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He had to get out. He didn’t know why, he just did. Everything was too much. Too much change. He walked, almost ran, out of his apartment, then all his thoughts and emotions he wasn’t used to halted, seeing Rachel sat meekly on the stairs in the corridor. She looked so small, her legs hugging her knees as if she didn’t she’d fall apart. Joey furrowed his brow and figured that probably was the case.
Slowly, he walked over and sat next to her, and only then did she realise he was there.
“Oh, hey Joey,” she quickly wiped away her running mascara.
For a few moments Joey pondered what to say, he was very inexperienced in helping women in any way. “Good news about Chandler and Monica, right?”
“Yeah,” tears caught her breath, and the sound barely let out.
“Is it?”
Rachel finally looked up at Joey, with her tear-stained face, “I don’t know.” She immediately looked down again, inspecting the flooring of the corridor.
Joey looked down at the spot of floor Rachel was inspecting so deeply, “I mean, I’m happy for them, don’t get me wrong. But I still feel sort of…”
“Jealous?”
“Yeah!”
Rachel shifted her position, and sniffed. “I always thought, ever since I moved here, that it would be an option. I wouldn’t immediately choose it, but it would be an option, always at the back of my mind if I ever wanted to. And… and now Chandler and Monica are together, the option’s gone.”
“Are you saying you wanted to go out with Chandler?”
Rachel laughed, slightly too hard, then softly mumbled, “Not Chandler, no.”
Joey looked back at Rachel, “Monica?”
“It was so obvious she used to like me. Of course she did, otherwise she wouldn’t have let me live with her. Why else would she be so open about Carol and Susan? I just… now there isn’t a chance of being with her it makes me regret not doing anything,” she looked over at her apartment door. “We could have been so good… If I hadn’t been too scared to show her how I felt.”
“You know I… sort of feel the same way.” Joey couldn’t believe the words were coming out of his mouth.
“Chandler?”
“…yeah.”
Rachel let out a self deprecating laugh. “Look at us, all pathetic. Swooning after our friends as soon as they get in relationships.”
“The worst part is I think we could have had chances. I mean, Monica has definitely liked you before. It’s pretty obvious, she’s awful at hiding crushes.”
“Yeah, and so’s Chandler. You know when your dad came to stay so you and Chandler had to share a bed? Yeah he didn’t stop talking about it all throughout the next day. His face was bright pink the whole time it was brilliant. Apparently you tried to spoon him.”
“Well if he didn’t like it he shouldn’t have let me,” Joey smirked, then his smile faded. “Guess we just missed our chances.”
“Yeah,” Rachel looked back at her door, then stood up. “But now it’s their turn.” She held out a hand to pull Joey up, then reluctantly walked towards the door.
“Wait wait wait wait your eyes. The makeup stuff is down your face.”
“Oh thank you,” Rachel let out a sigh of relief then fixed her makeup.
Finally they walked in, and immediately carried on with the excited chatting they had slipped out of.