Someone Like You
Chapter 2
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I feel like I, perhaps, should have mentioned this is not going to be chronologically in order, but it does have a specific sequence. Hope it doesn't annoy too much…I love things that aren't chronologically in order. :) I'm actually a few scenes away from being done with all of this, other than some tweaking, and I'm thinking it's more like 5 parts. So, that's exciting. Hopefully I can post quickly :)
Thank you to Exintaris, Cindyy, gangsta_gabby_loves_joker, lainel, and csinylovexxx4ever (your review made me laugh—of course it's Richard—what am I, predictable?;) ) for the reviews so far. Keep it up, please :)
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Spring 1989
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Chandler woke up slowly, immediately aware that he was not alone in the small space of his dorm room bed. He attempted to move from the current position he had been lying in for too long; dorm room beds were definitely not made for two. Shifting slightly, he rolled onto his stomach from his side, snaking his arm slowly around her waist beneath her shirt as he buried his face in his pillow.
As she moved, too, though, turning to face him, fingers reaching out to grasp at the bottom of his tshirt, he looked up, smiling as he was met with a pair of bright blue eyes, lips curling into a smile.
At no point in the past few months of being silently jealous over Ross having a girlfriend as he spent every night alone had Chandler ever envisioned that this would be the girl he would ever wake up beside.
Monica sat up slowly, looking around the room, and all Chandler could think was how adorable she looked in his sweatshirt.
"I should leave before my brother gets back."
"What, you don't want to see Ross's head explode?" Chandler laughed, still lying down. "That could be fun."
Monica laughed at that, fingers playing nervously with the bottom of his sweatshirt she was still wearing as she stayed seated in place, having no desire to leave him at that moment, but also having no desire to face her brother should he come back.
"Hey, um, wanna go get some breakfast?" Chandler finally asked nervously, not yet ready for their time together to come to an end.
Monica paused, as if to think that through, before looking up. "One condition."
Chandler grinned. "Shoot."
"I'm keeping your sweatshirt."
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"Hey, man."
Chandler whipped around at the sound of Ross's voice coming from behind him as he headed back to his room with Monica's now dry clothes.
"Hey-hi," Chandler stuttered, making a feeble attempt to wrap her clothes around themselves and make them appear smaller.
Ross glanced down at his hands, about to make a crack at the fact that he was very clearly holding some girl's clothes, but suddenly realized something. Ross's face fell. "Tell me that's not what Monica was wearing last night."
Chandler tried to keep his breathing steady, face giving him away before he could even open his mouth.
"Dude, are you serious?" Ross asked, voice now raised. "Did you really sleep with my sister? My little sister?" he nearly yelled, a couple of guys sticking their heads out of their rooms to see what was going on.
"I-I'm," Chandler stuttered, taking a step away from Ross. "We didn't have sex!" he finally offered.
"So, what, exactly happened?" Ross crossed his arms.
"You want, like, details?" Chandler wrinkled his forehead. "That's kinda weird."
"No," Ross shook his head. "I mean, what the hell happened between the last time I saw either of you at the party last night and my sister going home with you! Were you guys drunk? Was she drunk?"
"Dude, stop yelling," Chandler hissed, more than a few other guys now lingering.
"Well, explain, please," Ross crossed his arms. "Oh, god, if those are her clothes, what is she-"
"My clothes," Chandler cut off that train of thought. "And, no, we weren't drunk. We left the party because it was lame, got rained on coming back here, changed into dry clothes, and went down to the lounge to watch a movie," Chandler explained.
Ross's facial expression relaxed a bit. "And then?"
Chandler covered his face with his hands. "Well, she's still here, so do you really want me to give you a play-by-play of the rest of the night?"
Ross sighed. "Dude, I swear to god, if you hurt her-"
"It's not like, that, okay," Chandler explained, dropping his hands from his face. "We really clicked last night. I-I really like her."
Ross looked down, shaking his head. "I was just going to shower and then meet Carol for breakfast. I guess I could just go back to her dorm now and then head to the dinning hall."
Chandler scuffed his foot on the ground. "We were about to go eat. We could meet you guys there?" he offered, wanting, needing, Ross to be okay with this. He really liked Monica, but he also didn't want his best friend unforgivably mad at him.
Ross finally nodded. "Fine. Fine," he repeated. "Swear to god, though, if you hurt her…I sleep on the other side of the room, and I can and will kick your ass."
Chandler laughed, breathing out a sigh of relief. "Dually noted."
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Fall 1991
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Chandler glanced nervously around the already full room at Ross and Carol's rehearsal dinner, attempting to spot Ross. His flight had been delayed because of a storm, so he had gotten into town late (missing the rehearsal) and barely had time to check into his room, drop off his luggage and change before running back down to the banquet hall where the rehearsal dinner was taking place.
Looking around, he finally spotted Ross, but his vision instead landed on the person to his right, whom he had expected (and tried to work himself up to being able) to see. She looked up, smiling when their vision met from across the room. He returned her smile, his heart pounding as he felt his feet involuntarily move in her direction, and, before he was prepared to be, he was standing in front of her.
"Hey," she greeted him softly, nervously playing with the wine glass in her hands.
"Hey," he echoed, wishing he'd had some alcohol, as well, not emotionally prepared to run into the girl he was not yet over. "How-how are you?"
"Good," Monica nodded. "Good," she repeated, nodding her head. "You?"
"Good," he nodded, as well, averting his eyes towards the ground.
"Hey, man, you made it!" Ross slapped Chandler on the back. "I was wondering if you were even going to make it in time for the ceremony tomorrow," he grinned, clearly joking.
"Sorry, man," Chandler apologized, and Monica slipped away silently, both of them relieved for the interruption. "So, how's it going? Ready to get married tomorrow?"
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Spring 1989
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"Can I take off the blindfold yet?" Monica groaned, having enjoyed the game of Chandler surprising her at first, but now was growing tired of it, having been driving in Ross's car for what had to be at least an hour now.
"Mmm," Chandler thought that one through. "We're actually just about there."
"And where is that?"
Chandler laughed. "C'mon, Mon. It's a surprise." Monica sighed audibly at that, as Chandler turned down the next road, slowing to a stop as he pulled off the road, Monica immediately ripping the blindfold off. "Has anyone ever told you that you have absolutely no patience?" he asked in amusement.
Monica smiled. "Yes, but you find it endearing."
Chandler laughed at that, killing the headlights as Monica looked around at what looked to be a vacant field just off the highway, the nearly set sun making it someplace she definitely would not want to be alone late at night.
"Are you murdering me? Because this looks like somewhere you could get away with it…" Monica pointed out, looking around. She had no idea where they were, and hadn't seen a car pass since taking off her blindfold.
Chandler laughed. "Actually," he turned towards the backseat, grabbing the blanket he had thrown back there, motioning for Monica to get out of the car as he did. "Actually, you said that you had never seen a shooting star that you remembered, so," he spread the blanket across the hood of the car, sitting on it, "we're going to sit out here until we see one," he patted the spot next to him. Monica bit her lip, trying to contain her smile. "I mean, if I'm going to murder you, I at least have to let you see one shooting star first," he teased as she sat beside him.
Monica smiled, silently sitting beside him as he set his hand between them, Monica sliding hers towards his slowly until their pinkies touched.
"What are you thinking?" Chandler finally asked after a stretch of silence longer than he would normally be comfortable with, but sensing it was the good kind of silence.
Turning towards him, Monica smiled wider. She shook her head, trying to bring the words to her lips. "I just-I think this might be the nicest thing anyone's done for me. Ever," she paused, looking down, Chandler taking her hand completely in his, entwining their fingers together. "Thank you," she met his eye in the moonlight.
Chandler smiled in return, the thought briefly crossing his mind that if this warmth building in his heart every time this girl was around wasn't love, then he wasn't sure what love could possibly be. He didn't vocalize that thought, though. Instead, he squeezed her hand, whispering, "Anytime."
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Fall 1997
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Chandler walked dejectedly away from the coffee shop, disappointed in having not really gotten to speak to Monica, his heart aching in a way he hadn't expected. It had been so long since they had broken up, so long since they had been anything at all, and yet…
Her marrying someone else put a finality to something that had never been complete. It was the fourth period at the end of an ellipse. The closing note of a wonderful song. The final page of an epic novel.
The end of them.
"Chandler?"
Chandler turned suddenly at the sound of Monica's voice coming from behind him, stopping dead in his tracks as she nearly ran down the street to catch up with him. When she did, she smiled, attempting to catch her breath before speaking. "Hey," she finally offered softly, the same smile playing on her lips she had given him countless times in the past.
At that, Chandler couldn't help but smile in return, a small sense of hope remaining in his heart. "Hey."