Disclaimer: I do not own Friends or it's characters. I do not own the song "Has To Be" either.
It was a freezing night in Manhattan. All shops were closing after a great sales day. Valentine's Day would end in a couple of hours but he was still walking in the sidewalk. He wasn´t looking for a late minute present to his girlfriend. He had been single for a long while and things didn't seem they were going to change soon. He didn't even try dating anyone anymore. He found it hard to trust someone after what happened. It had been almost a year ago. He was getting over it but it still hurt.
"I'm sorry, man"
Joey tried to comfort his friend. They were both sitting in the small step in the hallway. Chandler, with tears in his eyes, was staring straight ahead not fully believing what just happened. Rachel and Phoebe were shocked. Ross couldn't understand what his little sister just did. Dumping the love of her life just to get engaged with Richard.
Joey had told him she went to her ex's apartment. The door was slightly opened so he went in and saw it.
They were kissing. Neither of them knowing he was there. When they broke from their embrace they saw him and Monica gasped while covering her mouth with her hand, soon realizing what she just did. It was then when Chandler noticed the ring in her finger. The speech, the apologies he had rehearsed in his head while trying to run as fast as his legs and lungs let him just vanished. He was speechless. His will to fight for his love disappeared and suddenly felt empty inside. She was apologizing but he couldn't hear what she was saying. And just by looking at Richard he could tell he was also feeling bad about this but willing to stand up for his fiancée if needed.
Chandler looked at her. She was waiting for the answer of a question he never heard her asking. How could she do this to him? How could she just throw this amazing two years to the trash? Did they mean nothing to her? Not only he was her boyfriend, he had been her friend for almost twelve years. And what he was supposed to do? Yell at her? Hit him? Interfere in their happiness? She made it clear, she chose Richard, not him. So he did what he thought was best, swallow his pride, bury his feelings and leave.
"But she couldn't have done that! There's got to be a mistake!" Cried Ross, still trying to find reasons not to blame his sister.
"Ross, I saw them. The kiss, the ring, the smiles on their faces, everything!" Said Chandler exasperated.
"I can't believe it" Said Phoebe astounded. She had been so excited being the first one to know about the proposal and having helped Chandler pick the ring. And now this. She studied him and after considering saying it or not she dared to ask. "And…what're you gonna do now?"
He moved out that night. Joey offered him his room but he'll be right across the hall from her…or them if Richard decided to move in with her. Ross also offered his place but he also turned him down. So the four of them helped him with the packing.
While helping, Rachel realized the only piece of furniture that belonged to him was the recliner and remembered when she was living there and the incident with the lamp she found while cleaning Mr. Heckles' place. It has always been Monica's place. Not hers, not Phoebe's and not even Chandler's.
Soon they had finished and al the boxes were in the building's entrance and they stood in silence. Joey wondered, what if Chandler was about to become Kip? Moving out after breaking up with Monica and losing contact with the rest as time went by? No, he wouldn't let that happen. Chandler was his best friend and if that meant growing apart from Monica then he'd start hanging out less with her. He knew how much he needed them now, it was his worst heartbreak. It destroyed the group. Ross and Rachel's breakup couldn't even compare to this. They were supposed to get married, have kids and name one after him.
Feeling that someone should say something, Ross decided to speak. "What if she still wants to see you?"
Chandler knew he'd be destroyed to see her with the Big Tree. To see that she moved on without him. The realization hit him. She did it, but behind his back. Running to the person that promised her a wedding. She didn't care who she married as long as she gets to be the bride. Would it have mattered to her if he was not available the day they were supposed to take their engagement picture to put on the newspaper? She would have picked someone else, like Joey. She was the soon-to-be bride, who cared who Chandler was? And he was sure she'd have been upset the day after the wedding because she'll never be a bride again, just someone's wife.
"Hey, Chandler" Ross spoke again. "Are you ok?"
"Yes, I'm ok…just…I don't think I wanna see her again"
Everyone gasped in surprise. But before any of them could say anything Chandler started carrying the boxes outside.
They promised to visit him and invite him to Ross' place once in a while to have dinner just the five of them. He asked them not to give him any kind of information about her because he needed to move on. They hang out a couple of times a week. Joey was the one who visited him the most. Sometimes he even stayed the night in the couch in his hotel room.
A month later he had found a small apartment for himself. It was a little closer to where he worked at so he didn't have to take a cab. A little walk every day would suit him fine. There were lots of little colorful shops in the way so it was always an interesting sight. That's when he first saw the place but he never found the time to take a look inside.
He came to a stop when he realized he had walked past that shop so he walked that couple of steps between him and the big front window. It was a nice little bookshop. He looked at the sign above and smiled, "A Place Where They Sell Books". Nice sense of humor, he thought, he had to meet the owner. He had nothing to do that night, why not finally take a look? Finally he decided to go in there. He wiped the snow off his coat and grabbed the door handle.
A/N: Thank you for reading the first chapter, I'm already writing the second one. I know I rushed things in the flashback but it's just the event that led Chandler to the situation he is in now. What matters in this story is his life now, after all that heartbreak. Sorry Mondler fans, I'm gonna make it up to you someday. Oh, and maybe they were a little out of character but, hey! It's my story! Also you may have noticed (or maybe not) that again this fic was named after another Madonna's song so, yes, I'm a fan :P Have a nice weekend :)