne. There was even whipped cream, if they were so inclined to have any, which of course, they were. They had already fed each other strawberries, and toasted their engagement.
Now, as they ate, they discussed their future.
"I kind of have a sentimental attachment to my grandmother's apartment. It's not because Mike lived there with me, obviously, but I kind of like living where my grandmother used to live. I figured you could just move in with me," Phoebe suggested.
"It's kind of small," Joey noted.
"I know, but do we really need much?" Phoebe asked.
"I was kind of thinking of getting a house near Monica and Chandler," Joey suggested. "It might be nicer to be near them, and Chandler tells me there are a few houses for sale in his neighborhood. I think Ross and Rachel are even thinking of getting a house in the area."
"I don't know. I kind of like the city. All my clients live in this area," Phoebe reasoned.
"It's only forty-five minutes away. Maybe they'd travel to see you. Or, now that I'm financially able to do so, why don't you let me rent a space for you? You can open up your own massage place!" Joey suggested.
"I don't know anything about business, Joey. Business School can take a long time. Plus, some of my clients are old. They wouldn't be able to travel," Phoebe said simply.
"If they're old, they're probably going to croak soon anyway," Joey said with a shrug.
"Joey!" Phoebe scolded.
Joey blushed. "Sorry. Anyway, you wouldn't need to go to Business School. It would be just like you're doing now, only you'd have a professional location. Ross and Chandler are smart. They could help you set things up. Maybe you could even hire other masseuses or make your place of business a complete spa."
"I like where I'm at now," Phoebe said. "I have a good client base, they like the at home atmosphere, and I really love the city." She paused. "Do we have a problem here? Because I don't want to make you stuck in the city if you don't want to be." She bit her lip; worried now. Was her and Joey's engagement over before it even really began?
Joey took her hand in his and kissed it. "Honestly, I don't care where I live as long as I live with you. I didn't take into account my job. Love and Freedom films right here in the city, so you're right. It's better we stay in the city. If it's your grandmother's place that makes you happy, then we'll live there."
"Are you sure?" Phoebe asked, worried.
Joey pulled her close. "I'm positive! You're all that really matters to me anyway. And now that Monica has her old apartment back, she and Chandler will be staying in the city together a lot too anyway."
Phoebe kissed him, his face between her hands. "I can hardly wait to marry you, Joey Tribbiani."
Joey smiled. "Then let's get married soon. I don't want to wait."
"Me neither." Phoebe assured him.
Joey looked at the strawberries. There was one left. "Did you want that?"
She did, but she also didn't want to take from him. "We'll split it." She picked it up, dipped it in the bowl of whipped cream, and then took a bite of it. She then kissed Joey passionately, allowing him to taste the strawberry too.
"It tastes even better that way," he murmured. He took a bite of the other half of the strawberry, and then kissed Phoebe as she had kissed him.
"Mm, you're right!" she agreed. "It's much better that way."
They finished the rest of the champagne, and then Joey got up and turned the radio off. The room was only lit by candlelight and moonlight. "Should I blow the candles out?"
"They're in glass containers. They'll be safe. Plus there's nothing here to knock them down," Phoebe replied. She was enjoying the romantic atmosphere too much to have Joey blow them out.
Joey climbed into bed with her and held her close. He kissed her again. "I love you. I can't wait to make you Phoebe Tribbiani."
Phoebe grinned. "Well I can't wait to be Phoebe Tribbiani."
They kissed some more, and then soon fell asleep. It was super late, but they were both so happy. After all, it had been the perfect Valentine's Day.