Chandler likes to think of himself as a fairly cultured guy. He likes novels and art okay and he doesn't mind theater on the television, quite likes the kind with singing and dancing actually. But there was something about being at a play, sitting in the dark watching the actors pretending to be someone else on the stage that he has never really been able to get into. He always finds himself distracted by a noise a few rows away as a fellow patron shifts in their seat. Or spends half the time worrying his own seat shifting is being overheard. Sometimes he imagines he might suddenly lose control of himself and stand up to demand the actors break the fourth wall and acknowledge the audience. To be honest, he's actually pretty surprised you don't read about this happening more often.
However, now as he sits towards the back of the fully lit theater, watching the actors dressed in plain clothes reading through their scripts on an unadorned stage, it occurs to him that he must not have been seeing the right plays. Because this cast, and this play, and particularly Kathy as the desperate, lonely, bitter Maggie, have him absolutely transfixed. He watches her throat strain slightly as she reads her lines filled with frustrated desire and thwarted hopes, passionately delivered though the cast is merely in a casual read through. He had shown up to work this morning half hoping that six months of not seeing Kathy would have dampened this strange and unheralded passion he feels. That he could meet her casually in the hall and share a civil and unemotional conversation and that would be that. But he's finding now that quite the opposite seems to have occurred and as he watches her perform from afar, he finds he's as enamored as ever.
He's so preoccupied with the action taking place on the stage in front of him that he barely registers the small nudge against his shoulder till it grows in intensity finally accompanied by a long suffering sigh. He turns to find a girl standing behind him, a look of annoyance on her face.
"Um, hello," he tells her awkwardly when she continues to merely stare at him.
"Hi," she returns finally, plopping beside him and casually throwing a Converse sneaker covered foot over the chair in front of her.
It's his turn now to stare silently as he waits for his strange new companion to speak. Though there is something rather childish in her manner and dress, as he looks past her torn jeans and untucked flannel shirt he realizes that she is probably a bit older than he'd originally thought, only five or ten years younger than himself rather than the fifteen or so he'd originally suspected.
Still staring ahead at the stage in front of them she finally breaks their silence to ask, "You're the sandwich guy, right?"
"Well technically I'm the sandwich, snacks, and cookies guy" he jokes nervously, discomforted by the girl's strange demeanor. "Though my friends just call me sandwich guy."
She glances over at him with a hint of an eye roll in a look that seems to convey an odd mixture of both disdain as well as amusement.
They slip into another uncomfortable silence and Chandler is just mustering up the courage to ask who she is and what she wants when she abruptly states, "You know they're going to film this for TV, right?"
"I had heard that they might, yeah."
"No. They definitely are. I heard the director talking about it this morning," she corrects him. "I know everything that goes on around here," she turns to tell him defiantly as if daring him to challenge her.
"Okay," he appeases. Not sure what else to say, he turns his attention back to the stage just in time to see Kathy fudge one of her lines. She makes a self-deprecating gesture that causes the rest of the cast to laugh good-naturedly and as Chandler watches her pink cheeks and smiling eyes he finds himself chuckling along. Chandler's mirth is cut short a moment later however when the attractive actor sitting besides Kathy lays his hand upon her knee. She rests her own hand over his and enlaces their fingers in an intimate and familiar gesture that leaves Chandler feeling like knives are being twisted inside his chest.
"Ugh," the girl beside him huffs, reminding him of her presence. "Not you too."
"What?" He defends himself, embarrassed that he's worn his treacherous heart of his sleeve for this strange girl to see.
"Kathy," she tells him gesturing to the stage where the woman in question is currently working her way through Maggie's monologue. "You're all gaga about her," she accuses him.
"I'm not," he asserts unconvincingly.
"Are too."
"Am no-," Chandler cuts short the childish retort, instead taking a deep breath. He wonders why he's allowing himself to become so agitated by this odd and infuriating girl.
"Relax," she tells him, suddenly abandoning her combative attitude and lounging more deeply in her seat. "It's not like you're alone. Everybody loves Kathy," she whines the other woman's name with disdain. "You know she's with Nick, right?" She tells him bluntly, gesturing to the man holding Kathy's hand on stage. "So you should probably just forget about it."
Chandler had suspected as much, but hearing his fears confirmed just serve to make his spiral toward rock bottom complete. Of course, Kathy wouldn't be single. Why would a woman like that waste even a second on a loser like him? Why had he thought coming down here and seeing her again would make any difference? If she hadn't wanted him six months ago what earthly reason would she have to want him now?
"Look, I'm just here to help my friend make sandwiches," he tells her, realizing as he say so that with no chance of winning over Kathy, it's pretty much the truth. He's rather pleased to hear only a little bit of the resentment he feels over the matter has slipped into his voice.
"Oh yeah?" The girl ponders aloud. "Which one is she? The girl with the dark hair?"
"Yes. I think so, anyhow. Her name's Monica. Black hair, blue eyes?" Death glare? He adds to himself with a laugh. He had been on the receiving end of many such looks this morning as he'd done his best to help out preparing the lunch trays.
"Yeah, I know her," the girl tells him, sounding unimpressed. "She's too skinny."
Chandler has never in a million years thought of describing his friend in this way. Sure she was thin, tiny really now that he thought of it. But anyone who knew Monica Geller knew she was like a force of nature. There was a lot of power packed into that small frame as Chandler knows only too well. He's about to come to her defense, when the girl throws him off kilter once more by announcing, "I think she likes you."
"Monica?" Chandler laughs. His new acquaintance has been fairly odd from the get go, but this is by far the craziest thing she's said yet. "Why do you think that?" He asks curious to know the twisted logic that would have brought her to such a ludicrous conclusion.
"She doesn't like the way you look at her," she gestures once more to Kathy on the stage before them.
This reply gives Chandler pause. Of course, Monica doesn't like Chandler in the way this girl seems to be suggesting. But is it possible she isn't thrilled about the prospect of Chandler pursuing Kathy? She had seemed a little hesitant about helping him get into rehearsals, but that had been about her catering reputation more than about Kathy, hadn't it? Maybe she knew Kathy wouldn't be interested and she's trying to protect you, a traitorous voice in his head supplies. This seems much more likely, he thinks sadly. Monica would be too good of a friend to outwardly tell him he didn't stand a chance, but would hurt a little for him at the knowledge of his almost certain rejection. Monica really was a great friend, he concludes. He'd have to remember to buy her all those blueberries or do something equally kind for her when all this craziness was over.
He's about to disavow his companion of her misconceptions when they are interrupted by the conclusion of the read through and the loud announcement of "Lunch!"
"I gotta go," Chandler tells her hurriedly jumping up from his seat. If he's late to the food tables, he will most likely be receiving worse than Monica's death glares. "It was nice meeting you…" He pauses here waiting for the girl to provide a name.
"Nikki," she tells him reaching forward and shaking his hand. He hadn't been anticipating it so the movement is particularly awkward, though Chandler supposes that is in keeping with everything else to do with this strange girl. "It's actually Nicole, but I hate that. My friends call me Nikki. You can call me that," she adds sounding embarrassed and looking younger to him once more.
"Well, I'm actually Chandler," he tells her with a quick wave before jogging off to food services, "but my friends call me Sandwich Guy."
When he reaches food services he finds that his worries about upsetting Monica were not unfounded. Harried and angry, she roughly throws his apron to him in lieu of a greeting and the two get down to work. It isn't till a few minutes later once the tables are loaded with the sandwiches and the other sundries they'd made that morning that she finally relaxes enough for him to recount to her his strange encounter.
Though he had done his best to hide his disappointment when Nikki had informed him of Kathy's relationship with Nick he shows no such restraint when recounting the fact to his friend, rightfully believing he can expect sympathy and comfort from Monica.
"I just feel so stupid," he tells her miserably. "Coming up with this dumb plan, getting you involved. Could I be anymore pathetic?" He laments dramatically before burying his head into her shoulder.
Monica throws her arms around her friend pulling him in for a hug and resting her cheek on the soft mop of brown hair that moves towards her with the gesture. Chandler is just thinking he might like to stay like this forever, too depressed to even sit upright anymore, when he is pulled back into the present moment by a voice calling his name in surprise, "Chandler?"
He looks up, head still buried in Monica's forearm to see the woman at the center of his misery standing above him. Of course, when he finally got to see Kathy after all this time it would be in some ridiculous situation like this, he thinks miserably to himself, disengaging from Monica's embrace and running a nervous hand through his hair.
"Kathy, hi," he stutters nervously. "Hello, hi." He repeats needlessly. He throws Monica a desperate look, who jumps in to assist him.
"Hey, Kathy," she says with a wave at the other woman. "Joey mentioned you were in the play. Congratulations on the role."
"Thanks," Kathy answers distractedly, eyes never leaving Chandler. "What are you doing here?"
Despite the somewhat irrational dislike Monica has for this woman who's managed to become an object of infatuation for her friend, she does feel pity for Kathy who seems totally astonished by Chandler's appearance at her place of work and not at all unaffected by his presence. Maybe Rachel was on to something when she'd thought Kathy might have been interested in Chandler after all.
"He's helping me," Monica supplies when it looks as though Chandler still is momentarily tongue-tied.
"Sandwiches," Chandler announces, grimacing at his own contribution a moment later. Monica can't help but chuckle a bit at this. Her friend really was abominable with women.
"Oh," Kathy replies a bit sadly before adding. "Are you two," she pauses here to gesture between the two of them, "together?"
"Yeah, we're working together. To make sandwiches," Chandler tells her idiotically, clearly too nervous to understand the gist of the question.
"Chandler's helping me with catering service. But we aren't together," Monica explains with her own gesture between herself and her friend. She doesn't fail to notice the relief that seems to sweep across Kathy's face at her clarification. Yes, Kathy is definitely still interested in her friend, Monica concludes, despite whatever her relationship might be with this Nick person.
"So you'll be around a lot?" Kathy asks brightly eyes still on Chandler.
"Morning, noon, and night," Chandler tells her, finally seeming to recover some of his senses.
"That's great," Kathy replies placing a hand on Chandler's forearm, physical contact that seems highly unnecessary to Monica. "It will be great to catch up," she tells him softly.
Chandler wills himself to stop staring at her hand resting on his arm and to say something intelligible in response, preferably something not involving sandwiches, when he's interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Hey Chandler," Nikki's voice rings out thick with scorn, "I see you've met my sister. And here I thought you were just here to make the sandwiches."
