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Chandler has been though this before. The ‘we need to talk’ situation. With past relationships with both men and woman it was the same. He would try his best but always some how manage to mess it up and they would leave him. Every time.
He just never expected this from Joey. They’d been friends for so many years and dating for the last two of them. He thought they were set. He thought he had finally found the one. Maybe he did, but that doesn’t mean Joey felt the same.
“We need to talk.”
Chandler nearly dropped his bowl of cereal. “What?”
“We need to talk. I have an audition here shortly, so we can’t do it now, but meet me at Monica’s after work?”
“Ok.” Chandler blinked down at his food, flinching when Joey kissed his temple with a ‘love you, see you later’. It was probably just a reflex.
Chandler wished Joey would have just broken up with him then and there so he’d have time to pack his bags while the man wasn’t home, but he was never that lucky. Instead he managed to eat the rest of his food and even wash his bowl and spoon. He went to his bed room after, just standing in the doorway, looking around at the mingle of both his and Joey’s stuff. Then he turned to face the living room again, eyes scanning but not really focusing on anything in particular.
Sighing deeply, he finally went into the bed room and pulled out his suit case, grabbing clothes and stuffing them in without any real thought. He’d felt number before, but never like this. There was a hole in his chest, sucking in his heart like a garbage disposal.
The bag was packed. Chandler Set it down by the front door and glanced at the foosball table, running his fingers over the wood frame. He’d let Joey keep it. He’d like to have it to remember his best friend by, but he thought in the long run the pain of it would be too much to bare.
Tears weld in his eyes before we even really had the chance to register them. He sank to his knees right there, fore head pressed against the leg of the table, and sobbed.
A few hours passed and Chandler sat on the kitchen floor with his back pressed to the tables leg. His tears had stopped falling by now, but threatened to start again once he glanced at the clock and saw it was only a few minutes before Joey would be back.
He didn’t quite understand why Joey had wanted to do this in Monica’s apartment, but figured it was so that Joey’s home wouldn’t be tainted by the pathetic pleading for love Chandler was surly going to give when the time finally came.
Standing seemed like it was more trouble them it was worth but he did it anyway. With his hand on the door knob, he turned to look around the apartment one last time, smiling slightly as all his memories with Joey flashed through his minds eye. He would never forget this man.
Monica’s apartment was packed. Everyone was there, well, their friend group was there. The three were sitting on the couch but jumped up suspiciously when he opened the door. They all looked amazing. Monica, Rachel and Phoebe all dressed in beautiful dresses that made his heart skip a beat and Ross was wearing pressed black pants and a white buttoned top.
“You guys going somewhere?” He’d hoped so, he didn’t really feel like getting his heart broken in front of all his friends.
“Nope, were staying in tonight.” Rachel said, a grin on her face even though it looked as though she was trying to fight it.
He went to ask why they were so dressed up then, but the door opened and Joey walked in.
Chandlers heart really did skip a beat this time. Joey was dressed in pressed pants as well, with Chandler’s favorite buttoned shirt, holding a bouquet of flowers.
Alarms started going off in his head. Joey’s look was the one he wore on dates with girls he really wanted to impress. The reason Chandler likes that shirt so much was because for the last two years, Joey wore it only for him. The flowers were another sign that something bigger then just a break up was happening. Chandler didn’t like flowers, they died too quickly for his liking, and the smell was never as great as the look of them promised, and Joey definitely knew that. So, they weren’t for him.
It felt like a brick had slammed down into his stomach, pushing it all the way down to the floor. Not only was Joey breaking up with him, but he also had a date very soon after, with someone he really wanted to impress. Everything slammed into him at once.
He tried, he really did this time. He had thought that since Joey already knew what he was like he could just be himself. With past relationships he had to put up a front most of the time so he wouldn’t irritate his partner, not that it ever worked, they all always got tired of him. That’s why he fell so hard for Joey. It seemed like no matter how he acted or what he said, Joey was always there, loving him anyway. Maybe not though, now that Chandler thought about it. If he was here to break up with him it must mean that even just Chandler wasn’t good enough.
Negative thoughts swirled in his mind, making him dizzy.
“I’m gonna be sick.” Chandler said with a long breath, hand pressed to his chest as he fought off a panic attack.
“What? Are you ok?” Joey put the Flowers on the counter by the door and made his way to where Chandler was slowly losing all the color in his face.
“Can we not do this here?” Chandler said abruptly, glancing back to the group who were all looking at him in concern. “I mean, I get why you don’t want to do this in your apartment, but I- I- I can’t do this here, I can’t do this in front of them.”
Joey was looking at him in confusion, “what exactly do you think is going on here?”
Chandler let out a strangled laugh and pulled away, collapsing on the nearest dinning chair, “you’re breaking up with me.”
Saying it out loud crushed whatever was left of his fragile heart, he broke down on sobs then, curling in on himself.
“What, no! I’m not breaking up with you. Chandler, why would you think that?” Joey said as he kneeled in front of the crying man, trying to offer comfort.
“Stop, Stop,” Chandler didn’t hear what Joey said, sobbing and shaking too much to think of anything other then his own heart break. “Who is it? I know they are better for you then me but I can be different. I swear I can. I-I’ll stop with the jokes, I promise. Anything you want, please- please don’t leave me.”
“Oh my god,” Joey cupped Chandler’s face, trying desperately to wipe off the tears that wouldn’t stop. “No, no Chandler, baby, look.”
Chandler finally opened his eyes to see Joey pull a small box out of his pocket, opening it to reveal a beautiful ring. If he was in his right mind he would have noticed that it was the same ring Chandler had said he liked only a few weeks ago when they were walking down town. He would have noticed that Joey was on one knee, smiling softly with a burning question in his eyes.
“Oh,” Chandler was numb again, so. Joey loved this person so much more then Chandler he was already going to ask them to marry him. Huh.
Chandler knew he wasn’t good enough for someone as sweet and caring as Joey. He shouldn’t feel sad, he knows that. He should be happy that Joey was finally coming to his senses and leaving him for someone who was actually worth his time. He couldn’t help it though, it’s hard to let the love of your life go because they found someone else, someone better.
“Are you... do they make you happy?” Chandler asked, suddenly realizing that this was Joey. He wouldn’t be asking someone to marry him if he hadn’t already been with them for a while. He tried to think back on the past few months, but couldn’t think of how Joey would have had the time for an affair with how often they were together. “How long have you been with them?”
Joey rolled his eyes, still smiling, “He makes me happier then anyone in the world ever has, we’ve been dating for two years and I’m so deeply in love with him that I want us to spend the rest of our lives together.”
Chandler looked from Joey’s eyes, the to the ring, “I’m happy for you, Joe.” He tried not to let the knowledge of Joey cheating on him for their entire relationship dampen the fact that Joey was now grinning, looking so incredibly happy.
“I’m happy for me too, I mean if he says yes that is?” Joey said it like a question, like it was directed towards Chandler, the group was now on the edge for the sofa, all watching in anticipation.
“Of course he will, Joey, you are so incredibly amazing. Anyone would be the luckiest person alive to be able to be with you.” Chandler said, hoping he sounded truthful, even as his heart clenched painfully. “If he’s loves you as much as I do, I /know/ he’ll say yes.”
“Wait, what?” Phoebe said, “did I miss something here?”
“Chandler, you know he’s talking about you, right?” Monica asked as they all looked at him in confusion.
“What, no?” Chandler felt like he had whiplash, “I thought-“
“Chandler,” Great, not Joey seemed offended, “who did you think I was talking about.”
“Well, I- you told me you wanted to talk.”
Joey slapped his hand to his forehead, “yeah, because I want to ask you to marry me.”
“There’s no one else?” Chandler asked, feeling so, so incredibly stupid.
“God, no, Chan. I love you, I’m in love with you and only you.” Joey set the box on the table and hugged Chandler so tight it was hard to breath, “there isn’t anyone else, only you.”
Chandler squeezed back, “I’m so stupid.”
“No, no you aren’t!” Phoebe said almost angrily, “don’t say those things about yourself.”
Rachel rubbed her arm like she was the one who needed comfort.
Chandler snorted, “yes.”
Joey pulled back, grinning, “really? You’ll marry me?”
“Yes. Yes, yes, Joe.” He surged forward and kissed him like it was the last time he’d ever do it. “I’m sorry. You said we needed to talk and my brain just got the best of me.”
“It’s ok, I should know by know that I can’t say things like that.” Joey grabbed the box off the table and pulled the ring out, slipping it onto Chandlers finger.
Their friends started to scream, suddenly surrounding them, pulling them up, hugging, back slapping, talking a million miles a minute, but Chandler and Joey only had eyes for each other.