soulmates. ― chandler bing

― 21 | OPEN IT

I SIGHED. That definitely wasn't planned. I wish I could go and help him, but I can't. At least not now. If this is really the way he feels, I am doubtless the wrong person to talk to him. "Evelyn? Cake?", Monica glared at me. She probably thinks I have the same opinion on her and Richard as Ross. I mean, it is somehow weird, but after all you cannot choose who you are falling for. I blinked heavily, trying to stop the tears. "Yeah!", I smiled at her, and she kind of even smiled back. Maybe the day is not ruined quite yet. "Ugh, Rachel! Is that pepper in your cake?", my sister chocked.

          Rach seemed still confused, "Pep- pepper? What? No?" She ran over to the kitchen and opened a drawer. "This is cinnamon-" Monica jumped up, and Phoebe started laughing hilariously. "That is pepper, Rachel!", my sister yelled laughing. Joey who hadn't said anything for at least five minutes made a muffled noise. "Huh?" The four of us turned around. "It's great!" Joe had already eaten three slices of cake. Phoebe had to sit down, she held her stomach laughing. Even I giggled and wiped the last tear out of the corner of my eye. "Oh thanks, honey!", Rach hugged Joey from behind.

          "The refrigerator!", Phoebe giggled. Mon opened the door to find a ice cream cake. "What is this?", Rachel stopped hugging Joe abruptly. "Did you buy this in the case of-- this?" She pointed at her cake. Phoebe nodded a bit guilty. "Well, fortunately because I obviously messed this up!", she turned around to point at the cake in Joey's hand. "This is definitely better than mine!", Rach chuckled. They laughed in the kitchen, while I was sitting on the couch with Joe. "You think Chandler wants a piece?", I asked him silently. He smiled a bit sad, "You know, I don't know. I actually wanted to say that you might leave him alone for the next few days, but I am sure he will be glad seeing you. Or anyone who isn't Monica."

          I smiled a bit unsure. "You're a great friend, Joe. Just in case you didn't know yet!", I whispered. He lost the eye contact, and I could have sworn he blushed. "What about presents?", Phoebe rose her voice. Rachel had already jumped up and ran to her room. I had gotten up as well, Rach could always need help. "Everything alright?", I asked her while she looked for all the presents. She had turned around as soon as she had heard my voice. "Eve, are you alright? Everything that happened the last twenty minutes- I'm so sorry!" She obviously means Chandler.

          "It's fin-", I started but as soon as I started Rach already interrupted me. "No, no, it's not fine, okay? We're going to fix this, we're going to find a wa–" Her voice got all loud and highpitched. I laid my hand on her shoulder, "Rachel! Just because he doesn't love me, it doesn't mean that I stop liking him ...that sounded a lot more confident than I actually am." She rose her finger and wandered to my cheek, only then I noticed the tears. She hugged me tightly, "It's going to be alright. Honey, you are so sweet and pretty, let alone that you are understanding and kind. Evelyn, you are one of the wittiest and sincere persons I know. He'd be an idiot if the doesn't fall for you."

          I couldn't do anything but smile. "Thanks", was the only word that would leave my mouth. A enormously loud cough interrupted our moment. Pheebs glared at us through the crack of the door. "The presents!", Rachel jumped. She kneed down to the closet to get the three packages, one bag. "Here take these two!", Rach briefed me. "Here we go!", she sang as we left the room. We all sat down around the living room table. "I want to start with that one!", my sister pointed a widly packed package. "Oh that is mine. Open it, open it!", Phoebe yelled.

          She got her The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up, a book about, surprise, different types of cleaning. Next was Joe's, it was a huge Toblerone. "Aw, Joey, you know i love those!" Joe chuckled a bit guilty and murmured, "Yeah, and you know I love them more .." Afterwards I found out that half of the chocolate was already flavour-checked by Joey. Next Monica wanted to open mine. It was nothing special, but i didn't really had the head to think about a great present. Rachel made me think of it, her present fits mine. "Slipper Sweepers?", Monica sounded surprised.

❝WHAT THE HELL ARE SLIPPER SWEEPERS?❞,

          We all turned to the door. "Chandler?" Joey had already stood up. His eyes were fixed on his best friend. Nobody dared breathing too loud. Chandler handed Joey something when he walked over. I guess it is his gift for Monica. Didn't he tell me that he wanted to give it to her himself? I watched them whisper intently before Chandler spinned on his heel leaving us, or at least me, in confusion. Joe, who thought about following his friend for just a second, walked back to us slowly. On his face was a look of gloominess, he seemed a bit uncomfortable.

          Before he sat down again, he put the little white bag on the table to the rest of the presents. Monica seemed confused, "Why is he acting like that?" I exchanged a look with Joe. "He doesn't feel well ..", Phoebe tried to explain, not taking her eyes of Joey and me. "Open mine, open mine!", Rachel gave brighting the mood a shot. Surprisingly it worked and my sister started opening the package. "Are you kidding me? What are those? Glove Sweepers?" She chuckled. "And they're in the same colours as the slippers!"

          My sister hugged her laughing. "That's great everyone, thank you!" Joey coughed silently pointing at the white bag. "Oh, right–", she moved it closer to herself. I looked at Rachel, but she continued staring at the bag. Instead of her, Joe was looking for eye contact with me. "What is going on?", I mouthed at him. He shrugged slowly not to draw anyone's attention at him. "Chandler-", mouthed as silently as possible. Phoebe gave him a weird look.