soulmates. ― chandler bing

― 06 | A MISTAKE

❝DID SOMEONE SAY FOOD?❞  I turned around. Oh, hey, Joey is back. He opened the fridge and showed me what they got. "Hell yeah, that's what I call food!" So Joey and I continued talking about the content of their fridge, especially about pizza, when I noticed that Chandler kept starring at us. But not active, more passive, like Joe a few minutes before.

          I was searching for eye contact with him, when he suddenly turned around and walked straight into his room. "Hey Joe, you know how much I love talking with you about the Joey–Special, but I got to interrupt you. You said, you did find something out, about Chandler and his crush?" That was pretty directly asked. Sometimes I question myself, where that courage comes from.

    He looked around, because he hadn't noticed that Chandler had left the room. "Well", he whispered. His look changed in these ten seconds completely. He came closer and took my hands, "Eve, don't be mad okay?" Oh Joey. "Why should I be mad? Joey, I won't be mad. Are you alright?" He nodded. "Yes, I am good, more or less. But about Chandler? I can't tell you. He told me as a friend, as my best friend. And he told me everything because he trusted me. I told him, it'd be safe. He does the same for me. Alright?"

       I nodded. "Of course, Joey, everything is okay." Suddenly he hugged me. "Thanks. If it'd not be Chandler, I'd tell you everything you wanted to know. Like Ross, but he has no secrets, he is boring. I know he is your brother, but sometimes he is really stupid. I mean how stupid can you be and sleep with another woman while you are still with Rachel! Yeah, they were on a break, but come on–"

    "Ross slept with another woman?", I screamed these five words. The door opened and Chandler stormed back out. "Well done, Joe. Now we have another trail!" He walked towards to us. "Oh, that what's the trail thing was about. They looked a bit confused. "Yeah, I kind of ... heard that..." Suddenly I got interrupted by screaming from Mon's apartment. I, nearest at the door, opened it and ran over, while Chandler and Joe behind grabbed some stuff. The short screams came from Monica's room, where she and Pheebs were sitting on the bed. "What in heaven's name?" Phoebe held one or two of those wax stripes, they bought on TV. "You are supposed to be pain free, dammit!", she sounded exhausted. Suddenly the guys came in, armed with a pot and another tea pot. "Boys, it's okay. It's okay", Mon said fast before they could hurt anyone, or themselves. "We were just waxing our legs." The same moment I heard Rachel coming in the apartment. I saw Ross also entering the apartment, so I closed the door behind Joe. "Off?" A silent chuckle left my mouth.

❝RACHEL, JUST COME ON. RACH, TALK TO ME. RACHEL!❞

         Everybody turned their faces to the closed door. "You know, I can't even look at you right now!" Monica stood up and whispered, "What happened? I thought everything was okay?" I heard my brother's voice screaming, that he had made a mistake. "Yes, well...", Joey cleared his throat. "A mistake? Ross, you slept with another woman!" I heard them gasp around me. "Oh my god! I knew something was wrong! My fingernails didn't grow at all yesterday!" Chandler and Joey exchanged a look. Joe even looked shocked at me for a second, before he tried to explain. "Well, I think they came in sort of a fight and he got drunk..." Mon gasped again. "You guys knew about this and– didn't– tell– us!" After every word she paused and hit them. "Ross had sex, we get hit on our heads. Why doesn't Evelyn get hit?" For that I hit Chandler another time. It honestly felt good. "Ow!"

          "Wait, you knew it too?" Mon looked at me serious. "Kind of. Just found out." I pointed in the direction of Joey's and Chandler's apartment, trying to smile at her as kind as I could. "Please don't hit me!", I whispered. "I want you to leave now!" Gladly Rachel's screaming distracted Monica and she stayed focused on the fight. "No, Rach, I wanna talk about this!" I heard Rachel closing the door again. "You want to talk about this? Really? Fine. How was she?" Chandler had layed his ear on the door, just like me on their door earlier that day. We all followed his lead. "Excus– Hm– What?" Rachel sighed. "You wanted to talk about it. Let's talk about it. Was she good? How was she, Ross?"

           "Oh oh...", Chandler whispered. Ross didn't say a word, at least nothing we could hear. "Ross? Was she good?" I noticed someone shaking his head behind me. "Don't answer that!", Joey said loudly. Chandler nodded strongly, even with his head on the door. I think he agrees with Joey in his mind. Cute! "Ross, you obviously wanted to talk about it and I am not going to ask again. How was she?", Rachel's voice got my thoughts straight again. "Not good. Not good!", Chandler tried to prompt Ross quietly. I heard Joe doing the same next to me, "Horrible! Nothing compared to you!"

          Ross whispered something, that sounded like, "Different." Monica gasps quietly on her bedside table. It was like a, "How can you be so stupid, Ross?" Chandler simultaneously face palmed in front of me. "Oh oh!", Joe had immediately whispered. "Good different?", Rach sounded exhausted. "Nobody likes change!" I turned around and whispered, "Did he really just say that?" Rachel saw it exactly like me and started hitting my brother with ... something that probably was the latest newspaper. He deserves that. Phoebe stepped back from the door and sat down on Mon's bed. "Maybe we shouldn't listen anymore? I mean it's kind of private, though."

          Joey laid his hand on the door knob, ready to open it. "Joey, are you crazy? We maybe stop listening, but we can't go out there!" Monica jumped down from her bedside table. He turned around. "Why not?", he paused. "I'm hungry." I stood up and sat down next to Pheebs. "Because, Joey, they'll know, we have been listening!" Joe's hand still rested on the knob, but I noticed that he couldn't think of anything to say, what could convince either Monica or me. Chandler noticed that too. I could tell he tried to think of something to help him, "You know what? I think we can go out there. I mean, they have more important things to worry about!" Outside, I heard Rach's voice getting louder. The only thing I could understand was 'Gunther'. What? Why were they talking about Gunther?