This fanfic takes place during TOA The Beach. Again, the characters are not mine. That sucks. So, yeah, the fic...
The beach house was silent. The only noise had been of Ross and Bonnie...y'know...but had soon died down after several complaints from their friends.
Monica slowly opened the door to the bedroom she was sleeping in, and creeped out through the living room. She tiptoed around a sleeping Joey covered in sand, to the kitchen. She got to the sink and turned the water tap.
She got a glass, and as she waited for it to fill, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Someone sitting out on the porch.
Chandler.
She took the glass and turned off the tap. Again, she made her way past Joey, but instead of returning to the bedroom, she went to the door and unlocked it.
Chandler, sitting on the wooden porch staring at the stars, heard the door being unlocked. He looked up. On seeing Monica, he smiled.
"Hey." she said in that hushed, morning tone.
"Hey." he echoed.
She sat down beside him.
"What are you doing up?" he inquired.
"I was about to ask you the same thing."
"Oh, nothin'. Couldn't sleep for all the Bonnie and Ross noises. Thought I'd come out here for awhile."
She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yeeeah..."
She knew there must be more to it than that. What he'd said was quite believable, if he'd said it to anyone else, they wouldn't of thought anything of it, but she knew him better than that. She knew when he wasn't telling the whole truth.
"Why are you really sitting out here?" she asked.
He knew he was defeated. Nothing got past Monica.
"It doesn't matter." he said, trying not to sound desprate to change the subject.
"Come on, it's me, you can tell me anything."
He sighed. "Okay. I just-I guess I felt like sitting out and looking at the stars."
This she believed, just from the way he said it. It wasn't a big deal. She actually thought it was sweet.
"Why couldn't you tell me that?"
"Because, Mon."
"Because what?"
He tried to explain. "Well, I'm a guy. It's different. If I said that to Joey or Ross I'd never hear the end of it."
She nodded, understanding.
"So how about you?" he asked her. "What are you doing up?"
"I couldn't sleep, either. I got up for some water and saw you out here. How long have you been sitting here?"
"Actually, I've been here all night." he confessed.
"You didn't get bored?"
"No. Just been watching the waves. Been thinking."
"What about?" asked Monica asked curiosly.
"Nothing."
"You couldn't have been thinking if you were thinking about nothing. What were you thinking about?"
"Just, whatever. Stuff."
"Liiiiike?" she egged him on playfully.
"I don't know. Just...stuff."
"What stuff?"
He threw his hands up in frustration. "I don't know! Nothing! Geeze, gimme a break, Mon."
She backed down, a little hurt by his outburst.
"Just wanted to know. Mrow."
He chuckled to himself. "I'm sorry."
She smiled. "That's okay. I should've minded my own business."
He stood up. He extended his hand to her, as if asking her to dance. "Wanna go for a walk?"
She smiled again. "I'd love to."
Monica felt electricity shoot through her hand as she took it and he pulled her up. They sort of jumped down the steps, and onto the sand. They walked along happily, talking and laughing. It wasn't dark, the moonlight and the stars lit their way.
They totally forgot that time existed, it was like they were travelling through a world of their own.
They often darted to the water, splashing each other, laughing like children.
Monica couldn't help but notice she was feeling things for Chandler she'd never felt for him before. She decided to ignore it, dismissing it as only the romantic atmosphere.
They walked along some more, and it got colder. Monica hadn't been expecting it, but without warning, Chandler reached out and took her hand in his.
The way her heart melted at his touched frightened her. Why was she feeling this way?
She squeezed his hand more tightly as he looked down at her and into her eyes, they smiled at each other. Chandler caught a glimpse of her shivering. He moved closer and draped his arm around her shoulder.
Eventually, he asked her if she wanted to turn around. She did, but suggested they stop and rest for a moment, as they'd been walking for quite awhile, and where tired after walking almost two miles.
The sat down. There was a silence.
"Chandler?"
"Yeah?"
"Before, back at the house...what were you thinking about?"
There was another silence.
"I was thinking about you, Mon."
Monica was stunned. She had no idea what to say.
"Why?"
He looked at her. "I think you know why."
The truth was, she did, but she didn't want to admit it.
"Umm..."
He looked down and laughed. "You know, when I offered to be your boyfriend, you laughed at me."
Again, she was speechless. She thought he was just joking around. Was he hurt by her reaction to his offer?
"You-you said I wasn't boyfriend material."
The hurt in his voice said it all.
"Maybe I'm not. But...but I'd like to think you of all people wouldn't think that. I don't blame you. Cause, I'm not boyfriend material, really. Scratch that, I'm not boyfriend material, period. I mean, look at me. I've never had a long term relationship. I have this huge fear of commitment hanging over my head. The last few dates I've been on...I havn't been on them. And you-" he looked back up at her. "You are so amazing. I mean you're gorgeous, and smart, and funny...and I always see you getting screwed over by guys, and that shouldn't happen. Not to someone like you. So, I jokingly, and it was kind of a joke at first, based on wishful thinking, I guess, I jokingly offer to be your boyfriend and you laugh at me. But you don't realise that if I was with you I would be boyfriend material, because if I was with you, I wouldn't screw it up."
Monica's head was spinning. Hours ago, Chandler had been Chandler. The guy across the hall. A friend. But now, he was more than Chandler, now he was...boyfriend material.
"Chandler..."
"It's okay. I'm sorry if I scared you with my little speech just then. You don't have to go out of your way to try and let me down easy. I know how you feel about me, and I'm okay with it."
"You know, do you?"
"Yeah. You see me as a friend. Not anything more. I'm fine with that, because you're right, I'm not boyfriend material."
She smiled a little. "You're not always right about everything, you know."
It was Chandler's turn to be speechless.
"Woah-what did you mean by that?"
She just smiled.
"Mon, what did you mean by that?" he repeated.
She stood up and starting walking back along the beach towards the house. He got up and followed her.
"Monica, what did you mean by that?!"
She just smiled and continued walking.
"Mon? Mon, answer me, what did you mean by that?"
She looked up at him. "Think about it."
"I'm thinking. I don't know, tell me!"
"You know, you just won't admit you know. You're afraid to admit it."
"Afraid to admit what?"
"That you know."
"Know what?"
"You're afraid to admit you know what I meant."
"I am not!"
"Fine, then, admit it."
"But I don't know..."
"Yes you do."
He did. And he was afraid to admit it, because he was scared if he was wrong he'd look stupid. The very idea that Monica had feelings for him deeper than friendship was absurd to him. He was in denial.
"Mon, what did you mean? Please tell me."
She inched closer to him. "I meant that maybe you are boyfriend material after all."
She reached up and softly touched his cheek, they inched closed together and kissed softly. He moved his hand into her hair as she grasped onto the back of his neck.
The kiss grew more passionate as Chandler moved his hands down her body to her waist, whilst she brought her hands through his hair and to his face. They retreated from the kiss and looked deep into each other's eyes. They smiled at each other.
Chandler, amazed by the kiss, could only utter breathlessly, "Wow. Now I understand what you meant, thanks for explaining that."
She laughed. "C'mon, lets go back." she took his hand and they started back to the house.
Now Chandler was definitley boyfriend material.
The beach house was silent. The only noise had been of Ross and Bonnie...y'know...but had soon died down after several complaints from their friends.
Monica slowly opened the door to the bedroom she was sleeping in, and creeped out through the living room. She tiptoed around a sleeping Joey covered in sand, to the kitchen. She got to the sink and turned the water tap.
She got a glass, and as she waited for it to fill, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. Someone sitting out on the porch.
Chandler.
She took the glass and turned off the tap. Again, she made her way past Joey, but instead of returning to the bedroom, she went to the door and unlocked it.
Chandler, sitting on the wooden porch staring at the stars, heard the door being unlocked. He looked up. On seeing Monica, he smiled.
"Hey." she said in that hushed, morning tone.
"Hey." he echoed.
She sat down beside him.
"What are you doing up?" he inquired.
"I was about to ask you the same thing."
"Oh, nothin'. Couldn't sleep for all the Bonnie and Ross noises. Thought I'd come out here for awhile."
She raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yeeeah..."
She knew there must be more to it than that. What he'd said was quite believable, if he'd said it to anyone else, they wouldn't of thought anything of it, but she knew him better than that. She knew when he wasn't telling the whole truth.
"Why are you really sitting out here?" she asked.
He knew he was defeated. Nothing got past Monica.
"It doesn't matter." he said, trying not to sound desprate to change the subject.
"Come on, it's me, you can tell me anything."
He sighed. "Okay. I just-I guess I felt like sitting out and looking at the stars."
This she believed, just from the way he said it. It wasn't a big deal. She actually thought it was sweet.
"Why couldn't you tell me that?"
"Because, Mon."
"Because what?"
He tried to explain. "Well, I'm a guy. It's different. If I said that to Joey or Ross I'd never hear the end of it."
She nodded, understanding.
"So how about you?" he asked her. "What are you doing up?"
"I couldn't sleep, either. I got up for some water and saw you out here. How long have you been sitting here?"
"Actually, I've been here all night." he confessed.
"You didn't get bored?"
"No. Just been watching the waves. Been thinking."
"What about?" asked Monica asked curiosly.
"Nothing."
"You couldn't have been thinking if you were thinking about nothing. What were you thinking about?"
"Just, whatever. Stuff."
"Liiiiike?" she egged him on playfully.
"I don't know. Just...stuff."
"What stuff?"
He threw his hands up in frustration. "I don't know! Nothing! Geeze, gimme a break, Mon."
She backed down, a little hurt by his outburst.
"Just wanted to know. Mrow."
He chuckled to himself. "I'm sorry."
She smiled. "That's okay. I should've minded my own business."
He stood up. He extended his hand to her, as if asking her to dance. "Wanna go for a walk?"
She smiled again. "I'd love to."
Monica felt electricity shoot through her hand as she took it and he pulled her up. They sort of jumped down the steps, and onto the sand. They walked along happily, talking and laughing. It wasn't dark, the moonlight and the stars lit their way.
They totally forgot that time existed, it was like they were travelling through a world of their own.
They often darted to the water, splashing each other, laughing like children.
Monica couldn't help but notice she was feeling things for Chandler she'd never felt for him before. She decided to ignore it, dismissing it as only the romantic atmosphere.
They walked along some more, and it got colder. Monica hadn't been expecting it, but without warning, Chandler reached out and took her hand in his.
The way her heart melted at his touched frightened her. Why was she feeling this way?
She squeezed his hand more tightly as he looked down at her and into her eyes, they smiled at each other. Chandler caught a glimpse of her shivering. He moved closer and draped his arm around her shoulder.
Eventually, he asked her if she wanted to turn around. She did, but suggested they stop and rest for a moment, as they'd been walking for quite awhile, and where tired after walking almost two miles.
The sat down. There was a silence.
"Chandler?"
"Yeah?"
"Before, back at the house...what were you thinking about?"
There was another silence.
"I was thinking about you, Mon."
Monica was stunned. She had no idea what to say.
"Why?"
He looked at her. "I think you know why."
The truth was, she did, but she didn't want to admit it.
"Umm..."
He looked down and laughed. "You know, when I offered to be your boyfriend, you laughed at me."
Again, she was speechless. She thought he was just joking around. Was he hurt by her reaction to his offer?
"You-you said I wasn't boyfriend material."
The hurt in his voice said it all.
"Maybe I'm not. But...but I'd like to think you of all people wouldn't think that. I don't blame you. Cause, I'm not boyfriend material, really. Scratch that, I'm not boyfriend material, period. I mean, look at me. I've never had a long term relationship. I have this huge fear of commitment hanging over my head. The last few dates I've been on...I havn't been on them. And you-" he looked back up at her. "You are so amazing. I mean you're gorgeous, and smart, and funny...and I always see you getting screwed over by guys, and that shouldn't happen. Not to someone like you. So, I jokingly, and it was kind of a joke at first, based on wishful thinking, I guess, I jokingly offer to be your boyfriend and you laugh at me. But you don't realise that if I was with you I would be boyfriend material, because if I was with you, I wouldn't screw it up."
Monica's head was spinning. Hours ago, Chandler had been Chandler. The guy across the hall. A friend. But now, he was more than Chandler, now he was...boyfriend material.
"Chandler..."
"It's okay. I'm sorry if I scared you with my little speech just then. You don't have to go out of your way to try and let me down easy. I know how you feel about me, and I'm okay with it."
"You know, do you?"
"Yeah. You see me as a friend. Not anything more. I'm fine with that, because you're right, I'm not boyfriend material."
She smiled a little. "You're not always right about everything, you know."
It was Chandler's turn to be speechless.
"Woah-what did you mean by that?"
She just smiled.
"Mon, what did you mean by that?" he repeated.
She stood up and starting walking back along the beach towards the house. He got up and followed her.
"Monica, what did you mean by that?!"
She just smiled and continued walking.
"Mon? Mon, answer me, what did you mean by that?"
She looked up at him. "Think about it."
"I'm thinking. I don't know, tell me!"
"You know, you just won't admit you know. You're afraid to admit it."
"Afraid to admit what?"
"That you know."
"Know what?"
"You're afraid to admit you know what I meant."
"I am not!"
"Fine, then, admit it."
"But I don't know..."
"Yes you do."
He did. And he was afraid to admit it, because he was scared if he was wrong he'd look stupid. The very idea that Monica had feelings for him deeper than friendship was absurd to him. He was in denial.
"Mon, what did you mean? Please tell me."
She inched closer to him. "I meant that maybe you are boyfriend material after all."
She reached up and softly touched his cheek, they inched closed together and kissed softly. He moved his hand into her hair as she grasped onto the back of his neck.
The kiss grew more passionate as Chandler moved his hands down her body to her waist, whilst she brought her hands through his hair and to his face. They retreated from the kiss and looked deep into each other's eyes. They smiled at each other.
Chandler, amazed by the kiss, could only utter breathlessly, "Wow. Now I understand what you meant, thanks for explaining that."
She laughed. "C'mon, lets go back." she took his hand and they started back to the house.
Now Chandler was definitley boyfriend material.