Beautifully

Chapter 2: The Suggestion

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Well, I only got 2 reviews for the last chapter, but just as much traffic as the last chapter of Sometime Around Midnight, so I'm going to assume people are reading and continue on…

Also, Friendsfan101, the title of this fic is like the title of the song by Jay Brannan. Because we have the same exact awesome taste in music, I thought you would want to know ;)

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"C'mon, Chandler, come out," Rachel called out to Chandler, who was in a fitting room of a department store, doing as promised and letting her dress him.

"Yea, c'mon, Chandler," Julie, Ross's girlfriend added. Julie and Rachel had hit it off after Ross had reconnected with Julie, an old friend from grad school, on his trip to China, Rachel and Julie finding that the few things Ross lacked having in common with Julie, Rachel had in common with her.

Like shopping, for one.

"I'm not some Ken Doll you can just dress up on command," Chandler's voice huffed, muffled by the fitting room door.

"You agreed to this, remember?" Rachel added, knocking on the door, and Chandler sheepishly appeared a moment later, though half-hidden behind the door.

"I agreed to shopping with you, not with spectators," Chandler glanced at Julie, who smiled in return. "No offense," he added, and she held up her hands, not offended.

"Are you coming all the way out here, or do you want me to come in there?" Rachel raised her eyebrows at him.

"Well," Chandler grinned, and Rachel stepped forward, around the door, hitting him lightly on the arm. Chandler sighed, slowly stepping the rest of the way out of the room. "Are these pants too tight?" he asked, looking at his butt in the mirror, and both girls looked at that aforementioned area, immediately shaking their heads.

"Definitely not," Rachel shook her head, taking another step towards him as she slightly adjusted the collar of his black dress shirt. "You look very handsome," she added, reassuringly, "you just need," she trailed off, holding up a finger before running off. Chandler looked questioningly at Julie, who shrugged, but Rachel reappeared a moment later with a tie, holding it out for him.

"That is pink," Chandler shook his head, not taking it.

"Pink…ish," Rachel shook her head. "I'd call it salmon." Chandler took a step back, shaking his head. "C'mon."

"Wearing a pink tie might undue the good that you being my date does," he again shook his head, backing up, his back hitting the mirror.

"No, it just shows you're comfortable enough in your masculinity to wear pink," Rachel added, standing in front of him. Chandler shrugged, giving in as Rachel leaned closer, reaching around his neck to put the tie in place, fingertips close to his neck as she tied it.

"How do you know how to tie a tie?" Chandler asked, impressed with a girl who could do so.

"My dad showed me once when I asked," she finished tying it, patting him on the chest before spinning him around to look in the mirror with her. "See? You look good," she leaned close to his neck, wrapping her arms around him, straightening out his tie from behind.

Chandler shrugged, unconvinced, and slightly unnerved at the quickening of his heartbeat with Rachel leaning so close, breathing on the back of his neck.

"Fine, try the other shirt on," Rachel took a step back.

"But you said this looks good," Chandler whined, heading back into the dressing room, but doing as he was told.

"You're good at this," Julie pointed out as Rachel again took a seat next to her.

"What, dressing Chandler?" she laughed.

"Picking out outfits for people. You should do this for a living."

"Yes, get paid to shop," Rachel smiled, "that's the dream."

"Seriously," Julie shook her head. "Don't rich people pay people to dress them?"

Rachel paused, thinking for a moment before Chandler again stepped out of the fitting room, this time in a dark blue dress shirt.

Rachel and Julie both nodded immediately. "That one," they said in unison.

Chandler grinned. "Sweet, no tie," he added, before heading back into the dressing room to change. "Anything else for this Ken Doll, Rach?" Chandler asked, throwing the selected shirt and pants over the top of the stall door. Rachel walked over, grabbing them.

"Mmmm."

"I'll take that, 'mmmm' as a no," Chandler opened the door, though he was still finishing buttoning up the bowling shirt he had been wearing.

"Well, I'll dress you up all day if you let me," Rachel smiled as Chandler grabbed the other outfit he had tried on, heading to the registers to pay. "Buying that one, too?"

Chandler shrugged. "I can always use more work clothes," he added, the girls stopping to wait as he continued on to pay.

"Question," Julie said quietly.

"Hm?" Rachel asked, still watching Chandler.

"Do you like him?"

"What, Chandler?" Rachel laughed, the thought of which amused her. Of course she didn't like Chandler. He was…well, Chandler.

"You guys are kind of flirty-"

"That's just Chandler," Rachel brushed it off. "He's completely harmless."

"Well, why not?" Julie asked. "He's cute, sweet, funny…is there something wrong with him?"

"Do you want to date Chandler?" Rachel asked, jokingly, looking up as Chandler turned back towards them, grinning at her as he walked back.

Julie looked from Chandler back to Rachel. "Do you?"

"Where to next, ladies?" Chandler asked, returning to Rachel's side as she quietly mulled over Julie's question, realizing she had never even thought of Chandler in that context. When she moved in with Monica, the three guys just kind of came as part of the deal, and she'd never given any of them much thought, Ross because she'd known him forever, Joey because he was…Joey, and Chandler…well, Chandler was Chandler, but not in the same way that Joey was Joey.

"Well, Rachel was saying she was hungry, but I actually have to get going back to work, so you guys have fun at lunch," Julie looked down at her watch, watching Rachel as she presumed she continued to mull over the thought of Chandler.

"Lunch, Rach?" Chandler asked Rachel, who shot a look at Julie, as if to say she could tell what she was doing, attempting to play matchmaker.

"Sure," Rachel nodded. "Lunch would be great."

"Well, I'll see you guys later, then," Julie said, turning to go.

"Bye, Julie."

"See you later."

"Where do you want to go for lunch?" Chandler asked, Rachel falling into step with him as they headed out of the store, Rachel still thinking through what Julie had asked.

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"This may be the worst movie ever made," Chandler leaned close to Rachel, whispering, though there was only an older couple near the front of the movie theatre since it was the middle of the day on a weekday. After lunch, Chandler had asked if Rachel wanted to hang out for the rest of the day, since he had taken the day off work. He'd said she didn't have to spend her day off with him, but…he had been having fun so far.

And she agreed.

They ended up at the movie theatre, and picked the movie with the next starting time, though that seemed to be a mistake.

"I may have nightmares about this movie," Rachel replied.

"What, about the world actually turning into a Waterworld?"

"God, no," Rachel snorted. "Just nightmares of watching this movie over and over."

Chandler laughed loudly in reply, stopping when an usher appeared beside them. The kid, who couldn't have possibly been any older than a teenager, looked at them sternly before continuing past.

"I think that was our warning," Chandler whispered to Rachel, who giggled.

"What do you think happens next time he walks by and we're still talking?"

~.~

"Well," Chandler held open the door for Rachel, who walked outside, before following her, "apparently, that's what happens when he walks by again and we're still talking."

"Or it may have been the fact that you asked him if it would have been better if we moved to the back row and made out instead," Rachel pointed out, and Chandler shrugged. "I've never been kicked out of a movie before," she laughed, squinting in the bright sunlight, which was a stark contrast to the cold bite of the air.

"You know, me neither," Chandler laughed. "I can't say I wish I got to see the end, though."

"Oh, no, definitely not," Rachel agreed.

"You can thank me later," Chandler grinned, winking at her, and Rachel smiled before looking away, wondering if the sudden effect Chandler seemed to be having on her was purely because of Julie's suggestion to her, or something else. During the half of the movie they had gotten to see, Chandler had leaned close to her, whispering his own dialogue and commentary in her ear, both of them laughing. Every time he grabbed her arm or touched her leg, she took note, and wondered why she had never noticed before how physical of a person he was.

Rachel glanced at Chandler, who looked back at her, returning the smile she gave him as they continued walking.

"Coffee?"

Rachel wrinkled her nose. "I'd rather not have to smell coffee on my day off."

Chandler laughed. "Right. I always forget about that."

Rachel let the silence hang as they continued towards their building. He held open the door for her, though his hands were full, brushing against her as he followed her inside and up the stairs.

God, she was like a teenager with a crush, taking every simple move to mean something entirely different. What was wrong with her?

It had to have been because of what Julie had said.

What else could it be?

"You okay?" Chandler asked Rachel as she unlocked her front door.

"Yea, fine, why?" Rachel asked, spinning back around to face him.

"You've just been quiet since lunch," Chandler shrugged.

"Yea, I'm fine," Rachel opened the door, Chandler following her inside instead of to his own apartment. She watched as he immediately headed to the refrigerator, taking a quick inventory before grabbing a bottle of Yoo-hoo.

What Julie said was just messing with her mind. He was just goofy Chandler. He was drinking chocolate milk, for christ's sake! Who over the age of six habitually drank chocolate milk?

"You sure you're okay?" Chandler looked at her again, heading back towards the door.

Rachel nodded, slightly too fiercely. "I'm sure."

"Well, thanks for taking me shopping, I guess," he smiled to let her know he was only kidding.

"Thanks for getting us kicked out of that terrible movie," Rachel shot back, causing his smile to widen.

"Anytime," he replied, hand on the doorknob, pausing slightly. "See ya later."

"Bye," Rachel replied, staring after him once the door was closed. She shook her head to clear her mind.

Damn Julie, messing with her head like that.

"Oh, hey, I meant to ask," Chandler opened the door back up, "since you got to pick out what I'm wearing, does that mean I get to dress you?"

Rachel laughed slightly. "Bye, Chandler."

"See you at seven, Rach," he replied, again closing the door behind him.

Rachel turned away from the door. Yea, that Julie sure was writing a novel of some sort with her crazy plotline suggestion of her and Chandler. What would Julie think up next? That Rachel also secretly had feelings for Ross and was going to steal him away from her? Ha! Or, maybe it was Joey she had feelings for….

Rachel shook her head, laughing to herself as she headed to her bedroom to decide what she was going to wear later to the party.

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