The Intervention [for Asher and Stephen]
“Sweetie, could you get me a coffee?” Rachel fluttered pretty eyelashes at her boyfriend over the back of the couch, smoothing out her apron with her fingers.
Asher stopped short of rolling his eyes as he passed a muffin to Joey and had to go all the way back to the counter for another coffee. Wasn’t like Rachel worked there, was it?
“So, anyway, I was in there doing my thing,” Phoebe bobbed her head, plucked imaginary strings, “and the guy says…” There was a dramatic pause before she burst into giggles. “He says…” More laughter.
Asher came back with a steaming cup and dropped back into his seat, his arm automatically resting along the back of the couch. Rachel took at and left a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.”
He waved it away, attention caught by Phoebe’s behaviour. “What’s she..?”
Stephen leant towards him from the table he was at, lowering his voice conspiringly. “She was in there, doing her thing, and the guy says.”
Asher waited. “Yeah…?”
Stephen lifted his shoulders, held out his arms. “That’s it!” He almost looked as amused as Phoebe.
“What a riveting story,” Asher drawled.
“Oh, shh,” Monica reached over and slapped him on the leg, forcing Rachel to pull her drink out the way before she could spill it.
“Hot coffee, hot coffee!” She wailed.
“And he says!” Phoebe wheezed, delicate hand covering her mouth as her laughter continued.
“I’m sorry, I’m mute!” Stephen finished for her, laughing at his own joke. Monica gave him a look; Asher shook his head a little. “What? So I’m a little off today. I lost my nubbin, I’m still grieving, leave me alone you mean, mean people!”
“And he said...” Monica prompted, rubbing a comforting hand on Phoebe’s back to calm her down.
“And he says…” Another dramatic pause. “Your audition isn’t until 2 o’clock, please come back later.”
Joey’s laughter joined in with hers, raucous and unrestrained. The other four sat back with bafflement on their faces.
“Mine was better,” Stephen grumbled quietly. “Even with only two nipples.”
It took a long while for Joey to stop laughing, eyes nearly streaming. He got it, he understood. Once he’d caught his breath, he sat back, looked at his friends each in turn. They were lost in new conversation now and a smile came to his face.
Everyone was happy; everything was right with the world.
*****
Joey woke slowly, content smile still gracing his features. Lisa was tucked under his arm and he rubbed her tummy as he rolled over. Bleary eyes settled on Stephen and his smile widened, remembering the dream, before reality settled back in. And then sadness. And frustration. And finally, resolution, determination.
This had gone on long enough.
Joey made his plans over breakfast, ate an extra big helping because he was doing so much thinking and he’d need the energy later. He left a note on Stephen’s bed:
Dude, you got a fan! She wants to meet you at 3, in that room by the cops. Wants privacy. Might have hots for you. Wear something nice.
Joey
Catching the dogs hadn’t been that hard. They knew him by now and all he really had to do -- God forgive him -- was wave Yasmine around in front of Onyx and he followed. Chloe followed after her husband and he had them in the holding room within ten minutes.
Asher was a bit trickier. He waited until he saw him in the rec room, walked up excitedly, chick in one hand, Lisa in the other. He told him about a birthday cake he’d been slaving over for him, a birthday cake with jam in it, the jam he’d made Asher. He was loud; people stared. Making a fuss was the only thing Joey could think of to do, though.
It was five to three.
“Asher, come onnn, I wanna show you!” Yasmine chirped from his hand, agreeing with her daddy. “People might be eatin’ it already, you gotta come see!”
[Tagging order Asher, Stephen, Joey!]