For those who hope Chandler will find out soon, I'm sorry to announce I'm planning to drag things a little bit longer :)
I'm actually working on this story for like five months now (on and off), so I've reeeaaaaaaally thought about it, wondering how things should go... but the ending is not written yet!
Chapter 7 : Sharing Her Secret
"Married! He's gonna get married!"
"I'm sorry Rach... I'm shocked too..."
"Don't tell me he seriously think she's his soulmate or I don't know what! He only knows her for a few months!"
"I don't know Rach..."
Ross had just announced he was gonna marry Emily, and after a small celebration everyone had left the apartment. Rachel and Monica were now alone and Monica was trying to comfort her friend. On the TV, a movie was on but they didn't pay any attention to it.
Just hearing the word "soulmate" made her heart ache. A few weeks had passed since she understood who was her soulmate according to this TiMER thing, and she had the impression she was constantly thinking about that. Everything reminded her of him. Chandler. She felt she was slowly but surely falling in love with him, and she couldn't do anything.
She had wanted to talk to him a couple of times, but never found the courage. Sure, according to the TiMER, he's her soulmate. But this device could be wrong. What if he doesn't feel the same? For her, it was too late. Since she realized Chandler was the one she was meant to be with, Monica's love for him was growing fast.
Every time he talked, every time he smiled, every time he innocently touched her, she was more and more loving him. At first she was afraid that the others would suspect something, but she quickly realized that noone saw through her.
"... Don't you think, Mon? ... Mon? ... Are you even listening to me?!"
"Mmmm...? Yes Rachel, I'm sure Ross will eventually realize his mistake and won't marry her. Don't worry."
Rachel sighed, desesperate. Monica hugged her, sad for her friend, but her own mind turned to something else. At this moment, a commercial passed on the TV. "Single? Tired of meaningless dating? Want to know when you'll meet the one? We've got a solution for you! Get a TiMER! TiMER will tell you when you will meet your soulmate. Only $299.99 for a lifetime full of happiness!"
"There! Here's what I need!" Rachel exclaimed.
Monica's eyes widened. She had to prevent her from making that huge mistake, especially if – like she suspected – Ross was her soulmate. Then, she'll have a blank screen, and if by miracle Ross would get a TiMER (highly unlikely) then the 0 and the anxiety...
"Oh no! Trust me! I know! Don't do that!"
"I'm kidding Mon. Jeez, relax..."
"Oh..."
Rachel looked at Monica suspiciously.
"Why were you so adamant?"
Monica fidgeted on the couch, uneasy.
"It's... hum... I don't... I don't think this new technology is a good thing."
"Why did you say "I know"?"
"Hum... Because... That's I always say! I know!"
"Mon... Did you...?"
Monica had an intern debate : should she tell her? Would Rachel understand? And more importantly: should she tell her who is her soulmate? She was keeping everything inside for some time now, and Monica was starting to think it would be good to share her secret with someone.
"Mon? Do you have a TiMER?"
"No."
This answer was easy because it was the truth. But Rachel was still skeptical and frowned at Monica.
"Mon?!"
Monica winced. Rachel was well-known for gossiping. Could Monica trust her?
"Mon! Come on! You're hiding something from me!"
"I had one."
There. She said it. She hadn't expected it, but Monica felt like confessing that out loud took a weight off her mind. She then pinched her lips, seeing Rachel's face, where confusion, surprise and excitement were mixed.
"Wow! I- I had no idea! When did you get it? What did it say? Why did you take it off?"*
Monica smiled. She was a bit afraid Rachel was going to judge her or won't understand, so Monica was relieved to see her friend was actually very excited.
"I got it three months ago, roughly. First it had a zero on it, then it went blank. I had it removed because it was too stressful, and since it went blank, it had no utility at all."
"Wow wow wow! Slow down! I don't know this thing very well. What does it mean, 'it had a zero on it'?" Rachel air quoted, rolling her eyes.
"It means I had already met my "soulmate". I already knew him. So I didn't have a countdown."
Rachel clapped her hands : "Oh my God, Richard!"
Monica smiled, her friend and herself had the same first idea... "No, it's not Richard. He never wore a TiMER."
She actually didn't know if the last part was true, but it wasn't important. Richard was totally out of the picture, and she hadn't think of him once since she found out Chandler was the one for her.
"Oh..." Rachel seemed disappointed. "Who is he, then?"
Monica gulped. At the beginning of the conversation, she felt she was ready to tell someone, but now she wanted to keep that part for her. How would Rachel react if Monica told him casually that Chandler was her soulmate? She would laugh. Monica was sure of it, and she didn't want Rachel to laugh as if the idea of Monica and Chandler together was a joke. It was dead serious to her.
"Um... I... I'm not sure. It can be any guy I already knew before getting the TiMER."
"Oh, God, but you've met like a thousand guys, how could you know?"
"See... That's why I had it removed. Too stressful."
Rachel nodded : "I understand... My God Mon... Wow..."
"You don't think I'm pathetic?"
"What? No! Absoluely not! I think it's great you tried it! Now you know your special one is out there, waiting for you. And you know you already know him, so that eliminates... I don't know... 3 billion guys?"
Monica and Rachel laughed and hugged each other again.
Monica was at ease. Rachel wasn't judging her and she felt much better. But she had one "little" burden on her shoulders left. In the arms of her friend, Monica felt safe, relieved and happy. This state of mind made her whisper, without thinking Rachel would hear : "It's Chandler."
Rachel abruptely stopped the hug and looked at Monica in shock, her mouth wide open. She screamed : "WHAT?!"
Monica froze. Had she say that out loud? She wanted to think it, not say it. "What?"
Rachel pointed a finger at Monica : "Monica... What did you just say?"
"Thank... you...?"
Rachel shook her finger, her eyes still wide open : "No no no no no... You said a name. A name I know."
"Thanks Rachel?" Monica winced. She was so bad at lying, she was making a fool of herself. She looked away and sighed : the time had come to tell the whole truth to someone.
Monica had planned a scenario in her head, where she would tell Chandler first, he would answer he feels the same and everything would go well. But time has passed and she was too afraid to talk to him, afraid of losing him by frightening him, afraid things would get awkward afterwards.
Feeling the tension, Rachel's voice became suddenly very soft as she put one hand on Monica's right thigh : "Monica? Is Chandler the guy that also had a zero on his TiMER?"
She didn't want to use the word "soulmate", it was too weird for now. Chandler, soulmate of Monica? It sounded odd. Still looking away, Monica slowly nodded and explained quickly : "I didn't find out immediately. Let's just say that... I had an information and... we talked and... I understood. I'm 100 % sure it's him and he doesn't have a clue."
"Chandler? A TiMER? Wow... And I thought he was commitment phobic!"
"I know! He doesn't have it anymore though. I guess he was tired to wonder who she was too..."
Rachel blinked her eyes and shook her head, in disbelief, before asking Monica : "But... So... How do you feel about it?"
Monica smiled and looked at Rachel : "Very good... It's like... It's like I'm finally seeing clear, you know? It's like : 'oh my God of course, it's so obvious!' I know we're not in a relationship yet, but he's everything I'm looking for. He's smart, he's caring, he's funny, he's a good listener, he knows how to calm me down, I'm sure he can be tender, and he's really cute."
As she was talking, Monica's smile grew bigger and bigger, and Rachel coudn't help but smile too. Her friend was so smitten... with Chandler! Incredible! She hugged Monica : "I'm so happy for you, Mon!"
After a few seconds, Monica suddenly sat up straight : "Please Rach, don't tell anyone!"
Too shocked and moved by Monica's previous revelation, Rachel promised : "Of course Mon, don't worry! How are you going to tell him though?"
Monica sighed : "I'm still wondering... I'm so afraid to scare him. What if he doesn't believe me? What if it doesn't work and we lose our beautiful friendship? What if he..."
"Mon! Mon! Stop it! Listen... He'll believe you. It will work, because I can totally see it happening. Don't worry about your friendship, it'll be strengthened."
Monica smiled weakly, it felt good hearing such an optimistic point of view.
"You do see it happening?"
Rachel confirmed : "Yes. Everything you said before... it's true. We often make fun of him... maybe because he's too kind actually. He never fights back, so it's easy to take him down. I never really thought deeply of everything we say. We're too harsh. He's a great catch. He'll defend you, he won't cheat on you, he'll cheer you up... Man, suddenly I wish I was his soulmate!"
Monica laughed. She was glad to hear compliments on her maybe-future-boyfriend from her best friend.
Rachel continued : "But!... I don't think you should tell him about the TiMER thing at first."
Monica frowned : "What do you mean?"
"I mean starting a relationship by saying 'hey you, our TiMERs said we should be together, so let's try it!' is lame. Seriously, it sucks. Don't do it. What I think is you should find a way to be in a relationship with him, and only after that confessing about the TiMER, which will be a detail by then. It'll be waaaaaaaaaayyyyyy more romantic!"
Monica's lips started to form a smile, thinking about what Rachel had just said. She was right. But how she could get in a relationship with Chandler? Chandler? Her best friend (well, with Rachel). Especially after what happened at the beach last year...
"I need a plan..."
"A plan? For what? Seducing him?" Rachel asked, confused.
"No, it's more than that. I don't think seducing him would work. He'll freak out. I need to go on a date with him and... I don't know... show him how I feel? What do you think?"
Rachel pondered about what Monica just said. Of course Chandler would freak out if Monica tried to seduce him. It's Chandler. And Monica is his best female friend, he would be confused, lost, he'd panick... it wouldn't work.
She spoke slowly, hesitating : "Maybe... maybe you should send him signals. You know... So he would get used to it, he would start asking himself questions. And then, when you feel it's the right time, you ask him out... or you share you feelings."
Monica winced : "I don't want him to get anxious and weird because of my signals... But... it seems the best solution so he won't panick too much..."
"You two are already really close. Just... get a little bit closer. Kiss him longer on the cheek. Stroke his hair. Whisper in his ears. Let you eyes linger on him when you look at him."
Monica nodded excitedly : "Wow! You're good!"
Rachel smiled proudly and shrugged her shoulders : "Some learn maths or history in high school, I learned flirting!"
"Thanks for the tips! Promise me you won't tell anyone, Rach!" Monica warned.
"I promise I promise! Geez, trust me Mon..."
Monica gave her a knowing look.
"Well, okay, I have some difficulties keeping secrets... I'll keep this one I promise! But you can't help me enjoy watching you slowly seduce him..."
Monica smiled. She's gonna do it. It'll work. It has to.
