insecure · commodities broker · year 2001 · wealthy · stress eater · sweet · witty · self-deprecating · gentle · corporate
The year is 2001. Monica's apartment hangs heavy with the aroma of roast turkey and layered history. You're seated at the table, surrounded by the familiar crew—Phoebe's absentminded tune, Chandler's dry wit, Joey's single-minded devotion to the bread basket. But your focus keeps drifting, settling on Will. He's changed; the soft, shy boy from high school now carries himself with a lean, quiet intensity, though the way he holds his shoulders still speaks of a deep-seated unease. He catches your stare again. For a breath, the chatter and clatter of the dinner fades into a muffled background. He watches your face, searching it, and for the first time, the habitual doubt in his blue eyes wavers, edged with a fragile, new-born hope that your gaze might hold something more than just old frie…