Seeing several of them glance over, Owen quickly shut his mouth. The group made a playful "shhh" gesture toward him, and he nodded in understanding.
At that moment, the café door chimed with a "ding," and a woman came rushing in energetically.
"Phoebe! Over here!"
As soon as she entered, the group on the sofa waved her over.
"Hey, guys!"
Phoebe looked cheerful, holding a wooden guitar as she made her way to the central sofa.
"Hey, Phoebe, let me guess… a latte, right?" Rachel said.
Phoebe snapped her fingers. "You're amazing, Rachel. And add an apple pie…"
"Okay, coming right up!"
Owen watched the group on the sofa with amusement—especially Phoebe Buffay, who was now tuning her guitar.
"Guys, I just finished a song. I want to sing it for you first. Hey, everybody—here's Smelly Cat, for you all…"
Originally meant for just her close friends, Phoebe changed her mind and addressed the entire café. The patrons clapped politely, clearly used to these sorts of impromptu performances.
A simple guitar melody began, and Phoebe's distinctive voice filled the room:
Smelly Cat,
Smelly Cat,
What are they feeding you?
Smelly Cat,
Smelly Cat,
It is not your fault~~
Polite applause followed. Owen joined in genuinely—he actually thought it was a catchy little tune. The simplicity of the lyrics and melody gave it a strange charm.
After the song, Phoebe set down her guitar and the group began chatting. Owen, pretending to read a newspaper, was in fact eavesdropping. Rachel, now bringing over the latte and apple pie, was jostled by another patron, causing the pie to fall—straight into someone's coat hood.
Rachel hesitated, then composed herself and walked over with just the latte. "Phoebe, here's your latte. But bad news—the apple pie's sold out. The last one just got taken to go…"
Owen had seen the whole thing and nearly choked holding back laughter.
Rachel noticed Owen's expression and realized he'd seen everything. She shot him a warning glare, to which Owen quickly mimed zipping his lips. Rachel responded with a look that said, "Smart move."
Just then, the customer with the pie in their hood stood up to leave. Rachel panicked. If the guy put on his coat, it'd be a disaster. Helpless, she looked to Owen for help.
Owen gave her an "OK" sign. As the man was about to leave, Owen stood and pointed, "Sir, did you drop this dollar?"
The man instinctively looked down. Owen used the moment to snatch the pie from his hood with two fingers.
"I don't see any dollar…"
The man looked around confused.
"Oh, my mistake. Must've been my eyes playing tricks…"
Owen had already passed the pie back to Rachel behind his back.
As the customer left, Owen turned to Rachel.
"Rachel Green."
"Steve Owen."
They chatted briefly near the bar. Rachel clapped her hands. "Hey, guys—meet Owen. This is Monica, Ross, Joey, Chandler, and Phoebe…"
"Hi, everyone. Phoebe, your Smelly Cat was really good."
"Thank you~" Phoebe replied proudly, curtsying dramatically.
Chandler asked, "So, Owen, where are you from? You don't sound local."
"Nope, I'm from Los Angeles."
"Ah, Hollywood! I just got back from there last week. I was a stand-in for Andrew Hughes on Deadly Forensics. You watch that show? You'll see me in next Friday's episode…" Joey beamed.
"Amazing!"
Everyone congratulated him. Chandler, intrigued, asked, "Joey, what kind of stand-in work did you do? Tell us about it. Was it dangerous?"
Joey rubbed his hands. "Of course! I did the bathtub scene for Andrew Hughes."
"Bathtub?"
Everyone was confused. Why would a bathtub scene need a stunt double?
"Uh… I was his butt double."
Silence fell. Everyone stared at Joey. Unfazed, he added, "It was a huge opportunity! I beat out three other guys for it…"
More awkward silence. Owen nearly laughed out loud. Then, without warning, the group suddenly shifted to talking about the financial crisis—anything to change the subject.
Everyone pretended to be busy, while Joey looked around, still clueless.
Just then, the café door swung open again.
A high-pitched nasal voice rang out with exaggerated disbelief: "Oh~~~ My~~~ God~~~~"
Everyone turned in sync. Chandler looked like he'd been hit with a stun spell.
"Janice…"
The others greeted her with knowing expressions. Clearly, they all recognized the woman at the door. Chandler forced a pained smile and turned around. "Janice! What a… surprise."
"Oh, surprise~~~~~"
Phoebe suddenly remembered—it was her surprise for Chandler. Clearly, it had the opposite effect.
With hearts in her eyes, Janice headed for the sofa, trying to sit beside Chandler. "Honey! Did you miss me? Wait for me—I'll be right back. Just need to use the restroom. Hahahahahahahaha~~~~"
With her infamous duck-like laugh, she disappeared into the bathroom.
Chandler sprang up. "I just remembered… um… I dropped my house key. I gotta go pick it up. See ya!"
"Uh, we'll help you!"
In an instant, everyone disappeared—even Phoebe, confused, was dragged off by Monica. Owen stared in amazement at the now-empty sofa.
When Janice returned and saw the scene, her face was filled with disbelief. "How long was I in there? Where is everyone?"
Owen couldn't help himself. Seeing an opportunity for a prank, he slowly lowered his newspaper and said, feigning confusion, "Miss, what are you talking about? There's never been anyone here…"
New York, 10:00 a.m.
Owen was woken by a phone call. After the group had dispersed last night, he'd chatted with Rachel a bit before heading out. But thanks to his long afternoon nap, he hadn't been able to sleep once back at the hotel, tossing and turning until late.
He answered the call with eyes still shut. "Who is it?"
"Owen, it's Jack."
He grunted, then paused for a few seconds as his brain booted up and reminded him who Jack was.
Friends—the classic American sitcom that ran for ten years. Since the story had brought him to New York, might as well make the most of it. Anyone who watches American TV knows Friends, right?
------------------
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Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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