lacuna ➳ tribbiani.

5.5

"The mental images", Alycia mutters while sitting back on one of the leather armchairs in the guys' living room.

"We'll try to be more careful, okay? We just don't want people to know because this is going very well", Monica smiles after looking up at Chandler. They really wanted Joey to understand. "And maybe the reason why things are going so well it's because this is a secret".

"And we're so bad at relationships", Chandler added as Monica grabbed his arm.

"Yeah, we are. Please help us".

Joey looks back at Alycia to know her opinion about the whole thing. She simply shrugged, not really helping. Finally, he sighed and decided to acept.

☀️

Joey and Alycia just got back from having lunch together when they accidentally walked in on Monica and Chandler about to have sex in the living room. They both stood by the door when they noticed Rachel with them, looking inside the apartment with a blank expression.

That's when Alycia noticed the video camera inside the room.

Rachel gives both a surprised look, but her expression shortly turns into disgust.

"Guys", she decided to speak. "Were you really going to make a film here in the living room?".

Chandler walks out of his bedroom just in time to hear that. "What is going on in here?".

"And with Chandler in the other room!", Rachel exclaimed. "I mean, I don't judge either of you but...al least have some respect for Chandler".

"Well, I'm Joey", he simply said. "I'm disgusting. I like to make adult films".

"Yeah, we are...disgusting", Alycia agreed.

Rachel walks out of the apartment shortly after hearing that answer, maybd not wanting to hear anything else. Joey turns to look at Chandler after their friend left the apartment.

"Okay, who would ever record themselves having sex in the living room of an apartment with the front door fucking unlocked?", Alycia asked, looking very upset.

Monica walked in the living room just as her friend was speaking. Joey turned to look at Chandler and Monica, clearly upset too for still covering up their relationship and having to come up with lies that would only make him look bad. And now they made Alycia look bad too.

"You guys promised to be more careful!".

"We're so sorry", Monica quickly said.

"I'm telling everybody", Joey insisted. "It's the only way to explain the underwear and the video camera that doesn't make me look like a pig!".

"No, there's gotta be a better explanation", Chandler tried. "You can say that you had to make an adult film for your...adult film class".

"Yeah...no", Alycia replied. "Look, Joey's right. It's been a lot, and you two haven't been careful at all".

"And that doesn't even explain why would Rachel find my underwear at your place".

"Well...I don't know", Chandler shrugged.

"Then get ready to get out of the non-gay closet!".

"Joey, please. We'll come up with something but just give us more time", Monica tried this time.

"Okay, but it better makes me look really good", he warned. "Oh, one more thing. The video camera? Nice!".

"Not gonna lie, it's actually a really good idea", Alycia agreed.

☀️

"Great. Joey stole my mug again", Rachel complained from the kitchen seconds before heading to the apartment across the hall. "Oh my God, that's Monica!", she screams.

Chandler, Phoebe, Ross, Monica and Alycia who were at the other apartment followed Rachel's scream. They entered the apartment, finding Joey with a picture on his hand and Rachel pointing at him with a very serious and upset expression.

"You get away from me you sick, sick, sicko!", Rachel exclaimed again.

"What's going on?", Ross asked.

"Joey has got a secret peephole".

"Oh, no, no, no!", Chandler says after noticing the picture on Joey's hand.

"Yes! He has a naked picture of Monica. He takes naked pictures of us, then he eats chicken, and then he looks at them!".

"That's my sister!", Ross covered up his eyes as Rachel is showing the picture to everyone around. "How could you do something like this?".

"I can't believe this", Alycia faked being surprised and hurt. It was actually a very bad acting, but the friends seemed to believe her.

"And how could you do something like this to her?!", Rachel kept shouting. "This is unbelieveable, Joey".

"Everybody just calm down, okay?", Phoebe says after Monica took the picture out of Rachel's hand. "Let's give a chance to our friend Joey to explain why he's such a big pervert!".

"I'm not a pervert, okay? It's just...I just kind of...".

"Okay, look...I think I can explain this", Chandler finally decided to say.

"About time", Alycia mutters only for Monica to hear.

"Joey's a sex addict".

"What? No, I'm not!".

"It's okay, it's good", Monica walks up to him. "It's a disease".

"I'm not a sex addcit!".

"Yes, you are! That's the only way to explain all this stuff", Monica kept insisting while looking at their four other friends.

"I'm not a sex addict, guys", Joey argued. "I believe it's time to tell the truth here".

"And what is the truth?", Ross said, looking as confused as Rachel and Phoebe.

"Well, Monica wanted to have sex with me", Joey replied.

Everyone stared at Joey in surprise, not even Monica, Chandler or Alycia expecting that kind of answer.

"My own friend", Alycia faked being surprised and hurt (in an awful way again) because everyone were looking at her, obviously expecting some kind of reaction.

"This is not very good for my rage", Ross replied before walking away to take the meds a psychiatrist gave him a few hours ago after he freaked out over an accident at work. Something about people stealing his sandwich. Alycia really didn't listen when the friends were talking about it.

"Monica, it this the truth?".

"Of course. How else would you explaing all this stuff that's been going on?", Joey was the one to answer Rachel's question.

"But how come we found your underwear the other day?".

"I...I stole it", Monica continued Joey's lie.

"My god, Monica", Ross replied.

"Are you sure you're not a sex addict, Joey?", Chandler tried.

"No, and if anyone's a sex addict here, it's Monica", he insisted. "She has been trying to get me to have sex with her all this time".

"That's why she gave you a naked picture", Phoebe added.

"And the video camera?", Rachel asks. "Weren't you and Al...?".

"Oh, no. That was us", Joey nodded.

"You really stole Joey's underwear?", Ross insisted, still not believing the stuff he was hearing. "Why would you do that?".

"I'm Monica. I'm disgusting. I stalk my friend's boyfriend and steal their underpants", she replied.

"But I forgive you, Mon", Alycia sighed, wrapping her arms around her friend. "It's not your fault to be a sex addict. It's a disease".

"Yeah, I forgive you too, Mon", Joey also said.