I look at the clock on the far end of the kitchen wall, groaning when I see the time. Normally I wouldn't care about working extra hours, but tonight is different. We're supposed to celebrate my brother's promotion and our entire gang has this amazing evening planned for him (well, actually I'm the one who planned all of it, if I'm being honest). Dinner at the Plaza followed by a concert of his favourite band that we all happen to like.
But given the fact it's Friday, which is the busiest night at the restaurant, and on top of that I have at least twenty more specials to prepare I'm slowly losing all hope I'll make it to dinner at all. And it's not like this is an office job where I can just postpone my work to the next day: the customers are hungry now and not tomorrow. I sigh and decide to drop my friends a message to let them know I'll be running late. It's going to be a long night…
[-]
A fresh breeze hits my face as I close the restaurant's front doors behind me, getting out my keys to lock them. I knew it was going to be a busy night, but I had had no idea that I would be stuck at work all night. The cold metal of the door is against the back of my hand as I double-check that it's locked before pulling my scarf tighter around my neck. It's March but it feels like winter still has a good grip on the city. As I make my way home, my mind wanders and I think of my friends and all the fun they must have had tonight while I was at work. It could be worse, though, at least I love my job. I decide to walk back to clear my head after the incredibly long shift; there's next to no one on the street at this time of the night anyway – they're either asleep or still dancing the night away.
My thoughts are suddenly interrupted by a noisy couple that crosses the street in front of me, the woman laughing and clinging onto the man's arm as they slowly disappear into an alley. It's moments like this in which I feel incredibly alone even though I'm surrounded by a million people. Feeling vulnerable I wrap my coat closer around my body and quicken my steps. I've never actually felt unsafe in New York, but the fast-paced footsteps behind me make me somewhat panicky. All of a sudden I can't wait to get back to my apartment that still seems too far away.
However, before I can comprehend what is going on, I feel a large hand wrap around my arm and I want to shriek, but my attacker's other hand is already firmly wrapped around my mouth.
"Jeez, Mon, it's just me, relax."
I hear that familiar voice in my ear and my heart rate immediately slows down as I stop in my tracks.
"Chandler, what the hell!? You scared me to death!" I hit my best friend's chest hard as I give him my 'Geller death glare' and he just winces.
"I'm sorry… I kind of wanted to surprise you. I've been waiting around the restaurant for you to finish but I must have nodded off because when I opened my eyes again the lights were out and you were already making your way home. And jeez, you've got some speedy pace, I'm telling you…"
I glance over at Chandler and only just now notice that he seems pretty out of breath. Bending down, he braces his arms on his knees and tries to get his breathing under control.
"You were waiting for me…?" I softly ask, much calmer now. I watch as he nods his head a few times, clearly too exhausted to talk.
"That's so sweet…" I pause as he gives me a small smile and stands up again.
"Can't have you walking around the city alone at this time, can I?"
I smirk and hold my arm out for him to link it with his own and he immediately catches on. "Well… as much as I appreciate the sentiment, I think I would have been fine. I'm pretty feisty, remember?"
"Oh yes, absolutely," he nods as we continue walking. "That was one feisty shriek just before."
I roll my eyes and push his side a bit too hard.
"OW!"
"You're very manly yourself. I'd at least be able to defend myself against an attack coming from you, I think. And by the way, I think you should really accept my offer to work out with you again, you can't even make it down the street to catch up with me without being completely exhausted."
He just pouts as we make our way through Manhattan, keeping quiet for quite some time. We cross paths with drunk youths and a few giggling couples who are enjoying themselves, mostly ignoring them and just enjoying the quiet.
"So, how was the concert?" I ask as I look over at him in the semi darkness. The street lamps occasionally light up his face and his beautiful blue eyes.
"Eh," he just shrugs, his focus straight ahead on the sidewalk to avoid stepping into gum, vomit or the like. "Mainly Ross and Rachel fighting over which song was the best, Phoebe trying to get her guitar into the concert so she can sing along," he shoots me an incredulous look before continuing, "and Joey hitting on every woman in the vicinity."
I try to suppress a laugh at the thought of my crazy friends and nod wistfully. "Why did I even ask…"
Chandler grins and looks over at me intensely. "I really missed you there tonight. You're kind of the glue that holds the group together, ya know?"
I blush and playfully push him before pulling him closer to me again, the cold spring breeze already forgotten as his body warms mine. "Thanks."
"Is this how you thank people? By pushing them around? I know that Ross bruises like a peach but I'm slowly starting to as well given the intensity of these nudges…"He pretends to look hurt as he checks to see if his arm is still viable.
I roll my eyes and can't help but smile. All the bad mood from an hour ago is suddenly the furthest from my mind and I wish this walk home would never end. I try to think of something else to do as I glance over at Chandler, suddenly very much alive.
"Whaaat?" His features are graced with a doubtfully probing expression as he looks down at me.
"Nothing," I quickly reply as my mind continues to go a million miles a second.
"Come on, I've known you since forever. I know you're planning something wicked and I'd very much like to be in the know before you, I don't know, pounce on me."
I let out a hearty laugh. "Pounce on you?! I'm not some kind of wild animal, you know."
He lets out a disbelieving snort. "No, no, I know, you're just a 'tiny little woman', right? Totally harmless."
I stop in my tracks as I cross my arms over my chest.
"Seriously? All of a sudden I'm 'dangerous'? Just ten minutes ago you reassured me that I was in dire need of male protection on the vile streets of New York City." I raise my eyebrows and he shakes his head at me.
"Come on, let's get you into bed." He holds out his arm for me again and how could I ever deny the comfort and safety his embrace offers me?
As we continue to walk, I study his profile and am suddenly struck by the most absurd train of thought. I'm not sure whether it's the two glasses of wine I'd had while finishing my shift earlier or whether it's got to do with the incredibly lonely hour of the night, but I feel incredibly attracted to him right now.
How have I never noticed how handsome Chandler is? Sure, he's had a screwed up childhood, he's sarcastic as hell and has a whole lot of insecurity and commitment issues. But he's still the sweetest and most caring guy I've ever come across. And it suddenly strikes me that we have a whole lot in common…
He must have caught me staring at him because he abruptly stops and looks at me intensely. "Seriously, Mon, what the hell is going on with you?"
I smile sheepishly and shake my head to break my reverie. He's my best friend, I'm not supposed to think of him in that way and I know it.
"Nothing, just thinking."
That answer doesn't satisfy him and he pulls back, loosening his wonderfully strong grip on me and I immediately feel bereft.
"Come on, Joey is a better liar than that," he quirks his eyebrows and I can't help but swoon. Damn, this feeling has got to stop!
He exhales dramatically and crosses his arms over his chest as I shiver. "I'm not taking another step unless you tell me what's going on in your head." A Chandler with a firm hand? Well, that's certainly new.
I debate whether to tell him the truth and risk our friendship or whether I should just shut up and make up some lame excuse as to why I've been staring at him like a complete moron before.
"I just… I'm sad I missed the concert and now I feel like I have to do something; right now. I just don't know what, all I know is that I'm not tired at all." I decide to tell him only part of the truth as I glance over at him, his sparkling blue eyes studying me from head to toe and I suddenly feel very self-conscious.
He does a sharp intake of breath and grins slightly. "Oh my, are you drunk?"
I blush slightly and shake my head. "Nooooo…"
Tilting his head, he laughs in disbelief before pulling me close to him again as we continue our nightly walk home.
"What? What about, you know, doing something?" I must sound pretty disappointed because he leans over and kisses the top of my head softly.
"I'm telling you what we're gonna do now, okay?" Chandler looks down at me with a look of admiration, still holding me close.
"What are we gonna do now?"
"We," he starts, dragging out the word as we ultimately reach the street corner right in front of our apartment building, "are going to put Monica into bed now. Doesn't that sound great? A warm, cosy, clean bed with its bed sheets placed in a way so that the tag is at the bottom right corner and the little flower blossoms are facing up towards the head of the bed. Pretty great, huh?"
I look at him in disbelief, wondering whether to be more astonished by his distraction tactic or the fact that he knows all about my little quirks.
He must sense my agitation because he bites his lip in the cute way he does as he tries to fumble for his keys in his jeans pocket. For a short moment it feels like we're the only two people in the world, the city around us eerily quiet, a few drops of rain quickly hitting Chandler's face. He is entirely focused on finding the right key in the darkness and I can't help but feel a rush of disappointment at the prospect of the night ending as uneventful as it had begun. Finally, the right key has found its way into the building's front door and he carefully urges me inside as the night sky is lit up by the impending thunderstorm.
"Well, looks like we made it just in time, huh?" He shrugs his coat off, visibly glad that we both made it back home, safe and sound and, above all, dry.
I just shrug non-committally as I run my hand through my messy hair, glancing over at him as he attempts to climb the stairs, stopping when he realises that I'm only reluctant to follow. "Come on, let's just get you home."
When I still don't make a move he comes back over and takes my hand, pulling me along with him. "I promise you that we can still do some fun stuff before going to bed, okay?"
We both stop in our tracks and I lift my eyebrow at his odd choice of words, stifling my laughter. In turn, he rolls his eyes and eventually gets me to follow him. For once, I'm glad that Rachel has left to stay at her sister's place right after the concert because I don't see myself falling asleep sometime soon. If anything, the refreshing walk through the city has made me even more awake. Once inside the apartment, Chandler looks at me somewhat cluelessly before I clap my hands in joy.
"I got it!"
He cracks a little smile, though probably more out of worry than anticipation and I grab the phone. "I'm actually really hungry, I think I want to order a pizza. You know, make some use of the fact that we live in Manhattan and actually can do that."
"Just make sure they don't charge you an extra fee for that because it's 3:15am," he quips and I ignore him as I dial the number to Joey's favourite pizza place.
Chandler takes off his coat and shoes and gets comfortable on the couch, putting his feet up on the coffee table while I order us a 'Joey Special'. Definite advantages of being friends with these people: Discount at the pizza place and knowing exactly what kind of pizza toppings to choose because Chandler is usually very easygoing and just eats whatever I order.
"Okay, now we only have to kill twenty minutes to wait for the pizza to arrive," I smile as I get us two bottles of beer from the fridge.
"Lord help me, I wonder what we can do..." Chandler muses as he clinks his bottle with mine. "Here's to a sleepless night, I guess."
"An unforgettable sleepless night," I correct him before snuggling up close to him, listening to the rain hitting the big picture window, the sound instantly calming me along with Chandler's soothing heartbeat. Before I know it, my eyes feel very heavy and I drift off to sleep.
[-]
When I wake up, I'm surrounded by darkness. The rain is still pouring against my bedroom window and I find myself on the right side of my bed, somehow still incredibly disappointed that I fell asleep and didn't have the most unforgettable night of my life. Maybe we are just getting too old for that kind of adventurous stuff...
I hold my breath as I suddenly feel something move right next to me. Turning my head, I see Chandler cuddled up in my floral bed sheets, sleeping peacefully still. He mumbles something in his sleep as he rolls around and it is only then that I notice one of his arms is wrapped around me under the covers. My heart rate picks up and I carefully turn around in his arms so I can watch him sleep. I know that he doesn't particularly like when I do it, but I can't help it. It instantly calms me down. The sheets are tucked under his chin so only his messy hair and the top of his head are visible as he breathes in and out evenly. I can't pinpoint why exactly, but I feel entirely complete and at ease this very moment. I've never actually slept with a man in the sense that I do with Chandler; there's absolutely no sex involved and yet it fulfils me more than any physical act has ever done.
Somehow, somewhere down the line, something has changed. The bond between Chandler and me has always been strong, but I've come to see him in an entirely different light now. Maybe he's so much more than just the sarcastic, commitment-phobic next-door neighbour. I carefully run my hand through his sandy strands and kiss the tip of his nose before closing my eyes and melting back into his arms. I'm home.