More Than Friends
Summary: Joey's reaction to Alex's love confession. Joey/Alex.
Spoilers: Up to last Thursday's episode (10/13/05).
Disclaimer: I obviously don't own anything that's familiar. If I did, I wouldn't have as much time on my hands…
"I love you, too, but why don't we get you to bed?" I tell Alex Garrett. Of course, she's drunk. I can smell it on her breath. I ease her to a lying down position and grab a small pillow for her head. I look at her than place a small kiss on her forehead.
She really looks adorable when she's asleep. I didn't get a good look at this Alex when we slept together. I looked at something else then. Oh, it was something. Damn, there's too many girls here. I miss Chandler.
Wait a minute. Alex has food in her hands. Now we can't have that going to waste. It's not going to be warm when she wakes up. I'm really eating it for her benefit. I reach down to grab it, but her hand shoots out and grabs my wrist.
"Back off, or I'll kill you," she warns.
Ok, she's been around Gina too long. But she's a lawyer. A lawyer who is mad at me. A lawyer who is in love with me. Did she mean that, or was it just the liquor talking?
No, let's think about this. She has been acting weird around me since we slept together. I know it's not because of my performance because I was awesome. Maybe she was blown away by my sheer awesome-ness.
Maybe not. Well, obviously she was, but there must be something else to it. Back to the thinking part. She did keep saying that she was mad at me and that we needed to talk. Was this really the reason?
Michael interrupts my thoughts by poking his head into the room cautiously. "Is it safe?" he whispers.
"What safe?" I ask. What is Michael talking about? Gina's not here. I say that's as safe as it can get around here.
"Crazy food-wasting psycho-chick," Michael responds. His head ventures an inch further. He looks solely at my Alex. Why is he doing that? She's my Alex! I don't want his chicken legs all over my Alex.
"It's ok," Michael continues. "She's sedated." He quickly turns to me. "How did you do it? You have to let me know. Let me grow from your wisdom."
"Why?" I whisper as I move in closer to Alex. My hand is going to her back. Interesting. Ooh, her shirt is soft. I like soft.
Michael quickly holds his finger up in front of his lips. "Shh," he commands. "She's asleep, so I'm finally going to eat my breakfast." He grabs the entire box of cereal and rushes outside. That boy is so weird.
I roll my eyes at him, but I do not think about that little scene for long. As long as he's out of the apartment, I can think things straight. There's that thinking thing again. Who am I now, Ross? No, no Joey. Think about Alex.
Do I love Alex? I think I might. She certainly is hot enough. We have a great relationship already. Would it be awkward to develop that further? Woah, too many questions all coming at once. I may be all for this thinking idea, but this is too much to think about at the same time.
I look back at my Alex. Her eyes are closed, and her mouth is slightly open. Sweet, innocent Alex.
I want to kiss her again. I want my lips to brush against the smooth skin of her face. I want someone to see me kiss her. Well, no one's here, but I can still kiss her. I place another kiss on her forehead. "Sweet dreams," I whisper.
Painful headache. That's the first thing I notice as my eyes flutter open. The first thing to catch my sight is a coffee table. Wait. I'm not in my bed. I'm not even in my apartment, and I'm not at my desk bored to tears.
Shit. I know this apartment. I'm at Joey's. What I don't remember is how I got here. The last thing I remember is being introduced to Bobbie's friend Jack. I miss Jack. Jack was good to me.
I slowly begin to sit up. Joey's head quickly appears from the stairs. I notice noise coming from somewhere. I rub my eyes gently.
"Sorry," Joey apologizes as the noise stops. "Did the TV wake you?"
I shake my head. "No…No."
"Good," he says. He rushes down the stairs and over the couch where I am. His arm wraps around my waist. "Can we talk?"
"Sure," I begin uneasily. I must still be confused. Damn that friend Jack. "W-what about?"
"About what you said," Joey answers. "I think it's talk-worthy."
He lost me. I understand his words, but they do not make any sense. What could I possibly have to say to Joey that would be worthy of another conversation? I cannot think of anything. Unless…No! I didn't. I didn't admit my feelings to him, did I? Oh, this cannot be good. I can feel my face burning with embarrassment.
"Are you ok?" Joey asks as he eyes me suspiciously. "Did you have too much to drink? Feeling sick?"
"Oh, definitely, but not for the reasons you might be thinking," I admit. Why is this so hard? It was supposed to be simple. I had a good life before Joey moved in. I had a husband, and I loved him more than anything. Than Joey showed up.
"Hey," Joey says soothingly. He pulls me in closer to him. His chest is warm. Warm and manly. I allow my head to rest against his shoulder. "Alex, what's this all about?" he asks.
He's onto me. I might as well admit what's going on. Oh god, what if things get awkward between us? I feel my palms getting sweaty again.
"Ok, why don't I tell you how I see it?" Joey asks.
That would be so much better. I nod and look up at him.
"We slept together," Joey begins. "We were phenomenal together, and now we're thinking back on that. You noticed something in me that night, but you don't know what it is. You tried avoiding me and being mad at me, but that didn't make the feelings stop. Finally, you get all drunk and it's clear. You come over here to tell me that you love me, and right after, you pass out on my couch."
Not exactly, but he's not done yet. I can let him continue.
"While you were asleep, I did some thinking of my own. Thinking about us," he continues. "There's something I realized. Now be careful, since the last time I said this, it didn't work out so well. I'm taking the risk anyway." He draws in a deep breath. "I love you, Alex."
"Y-you're serious?" I ask.
Joey nods. "You're not some random girl I picked up from the movie set. You're Alex. We were friends, and now we can be more. Back in New York, someone told me that the best romances started as friendships. We have that, Alex."
A smile creeps onto my face. "Then I love you, Joey Tribbiani," I declare. I hug him tightly.
"Alex, I think a kiss would be more appropriate for this scenario," Joey points out. He picks up my head and moves in closer. Our lips lock. I'm in heaven.