Roxie Bing | she's the one

(1.12) The One With The Dozen Lasagnas

My brother, Joey and I walked into our apartment after leaving Monica's.
Joey threw the apartment keys onto the table and the three of us watched as it collapsed.
"Need a new table." Joey acknowledged, calmly.
"You think?" My brother responded sarcastically.

After a while, Chandler and Joey were sat close to each other on our beaten down chairs with their knees touching in order to create a makeshift plate for the lasagna Monica had sent us home with.
"So because it was my table, I have to buy a new one?" Chandler questioned, defensively.
"That's the rule." Joey nodded.
"There's no rule. If anything, you owe me a table!"
"How'd you get there?" Joey asked him.
"Well, I believe this table was fine until your little breakfast adventure with Angela Delvecchio."
I hopped down from my spot on the side and headed to get ice cream out the freezer.
"Wait, what? I eat at that table. I don't want to hear about the sex shenanigans Joey has had on it. Gross." I whined as I grabbed a spoon.
Joey smirked and then turned back to Chandler. "Okay, how about if we split it?"
"Like buy it together?" My brother frowned. "Do you think we're ready for something like that?"

I grabbed my ice cream and my spoon off the side and headed to my sofa bed and put my headphones on, ignoring the ridiculous conversation the two boys were having.

***

The group were sat in Central Perk and Rachel was sharing her opinions on the fact that Ross didn't want to find out the gender of the baby.
"I mean, I couldn't not know. If the doctor knows, and Carol knows, and Susan knows..."
"And Monica knows." Monica piped up.
"How could you know? I don't even know." Ross questioned her.
"Carol called to thank me for the lasagna. I asked, she told me."
Joey jumped up. "So what's it going to be?"
Monica whispered in his ear and I jumped up too. "Tell me!"
Joey leaned closer to me and put his hands firmly around the sides of my neck and pulled me in as he whispered "a boy".
We both squealed with excitement while Ross stood angrily.

Phoebe walked in the coffee house and looked visibly distressed.
"Hey, what's the matter?" I asked her.
"Nothing, I'm fine. I'm sorry, I'm out of sorts."
Rachel skipped off to see to a customer and Joey stood up. "Chandler, that table place closes at seven. Rox, you coming?"
"Sure." I agreed, grabbing my coat and standing.

"Phoebe, what is it?" Monica asked Phoebe again as Chandler, Joey and I walked towards the door.
"Paolo made a move on me." She admitted.
Immediately, the three of us that had intended to leave stopped in our tracks and swiftly spun around.
"Store will be open tomorrow!" Joey said as we went and sat back down, eager to hear the story.

***

"What about the birds?" Chandler suggested his hundredth suggestion as the three of us looked at tables.
"Birds just don't say 'sit here, eat something'." Joey whinged.
"Whatever." Chandler sighed as he walked off in the other direction, clearly bored of the circuit we'd made of this store that we'd been in for over an hour.

"I'm thinking the ladybugs." Joey smiled.
I groaned. "That's hideous, Joey."
"What? It's nice!" Joey defended.
"The birds are better."
Chandler walked back over as Joey stood up, defensively. "You shouldn't get a say, you won't be living with us much longer."
"What?" I snapped. "Do you have a problem with me living with you?"
"No, I just -"
"Do you want me to move out? Is that it?"
"No, I -"
"Then why don't I get a say in the table?" I shouted, causing a few other customers to turn around.
"I'm just saying, you sleep on our couch. You don't even have a bed! You're going to want your own place soon, right?"
Chandler stepped in before I could talk. "Quiet down, kids. We can't go anywhere without you two bickering like an old married couple at the minute." He rolled his eyes.

***

Chandler, Joey, Ross and Monica stood staring at the new table we'd got as I sat on the side.
"What do you think?" Chandler asked.
"I think it's the most beautiful table I've ever seen." Ross gushed.
"So, how's it going to work? Are you going to balance the plates on these little heads?" Monica asked, stroking the foosball table.
"Who cares?" Joey scoffed. "We'll eat at the sink!"
"Roxie cares." I whined as the four of them started a game on the table that I thought was a terrible idea.

***

We'd been sat watching Rachel break up with Paolo for ten minutes and she'd just finished throwing every item of his clothing off the balcony.
"Here he comes." Monica announced, causing us to scatter from our spot on the sofa and pretend we'd been busy.

"I, uh - am to say goodbye." Paolo spoke in his thick Italian accent.
"Paolo." Monica stopped in his tracks. "I really hate you for what you did to Rachel, but I still have five of these so heat it at three-seventy-five until the cheese bubbles." Monica handed him one of the dozen lasagnas she'd made.

***

I was sat on the sofa bed later that evening watching a foreign TV show.
"Hey." Joey smiled.
"Hey." I greeted him.
He grabbed the ice cream tub and two spoons and came and sat beside me on the couch. "Hey, I hope you know you completely misunderstood what I said at the furniture shop. I literally love having you living here, and I'll dread the day you do go."
I smiled. "Thank you, Joe. I love being here too. But you were right. I'm sleeping on a sofa bed, it's probably time for me to find my own place soon." I told him.
"Oh... okay." He said, sounding admittedly disappointed.

Next chapter on Friday!