GOOD LUCK BABE, Kathy

My alarm went off at 2:25 in the morning. Odd hour to wake up you might think, and I would usually agree but they were showing an Ernie Kovacs movie on TV and I really wanted to see it. I put on an oversized shirt that I had stolen from my brother months ago. We used to watch these movies together growing up... Even now as adults, we would wake up in the middle of the night to watch one but that changed when he moved in with Monica. I didn't blame him at all, if I was sleeping in the arms of a woman I loved, I wouldn't want to wake up either. I stepped out of my bedroom and stopped in my tracks when I saw Kathy sitting on the only chair Joey and I owned, holding the remote.

"Hi" I said with a hint of surprised and hesitation.

"Oh, hi!" she seemed as surprised as me. Well, except it was normal for me to not expect to see anyone in my living room in the middle of the night.

"That's funny, I didn't think I'd have to fight over the remote at 2:30 in the morning..." I murmured as I took a few steps towards her, turning around to look at the TV.

"Sorry, there's just this Ernie Kovacs thing I really want to watch" she apologized, the corner of her lips curling into the prettiest smile.

"Wait, seriously? That's exactly why I got up" I chuckled. Although I knew nothing about her, she didn't strike me as the type of person who would watch these movies. I mean, Chandler and I watch them... That speaks volumes.

"You're kidding? I love him" she whisper-yelled, aware of the fact the Joey was still sleeping. I doubt anything could wake him up, but I decided to match her lower tone just in case.

"Me too, Chandler and I grew up watching his stuff, his awesome" I didn't realize I was using my fangirl voice until Kathy started laughing lightly. I couldn't control it, whenever I was talking about something I like, I would sound like a stupid obsessed teenager. "Hey, I'm sorry about earlier" I said regaining a light yet serious tone. "I didn't mean to... stare" I apologised, suddenly feeling really stupid for bringing it up. If she hadn't noticed then, she certainly knew now...

"Oh, please" she shrugged with the same intense smile, a chuckle slipping past her lips as she did so.

"So, Joey told us he met you in acting class?" I tried to start a conversation. I didn't want to make things awkward now that I had admitted I was staring.

"Yeah, we were teamed up together and for some reason all the scenes he picked involved us making out" she laughed, looking down at her feet.

"Well, at least I don't have to watch him practice with my brother anymore" I scoffed, causing her laugh to grow louder. I didn't realize I was standing in front of the TV until her hand tightly gripped on my hip, gently pushing me out of the way. The short contact was electrifying, I literally froze for a second before I gathered my thoughts and focused back on the TV. I thought the movie had started but she was just getting excited about the Wonder Broom commercial. I went to the kitchen area and reached out for the one Chandler had left here when he moved out. When I proudly showed it to her, her eyes widened with excitement.

"Oh, my God!" she let out as she looked at the object. I must admit, it was pretty cool, not that Joey ever used it...

"Wait, it's starting" I dropped the broom and jumped into the small boat, sitting in the front. The things I would do to own a comfortable couch... Moving in with Joey was financially more comfortable than living alone, but I did miss actual furniture and a clean apartment. Kathy crossed her legs, resting her ankles on the side of the boat. Her skin was shiny, it looked extremely smooth. Not willing to be the weird person again, I brought my attention back to the TV. We sat through the movie in a comfortable silence that one of us would break from time to time to make a small comment or laugh at a joke. When the screen turned black, we both went back to bed.

I spent most of the day going through newspapers and applying for jobs. It definitely wasn't my favourite thing to do but I really needed a second job. If I wanted to work on my own one day, I really needed to start putting money on the side. When I glanced over at the clock, I noticed it was way past the time the whole group would usually meet up at the coffee shop. I decided to go anyway. After that day, I could definitely use some fresh air and warm coffee. I stepped into the shop just as Kathy and Joey were leaving.

"Hi" Kathy said, shooting me a large smile. "Did you manage to get some sleep?" she asked, sucking in her bottom lip.

"Barely, but it was definitely worth it" I chuckled, feeling blood rush to my cheeks as she walked right past me, her arm brushing against my side.

"Come on, the animal shop is going to close" Joey whined, pushing her out the door. Most of the time, his childish side added to his charm. But sometimes, despite how much I loved him, I really hated how childish he could be. The others got suspiciously quiet when I sat down on the edge of the couch.

"Who are you gossiping about?" I whispered, leaning closer to Rachel. Monica glanced towards the door before answering.

"Kathy"

"Well, she's nice, right?" I raised a questioning eyebrow. As much as I appreciated these idiots, they could be a bit judgmental, especially when it came to boyfriend and girlfriends. There was something about letting people into the group that wasn't always easy for them.

"Yeah, she is. I like her" Monica said, quickly followed by Rachel who agreed.

"She's so cool and pretty" I sighed.

"Yeah, she is" Rachel agreed.

"She's also really smart, and surprisingly funny. You know, we were watching this movie last night and- what?" I stopped as I realized they had all stopped chatting and were looking at me with concern.

"You watched Ernie Kovacs with her?" Chandler asked. I hesitantly nodded, the stressful amount of eyes on me making it hard to speak.

"Someone has crush" Monica giggled.

"No, I don't. She's just a nice person, I guess. She's not even that pretty if you look up closely" I lied.

"Charlie loves Kathy" Phoebe chanted.

"Charlie and Kathy, sitting in a small boat" Ross continued, making the others burst into laughter. They all started making kissing sounds while Monica turned her back at us and imitated someone making out.

"Seriously? How old are you?" I sighed, leaning back into the couch. "Just because I think she's pretty and smart and funny, doesn't mean I like her" I shrugged. But as the words left my mouth I knew how bad it sounded.

"It totally means you like her" Chandler mocked me. Once they all got that idea into their heads, there was no turning back. I couldn't possibly tell them otherwise since, as much as I wished I didn't feel that way, I did like her. I barely knew anything about her but I liked the little I did know. I liked the way her brown hair turned slightly auburn under the light, and the smell of her shampoo hanging in the air of our tiny living room, her features, her voice... I was smitten.