#!!! thank u chandler!!!!!! | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ellswritings · 2 months ago

Note

Hiii love! I was wondering if u could u could do a c bing imagine where the reader and him are best friends but then chandler gets feelings for her and thinks about confessing but she gets a boyfriend then her boyfriend breaks up with her then chandler tells her how she feels and lotss of fluffy thx alot!

I took some creative liberties with this, but I do hope it lives up to your expectations 🫶🫶

We Can’t Be Friends

Chandler Bing x reader

TW: Idiots in love, Chandler pining, angsty fluff, reader is oblivious.

»»————-　⚜　————-««

“Is there a reason you’re standing on a ladder in the middle of my apartment building, or is this just a regular Wednesday afternoon for you?” Chandler Bing’s sarcastic voice rings out as he sets the groceries down on his kitchen table.

He finds the scene in front of him highly amusing. His best friend, Y/N L/N, on a seven foot ladder, arms outstretched in the air with a lightbulb in her mouth. She freezes at the sound of his voice, her eyes widening which only makes her position much more funny. Chandler chuckles at her ‘deer in the headlights’ look.

She stops what she’s doing, removing the bulb from her mouth, “Joey said you had a messed up light bulb. I thought I could come and replace it for you guys,” she answers like it’s not a big deal.

Chandler smiles, walking over to her. He cranes his neck up as she’s still pretty high above him, “And what would you have done if said ladder would’ve toppled over and neither of us were home?”

“Called for Monica,” Y/N shrugs. “She says her ears are permanently equipped to hear my voice because I’ve been talking her ear off since the day we met in the second grade,” she says with a devilish grin.

“Why don’t you let me do that?” He holds his hand out for her to come down. “It is my apartment.”

“No,” Y/N replies stubbornly, turning back to the task at hand. “I came over here to do this before either of you would get home. It was supposed to be a surprise, but you coming home early ruined it.”

“I’m sorry my presence is such a burden,” he places a hand on his chest in mock offense.

“If I was a couple steps lower, I’d kick you.”

Chandler smirked, shaking his head. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"Impossible in a 'thank you for replacing our lightbulb' way or a 'please get off the ladder before you break your neck' way?" Y/N quipped, expertly twisting the new bulb into place.

"Somewhere in between," Chandler muttered, stepping back as she climbed down the ladder with practiced ease.

Y/N hopped off the last rung and turned to face him, a triumphant grin lighting up her face. "See? No neck-breaking required. Light’s fixed, and you didn’t even have to lift a finger. You’re welcome."

Chandler let out a soft laugh, folding his arms across his chest. "Thank you, Florence Nightingale of home maintenance. How can I ever repay you? I mean, the heroism it must’ve taken to risk your life for our dim kitchen—truly inspiring."

"You're welcome," she replied, her grin turning devilish. "And as for payment, I’ll take a lifetime supply of sarcasm. Oh, wait—you’ve already got me covered there."

"Touché," Chandler said, a mock-serious expression on his face. "But really, how does someone like you even know how to change a lightbulb? This feels suspiciously like you’re trying to one-up me."

"Someone like me?" Y/N raised an eyebrow, leaning slightly toward him. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

"Someone who claims they can’t even put furniture together without an emotional breakdown," he teased, tilting his head.

"That’s different," she argued, her tone playful. "Furniture comes with instructions that read like a secret code. Lightbulbs? They’re simple. Unscrew the bad, screw in the good. Even Joey could manage it."

"Low bar," Chandler said, chuckling.

Y/N rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide her smile. "Anyway, maybe I’m just full of surprises. Ever think of that?"

Chandler’s smile faltered slightly, his gaze softening. "Yeah," he said quietly. "You definitely are."

Y/N didn’t notice the sudden change in his tone, too busy gathering her bag from the counter. But Chandler noticed. He always noticed. It was part of the problem.

She wasn’t just full of surprises. She was full of life. Full of little quirks and moments that made his chest tighten in the best—and worst—way. Like the way she scrunched her nose when she laughed at one of her own jokes or how her eyes lit up when she talked about something she loved.

And it wasn’t just her quirks. It was the way she made him feel like the most important person in the room, even when she was just teasing him about his bad hair days or his overuse of sarcasm. With Y/N, he didn’t have to try to be someone else. She just got him.

But she’d never see him as more than her goofy best friend. Why would she? She was Y/N—gorgeous, funny, brilliant Y/N. And he was just... Chandler.

He shook the thought away as she turned back to him, her expression teasing.

"Alright, Mr. Bing, I’m off to save the world one lightbulb at a time," she said, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"Don’t let the fame go to your head," he replied, smirking.

"Too late." She paused, her eyes narrowing playfully as she looked at him. "You’re staring at me again. Should I be concerned?"

Chandler blinked, startled. "What? No, I wasn’t staring. I was, uh... admiring your ladder-climbing technique. Very professional."

"Uh-huh," she said, clearly not buying it. "Well, if you need anything else fixed, you know who to call."

"Yeah, I’ll just dial 1-800-WONDER-WOMAN," he joked.

"Exactly," she said with a wink before heading for the door.

Chandler watched her go, his heart doing that annoying flutter thing it always did when she was around. It wasn’t fair. She didn’t even have to try, and she had him completely undone.

As the door clicked shut behind her, Chandler sank onto the couch with a heavy sigh.

She made his heart race. Every look, every smile, every sarcastic jab—it all sent his mind spinning. And it wasn’t just physical, though he’d be lying if he said he didn’t notice how beautiful she was. It was everything about her.

The way she always remembered the little things, like his favorite kind of coffee or the exact way he liked his popcorn during a movie night. The way she could make him laugh even when he felt like the world was falling apart. The way she believed in him, even when he couldn’t believe in himself.

And then there was the way she flirted with him—or at least, what he thought might be flirting. He wasn’t sure. She could just be naturally charming. Either way, it drove him crazy.

"You’re impossible," he muttered under his breath, echoing his earlier words.

But the truth was, he didn’t want her to change. He loved her just the way she was—completely impossible and entirely unforgettable.

He just wished she’d see him the way he saw her.

»»————-　⚜　————-««

Chandler was lounging on his recliner, flipping through a magazine without much interest, when the door to the apartment burst open. Y/N strolled in, her face practically glowing with excitement.

"Guess what!" she announced, practically bouncing on her heels.

Chandler glanced up lazily. "You’ve finally realized that standing on a ladder unsupervised was reckless and are here to formally apologize?"

She rolled her eyes, dropping her bag onto the counter. "Nope. Try again."

He arched an eyebrow. "You’ve decided to give up your lifelong dream of replacing lightbulbs professionally?"

"Wrong again," Y/N said, plopping down onto the couch with a grin so wide it made Chandler’s stomach twist in a way he tried to ignore. "I have a date tonight!"

The words hit Chandler like a bucket of ice water. His mouth went dry, and his grip tightened on the magazine. He forced a smile, though it felt more like a grimace. "Oh," he said, his voice slightly higher than usual. "That’s... great."

Y/N, oblivious as always, missed the strain in his voice. She tucked her legs under her and beamed at him. "I know, right? I met him at the coffee shop yesterday while I was waiting for Rachel. He was ahead of me in line, and we started chatting because he noticed I was humming along to the music playing. Turns out, he’s a fan of musicals too!"

"Musicals," Chandler repeated, his tone laced with a sarcasm she didn’t catch. "Sounds like Prince Charming."

"Doesn’t he?" she said, her eyes lighting up. "And get this—he didn’t just know Les Misérables and Phantom of the Opera. He brought up Funny Girl! Like, how many guys know Funny Girl?"

"Well, I guess he’s a real unicorn," Chandler muttered under his breath, glancing toward Joey for backup.

Joey, seated at the kitchen counter eating a sandwich, shot Chandler a wide-eyed look that clearly said, What is happening right now? But he stayed quiet, watching the scene unfold like it was the latest episode of a drama he couldn’t look away from.

Y/N kept talking, oblivious to the growing tension in Chandler’s posture. "We ended up talking for like twenty minutes! His name’s Ryan, and he’s a graphic designer. He’s super funny and really easy to talk to. Oh, and he loves coffee almost as much as I do, so that’s already a win."

Chandler forced another smile, though it felt more like a grimace. "Wow. Coffee, musicals, and he’s funny. Did you also find out if he rescues puppies in his free time?"

Y/N laughed, missing the bitterness beneath his words. "I don’t know about puppies, but he did mention volunteering at a local art center. How cool is that?"

"Very cool," Chandler said through gritted teeth, staring down at his magazine like it might offer some kind of distraction.

Y/N leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand. "I mean, I know it’s just one date, but he seems... different, you know? Like, maybe he could actually be someone worth getting to know."

Chandler swallowed hard, the knot in his chest tightening with every word she said. He hated how much he cared. Hated how his chest ached at the thought of her with someone else. But most of all, he hated how obvious it probably was to everyone but her.

"Well, I hope he’s everything you’re looking for," Chandler said, his voice dripping with forced cheerfulness.

"Thanks, Chan," Y/N said, smiling at him. "I’ll let you know how it goes. I’m meeting him at that little Italian place down the street. You know, the one with the candles and the live music? It’s so cute!"

Chandler nodded, barely listening now. His mind was too busy imagining this Ryan guy sitting across from Y/N, making her laugh, holding her hand. The thought made his stomach churn.

Y/N glanced at the clock and jumped up. "I should get going if I want to change and do something with my hair before tonight. Wish me luck!"

"Good luck," Chandler said, his voice flat.

"Not too much luck," Joey added with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.

Y/N laughed and waved them off before heading out the door, leaving the apartment far too quiet in her absence.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Joey turned to Chandler, his eyebrows raised. "Really, dude?"

"What?" Chandler snapped, tossing the magazine onto the coffee table.

"That was brutal," Joey said, shaking his head. "You looked like you were gonna explode every time she said his name."

"I did not," Chandler argued, though his flushed face said otherwise.

Joey pointed a finger at him. "You like her."

Chandler’s jaw tightened. "I do not like her. She’s my best friend. I’m happy for her."

"Yeah, sure," Joey said, leaning back in his chair. "That’s why you were practically growling every time she talked about this Ryan guy."

Chandler groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Okay, fine. Maybe I do like her. But what am I supposed to do? She’s already going on a date with this... graphic designer, coffee-drinking, musical-loving saint."

"Tell her how you feel," Joey said simply.

"Yeah, because that’s worked out so well for me in the past," Chandler muttered.

Joey shrugged. "What’s the worst that could happen? She doesn’t feel the same way? At least you’d know instead of sitting here, torturing yourself."

Chandler sighed, slumping back in his chair. "Yeah, well, I think I’ll stick with torturing myself for now. Thanks for the advice, Dr. Phil."

Joey rolled his eyes, but the conversation ended there. Chandler’s thoughts, however, were far from over.

He didn’t know how long he could keep pretending he didn’t care. But for now, he’d fake a smile and hope she didn’t notice the cracks forming underneath.

»»————-　⚜　————-««

Chandler stood frozen, his jaw clenched as the laughter from the kitchen spilled into the living room. Rachel and Joey exchanged looks, both of them clearly bracing for the inevitable fallout.

"Seriously, dude," Joey whispered, leaning closer. "You gotta get it together. You’re about one snarky comment away from making things weird."

Chandler ignored him, glaring at the kitchen door like it had personally offended him. When Y/N returned, her date trailing behind her, Chandler’s fake smile reappeared.

"Well, Ryan," he said, crossing his arms, "looks like you’ve survived the first outing with the Great and Wonderful Y/N. How’s it feel? Like scaling Everest?"

Ryan blinked, clearly unsure if that was a joke or not. "Uh... it was great, actually. She’s amazing."

Chandler’s jaw tightened further, but he forced a laugh. "Amazing, right. Of course, she is."

Y/N frowned, catching the edge in his tone. "What’s your problem, Chandler?"

"My problem?" Chandler said, raising his eyebrows in mock innocence. "Oh, I don’t have a problem. I’m thrilled. Ecstatic. Overjoyed that you’ve found someone who appreciates your encyclopedic knowledge of musicals."

Ryan chuckled nervously, glancing between them. "Um... maybe I should—"

"No, you’re fine," Y/N interrupted, turning her glare back to Chandler. "Chandler’s just being... Chandler."

"Yep," Chandler said, his voice tight. "That’s me. Just being me. The guy who’s always here. Always around. Always—"

"Chandler," Rachel hissed from the couch, cutting him off.

Ryan took a cautious step back. "I think I should probably head out. It’s getting late, and..." He gestured vaguely toward the door.

Y/N sighed, her frustration with Chandler momentarily giving way to an apologetic smile for Ryan. "I’ll walk you out."

As soon as the door closed behind them, Rachel smacked Chandler’s arm. "What is wrong with you?"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Chandler said, feigning nonchalance.

Joey snorted. "Dude, you basically growled at the guy. You’re acting like a jealous ex-boyfriend, except you’ve never even dated her."

Before Chandler could respond, the door opened again, and Y/N stormed back in.

"Okay, what the hell was that?" she demanded, hands on her hips.

Chandler threw up his hands. "What was what? I was perfectly polite."

"Polite?" Y/N repeated, her voice rising. "You were rude, Chandler. Snarky and rude for no reason!"

"I wasn’t being rude," he argued, though even he didn’t sound convinced. "I was just... making conversation."

"Right," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Because making someone feel uncomfortable in my home is your version of small talk?"

"Well, excuse me for not rolling out the red carpet for Mr. Perfect Coffee Shop Guy!" Chandler snapped, his frustration bubbling over.

Y/N froze, staring at him in disbelief. "Are you serious right now? What is your problem with Ryan?"

"I don’t have a problem with him!" Chandler shot back. "I have a problem with... this whole thing!"

She blinked, clearly taken aback. "What thing?"

"This thing where you meet some random guy, and suddenly he’s all you can talk about, like he’s God’s gift to humanity, and—and—" Chandler faltered, running a hand through his hair.

"And what, Chandler?" Y/N demanded, her voice softer now but no less intense. "What are you trying to say?"

Chandler hesitated, the words caught in his throat. He wanted to tell her. Wanted to lay it all out there, to finally say how he felt. But the fear of ruining everything—of losing her—was too strong.

"Nothing," he said finally, his voice flat. "It’s nothing."

Y/N scoffed, throwing her hands in the air. "Unbelievable. You’re acting like a child, Chandler. A jealous, immature child."

"Jealous?" he said, laughing bitterly. "I’m not jealous. I just think maybe you should be a little more careful about who you bring into your life."

Her eyes narrowed, and her voice turned icy. "Thanks for the unsolicited advice, Dad. I think I can handle my own life."

"Fine," Chandler snapped. "Then go ahead. Date him. Marry him. Have his stupid little musical-loving babies. See if I care!"

Y/N’s face flushed with anger. "You know what, Chandler? Forget it. I don’t have the energy for this." She turned on her heel and stormed toward her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

The apartment was silent for a moment before Rachel let out a low whistle. "Wow. That was... something."

Chandler groaned, collapsing onto the couch. "I blew it, didn’t I?"

Joey nodded solemnly. "Oh yeah. Big time."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "You are such an idiot, Chandler. Why didn’t you just tell her how you feel?"

"Because it’s not that simple!" he protested.

"Actually, it kind of is," Joey said. "You like her. She likes you. But instead of saying something, you just make everything awkward."

"She doesn’t like me," Chandler said, his voice defeated.

"How do you know?" Rachel challenged.

"Because she’s out there, dating other people!"

Rachel sighed, sitting next to him. "Chandler, she’s dating other people because she doesn’t think you’re interested. You hide behind sarcasm and jokes, but she’s not a mind reader. If you don’t tell her, how is she supposed to know?"

Joey nodded. "She’s not gonna wait around forever, man."

Chandler leaned back, closing his eyes. He knew they were right, but that didn’t make it any easier. He’d spent so long convincing himself that Y/N could never feel the same way, and now he didn’t know how to undo it.

"Maybe tomorrow," he said finally.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "You keep saying that, and one day, tomorrow’s going to be too late."

But Chandler didn’t respond. Instead, he stared at Y/N’s closed door, wishing he had the courage to knock and finally tell her the truth.

»»————-　⚜　————-««

The apartment was quiet except for the hum of the TV, where Joey was flipping through channels aimlessly. Chandler sat slouched in his recliner, arms crossed, looking miserable.

Y/N stood outside the door, clutching a tin of cookies to her chest. She had spent hours baking them—a peace offering after their blowout argument last week. It wasn’t like her to let things fester, especially with Chandler. But every time she thought about his weird behavior and the biting sarcasm that had set her off, she’d hesitated.

Finally, though, she decided enough was enough. Taking a deep breath, Y/N pushed the door open and stepped inside. She opened her mouth to announce her arrival but froze when she heard Chandler’s voice.

"You know, Joey, I really screwed this up," Chandler was saying, his voice low and defeated.

Joey glanced up from the TV, alarm flashing across his face when he saw Y/N by the door. He gestured wildly, trying to signal Chandler, but Chandler was too lost in his thoughts to notice.

"I mean, what was I supposed to do?" Chandler continued, throwing up his hands. "She comes in here, all perfect and funny and amazing, and I just... freak out. I can’t be around her without feeling like my heart’s going to explode. And then she goes on a date, and I act like a total jerk because I’m—" He stopped, groaning. "Because I’m in love with her. There, I said it. I’m in love with her, and it’s the absolute worst."

Y/N’s breath caught in her throat, her grip tightening on the tin of cookies.

Joey, still frantically gesturing, tried again. "Uh, dude—"

"What, Joey?" Chandler snapped, glancing over.

Joey’s eyes widened even further, darting toward Y/N.

It clicked. Chandler’s face drained of color, his expression twisting in horror. "She’s right behind me, isn’t she?"

Joey nodded rapidly.

Chandler turned slowly, like a man bracing for impact. When his eyes landed on Y/N, who stood frozen in the doorway, her cheeks flushed and her eyes wide, he let out a weak laugh. "Uh... surprise?"

Y/N stepped closer, her lips pressed into a thin line. "You’re in love with me?"

Chandler’s mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. "I, uh... okay, yes. But before you say anything, let me just explain—"

"Explain what, Chandler?" she interrupted, her voice surprisingly soft. "That you’ve been acting weird because you have feelings for me?"

"Yes! Exactly!" he said, seizing on her words like a lifeline. "I’ve been avoiding you because I didn’t want to mess things up, and then you started dating Ryan, and I lost it, and—"

Y/N didn’t let him finish.

She closed the distance between them in two quick strides, grabbed his face with both hands, and kissed him.

For a moment, Chandler was too stunned to respond. But then, as the realization hit, he melted into the kiss, his hands hesitantly coming up to rest on her waist.

When they finally broke apart, Y/N smirked up at him. "You know," she said, her voice teasing, "we could’ve saved a lot of time and effort if you’d just told me this sooner."

Chandler blinked at her, still trying to process what had just happened. "Yeah, ditto."

From the couch, Joey let out an enthusiastic clap. "Finally!"

Chandler and Y/N turned to glare at him in unison.

"Shut up, Joey," they said together before bursting into laughter.

Chandler rested his forehead against Y/N’s, his smile soft and genuine. "So, you’re not mad?"

"Mad?" Y/N asked, raising an eyebrow. "Chandler, I’ve been waiting for you to say something for months. Do you have any idea how many times I almost kissed you first?"

"You almost kissed me?" Chandler repeated, his eyes wide. "When?"

"Remember the night we stayed up watching bad horror movies, and you let me fall asleep on your shoulder?"

Chandler nodded, a grin spreading across his face. "Wait—you wanted to kiss me then?"

Y/N shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Maybe."

He laughed, pulling her closer. "Well, I guess I’ll have to make up for lost time."

Y/N smiled, leaning into him. "You better."

Joey cleared his throat loudly, reminding them he was still there. "So, uh, are we gonna talk about how you’ve been in love with each other this whole time, or...?"

Chandler groaned, burying his face in Y/N’s shoulder. "Why is he like this?"

Y/N chuckled, wrapping an arm around him. "He’s got a point."

"Of course he does," Chandler mumbled.

"Thanks, man!" Joey said brightly.

Y/N shook her head, looking up at Chandler. "So, now what?"

Chandler grinned. "Now, I stop being an idiot and take you out on a real date."

She raised an eyebrow. "Does this real date involve cookies?"

He glanced at the tin still sitting on the counter. "It does now."

Joey stood, clapping them both on the shoulder. "I’m proud of you, man. And just so you know, I called dibs on being your best man at the wedding."

"Joey!" Chandler said, his face turning red.

Y/N just laughed, lacing her fingers through Chandler’s. "One step at a time."

Chandler smiled down at her, feeling a warmth he hadn’t felt in a long time. "Yeah. One step at a time."

As they sat on the couch together, sharing cookies and teasing Joey, Chandler realized that for the first time in months, everything felt right

#chandler bing x reader #chandler bing imagine #female reader #friends imagine #x reader #rachel green #joey tribbiani #friends #idiots in love #jealousy #fluff #angst with a happy ending

87 notes · View notes

hayleythesugarbowl · 1 year ago

Note

since you're taking requests for joey from friends, could you possibly write an angsty one-shot (with a happy ending)? i love your writing sm and i love joey so im sure it'll be perfect <3

The One With the Pie || Joey Tribbiani x reader

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ masterlist • f•r•i•e•n•d•s masterlist ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚

summary: after your crush on joey ends before it can begin, you start to move on. but maybe, just maybe, the story of you and joey isn’t over just yet

word count: 6.6k

warnings: suggestive material

a/n: thank you for this request love!! i hope you enjoy this and it’s angsty enough for u 💋 there’re two ocs in here (james + jessica) so if you don’t recognize them from the show that’s why!! also somehow i made this way longer than i intended to so sorry about that but enjoy!! <3💌🩰

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~°~❦~°~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Joey, stop!”

You jumped towards Joey, trying to retrieve your stolen piece of pie from him, which he was currently holding above his head.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

“That pie had my name on it,” you huffed, making another jump for it.

“I don’t remember seeing a name,” he acted innocent, crumpling up a piece of paper that most definitely had your name on it.

“Oh yeah? And what is that?” You made a grab for it and he threw the paper behind him, catching your wrist.

Your heartbeat picked up because of the jumping and certainly not because of the sudden physical contact with Joey. Or, that’s what you were telling yourself.

“That is just my…grocery list.” Joey gestured at the ball of paper.

“You don’t buy your groceries,” you countered, “so nice try.”

“Curse you, Chandler.”

You shook his hand off your wrist and gripped his forearm for leverage as you tried to twist to grab the pie again.

“So you admit, my name was on that pie?”

He smiled. “Nope. Still no. And unlabeled leftovers are fair game.”

“Not when they’re from my fridge,” Monica walked over to you and Joey, pinching him and grabbing the pie. She handed it back to you.

“Ow, Mon,” he rubbed at his arm, “I was going to give it back. I was just borrowing it.”

“Yeah, and I had it under control.” you realized your hand was still around Joey’s arm and you quickly put a hand on your hip.

Monica watched the movement and then rolled her eyes at both of you.

“And you’d better make sure you didn’t get crumbs all over my floor with that,” she called as she walked back towards her bedroom.

You’d been staying with Monica and Rachel while you looked for a place. You appreciated her sharing her apartment with you but you couldn’t say you didn’t miss being able to put your feet on the furniture and drink milk out of the carton.

As Monica disappeared from view, Rachel walked out of her room in a bathrobe.

“Hey (Y/n), hey Joey,” she said on her way to the fridge, “Wait a minute, what are you doing here, Joe?”

“Stopped by before my audition to eat my leftover pie,” he said. You elbowed him in the ribs. “Ow, ok (Y/n)’s pie. Happy?” He looked at you.

“Very,” you said, satisfied.

“Well, good luck at your audition,” Rachel said, looking in the refrigerator.

“Thanks,” Joey said, sitting down at the table, before standing up again quickly. “Oh right, my audition! I’d better get going. Last time I was late to one of these the casting director made me pay.”

“What’d they do?” You asked.

“Made me give her 10 bucks for wasting her time. Like I had 10 bucks with me,” Joey said as he walked towards the door.

“Break a leg! You’re going to kill it,” you called after him.

“Thanks (Y/n),” He kissed you on the cheek before leaving and you watched him go, trailing a hand over your cheek where Joey’s lips had been.

“You’re so obvious,” Rachel said pouring milk in her cereal.

“I don’t know what you mean,” you told her, as if she didn’t know that you’d been crushing on him for the past few weeks. Rachel just raised an eyebrow at you.

You hadn’t known what had changed. You’d been friends with Joey for nearly a year. But sometime recently you had started to see him differently and you wanted more and more to be something more than just friends.

“You say that every time,” Monica said, obviously overhearing and walking back into the room. “And so I’ll tell you what I tell you every time. Tell him.”

You had been avoiding that part for a while. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to make a move—you knew you’d have to at some time if you wanted your relationship to progress any further—but it was more that you didn’t want to ruin the friendship you had with Joey. You valued it so much and you couldn’t bear to make things weird between you if he didn’t feel the same way. And you doubted he did. He’d never exactly expressed interest in you.

“What’s the worst that could happen?” Monica continued.

Now it was your turn to raise an eyebrow at her.

“Ok I get it, a lot,” she said, “But what’s love without a little risk.”

You preferred not to risk anything, thank you. But she was right. You knew it. You ran a hand through your hair as you thought. “I don’t know, Mon.”

“Come on sweetie,” Rachel added, “Joey would be lucky to have you. You’re sweet and funny and kind. Heck, if he doesn’t take you I will.” She smiled at you.

You laughed and gave in. “You really think I should tell him?

“Yes,” they said at the same time and you laughed.

“But only when you’re ready,�� Rachel added, putting a hand on your arm.

Were you ready? You supposed you never really would be.

You steeled yourself, “Alright, I’ll talk to him.”

You walked towards the door.

“Honey?” Rachel called, “Love the enthusiasm but Joey’s not home.”

You remembered the audition. “Right,” you walked back towards the kitchen, “tomorrow.”

You couldn’t say you were sorry about the delay. It would at least give you more time to think about what to say. You sat down at the table with Rachel and Monica and began to peel a banana, thinking about what tomorrow might bring.

₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚

You knocked on the door of Joey’s apartment. You weren’t exactly ready, but it was now or never, you thought, as you waited for Joey to answer the door.

You were greeted by Chandler instead. You let out a breath.

“Oh, I thought you were going to be Joey,” you told him.

“No need to look so disappointed,” Chandler said, “Good evening to you too.”

“I’m not disappointed,” you told him, “I just—is Joey home?” You asked.

“You know, if I had a dollar every time a girl said that to me when opening this door…”

You shook your head, smiling, “I just have something I need to ask him.”

“He’s out right now but he should be back soon. Can I take a message?”

“This is kinda something that needs to be said in person,” you said, playing with a strand of your hair.

Chandler led you in to the apartment and you sat down on the couch.

“So how did Joey’s audition go?” You asked Chandler, trying to make small talk so you wouldn’t die of anticipation while you waited for Joey to get home.

“Not great,” he admitted, “Something about apple juice and a wild parrot which I’m assuming means he didn’t get the part.”

You laughed despite your nerves. You didn’t even want to know what Chandler meant by that.

“I thought maybe he was at a callback,” you said, thinking aloud, “but never mind.”

“No, Joey has a date,” Chandler said. “Some hot girl he met at the audition, so I guess it wasn’t a total waste.”

You stopped listening. Hot girl? No. This couldn’t be happening. Joey was out right now with some beautiful woman and you were waiting in his apartment ready to confess your love for him.

“(Y/n), are you ok?” Chandler must have noticed your expression because he looked concerned.

“I have to go,” you told him in a hurry before bouncing up and walking towards the door. It was only then when you heard footsteps approaching and the sound of Joey’s voice as he talked to someone—presumably his date. You ran the other way back towards Chandler.

“You have to hide me,” you gripped his shirt in your hands.

Chandler looked absolutely baffled. You didn’t have time for this.

“Now!”

“Um, my room,” Chandler said as he hurried you in there.

“If he asks just say you have a girl in here,” you called out to him in a whisper.

“He’s not going to believe that!” Chandler whisper-yelled back to you before you started to shut the door quickly.

“You’ll think of something,” you said back. “Tell me when the coast is clear.”

You left Chandler looking lost in the living room. Safely behind his door you relaxed but only a little. You would just wait until Joey went to the bathroom or something and then Chandler would sneak you out. No harm done, right? You would feel sad later.

You heard Joey enter the apartment and you could just make out his and Chandler’s voices.

“So how was it?” Chandler asked him.

“Amazing! Jessica’s great! She stopped to say hi to someone she knew down the hall but she’ll be here any second.”

“Well that’s fantastic, Joe,” Chandler said.

“What’s fantastic?” You heard a female voice and your hearing sharpened.

“You are,” you heard Joey tell her smoothly.

“No you’re fantastic,” she said back.

You were going to be sick. Every word they said was like a punch to the gut. And you didn’t mind admitting that you mocked Joey’s date behind the closed door like any self-respecting person would.

“Well, I’m glad you two had a good time,” Chandler said, “Now if you don’t mind, I’ll just be getting back to my room.”

You heard Chandler’s footsteps grow closer to you. They were both silent for a moment and you strained to hear. You leaned forwards and knocked an alarm clock off the desk. It crashed to the floor and you might’ve been fine if it didn’t begin going off loudly. You cursed Chandler under your breath for buying an alarm clock that made rooster sounds.

“Chandler, do you have someone in there?” You heard Joey say.

“W-why would you think that?”

“Yeah you’re right,” he said, laughing it off, “Like you would have a girl in your room that I don’t know about.”

“Yep, that’s me,” Chandler said wryly, “alone forever.”

Chandler opened the door just a crack and then stepped into his room.

“You better pretend to be my date next time we do this,” he whisper-yelled.

“You better have a normal alarm clock next time we do this!” You threw your arms up.

“It makes me think of the farm!” he said, indignantly.

“You’ve never lived on a farm!”

“Whatever,” Chandler gave up, “You can go now, Joey’s in his room with Jessica.”

You nodded and felt relieved as you made your way to the door. You only realized what this meant when you heard Joey and Jessica in the other room.

And from the sound of it, they were certainly enjoying the second part of their date.

And with that the reality of the evening crashed down on you. You and Joey weren’t going to happen. He was clearly interested in whomever this woman was and your plans for confessing your feelings were obviously ruined.

You sat down on Chandler’s bed and put your head in your hands—and over your ears so you didn’t have to hear what was going on in Joey’s room.

Chandler sat down next to you and placed an arm around you.

“I know,” is all he said as he rubbed your shoulders.

“How do—” You started, sniffing. You hadn’t actually told Chandler why you were here to see Joey. He ignored it.

“His loss,” Chandler said and you managed a weak smile as you leaned your head against his shoulder.

This was so not how you imagined this evening going.

₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚

“…and then they did it for the rest of the night and Chandler and I watched a movie,” you told Monica, Rachel, and Phoebe as you took a sip of your coffee.

All three of you were at Central Perk and you were filling them in on the events of the past night.

Which had been, all things considered, fairly miserable. You appreciated Chandler hanging out with you all night and at least the volume of the movie drowned out anything else…almost. But you still hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Joey and the other girl.

“I’m sorry honey,” Rachel said, “is there anything we can do to help?”

“Get rid of Jessica?” You mumbled sarcastically.

“Well—” Phoebe started, an inspired look in her eye.

You interrupted her, “I’m kidding, Pheebs. But I appreciate the support.”

You sighed. You were just going to have to get on with your life and pretend nothing had ever been different. Pretend you didn’t want Joey every time that you saw him and be happy for him and his new relationship.

“Well, there are plenty of other fish in the sea,” Phoebe said.

“And if I don’t want any other fish?” You said, looking down at your coffee mug.

“You could always talk to Joey about it,” Monica said. “I mean, maybe if he knew how you felt—”

“Ok, don’t look,” Rachel said, watching out the window. “But Joey’s coming inside.”

Your stomach flipped. For all you told yourself about moving on and pretending, you weren’t sure if you were ready to see Joey yet. What if it was too painful or you were to obvious? You paused, contemplating how weird it was for you to be nervous to see Joey. You had been friends for so long and you weren’t used to it.

No time to think about that now, you told yourself as you jumped out of your seat and turned around. You saw Joey walk through the door and you backed up helplessly.

“Hey guys,” he said, seeing all of you.

“Hey Joey,” Phoebe said, “It’s great to see you but, uh, Monica and Rachel and I were just about to go to our…knitting class. Right?”

What was she doing?

“Right,” Monica said, elbowing Rachel.

“Oh yes, and we’re going to be late if we don’t leave soon,” Rachel said, understanding on her face.

They all walked towards the door and you stared after them hopelessly.

“Talk to him,” Monica mouthed and you bit your lip.

“Knitting?” Joey asked.

“Yeah, well you know how I like the smell of…yarn,” Phoebe fumbled, “We’ll see you guys later.”

And with that, her and the other two girls were gone leaving you alone with Joey. Well, alone aside from the dozen or so other customers oblivious to your awkwardness as you tried to find words…any words.

Joey sat down at one of the tables and you sat on the edge of the couch a few feet away.

“That was weird,” Joey looked thoughtful, “Does yarn have a smell?”

You shrugged and Joey kept talking.

“Anyway, I’m starving, do you want anything?”

“No, thank you, I just ate.”

A lie. You hoped your rumbling stomach didn’t deceive you.

Joey ordered and then returned to his table, “So (Y/n), what’s new with you?”

“Um, nothing really,” you said, “You?”

You regretted it immediately when you heard his answer.

Joey ran a hand through his hair, smiling, “Well, I met this really great girl the other day and I’m actually waiting for her right now. We’re supposed to go bowling. I can’t wait for you to meet her.”

“Oh, that’s awesome.”

Was your voice usually this high?

“I’d love to meet her but, I have to go,” you checked your invisible watch, “now, actually. I’m meeting some friends.”

Another lie. You had to get out of here before you were stuck meeting—

“Jessica!”

Joey hurried over to her and kissed her on the cheek. You bit the inside of your cheek and watched as Joey brought her over to you.

“Jessica this is my friend (Y/n)…”

Friend.

“…and (Y/n), this is my girlfriend Jessica.”

Girlfriend.

You watched Joey smiling and looking expectantly between the two of you. You should be supportive of him. That’s what a good friend would do.

So you inhaled and said, “Hi Jessica, it’s so nice to meet you.”

“You too,” Jessica said, pushing her blonde locks behind her ear. “Joey and I really should be going but I’d love to get to know each other sometime.”

“Definitely,” you said and Joey looked thrilled at the two of you talking.

“See you later (Y/n),” Joey said and then more quietly, “wish me luck.”

“Good luck,” you almost whispered as you watched Joey and his girlfriend walk away, his hand in hers, him leaning slightly down to hear something that she was saying into his ear.

And you wanted to wish him luck, you really did. But as you watched Joey walk away with the Jessica, all you could think about was how desperately you wanted that to be you.

You weren’t paying much attention to what you were doing as you picked up Joey’s forgotten drink order and scone.

You turned around to go sit down and crashed into something—or, someone it seemed—on your way there. The coffee went flying and you fell to the ground.

“Are you ok?” You heard a male voice say.

You looked up and saw a tall man staring down at you, coffee dripping down his front and an arm out to help you up. You took it and dusted yourself off.

“I am so sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” you hurried out.

“My fault entirely,” he said.

“I’ll buy you a new shirt,” you said.

“I didn’t like it anyway,” he waved it off. “You did me a favor honestly. Don’t tell Aunt Ruth.”

You laughed despite yourself, and picked up the mug and scone from the floor.

“I’m (Y/n),” you said, filling the silence.

“James,” he shot back.

“Scone?” You offered him the pastry awkwardly.

“Sorry, he said, “but my parents always said never to take floor-scones from strangers. Even very beautiful strangers.”

You found yourself blushing and your eyes widened. What was happening?

“But I’d be happy to take you out for real food sometime. If that’s something you would be interested in?”

You played with the fabric of your shirt. You immediately thought of Joey bit stopped yourself.

Why should you be thinking of Joey right now? He clearly wasn’t interested in you, so why waste time on something that clearly wasn’t going to happen. Maybe you should take this man up on his offer and go on a date with him. He was funny and nice and had called you beautiful.

“Ok, this is getting embarrassing,” he backed up, “Let me down easy, ok?”

You laughed, “I would love to go out with you sometime.”

“Not to sound super eager or anything,” he said, “but do you wanna do something now?”

“Your shirt?” You prompted.

“Oh, I’m making it a style now,” he said. “I’m totally adding trendsetter to my resume.”

“Alright then, let’s do something,” you said, feeling better than you had in the past couple days as James led you out of the door of Central Perk.

Maybe this was just what you needed.

₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚

“Are you sure he’s coming?”

“He’ll be here any second, I promise.”

You answered Phoebe and took a deep breath as you sat at Central Perk with your friends, who were all eagerly waiting for your boyfriend to arrive so they could meet him.

Your boyfriend. You pondered the word. If someone has told you a week ago that you’d be seeing someone, you’d have laughed in their face. And no one probably would have, because your friends were just as surprised as you were. They all knew how you felt about Joey.

And until you met James you hadn’t thought it possible that you would get over Joey at all. Or at least not for a very long while.

But one date with James had turned into seven and you were actually happy. You had learned a lot about him and you had plenty in common. He was so easy to be around that it made you forget about Joey and Jessica and the relationship that would never be.

Almost. You still felt bitter at the thought of them together, but you tried to push those feelings aside and focus on this relationship. You reminded yourself that you should be over Joey.

You saw a glimpse of a familiar flannel through the window of the coffee shop.

“Alright everyone be quiet, here he comes,” you said.

And you were over Joey, you told yourself, as you watched the amazing guy you were dating walk through the door and catch your eye, smiling at you.

You hoped, you added as you looked over at Joey finishing off a blueberry muffin. He shot you a thumbs up and you gave him a weak smile back.

“Hey (Y/n)!” James, your boyfriend of exactly three weeks, said. “Everyone.”

A chorus of ‘hey’ and ‘it’s nice to meet you’ and ‘Well, now I know why (Y/n)’s dating you. You know, for the free firewood’ —that being Chandler—followed as you made the introductions.

You rolled your eyes at Chandler. James was an accountant, and not a lumberjack. He had talked about his love of numbers on multiple occasions.

“It’s so great to finally see you,” Monica shook his hand, “(Y/n) talks about you all the time.”

Did you? You supposed you did. You hadn’t let any of them meet James at first so your descriptions of your dates were all they had to go on. And if you exaggerated his perfection than it was just because you really liked him and wanted all your friends to like him. You shook off the thought that some of it might be to convince yourself.

Because on paper James was perfect. And you really enjoyed spending time with him. But—

You glanced over at Joey again.

No. He had his relationship and you had yours. It was better this way. Because he was still seeing Jessica and it sounded like they were hitting it off.

And if some of your gushing about James was for Joey’s benefit than so be it.

“All good things I hope,” James answered and you were brought back to the present.

Monica turned away and mouthed ‘he’s hot’ to you enthusiastically. You rolled your eyes at her.

“So, what do you do?” Ross asked James as the latter walked over and sat down next to you, throwing an arm around your shoulders.

“I’m an accountant,” he said.

Chandler passed a five dollar bill to Ross, mumbling something about “being sure he was a lumberjack”.

Rachel elbowed Chandler and as he rubbed his arm she smiled warmly at James and said, “Well, any friend of (Y/n)’s is a friend of ours.”

“Which hasn’t happened yet because all of (Y/n)’s friends are sitting on this couch!” Phoebe said, teasing. She wasn’t wrong.

“Well, you all seem really great but (Y/n) and I have to run. We have a movie to get to.” James stood up and you moved with him.

You said goodbye to everyone, taking James’s hand. On your way out you risked a glance at Joey. You couldn’t help it. He had been so quiet throughout your whole introduction. You didn’t know why, but you almost thought he was disappointed? Or maybe just bored? Probably wishing he was with Jessica right now.

Once you thought of it you wished you hadn’t because you felt awful all over again and you willed your cheeks not to heat. You sighed. Now, Joey was looking down, running a finger around the top of his empty coffee mug. He caught you looking at him and you tried to play it off by waving. Pretending you hadn’t just been staring at him. He gave you an almost too enthusiastic wave back and you just turned around and kept walking towards the door, away from Joey and towards your boyfriend who was waiting for you.

₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚

“I’m just saying, if pineapple doesn’t belong on pizza then why is it on pizza?” Joey said, throwing down his cards on the table.

“You got me there,” Chandler said, rolling his eyes. “And I fold.”

You stifled a laugh as you examined the cards in your hand. You, Joey, Chandler, and James were all seated around Joey and Chandler’s kitchen table playing a game of poker.

The whole thing had been James’s idea, and at first you weren’t sure that it was a good one. You’d been doing a lot of different activities that he had planned with your friends lately as he tried to get to know them better.

You appreciated that he wanted to be friends with your friends and all of his efforts were actually adorable. You had already been with Phoebe to her grandma’s together, went with Ross to his museum, and last week you had gone shopping with Monica and Rachel—and James somehow went home with an armful of fabric swatches, talking about undertones.

But this was different. It was getting easier and easier to be around Joey as time passed and weeks went by and you were both in relationships, but things were still a bit awkward, on your part at least.

But it did seem like Joey was…distant lately as well. It was probably just the fact that he was spending a lot of time with his girlfriend and you scolded yourself for worrying about it. Right now you were just friends playing a game of poker. You looked over and James and found him trying to look at your cards.

“No peeking,” you told James as he looked over your shoulder, so not discreetly.

“Maybe I just wanted to kiss you,” he covered, leaning down and pressing his lips to yours.

“Full house,” you whispered to him, flashing him your cards and he smiled down at you.

Chandler reached his arms out to Joey and pursed his lips, “Show me your cards?”

Everyone laughed and Joey aimed his cards away from Chandler.

“Hey, is it my fault for wanting to kiss my girlfriend?” James acted innocent. “Since when is that cheating?”

He put an arm around you and you kissed him on the cheek.

“House rules,” Joey said.

James shrugged, “He didn’t say we couldn’t do this.”

As he grabbed your hand you heard Joey’s chair slide on the hard-wood floor.

“I’ll be right back guys, I’m going to go get us something to eat. Play this hand without me.”

You watched him leave the room and Chandler called after him.

“But you don’t have any money with you!”

“I’ll go to Monica’s,” he called back.

“You most certainly will not,” Monica said and you turned around to find her standing in the doorway of her apartment. “And your girlfriend’s waiting for you. Why in my apartment, I don’t know.”

“Oh, right,” Joey said sheepishly, “Can I use your apartment? I told her I’d be over there. It’s important.”

“Joey!” You heard Monica yell before Chandler got up and shut the door and their voices became muffled.

You tried not to think about what important thing Joey could mean. You pushed thoughts of him and Jessica away and reminded yourself that you didn’t care.

“Well,” Chandler said, “I think I’m out too before I lose anymore money and then who’ll pay the rent?”

“Yeah, I should get going. I promised my sister I’d help her clean out her basement,” James headed towards the door and Chandler raised an eyebrow at him.

“Hey,” James defended, “If you’d seen my sister’s house you’d understand why it’s a two person job. Or, a team of movers’ job. Bye, (Y/n).”

He kissed you quickly and then left the apartment, leaving you with Chandler. It felt eerily like a little over a month ago when you had gone there to ask Joey out.

“So, you’ve been seeing James for a while now,” Chandler prompted.

“Yep,” you said, “He’s really great.”

Chandler stepped towards you hesitantly, “So you and Joe?”

“What about me and Joe?” You kept your voice even, “He’s in a relationship and so am I. We’re both happy and that’s that.”

“Well—” Chandler started, but was interrupted by Joey sighing as he entered his apartment.

“Glad that’s over with,” Joey said.

“Did you let her down easy?” Chandler asked.

“As easy as I could. And then she started crying and—this is why I just don’t call people back,” he sat down on the couch. “Breaking up with people in person is hard.”

“What? You broke up with Jessica?” You could hardly believe it. “I thought you guys were so happy together.”

Joey looked over at you, “Well, you know, we just didn’t have that much in common.”

You were both silent for a moment.

“Hey,” Chandler announced, “This is awkward! So I’m just going to...”

He ran out the door and you cursed him under your breath.

“Weird,” Joey mumbled and you sat down opposite from Joey as you processed this new information.

Joey wasn’t seeing anyone. You stopped yourself before you could go any further. No. You were in a good relationship and Joey had just got out of one. Now was not a good time. And just because he wasn’t dating Jessica didn’t mean he all of a sudden wanted to date you. And you were over him. Right?

“So you and James are really serious now,” Joey said.

“Yeah, I guess,” you responded. You hadn’t really thought of it like that, but you suppose technically you were.

“Well, I’m really happy for you,” he said, “He’s a lucky guy.”

It doesn’t mean anything, you told yourself, he’s just being a good friend.

“Well, I’m sorry about you and Jessica.”

“Don’t be,” Joey stood up, “It wasn’t meant to be.”

He took a step towards you.

“Do you ever wonder if anything’s actually ‘meant to be’? Or is it just our decisions that lead us places?” You pondered.

“I think if something is meant to happen than you’ll realize it and make the decisions that lead you there,” Joey said, taking another step closer to you.

“Really?” You asked, “You don’t think something could be staring you in the face and you don’t recognize the signs?”

“I think in a way you always know,” Joey said, more sincere now. “Even if you don’t realize it until it’s too late.”

You were saved from working out the meaning of that and this whole conversation by the phone ringing and Joey picking it up. His face got dark before he covered it up and smiled at you.

“It’s James.”

You walked over and took the phone from him.

“Hello?”

His voice was muffled but he sounded intense when he said, “Hey, (Y/n), I need to talk to you. Are you free…now?”

“Um, yeah, I can be at Central Perk in five minutes.”

“Sounds good,” he said, “I’ll see you there. Love you.”

You hesitated and he hung up. Joey looked to you, obviously curious about what that was all about.

“He says he needs to talk to me and to meet him in a few minutes.”

You headed towards the door and Joey handed you your coat.

“See you later,” you said and he shut the door behind you as you stepped out into the hall.

What could James possibly want?

₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚

“James is leaving,” you announced.

You hung your coat on the coat rack of Monica’s apartment. All of your friends were lounging around in the living room but they rushed over towards you at this declaration and you held out your arms.

“No, I’m fine, really.”

In truth, you were too fine. More fine than you should be, after dating James for the better part of a month and a half. Which wasn’t a long time, but you had gotten to know him well and you really liked him.

“Are you sure you’re ok?” Rachel asked, putting a hand on your amt.

“Yes,” you reiterated, “James was offered a new job in California and he is going to take it. It’s all very sudden, but I’m ok. And technically, he gave me the option. To either stay long distance or end it now. I’m…still thinking it over.”

You knew you should be more affected. But you felt numb to the sudden departure of your boyfriend. You knew you should be upset, and you were sad at the loss of him in your life. But it was more that you were going to miss spending time with him as a friend rather than as a boyfriend.

You didn’t pretend not to know why that was.

Either way, you still had to decide if you wanted to stay with him or not. He had left the decision up to you, saying that he’d be fine with whatever decision you made, and had told you to take all the time you need.

You told him you’d call him tonight. You didn’t tell him why you were hesitating to answer him. Because you wanted to stay with him. But you couldn’t make yourself say it, because what if you were missing other opportunities. Your conversation with Joey earlier had made you think and you couldn’t help but ponder what if.

Not that you had much confidence in that. Joey wasn’t even here right now, you realized.

You were brought back to the present. “So what are you going to tell him?” Ross asked.

“I don’t know yet,” you sighed, “I suppose I have no reason not to stay with him, even though we’ll be so far apart.”

That was the sensible thing, right? Stay with the great guy that wanted to be with you even miles and miles apart. You needed to stop focusing on what probably couldn’t be and focus on what already was.

“If you’re sure,” Monica said. “We’ll support whatever decision you make.”

“I’m sure he’ll send you lots of free wood from California,” Chandler said, and you chuckled.

“Phoebe?” Rachel furrowed her brow, “Are you alright?”

Phoebe stood over by the couch. She was biting her lip and looked like she was stopping herself from saying something.

“Phoebe?” You asked, “What is it?”

“Oh, it’s just—” she started, “No, I can’t tell you! It wouldn’t be right!”

“Tell me,” you said, walking over to her.

She backed up, “No!”

“Phoebe!”

“I can’t!”

“Phoebe!”

“Joey’s in love with you! Ok? There I said it,” She sat down on the couch and looked like she had been wanting to say that for a long time.

You felt like you had been turned upside down.

“He didn’t say anything because of you and James and, you know, but he loves you, (Y/n). And I know I shouldn’t be telling you and I promised him I wouldn’t but—” she stood up again, “I know you love him and before you make this decision you just need to know that.”

You couldn’t even begin to comprehend this. Joey loved you? That couldn’t be true. Phoebe must be mistaken and—

Joey walked into the apartment. You saw your friends look around at each other.

“You love me?” You mumbled barely able to believe it.

Joey’s smiling face went pale and filled with horror as he backed up slowly.

“Oops,” Phoebe mumbled and Joey glanced once at her before hurrying out the door and down the hall.

“Joey, wait!” You shut the door behind you and caught up to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to face you.

“Look (Y/n), I never meant to—”

“You love me?” You asked again.

“(Y/n), you have to believe me when I say—”

You stepped so you looked Joey directly in the eye.

“No, Joey,” you whispered, “I need to know, do you love me?

“I can’t love you, (Y/n),” his voice raised with every word, “I can’t love you. And I can’t love you so much that it hurts to pretend that I don’t….that I do…that I…”

He looked up, confused, “Oh, you get the point! And every time I see you with James I’m reminded of how I can’t have you.”

Your conversation about signs and realizations came back to you. Your heart stopped beating. When you found words your voice came out shaky and breathless. “But…Jessica?”

“Jessica and I broke up,” he said, taking a step closer to you. “because I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I just realized that too late.”

“And I shouldn’t be telling you this,” Joey continued, “I never planned on telling you any of this…”

He looked up at you and you tried to discern the expression on his face.

“Just forget I said anything, ok?” Joey said looking pained, “I hope you and James are happy together, I really do. Just, forget it.”

He moved to walk past you and you started talking trust to stop him from leaving.

“James is an amazing guy,” you said, your words coming out slowly, “he’s smart and thoughtful and attractive—”

“Is this supposed to be helping?” Joey asked, turning around.

“What I mean is, James is perfect,” you said, “but he’ll never be you.”

Joey’s eyes snapped to yours and you continued, “I only started dating James because I was trying to get over you. James is moving away and he left the decision with me to end or keep our relationship.”

You stepped closer to Joey. “So say the word. Tell me you love me. Tell me you love me and I’ll leave him and be yours.”

Joey closed the distance between you, fire burning in his eyes. “I love you (Y/n). God, I love you so much.”

And he kissed you. He kissed you like he had been waiting a thousand years. He backed you up against the wall and his hands went to your hair as you kissed him back. You threw your arms around his neck and took in the beauty of this moment.

It was passionate and raw and everything you had been hoping for and more.

Joey pulled away from you, reaching to brush the hair back from your face.

“Wow, (Y/n).”

“Yeah,” you breathed. “I guess I have Phoebe to thank for this.”

“You’re welcome!” You heard Phoebe’s muffled voice from the other side of the door.

You smiled at Joey, rolling your eyes and walking over to open the apartment door.

You turned the knob and all of your friends faces greeted you as they scrambled away from the door.

“Run!” Chandler yelled, “Scatter! She can’t catch all of us! It was Monica’s idea!”

“Seriously Chandler?” Monica smacked him in the arm.

You laughed.

“We’re just so happy for you two,” Rachel said. You tried to convey your gratitude to her—to all of them—for their friendship.

“I’m happy,” you said. You felt giddy in a way that you hadn’t in a long time—that you had never felt with James.

“We knew you’d get together,” Phoebe nodded. “My psychic totally saw it coming.”

“And we were only listening at the door for a little bit,” Ross added.

Joey put his arm around you and you leaned in to him. You couldn’t even pretend to be offended, you were just glad to be here in Joey’s arms, surrounded by your friends.

“What do you say we go get a bite or something?” Joey asked you.

You nodded as he walked out the door with you and down the hall once again.

“How about pie?” You teased, remembering your almost-stolen leftovers.

“My treat,” Joey answered in agreement. “Have all the pie you want!”

“Will it be mine this time?” You teased back.

“All yours,” Joey said, stopping to look down at you softly. His eyes sparkled as he said,

“Just like me.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~°~❦~°~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ˋ°•*⁀➷ i hope you enjoyed this, i love writing for the friends characters so much!! you can find my other friends fics on my friends masterlist. as always feedback is appreciated and i hope you have a lovely week!! 🍓🪩

#joey tribbiani x reader #joey tribbiani #friends #f•r•i•e•n•d•s #fanfiction #fanfic #reader insert #x reader

487 notes · View notes