SF Chapter 53: Sitcom Family
The next day, Dani and Sam woke up together in her bed.
"You ended up sleeping here," she remarked, slightly hungover. They drank a bit more after the whiskey.
"Aye, you heartless girl. I was drunk… and I worked really hard," he smirked, giving her bum a squeeze.
He received a kick in return.
They got up, brushed their teeth, and he was about to leave.
"Thanks for the book," Dani said, holding Under the Pink in his hands. " 'Fuck you, bastard. - Sam.' " he read from the Inscription.
"I knew we had to break up. You're clearly starting to love me," he mocked.
"In your dreams," she narrowed her eyes.
"No…" he started snapping his fingers, "in my dream you were doing-" he paused. "Oh wait, that happened last night," he chuckled.
She threw a pillow at him. "Out." Then again. "Out!"
After a few minutes, Sam went downstairs, and what she saw left her in complete disbelief.
Daniel was casually having breakfast with her father and her brother, chatting as if he lived there.
"What? I'm hungry," Dani said, taking a sip of his coffee. Then he stood up. "Ohh, I need to go to my sister's house. My relatives are arriving today."
"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Borgens, Rusty," he said, then looked at the girl. "See you… never again, Sam."
"Ah, and watch Mean Girls. It'll be released next week in theaters," he added to everyone before walking out.
"That was… a different boy you've got there, daughter," Bill Borgens commented.
She groaned. "I'm not seeing him again," she said, pouring coffee into her cup.
"Wanna bet on that, Dad?" Rusty proposed.
"Only if I can bet that she will see him again," he replied.
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Daniel went to his brother's place, took a shower, and then headed to his sister's house. Charlie, Alan, and Jake would only come later for dinner at their mother's house.
"D-Money, D-Movie!" Phil greeted his brother-in-law enthusiastically.
"Hey, P-Money," Daniel replied warmly.
"Hi, Dani," his sister said, already pulling him into a hug. "You're looking a little tired. Did you sleep well?" she asked, slightly concerned.
"I did sleep well… just not much," he replied. "I stayed up all night…" he paused, "because I was nervous about the premiere." He lied straight to her face.
Claire was about to comfort him, but she took a closer look and started eyeing him suspiciously.
Then she pointed at his neck. "Is that a bite I'm seeing?"
"There were some mosquitoes last night-" Daniel was about to shamelessly lie again, but his sister pinched him hard before he could finish.
"When are you going to settle down, huh?" she frowned.
"Get a girlfriend. Or maybe two, if that's what it takes for you to calm down…" Claire's moral standards were clearly starting to bend when it came to her brother.
"Never! I'm an awesome bachelor. You might only see me getting married when you become a senior citizen."
"So take your time - if you ever want to see me propose to anyone," he declared.
Before his sister could continue, the doorbell rang.
"Oh, that must be them," Claire said as she went to answer the door, with Daniel right on her heels.
When she opened it, she froze in surprise. "Oh my God… Monica?" she exclaimed, staring at the beautiful brunette standing there.
"Claire!" Monica Geller replied with a wide smile.
Claire moved in to hug her, but was shoved aside by her brother.
Daniel grabbed Monica's hand. "Marry me! MARRY ME!" he proposed dramatically.
"What??" Monica giggled.
"Ouch, ouch, I was just joking!" he spoke, as his sister grabbed him by the ear and dragged him aside, her face stone-cold.
"Well, at least someone proposed to you, Monica," Judy Geller, Monica's mother, remarked dryly. "Even if it was a joke - and by your underage cousin," she added.
The daughter took a deeper breath and rolled her eyes.
Claire forced a laugh. "Aunt Judy, seems like you haven't changed."
"Ohhh, Leviathan is here, someone call the demon hunters," Dani whispered so only his sister could hear, earning an elbow to the ribs from her.
But soon the formalities began, with Phil joining in to greet Monica, her parents Jack and Judy, and shortly after, Ross and Carol.
"Hey, Daniel," Ross said, shaking his cousin's hand.
"Hi, Ross," Daniel greeted back, making an exaggerated gesture of looking at Ross and then at Monica, repeatedly.
He leaned closer to his cousin. "Are you sure he's your brother?"
He framed the air with his hands as if sketching portraits. "I'm not seeing any similarities. You're way too beautiful to be his little sister."
"Thank you, Daniel," Ross said dryly.
"You're welcome, bro. The important thing is that you found a beautiful girl who cares more about what's on the inside." He patted him on the arm.
"Oh, give him a break, Daniel. My Ross is handsome," Carol joined in playfully.
Shortly after, another guy came running up to the door.
"Sorry, I forgot something in the car," he commented.
Monica stepped closer to him. "Daniel, this is Joey. He's our friend and lives in the apartment across from mine," she explained.
"Well, he's an actor and… kind of asked to come along… you know, to see a premiere," she added, gesturing awkwardly.
"Don't worry, Mon. He's welcome," her cousin dismissed lightly, shaking Joey's hand. "Daniel Harper."
"Joey Tribbiani," he replied.
The two looked at each other for a moment, until Dani grew thoughtful. "I think we could be great wingmen for each other," he commented.
"Yeeeah," Joey smiled, sensing the same vibe in Daniel. He pointed at him while glancing at Monica. "I already like your cousin."
"Joey, he's seventeen," she said, slightly exasperated.
"Only for a few more months," Daniel lifted a finger and remarked, "And Monica, we're in L.A. A rich seventeen-year-old is like a twenty-one-year-old anywhere else here."
"No one is going to say anything-" he started, but then stopped. "Hey, Sis, you're getting more beautiful every year," he added, glancing at Claire's stern expression.
[Phoebe and Chandler commentary]
"I'm Chandler Bing. I live with Joey, and I'm neighbors with Monica, whom I met years ago because I've been friends with Ross since college. We were roommates," Chandler introduced himself while sitting on the couch at Central Perk, the café where they always hang out.
"I'm Phoebe Buffay, and I was Monica's roommate." She was sitting next to Chandler and introduced herself briefly.
but she added, "They didn't invite us. Just Joey. Just because he's an actor..."
"Well, they're not that close family to them. Ross didn't even invite them to his wedding with Carol," Chandler pointed out.
[Commentary ends]
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