Chapter Text
"Sorry to cut you off, Pheebs, but I have to go before I miss my flight."
"Non non Non. En français" Phoebe said.
"No time, sweetie. Give Mike my love. I really have to go."
"Alright Rach. Mike Jr. needs to be put down for his nap anyway. Talk to you next week for our French lesson. Au revoir"
"Au revoir."
It had been sweet of Phoebe to help her practice her not-totally-awful French. Turns out she was a better student than Joey, though of course she had the advantage of living in Paris. True to her word, however, Rachel didn't really have much time as she checked and then double checked that she had everything she needed for her trip down to Cannes. Then it was just a quick cab ride to the airport, and a ninety-minute flight.
Rachel's cell phone buzzed, her cab was here. She gathered her things, locked the door behind her and tried to settle the butterflies that had all of a sudden taken refuge in her stomach. She shook them off.
~~~~~~
Finally, she had arrived. She'd just finished checking into her hotel when her phone buzzed again. Joey.
"Hey Joe!" She said, as she flipped the phone open with her thumb and pressed it to her ear.
"Rach! How wild is this?"
"Pretty wild, I guess."
"We're even staying in the same hotel."
"How do you know that?"
Had she mentioned to Joey where she was staying? She didn't think so.
"Cause I'm looking at the prettiest girl in France right now."
Rach turned, her phone dropping a bit in her hand when she saw him. She flipped it closed, and all but ran toward him. What followed was the best hug she'd had in a good long while. Joey always was a great hugger.
"Look at you," she said when they'd separated. "You're so tan!"
"L.A.'ll do that you ya," Joey said with his already pretty amazing smiled dialed up to eleven. "But look at you. All fashion-y and still as pretty as the first day I saw you."
"Thanks. So, when's your movie showing, Joey?"
"Not 'til tomorrow, but I got a lot of press stuff to do, and I have to go to a bunch of the other films and parties and stuff. It's good for the studio or something."
"Oh, I was hoping to get to spend more time with you."
"You can. A lot of my invitations are plus one, and I was kinda hoping we could go together." his voice dropped "I'm actually kinda nervous."
"Sure, we can do that. I just have to get my bag up to my room."
Without another word, Joey hefted her bag to his shoulder. "Lead the way."
That afternoon was great. She and Joey watched a few foreign films (well, okay, they whispered jokes at each other through all of them), and Joey introduced her to his costars while the cast sat for a half-dozen interviews with a half-dozen different reporters.
"How long have you and Joey been together?" asked the impossibly thin woman next to her while they were waiting for the interviews to wrap up. She was the supermodel girlfriend of one of Joey's castmates.
"Oh, we're not together. But we've been friends since '94"
"Really? Just, the way he talks about you. It's cute." Before Rachel could answer that, the last reporter called for silence. Once the interview was over, Joey was at her side again.
"We got a couple hours before the parties start. What do you say we go back to the hotel, and I have a sandwich and a nap while you get ready?"
"Sounds great!"
"I'll be past your room to pick you up at nine."
As they strolled back to the hotel, they were hand in hand. It felt like no time had passed at all. The butterflies Rachel had felt earlier floated away.