Old Friends Bar.
"Dr. Duncan!"
"Dr. Duncan!"
"Dr. Duncan!"
As soon as Adam stepped inside, everyone who saw him greeted him warmly. 😊
This morning's explosion incident was, of course, the hot topic of gossip.
If it weren't for Adam, the consequences could've been disastrous. Thanks to the little nurses—his loyal fans—who analyzed everything step-by-step, the story had spread like wildfire.
Naturally, his colleagues at the medical center, still shaken up, were extra friendly toward him. Totally understandable!
"Let's raise a glass to Dr. Duncan!"
"To Dr. Duncan!"
Someone started the cheer, and the crowd eagerly joined in.
"To good drinks and good times, everyone!"
Adam wasn't about to say no. He clinked glasses with them, took a sip, said a quick word, and headed over to his friends' spot.
There were two tables:
Chandler, Monica, Rachel, Ross, Phoebe, and Joey were at one, joined by an extra—Ant-Man.
Emmm.
This was Phoebe's new boyfriend. He looked a lot like the guy from the Ant-Man movie, just a younger, greener version.
At the other table sat Matthew, Lily, Ted, Barney, and Robin, plus a teenage girl.
She seemed to be Ted's little sister.
Then there was Cristina's crew, who Adam had seated at a separate table on the other side.
Three tables, three main friend groups in Adam's New York life.
After some awkward past gatherings where everyone was crammed together, Adam had wisely spread them out across different corners this time—no chaos, no embarrassment.
Cristina's group hung out together every day anyway, so after setting them up, Adam didn't linger. He headed straight for Chandler and Monica's table.
"Chandler, hang out for a bit, then take Monica home," Adam said. "The first three months of pregnancy are super important, you know."
"I know," Chandler nodded.
"Don't worry," Monica chimed in with a grin. "I'm not that fragile. Besides, you have no idea how obsessed Chandler is with this kid already. Now that he's the boss, he's ordering me around all the time!"
"And do you actually listen?" Adam teased, cutting right to the chase.
"Of course I do!" Monica exclaimed. "Ask Chandler if you don't believe me!"
"When we agree, she listens to me," Chandler deadpanned. "When we don't, I listen to her."
"Hahaha!"
The whole table burst into laughter. 😂
"Phoebe, who's this?" Adam asked, nodding toward the young Ant-Man sitting next to her.
"This is my boyfriend, Mike!" Phoebe beamed, introducing them. "Mike, this is Adam, the one I've been telling you about."
"Hey."
"Hey."
Adam and Mike exchanged a quick greeting. "Mike, you into Marvel comics?" Adam asked with a smile.
"Uh…" Mike paused. "I've seen a little."
"You should check them out," Adam said. "There's this superhero called Ant-Man who controls tons of ants, flies around, digs underground, saves humanity—the works. Phoebe once said that decades from now, ants will rule the Earth. Maybe you could be that Ant-Man!"
"Wow!" Phoebe clapped dramatically, as always. "Great idea! Mike, next Halloween, let's do it—you be superhero Ant-Man, and I'll be your flying ant sidekick!"
"…"
Adam's lip twitched.
Really, Phoebe?
Does she even know how Ant-Man controls the ants?
Classic Phoebe, showing off her love life in front of everyone. 😏
"Sounds good," Mike said, gazing at his gorgeous, quirky older girlfriend with pure adoration. "I'll check out Ant-Man's story. Next year, our Halloween combo's gonna crush everyone!"
"Yeah!" Phoebe cheered, laughing her head off.
Adam exchanged a look with Monica and the others. They could all see it—relief and happiness in each other's eyes.
Phoebe, the wildest, weirdest, and most troubled of the group, might've finally found her happy ending.
No one knew Mike's exact age, and it'd be rude to ask who was older between him and Phoebe. But Adam had a hunch it was Phoebe.
A handsome rich-kid boyfriend who doted on her endlessly? That's the dream ending so many single women fantasize about!
From now on, when Phoebe tried pulling her old sob stories for sympathy, Adam and the gang could finally tease her without holding back—no more worrying about hurting her feelings.
Emmm.
Her routine used to be equal parts annoying and heartbreaking.
Take Rachel's baby shower, for example.
Monica and Phoebe were in charge, with Phoebe handling the guest list.
But she forgot to invite Rachel's mom—the most important person!
When Rachel flipped out, Phoebe just whimpered, "I don't have a mom, so I forget sometimes…"
Stuff like that happened a lot.
Adam and the others got it—Phoebe craved attention, and this was her way of getting it.
But after a while, it got old.
Now, though? Things were different.
Next time Phoebe tried that line, she'd get hit with a "Oh, come on," "Give it a rest," or "Save it"—no mercy!
If she got upset, no biggie—she could cry it out in the arms of her superhero Ant-Man boyfriend.
Worst case, she'd drag Mike into some villain arc, plotting to take over the world with him.
Hey, when people have a purpose and direction, they stop overthinking random nonsense, right?
"So, who's watching Emma?" Adam asked, turning to Rachel.
"My mom," Rachel replied, lounging back comfortably.
It'd been over a month since she gave birth to Emma.
She'd thought labor was the hardest part, but nope—taking care of a baby was just as brutal.
It felt like Emma's crying was always echoing in her ears.
No wonder so many new moms get postpartum depression!
Rachel had figured she'd try parenting solo for a bit, but that plan crumbled in days.
Thank goodness for her mom.
Moms really are the best. ❤️
Emmm.
Mrs. Green had hired a top-notch nanny for her.
Here's how it usually went:
"I miss Emma! Bring her over for a cuddle," Mrs. Green would say, all dolled up and elegant, clapping her hands.
The nanny would deliver a clean, happy Emma for some grandma bonding time—pure joy.
Once Mrs. Green had her fill, or if Emma got hungry, spit up, or started fussing, she'd hand her back to the waiting nanny like, "Take her to the bedroom, clean her up, and keep it quiet."
Sometimes, Mrs. Green would even "thoughtfully" leave the house to shop or stroll, letting Emma wail to her heart's content—out of sight, out of mind.
After her divorce from Leonard, Mrs. Green had walked away with half his life's work—nearly even chopping his beloved sailboat in two just to spite him.
Now she was truly living the dream: financially free, chilling, and doting on her granddaughter.
People were jealous—and honestly, who wouldn't be?
Rachel used to judge this rich-person parenting style, thinking it weakened the bond between parent and child.
I mean, raising a kid through all the messy stuff versus this hands-off "cloud parenting"—how could they compare?
But…
It's kinda nice