Roxie Bing | she's the one

(1.10) The One With The Monkey (Part 2)

The New Years party was in full swing and I was in a place I really didn't want to be.
Having a conversation with my brother and Janice.

My brother watched me wince as I listened to her intolerable laugh.
"So, Rox. This is Janice." He said, with an equally winced expression.
"Great." I muttered sarcastically. "I need to go and be... somewhere." I excused before scuttling off as fast as possible.

I opened the door when there was a knock and revealed George on the other side.
He wore a checked shirt with unmatched pants and a tight bow tie. His hair was awkwardly gelled and he looked uncomfortable before he even spoke.
"Hey, George." I smiled.
"Uh... hi, Roxie."
"Come in."

I ushered George into the party and as I was about to ask him if he wanted anything to drink, Joey appeared with a harsh expression on his face.
"You must be George. I'm just here to warn you, this is my roommate and my best friends sister, and if you hurt her -"
I looked as George's face turned a mixture of pale and blushed and he looked incredibly uncomfortable and slightly terrified.
"Joey!" I scolded. "Leave!" I shoved him away.
Joey glared at George as he walked away.
"I'm really sorry. He's just being an idiot." I apologised.
"Uh, he seems... nice." George stammered.

The door went again not long after. "I'll get it." I called.
I opened the door to reveal a pretty woman with curly hair.
"Hi, I'm Sandy." She smiled.
Before I could ask who she was here for, Joey rushed over to stand beside me. "Sandy! Come on in!" He invited her in, only for her to be unexpectedly tailed by two young children.
"You brought your kids?" Joey asked with a fake smile plastered to his face.
"Yeah! That's okay, right?"
Joey awkwardly nodded.
I waited until Sandy and her children had walked off before speaking. "Wow. That's a score for New Years." I said, sarcastically.
Joey scoffed. "I bet it's more of a score than your nerdy boy over there. He's probably still a virgin." Joey remarked and I shoved him in the ribs.

"When we met in the photography class, I didn't think I'd have a chance. I mean, you're clearly much hotter than me. I'm not your type, am I?" George lacked confidence and stuttered as he spoke. I felt uncomfortable in his company.
"Oh, you're fine." I tried to assure him, before swiftly changing the subject. "What are you drinking?"
"Uh... just orange juice. Fizzy drinks give me gas." He grinned.
I frowned and tried my best not to cringe. "Come on. Have a drink."
"I don't really drink. Or party." He shrugged.
"Come on. It's New Years. Just have a beer. If you don't like it, you don't have to have another one." I tried to convince him.
"Okay." He agreed.

I left George drinking his beer when Rachel arrived. She had a bust lip and dirt on her face and clothes.
"Rachel! Are you okay?" I rushed over.
Rachel explained to us that Paolo had missed his flight and then she'd got into an altercation with another woman when she was attempting to get a taxi.
"She sounds like a bitch." I assured her before Monica and Phoebe led her to her room to try and make her look presentable.

I was pouring a vodka and cranberry juice for myself when Joey came and stood beside me, cracking open a beer.
"How's it going with Sandy?" I asked him.
"Good." He said confidently.
I chuckled under my breath. "Yeah, right. Not that I haven't seen you touch her once yet because she's got her kids watching you." I mocked.
Joey scowled. "Oh, right. Well, it's better than you and George."
"Hey, it's going fine with me and George." I defended myself. I knew I was lying but I wasn't willing to lose face with Joey.
"Oh, please." He scoffed. "I've never seen you look so bored as whenever that nerd speaks."
I rolled my eyes.

***

Everyone was huddled around the sofa listening to 'Fun' Bobby share the stories of his grandfather who'd recently died. It was clear he was grieving, but it was - evidently by her face - not Monica's ideal New Year's date.

I - however - was on the other side of the room with Chandler and Janice. I was snapping photographs of them as per Janice's request and enjoying watching my brother suffer through her intolerable and dependent personality.
"I'm going to blow this one up and I'm going to get 'reunited' in glitter." She smiled as she draped over my brother. I couldn't stifle my laugh.
"All right, Janice! That's it!" My brother shouted. "Hey Janice, when I invited you to this party, I didn't necessarily think it meant -"
My brother was cut off by Janice.
"Oh... no!" She fanned herself with tears in her eyes.
I made sure I continued to snap photographs to torment my brother with later.
"You listen to me, Chandler!" She ordered as she poked him in the chest. "One of these times, it's going to be your last chance with me." She whined before running off towards the door of the apartment.
I snapped once more photograph of my brothers defeated looking expression before he snatched the camera off me. "Give me that."

We'd moved over to the kitchen when Joey came over. "Have you seen Sandy?" He asked.
"I don't know how to tell you this, but she's in Monica's bedroom getting it on with Max the scientist geek." Chandler shrugged.
"And hang on. Where's George?" I asked.
Chandler replied again. "Maybe you shouldn't have convinced him to drink, Rox." My brother pointed over to a passed out George on the window seat.
I gasped. "Oh my God! How much did he have?"
"Three beers." Chandler replied.
"What? How on earth is he that drunk after three beers?" I questioned.
I heard Joey laughing beside me as he pointed at him and I shoved him.

Phoebe came out of the bedroom and headed towards the rest of us in the kitchen looking upset.
"So, it looks like that no date pact happened after all." I shrugged.
Paolo hadn't made it to Rachel, Chandler had broken Janice's heart, Ross had never managed to score a date in the first place, Monica's date was depressed, Phoebe had to let David go as he decided to go to Minsk, Joey's date had found someone else to get it on with and George was passed out.
"Well, surely there's enough people in our little group so that we can all have a New Years kiss." Joey suggested.
Everyone made their relevant excuses. Drained, given up, too upset or in Rachel's case, literally unable due to a bust lip.
Except me.

"It looks like it's just us two then, Rox." Joey smiled.
"It looks like it is."
Joey leaned in and pecked me on the lips while the rest of the group clapped.
We pulled away and stared at each other for what felt like longer than normal.
The kiss was short and brief, but it felt exciting to me.
"Now come on, Rox." Joey said, grabbing my hand. "Let's get as drunk as George."

***

It was around two o'clock in the morning.
Everyone had left the party. George had had to be put into a taxi by my brother.
Now it was only Chandler, Monica, Joey and I remaining in Monica's apartment.

"One, two, three, go." Joey slurred as he counted.
He stood in a position ready to catch me for the Dirty Dancing lift.
I laughed as I ran towards him but fell into him instead.
He toppled backwards but regained his balance and managed to catch me as well, as we both continued to laugh.

Chandler spoke up from where he was helping Monica tidy away all of the empty bottles and glasses. "Right, drunk kids. Go home. I'm just helping Mon finish up here and I'll be back over." Chandler ushered the laughing pair of us out of the door.

"That was a good night." Joey grinned as we both collapsed onto the sofa in our own apartment.
"Yeah, it was." I grinned back.
"I'm kind of glad my date found someone else." Joey said.
"Why?"
"Because I got to kiss you."
I felt my cheeks go red at his answer and I giggled. "I'm glad too actually."
Joey leaned in a bit closer to me. "It wasn't really a proper kiss though, was it?"
He was right. It hadn't been. It was just a peck and I knew what he meant. "You're right. Maybe it wasn't enough." I mused.

We both quickly looked from each other's lips to each other's eyes and began to lean in.
But we immediately jumped away from each other when we were startled by the sound of the door opening.

"Okay, I'd ask for help, but I probably don't want it from either of you two drunk idiots." My brother started as he backed into the apartment carrying armfuls of leftover food. "What are you two doing?"

Joey and I looked at each other with equally startled expressions before both stuttering.
"Uh... just going to bed."
"Yeah. Bed. Very tired." Joey added.
Joey rushed and closed his bedroom door behind me as I pulled out the sofa bed and immediately lay down while Chandler looked on confused.

A/N: ahhhhh. I love them. This was fun to write.
What's everyone thinking?

Next chapter on Monday.