I'll Be There For You
Chapter 10
~.~
Sorry for the delay! I blame real life getting in the way/slight writer's block with this chapter. The idea for this chapter came from watching a movie a month or so ago, which, if you don't know what it is from after reading this chapter, we're not talking anymore until you get up to speed on your '80's movies :)
~.~
August 1991
"Dance with me," Monica practically ordered, grabbing Chandler by the arm and dragging him away from the two guys he was talking to at Ross and Carol's reception.
"What's up, Mon?" Chandler laughed in reply as he set his drink on a nearby table, wondering why her exciting-for-weddings mood had suddenly turned into a full-fledged freak out.
"Ugh, just my mother," Monica said through gritted teeth as Chandler wrapped his arms around her, obeying the request for dancing. "I'm 21. 21! That's not an age where I should be worried about finding someone to marry! I don't care! Well, not that I completely don't care about finding a guy who isn't a complete asshole and that I would like to spend some time with, but I don't need to be, like, finding a husband! I'm only 21. 21!"
"How old are you, Mon?" Chandler asked, pulling back slightly from Monica, to which he received a glare. "Just ignore your mom. She may possibly be a little bit crazy."
"Yea, you're telling me," Monica huffed, sighing as she lay her head against his chest as they moved in time with the music. "I just don't understand what her problem is. Although, she might have a point…"
"Which is?" Chandler asked, intrigued.
"Look at all of the guys I've dated since high school. Pretty much all assholes or all have something really weird wrong with them. Where are all of the good guys?" she asked rhetorically. "I mean, it's not like I'm looking for someone to marry tomorrow. It's not like I'm expecting some knight in shining armor to sweep me off my feet. It's not like I'm even expecting someone to stand outside of my window holding a boombox over their head playing my favorite song…"
"Which is good, because I'm not quite sure that all knights in shining armor are actually John Cusack characters underneath," Chandler laughed, but Monica just sighed, tightening her arms around his neck. "Oh, come on. You just said it yourself. What's the rush?" He squeezed her tighter in a hug.
"I don't know," she shook her head. "I'm just starting to question if good, not even good, but just decent guys exist."
"Hey, we do exist," Chandler shot back, and Monica smiled up at him.
"Yea, but you're Chandler."
"Really? I'm Chandler? That explains why people always call me that…"
"You know what I mean," Monica smiled at him.
"I don't know if I do," he added more seriously, and Monica squinted at him, trying to decide what he was getting at with that remark.
"Monica, dear," Judy suddenly interrupted their conversation. "There are all of these young, single men here, and you're just dancing with, well, Chandler?"
Monica's eyes widened as she started to pull away, but Chandler held onto her, not letting her go after her mother as Judy walked away. "You just excluded me from that group, too," he whispered, still holding her tightly.
"Well, I didn't mean it in a mean way," Monica said defensively. "I meant it as a compliment."
"Well, thanks, I guess," he laughed, smiling as the next song came on. Monica smiled as well, laughing under her breath at the memory. "You say you've cried a thousand rivers," he began singing softly, "and now you're swimming for the shore. You left me drowning in my tears, and you won't save me anymore," he started to pick up in volume. "Now I'm praying to god, you'll give me one more chance, girl!"
"Chandler-"
"'Cause, I'll be there for you, these five words I swear to you," he was now singing quite loudly, "When you breathe, I wanna be the air for you," he dropped her hands, placing his hands dramatically to his chest, "I'll be there for you!"
"Chandler, everyone is looking at us," Monica hissed, but he continued to ignore her, grinning as he continued to serenade her.
"I'd live and I'd die for you! Steal the sun from the sky for you! Words can't say what a love can do, I'll be there for you," Chandler finished, stopping singing at the end of the chorus, as the handful of other couples dancing around them clapped. "Thanks," he grinned, nodding at them before going after Monica, who was now walking away in embarrassment. "Hey, where ya going? I was just being all John Cusack…esque."
"Yea, well," Monica stopped, turning towards him. "You don't have a boombox," she said, trying to hide a smile as she still attempted to sound angry. "And he let Peter Gabriel do the singing. Maybe you should have just left it to Bon Jovi," she added, small smile playing on her lips, though she still sounded slightly mad.
"I'll keep that in mind," he smiled back. "Come dance with me some more," he grabbed her arm.
"I'm gonna go get a drink. They're about to do the bouquet toss and garter toss," Monica explained. "Want anything?" she offered.
"Another beer?"
"Kay," she smiled once more at him before walking away, laughing when she heard him continue to sing along to the song, though now slightly under his breathe. When she turned to give him a look, he immediately stopped, smiling in return.
~.~
Chandler looked up from where he was seated on the curb outside, trying to hide the cigarette he was smoking when he saw it was Monica who had just walked outside.
"I know you're smoking," she laughed, sitting down beside him. Chandler shrugged, taking another drag of the cigarette before putting it out.
"I guess we're supposed to get married now, or something like that," he teased, pointing to the bouquet in her hands, referring to the fact that she caught the bouquet and he caught the garter.
"In your dreams," Monica teased back.
"Oh, but very good dreams," he turned to her with a smile, and she leaned against his shoulder. "Can you believe Ross is married?"
Monica laughed, shaking her head. "God, no. I can't believe people we know are getting married. I don't think I'm enough of a grown up to know married people."
Chandler scoffed, "I know I'm not enough of a grown up to know married people." When Monica shivered, he wrapped his arm around her, rubbing the goosebumps on her arm as they sat in comfortable silence, the occasional wedding guest wondering out on their way home.
"Hey, um, you know you are one of the good guys, right?" Monica finally broke the silence, referring to their earlier conversation.
"Which is why none of you girls want me. You guys always go for the assholes instead."
"Hey," Monica defended herself. "That's only…pretty much true…"
Chandler laughed, squeezing the arm he had been rubbing. "And, besides, I'm 'just Chandler,'" he pointed out.
Monica frowned for a moment, resting her head on his shoulder. "Well, is it okay if I claim you as my Just Chandler?"
"Mmm," he thought for a moment, kissing her forehead, not sure if the current warm and fuzzy feelings were strictly from what she was saying, or a combination of that and the effects of a wedding with an open bar. "How much have you had to drink tonight?"
"Eh," Monica shrugged, head still on his shoulder, enjoying the warm-fuzziness as well. "Chandler?" she asked, turning her head at the same time he did. Instead of answering, he kissed her, taking her hand on the back of his neck to mean that's exactly what she was wanting.
"Oh, Not-a-Boyfriend Chandler!" Phoebe exclaimed as she bounced out the door, Monica and Chandler immediately pulling apart. "It's been a while," she giggled, picking up the cup that was at Monica's feet. "Yea, as much as I enjoy Drunk Monica, I don't think you guys need anymore of this," she winked, dumping the contents of the cup out as the two sat, embarrassed and ashamed, looking like two teenagers who had just got caught by their parents doing much more than they had actually been doing. "So, wanna share a cab home?" she asked, looking back and forth between the two. "I'm gonna take the no answer to mean a yes. You have a purse, no?" she asked Monica, who managed a nod. "I'm gonna go get that. You two don't do anything you're gonna regret," she winked again. "Or, ya know, do, because you're both adults," she added, heading towards the door. "Or you are, at least," she motioned to Monica before going back inside.
Chandler looked at Monica, who was staring at her feet. "Hey," he whispered, but she shook her head, sighing. Chandler stood up, offering his hand to Monica, who let him help her up, still avoiding eye contact.
"You are one of the good guys," she finally whispered, still facing straight ahead.
"Yea, I know," Chandler replied as Phoebe again joined them, handing Monica her purse as the two girls walked towards the waiting cab. Chandler sighed, walking after them as Phoebe motioned back for him to follow. "Damnit, I know…"
~.~
As I said, sorry for the delay with this! I went to a wedding this weekend, so I had sudden inspiration to finish it!
And, oh! We took engagement pics yesterday! Okay, so, you know the episode where Monica and Chandler take engagement pics? Yea, my fiancé is worse than Chandler with picture-taking. He won't freaking smile, haha. But, I think we got, ya know, two or three of him smiling out of a few hundred, so…yea. And I wanted to get him drunk first so he would be relaxed and smile, but he thought that people would judge him for drinking on a Sunday morning, lol. Anyway, enough of my life…
Review, please and thanks!