A/N: And it's been 7 long years since I touched this. Wow, I really do deserve a whack. I lost interest in this story until recently when I looked over chapter one and decided to finish this as I actually like the plot too much to permanently shelf it. So, enjoy what was long overdue I suppose.
Chapter Two: Talk to Me
Later that night, as Roxanne slept uneasily and Peter's thoughts were out of control, fellow Glen Oak worrier Cecilia Smith sat upon her bed in a deep conflict.
Her mind was pulling her in a million different directions at the moment. Her body was tense with confusion induced angst.
Why was this happening? Why did she take that call?
Why couldn't the past just leave well enough alone? Why was her ex still haunting her at every turn of her life?
It was bad enough that he was still in her head. His handsome face filled her dreams at night, no matter how hard she fought to rid herself of it. His voice played in her ears, whispering words of long lost love. She could even still feel his hands running down her body sometimes.
No matter how hard she tried to fight the past, it still mocked her. He was in her blood, coursing through her veins, pumping into her heart. That would explain why her heart would beat a million miles per hour when she heard his name, at least.
Simon Camden. His name seemed to be everywhere in her life.
It didn't help that his father ran the local church that most of their small town went to. Everyone knew of Simon. Even with him out of town, his presence still lingered in that tiny town. Simon was a local celebrity, as was the rest of his family.
She couldn't seem to find a single place in Glen Oak where people hadn't spent the past year speaking of Simon. People spoke of the tragedy of the accident that claimed that young boy's life, leading Simon to flee town and go off to college. People wondered how he was coping away from home, how his parents and many siblings were dealing with him being gone, and when he would come back to town and face his past demons.
Well, that last one would be happening very soon.
Ugh, that damn phone call. Why did she pick up the phone knowing it was him? A stupid, stupid, stupid girl was what Cecilia was. Why did she talk to him knowing that he would only bring inevitable drama into her perfectly calm life?
Despite him filling her mind constantly, she was doing ok without him around. She was getting better at bottling the thoughts of him away deep into the dark corners of her brain. It was becoming tolerable. She could live without constantly thinking of him now.
She even had a wonderful new boyfriend named Martin. He may not have evoked the feelings of passion Simon did within her, but he was still a sweet guy. A bit clingy at times and maybe kind of young for her, but still sweet as can be. He was kind of plain and dull compared to Simon's angst and noise filled world, but he was overall much more reliable. She'd take dull and somewhat banal Martin over the drama and heartache Simon had caused any day at this point.
She finally was healing herself to the point she could focus on Martin, school, her parents, and her friends. She wasn't crying over Simon constantly anymore. Her heart was mending the hurt he'd filled it with. The cracks he left were filling up with new love and experiences. She was getting better at avoiding the thoughts and feelings about him that were dwelling deep within her. She was moving on with her life.
Until the call, that is. That blasted phone call ruined anything.
"Cecilia, we need to talk. I know things have been rocky between us this past year and I'm not sure how you feel about me at this point, but I want to see you. School is almost over and I'm coming home for the summer in about a week, give or take. I want to talk about us when I get back. I'm not sure where we stand anymore, but I want to try and work through our problems. I've been thinking of you so much lately. I can't stay away much longer. I'll see you in about a week, ok?"
Damn, damn, damn. That one call threw everything out of balance. Now her mind and heart were slowly unraveling as those accursed feelings she had tried so hard to bury were overtaking her.
She was getting sucked into the fiery pits of hell. She was getting sucked back into Simon and all the drama that came along with him. She didn't want to go back. She just wanted to move on. She wanted this complicated chapter of her life to close and a new chapter to open. She wanted a chapter that contained Martin and his normality and not Simon and his whirlwind of complicatedness.
Cecilia was startled by thunder rumbling lightly outside. The clouds opened up as rain began pouring. And finally, a few tiny flashes of lightning graced the skyline of Glen Oak. A storm was officially born.
Looking sadly out the window, Cecilia just knew that knew her sunny life would soon become just like the storm she saw before her. Deep in her bones she knew no matter how much she tried to fight it, the thunderstorm known as Simon Camden would soon become entangled in her and every inch of her world...
(-)
Are you as good as I remember, baby?
Get it on, get it on
Cause tonight is the night
When two become one...
"I love you so much and I want to show you just how much I love you. Roxanne...I want to make love to you, for us to become one," Chandler said as he took Roxanne's hand.
"Make love to me, Chandler," Roxanne replied gently.
Chandler smiled at her, "Gladly. But you can't run away this time. I don't think I could take it if you denied me again."
"I have no plans to, Chandler. I want this...I want you," Roxanne replied with a wink.
And with those words, his lips were crashing against hers. Shortly afterwards, Roxanne was pulled into his arms. The kiss grew more heated and demanding as the couple toppled down onto Roxanne's bed.
Parting his lips from hers, Chandler gazed into Roxanne's eyes. He saw nothing but love reflected back at him. He kissed her forehead softly.
Roxanne felt her heartbeat speed up when his lips touched her bare skin. She sighed with pleasure. She could only imagine how good she'd be feeling when he kissed her entire naked body...
I need some love
Like I never needed love before
Wanna make love to you, baby...
Roxanne's eyes snapped open at that line. Wanna make love to you, baby...she cursed herself for thinking of Chandler when those words played in her mind.
If she was so over him, why was she relating lyrics like that to him? And why the hell was she having a dream, that had she not woken up from it, surely would have ventured into downright pornographic territory?
Her heartbeat sped up at the potential erotic visions that could have been. Her body tingled with what she was hoping wasn't yearning for her ex. She had a sinking it feeling it was, though.
Damn it. She was yearning for him and his touch, wasn't she?
Maybe she was just feeling lustful in general. After all, it was a natural human feeling and stress related thoughts of Chandler had been filling her mind when she fell asleep. Maybe if she pictured herself with another man she would have the same feelings.
She tried to picture the same dream with Johnny Depp. Nope, she felt nothing. Strange, he was her biggest celebrity crush. She had dreamt of marrying him in her teenage years.
As a test, she switched her thoughts back to Chandler. Thump, thump. Her heart was pounding as his face poured into her mind. She thought of him kissing her. The tingling returned.
Damnit. It was him causing these feelings.
Wanna make love to you, baby...damn lyrics, they were stuck in her head now. So annoying, she thought with a growl.
Wait, no, that was her phone ringing. She'd fallen asleep with it next to her on the bed. It was then that she sheepishly recalled purchasing that ringtone after a stupid bought of Spice Girls nostalgia.
Without thinking to check the caller id, Roxanne pressed the accept button and placed the phone up to her ear.
"Hello," She said groggily, her mind still working its way out of her Chandler-induced trance.
"Hey Roxanne," An all too familiar voice replied.
Oh no. It was him. Chandler...out of all people the people in the world, why him?
The tingling started again. Her body was aching, but not with pain. Oh no, this definitely was not pain. This ache was of pure, longing desire.
"Roxanne, are you still there? If you are, please don't hang up," Chandler's voice snapped her back into reality.
"Yeah, I'm here," She replied in the dullest tone she possessed, hoping not to clue him in on her emotional turmoil.
"Good. I thought you'd hung up for a minute. Roxanne, we really need to talk about the other day..." Chandler was cut off when Roxanne interjected.
"What about the other day?! Nothing happened!" Roxanne snapped and then immediately felt guilty for sounding so harsh.
"I have to disagree with that statement, Roxanne. A lot happened between us. I told you I still loved you. I thought that by the way things were going that you still felt the same..." Chandler was cut off again.
"Chandler, nothing happened. Nothing. Can we let it go?" Roxanne was nearly pleading now.
"Roxanne, a lot happened between us. We came pretty close to having sex in my office. That part I regret. Not what we did together, but the location. Everything else that happened in that office I have no doubts about. I wanted all of that. I still lo-no, I'm not doing this by phone. It's too important. I'm coming over, ok?" Chandler replied as hastily as he could so she couldn't cut him off again.
"Chandler, please..." Roxanne was pleading for real now.
The line went dead. Oh crap.
He was coming. That meant she'd have to face him and every feeling and desire for him that she just wanted to bury and never remember.
Her heart started thumping and the desire grew stronger. If she could, she would beat the ever-loving crap out of her body right now.
Stop. Stop making me feel these things. I don't want this. I don't want him, Roxanne was now pleading with her body instead of her ex.
The feelings of desire and longing seemed to grow even stronger after that thought. It was as if her body was telling her: No, I won't stop. You know you want him. You know you love him. Just give in.
She wasn't sure how much more of this emotional torment she could take...
Ding Dong.
Crap. The doorbell. It was him. No, no, no.
She couldn't deal with this. Her mind was going in a million different directions at the moment and it was terrifying her. Between her confusion involving her ex and her plethora of feelings for him and her growing worries about her father, this was all going to do her in.
Maybe if she just stayed in her room, he would figure she wasn't home and leave. She could only hope.
With that thought, she felt such quilt. Despite her not wanting to see him, he was still a sweet guy. If only none of this had happened. They could have just happily stayed friends.
She cared for him a lot. She just didn't care for him like that.
You're full of crap, her body scolded her yet again. You know very well that you still love him. You're just being a baby. Why don't you just go answer your door and own up to your feelings? He loves you too. You know that. Go to him and make this right. Then you can bring him into this room and finish what you guys started the other day...
NO! She would most certainly not be taking up that suggestion no matter how strong the urge to was growing within her by the minute. Thump, thump...make that second.
Ding Dong. Ding Dong.
The doorbell rang again and again. He obviously wasn't intent on giving up anytime soon. Roxanne decided to just keep ignoring him.
Expect, she then remembered the door. In her hurry to get inside before, she'd left her front door open with only the screen door closed. Oh shit, that made it obvious there was someone home. Not to mention her car was in the driveway, she remembered. And it's not like she could even sneak out the backdoor to her car without crossing his path.
Ugh, this whole thing was such a mess. She just wanted this whole situation to disappear.
The screen door creaked open and then shut. Oh no, he was coming in the house. She could hear his footsteps echoing throughout the house now.
Maybe it wasn't him. Maybe it was Lucy, Kevin, or somebody else. She could only pray that was the case.
"Roxanne? I'm sorry for intruding, but I told you I was coming over. Your front door was wide open and no one was answering so I got worried. Are you home? Are you ok?" His concerned voice called out to her.
No such luck. She knew the identity of that voice before he even finished a sentence. She sighed, knowing there was no longer a way to avoid him or the conversation that she desperately did not want to have now.
His footsteps got closer to her bedroom door, which she'd also left open. Of course, this was all just her luck. She was such an idiot sometimes.
She hated this. She hated how small she felt. All her life, she was used to being cool and in control. Why was it that this one man had all the power to twist her emotions around and make her feel so small and weak when it came to their relationship?
Because you love him, you idiot, her body taunted. He'll be in here any second now. Just do what we both know you want to do. Throw yourself at him already.
Ignoring the longing and desire of her body and the thumping of her heart, Roxanne curled up into a fetal position. She gave up. He won. She was going to face him any second now.
"Roxanne?" His voice echoed throughout the hallway to her room.
A familiar shadow approached her door. Soon enough, she was face to face with her ex. He looked at her, concern filling his handsome features.
"You are home. Why didn't you answer me? I was so worried. Are you ok?" He asked in a soft, cautious voice.
She gave no reply.
He walked into the room and sat down next to her on the bed. His eyes met hers. Her heart was thumping even faster now.
He moved closer to her, "Roxanne, talk to me. Are you ok? What's wrong?"
He went to stroke her hair with his right hand, but she moved her head away from him.
"Please go away," She replied weakly.
"I can't just leave you like this. You look like you're about to cry. Please, Roxanne, talk to me. I want to understand what you're going through. Why do you want me to go away?" He asked gently.
"This is too hard," She replied shakily, her eyes now starting to tear up.
He moved himself so he was lying down next to her. He went to wrap his arms around her curled up form, but she flinched.
"Don't touch me!" She cried out, her tears now falling.
A hurt look crossed his face, "Roxanne, why? Why can't I touch you? Did I do something wrong? Please tell me."
There was only silence on her end.
"Roxanne, please, talk to me. I can't leave you like this. You're crying. I'm sorry for whatever I did to upset you. If this is about the other day, then I'm sorry if I came on too strong. But everything I said was true. I still love you. I haven't stopped loving you. I can't pretend to be over you anymore. So, please, let's work this out," He pleaded, his voice breaking.
With those words, Roxanne uncurled herself and straightened her body out. She moved closer to him so their noses were almost touching. Both of them now had tears in their eyes.
He wrapped his arms around her. This time she didn't fight it.
"I love you, too," She said gently.
Was that so hard to admit? Her body mocked her. It really was. Despite how easily those words may have come out of her mouth, finding the courage to actually unearth them from the vault of denial in her mind took every ounce of inner strength she possessed.
But with the truth now out, the last of the couple's tears fell. Roxanne felt like a weight had been lifted off of her chest. Now she wasn't even sure why she had been fighting so hard to keep him out in the first place. Looking into his eyes and having his arms around her felt so right. This was certainly much better than lying down alone curled up in a pathetic little ball.
His face turned to a smile, "You mean it?"
"Of course I do," She replied with a smile of her own.
He rubbed his forehead against hers, "See, you talked to me. Everything's better. Now I can see that beautiful smile that I love so much."
"I love you so much, Chandler," Roxanne repeated the so-called 'dreaded' words, this time with more power.
"And I love you, Roxanne," Chandler replied.
And with those words, the couple kissed. Roxanne's arms wrapped around Chandler's neck as his own arms moved around her waist. Shortly afterwards, his tongue greeted hers as the kiss grew deeper and more powerful.
The two made out for a while before parting for air. As they broke apart, their eyes met. Both sets glowed with adoration and love. Both of the couple was also feeling that same adoration and love pulsing throughout their bodies.
Though, Roxanne was feeling something extra pulsing through hers. She was still feeling that same lust and desire that she felt upon waking up from her dream before. She wanted him. She wanted him so very badly.
And the best part of these feelings now? This wasn't a dream. She broke down her silly wall of denial and let him back into her heart. Now he was sitting right in front of her. They were in her room and on her bed, no less. This was exactly where she'd dreamt of giving himself to him before.
And now she would make that dream come true. She ready to finish what he started the other day .She was ready and more than willing. And she had the feeling he was, too.
Yes, this was all perfect. He was hers and she was his through an emotional connection. Soon, the same would be true physically.
Dear God, she wanted him now.
"Make love to me, Chandler," Roxanne found herself saying what she desired out loud.
His eyes widened in surprise, "Are you sure this time, Roxanne?"
"What's wrong? Don't you want me, too?" She asked playfully, nuzzling her nose with his as she spoke.
"No, no...I wasn't implying that. Of course I do. Trust me, you have no idea you much I want you. I just want to make sure you're really ready this time," He replied gently.
Roxanne kissed his nose and then pressed her lips lightly against his in response. He shuddered with pleasure at that tiny bit of contact. Roxanne giggled softy. She knew he wanted her. She just thought it would be cute to play with him a bit.
"Mmm-hmm. I'm more than ready now, Chandler," Roxanne said, her tone purely seductive now.
"O-ok. But...I'm sorry, I'm asking one more time just to make sure. Roxanne, are you sure?" He asked the question again, just wanting to make sure once and for all.
She kissed him deeply and urgently in response. He took the hint right away. Soon enough, the two found their way under Roxanne's covers. Along the way, their clothes were shed and tossed onto the floor.
Roxanne gazed in his eyes, "Show me you much you love me. Make me yours, Chandler."
"Gladly," He replied, all his hesitations now completely gone.
And soon enough, two halves came together. As the two finally became one, a flash of lightning struck outside. Neither really paid much attention to it. They just considered it nature's way of telling them that they were a perfect storm when together.
After they finished together, they lie on the bed in each other's arms. Both had blissful smiles on their faces. Chandler kissed Roxanne's forehead.
"I love you, Roxanne," Chandler said softly
"And I love you, Chandler," Roxanne replied, hugging him tighter.
Overall, Roxanne was happy she listened to her body and heart and not her mind on this one. Letting the past back into her life didn't hurt after all.
She could never be just Chandler's friend, anyway. This would have happened eventually, she told herself. Their bond was too strong for them to stay apart.
Even if it took them almost a year to realize it, they belonged back in each other's arms. Breaking up was a stupid idea in the first place. They needed each other so much.
They were soul mates. They were each other's destiny. They'd never be apart again.
Right? Of course!
Or perhaps maybe not...
A/N: I honestly didn't intend to put Chandler and Roxanne back together this early in the story, but as I was writing it just kind of happened. So I'm not sure where Roxanne's plot is going now since originally it was about her avoiding Chandler and denying she had feelings for him. That's why I added the 'maybe not' thing, it's possible I may break them up again. I dunno, I'll think of something. I'm predicting great things for this story hopefully. Also, "2 Become 1" by the Spice Girls isn't mine. It came on randomly in iTunes (yay for shuffle) while I was typing and I remember how much I loved it, so I just kind of stuck it in. Ok, until the next update (which won't be seven years, I swear!).