Sometime Around Midnight

Chapter 10: I'd Burn Up in Your Atmosphere

~.~

I, apparently, can't write a Randler story in less than 20 chapters to save my life. I'll try to wrap it up in less than that many more chapters, but…it's kind of the pattern with me….

Thanks for the reviews! The funny thing is, I posted the last chapters of this and my Mondler fic at the same time, and while the last chapter of this fic had far more hits, the other fic got more than twice the reviews. Are you Randler fans just closeted Randler fans? Ha! Seriously, though, I appreciate reviews, but as long as I have people reading, and I am getting at least a few reviews, I'm gonna keep going…although, feedback never hurts…just throwing that out there.

~.~

Chandler lay in bed, unable to get to sleep. A week ago, everything had been fine. Why'd he have to go and kiss Rachel and start this whole mess? It was her fault, really, for suggesting he kiss her at the beach. And getting him drunk enough to sing karaoke, and therefore drunk enough to kiss her again.

Or, if he was going to blame someone, he was going to go ahead and blame Ross, because he was the one that loved Rachel for so long and then cheated on her, and he was the reason he couldn't be with her. And the reason Rachel had gotten drunk enough to kiss him in the first place. And blaming Ross was easier than blaming Rachel. Because he didn't want to be angry with Rachel…he was too busy missing her. His bed felt empty without her. He kept hoping the door would slowly squeak open and she would slip into bed with him for the rest of the night.

He knew it wasn't going to happen, though.

It couldn't happen. Which was why he was right to end it before it went too far. Before he went and did something stupid like fall in love with his best friend's ex-girlfriend.

~.~

"Hey."

Rachel literally jumped from where she was standing in line at Central Perk at the sound of Monica's voice behind her.

"He-hey," Rachel replied, forcing a smile.

"Where have you been lately?" Monica asked, wondering how it was possible that she now rarely saw her own roommate.

"Oh, ya know," Rachel shrugged, "work…around…" Rachel shrugged.

"Around?" Monica asked, and Rachel again shrugged, avoiding eye contact. "Do you-do you think you and Ross will make up any time soon?" Monica finally asked as Gunther handed Rachel her usual without even taking her order.

"Thanks," Rachel smiled at him. "No," she then shook her head at Monica's question. "I really don't think so this time."

"But-"

"Would you want to have to be around, say, Richard all the time? Would you want to have to be not only civil but friendly towards him, and to have to see him move on and live his life without you and most likely with someone else? Would you be able to get over someone you see every day?" Rachel cut her off, half referring to Ross, but also half referring to Chandler.

Maybe more than half referring to Chandler.

Monica looked down. "I guess not."

"I'm sorry, Mon," Rachel sighed. "I have to get back to work," she added, picking up the coffee and scone Gunther had handed to her in a bag, hurrying out of Central Perk before she could run into anyone else.

~.~

Chandler hesitated at the door of Central Perk, deciding to walk in when he saw that Monica was the only one there. He had had only a few awkward run-ins with Rachel over the course of the past few weeks—twice in the laundry room of their building, three times in the hallway, once at the coffee shop at lunch time—but she seemed to be making herself scarce so that it rarely happened.

He loved and hated her for it.

He was glad he didn't have to co-exist with her, but it also saddened him she was basically phasing herself out of the group, lifting herself out of the equation altogether. With her absence, they had been spending more time around Ross, and Ross had been coming around more often since she was absent, and no one dare mention Rachel around him, the two of them never facing each other for that much needed closure.

And it hurt his heart not to see her. Although, he could be certain, it would hurt his heart just as much to see her and have to pretend that nothing had ever happened. That he didn't know what she looked like naked, and that she didn't have a special smile reserved just for him.

Chandler all but collapsed down on the couch next to Monica, Monica smiling up at him as he did so.

"Hey."

"Hey," he replied.

"Long day?" Monica asked off his look, and Chandler laughed.

"Something like that," he replied, almost shortly, about to apologize, since nothing on his mind was Monica's fault, but stopped when she placed a hand on his leg, rubbing reassuringly.

He closed his eyes, sinking further into the couch, glad she didn't press him further about his bad day (or week, or month, for that matter) as she leaned into him, and he took the affection she was giving him.

Rachel paused outside the door of Central Perk, watching Chandler and Monica sitting on the couch, talking. She had thought about going in to talk to Monica, but…she couldn't. She couldn't go in there and act normally around Chandler like nothing had ever happened. She couldn't act like Monica sitting so close to him didn't maker her want to claw Monica's eyes out. So, she turned and walked in the opposite direction, and before she knew it, she had somehow ended up in front of the coffee shop she had gone to with Chandler that day she had been avoiding Ross.

Even when she was avoiding him, she couldn't seem to get away from him.

~.~

Rachel needed to get away. Physically, emotionally, she needed some distance. Her first break-up with Ross had nearly torn their group apart. Her second one had left the two still at odds and avoiding each other, and she was now avoiding being around Chandler, as well. And it soon became clear to her that she soon lifted right out of their group. Ross was Monica's brother, so Monica could never cut him out of her life. And she was so peeved at Ross, both for their past and for being the reason she couldn't be with Chandler, that she had no intention of making up with him.

And no one knew about her and Chandler. So no one could even pick sides there.

So, she needed to get away. Away from the man who had cheated on her and broke her heart, and the man she had been falling for at full-force when he put a stop to it.

She couldn't live with Ross's sister and across the hall from Chandler.

Looking around at the tiny studio apartment that couldn't have possibly been one-eighth the size of the one she was living in with Monica, Rachel nodded slowly, already decorating it in her head. Yea, she could make this work. It was good to live completely on your own at some point in your life, anyway, right?

Rachel smiled, turning to the landlady, who had to be pushing one hundred, not even hesitating as the words came out of her mouth.

"I'll take it."

~.~

The title to this chapter is a John Mayer song (I'm gonna steer clear/ I'd burn up in your atmosphere/ I'm gonna steer clear/ 'Cause I'd die if I saw you/ I'd die if I didn't see you there). Not sure that anyone pays attention to my song references, but, in case someone does...