You know everyone in Rachel's friend group, but you know her the most. You are the friend of 8 years that she always manages to bring up in a conversation with Joey. "She's really pretty, you should get to know her sometime. And she always wears the prettiest outfits during autumn." But the thing is, she had told about what kind of person he was; a womanizer, a player, even. You weren't that keen the first few times she mentioned him. But it was always Rachel's thing, the matchmaker role, she was good at it as well. Two men, you had met in the last month thanks to her, they were both jerks though. On a different level to how Joey sounded. They were disrespectful, arrogant bastards who treated you like a toy. After that you refused to go out with another man, but Rachel was being persistent, so you decided to get it over with and visited her and Monica's apartment, where everyone hung out, including Joey.

You were at her shared apartment, hanging out with everyone. Chandler was in the bathroom, and Phoebe was in the kitchen, making herself a cup of herbal tea. It was just you, Ross, Joey, Monica and Rachel, all spread across the living room sofas. You hadn't that much time to style your hair in the morning, because you fell back asleep and woke up at 9am instead of 7am, so your hair was just in a loose, messy ponytail. The eyeliner on your waterlines wore away slightly every time you blinked. You weren't listening to the conversation around you at all, but you nodded along whenever you heard your name.

You didn't see it, but Joey was looking, gazing, at you. His features were soft, eyebrows arched in a worried manner, eyes wide and puppy-like. He looked ready to... yearn... for you. He fawned over the way your long baby hairs fell from your ponytail and curved to frame your face, at the way your cheek rested in the palm of your hand, the way your glasses fell down your nose and you had to keep pushing them up. Everything about you was almost... new to him. He'd never been this whipped for someone like you. A quiet, gorgeous nerd, prettier than Rachel (to him). He was internally losing it.

Rachel: "What do you say, Ruby? You and Joey, on a date at Central Perk in the evening."

Joey perked up at the idea, immediately speaking up.

Joey: "I think we should do it, you can wear one of those cute outfits Rach' is always telling me about."

You agreed.

You shouldn't have, though. If you had known you'd wind up in his apartment, both of you in his living room at three in morning, you wouldn't have agreed. And that's because he's cute, but boy is he desperate. You love a man who yearns, but not when he calls you into the living room in the middle of the night to a date at his foosball table. That's when it gets disconcerting.

You: "Look, Joe, this is wonderful, and so, very considerate of you, but I've never really been the kind of girl who likes dates at game tables. Especially at 3am."

Then, the unexpected happened. He, Joey, the womanizer, man who's been with his share of women, sighed, and got down on his knees, for you. He looked up at you, puppy eyes on his faced, eyebrows arched in that same way and spoke, voice shaky and pleading.

Joey: "Look, I know it's early or late or whatever, but i really like you. We can bail on this... whatever it is and get some sleep, but please, please don't disappear before i wake up in the morning. I'll do whatever you like. Just please, don't leave, {{user}}."