Hi everyone!
I've been working on this entirely too long, and I wanted to remind everybody that I'm still out here. I'm just busy, promise. Still working on my big, multichapter too, but I'm kind of stuck, so this is what I've got for you for now. And, as a bonus I wasn't anticipating, there is probably going to be another (short-ish) chapter to this one. :)
Thanks for reading!
"Chandler, no, ok? I told you, I have plans tonight."
"With your friend?" She gave him a knowing look as she finished stirring her coffee and headed out of the break room. He followed her, nudging her slightly with his elbow, "Come on, let me take you out! I swear you'll have a great time with me. Plus, tomorrow is my birthday. How are you gonna turn me down on my birthday?"
She smiled as she sat down in her chair, "I can't blow off my friend," she told him, then sipped on the hot liquid, "I promised, and I haven't been able to get out much lately."
"Come on, Charlotte. We've been on two dates, and we've had a lot of fun, right?"
She grinned at him, "Yes, we have, a lot of fun."
He sat on the edge of her desk, "I really like you."
"You do, huh?"
"Yes," he answered quickly, "go out with me again tonight, please?"
"Chandler, my friend, remember? I have plans with my friend."
He sighed, "Alright, fine, how about this? What if I bring a guy for your friend and we'll double date?" Surely Joey wouldn't be busy tonight, he thought.
She grinned at him, "My friend is a guy," she said, lifting her eyebrows at him.
"Oh," Chandler said, as a wave of disappointment washed over him, "so, you already have a date."
"No, no, it's not like that," she told him, shaking her head, "he's my friend. I love him to death, but I've known him forever and we have no romantic feelings for each other."
"So, he's gay?" Chandler asked, chuckling at himself.
"What? No, he's not gay," he grinned at her when she blushed, "why would you assume that?"
He shrugged and smirked at her, "I just find it hard to believe that a straight guy would just be your friend."
She thought about that for a second and chuckled softly, "Fine, you win," she said, placing her hand on top of his.
He smiled, "Yeah? Really?"
She chuckled, "Sure. But you'll need to find a woman for my friend because he is not gay." She shook her head slowly, "Now that I think about it, he hasn't been out with a good woman in a while, and he's been kind of on edge for a while. Maybe a good date would be good for him."
Chandler smiled again, "Well, I have a friend and she's a good woman, I can bring her. And she has no romantic feelings for me, either, by the way."
She smiled at him, and he grinned back at her, "Good to know," she wrote down the name of the restaurant on a sticky note and passed it to him.
"All right, so we'll meet you there at 7:30?" He said, thumping the piece of paper with the name of the restaurant on it.
"Sounds good," she said.
He winked at her and moved away from her desk, then towards his office.
"What are you doing tonight, Mon?" Rachel asked, then took a sip of the juice she was drinking.
Monica scratched the back of her head and looked around their apartment.
Well, it was temporarily their apartment. The boys were in apartment 20, and she and Rachel just hadn't figured out how to get it back yet.
Oh, but they would. Apartment 19, even after all of Monica's hard work on it, would never compare to apartment 20, and they were going to get it back.
"Nothing, I guess," she shrugged, finally answering Rachel's question.
Rachel frowned at her, then placed her hand on her roommates' knee, "Oh honey, why don't you go out?"
Monica sighed, licked her lips and shook her head, "I don't know, I don't really feel like it," she replied.
"What's going on with you?" Rachel asked.
"Nothing is going on with me," Monica replied, shaking her head and picking some lint off of the couch next to her leg.
"When's the last time you went on a date?"
Monica didn't look at her as she sighed and picked up the water bottle. She tried to ignore her roommate's stare as she began to play with the label.
Lately, mostly in the last three weeks, she found herself more and more attracted to Chandler.
Chandler Bing, with his perfect smile, his goofy sense of humor, his sweet, caring heart, and his wonderful personality.
Chandler Bing, with all of his quirks and jokes and that dimple on his cheek, and the way he loved all of his friends.
During his and Kathy's relationship, she began to see what a really great boyfriend he could be. And when Kathy cheated on him and the two of them broke up, Monica wanted nothing more than to comfort him and help him through the breakup, and she felt like that made them even closer.
The night things ended with Kathy, she had gone over to apartment 20 and spent the night watching movies, eating popcorn, and making him grilled cheese sandwiches when he wanted them. He told her that really helped get him through, and he wanted to repay her one day.
She thought a nice, long kiss would be a fine repayment, but she didn't voice her thoughts, so he didn't know how badly she wanted it.
Last year, at the beach, she'd told him she wouldn't date him, and now she regretted that more than anything else.
But he didn't feel the same way about her, so she kept her major crush on him a secret, from everyone. And she definitely couldn't tell the gossip queen, Rachel Greene.
"Mon?" She pushed as she waited on an answer.
"I went out with that waiter from the restaurant a couple of weeks ago."
"You said he was a creep," she pointed out quickly.
"Well, yeah, he was. You didn't ask me how the date was, you asked me when the last time I went out on a date, and I answered you." She said, a bit of irritation in her voice.
"Whoa, what is with you?"
Monica rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Nothing, I'm fine. I just, I'm not in the mood to talk about my dating life, or my lack of dating life, okay? I'm just in a funk."
Rachel reached over and brushed her friend's hair with her fingers, "You're going to find somebody," she said softly.
Monica then pictured herself in Chandler's arms, lying in bed on a rainy Sunday morning, just enjoying each other's company after they made love.
Then they would make love again.
And again.
She lifted her hand and rubbed her face, "Thanks Rach," she finally said, "don't you need to get ready for your date with Josh?"
"Joshua," she corrected, and Monica rolled her eyes and stood from the couch, "right, sorry. I'm going to shower."
Monica sighed to herself as she walked to the refrigerator and opened it, her mind on the fantasy she made up in her head moments ago. She was so lost in it that when the apartment door opened it startled her.
"Hey!" Chandler said, then blessed her with his dazzling smile, "oh sorry, did I scare you?"
Monica chuckled nervously and shut the fridge door, "Maybe a little," she admitted softly. She wondered what he would say if he knew what kind of thoughts were completely taking her over recently. He'd probably blame it on the free porn marathon in apartment 20 a couple of weeks ago, but it definitely wasn't that. It was just him, "What's up?"
"I need a giant, giant favor from you," he grinned at her and rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"Hm, what kind of favor?" Monica asked as she tried not to stare at his lips.
"Will you please, please, please go out with me tonight?" He asked.
Monica felt her heart rate speed up so much that she was having trouble standing, "What?" She managed.
He chuckled softly, "Whoa, calm down, not with me. I mean, kind of with me, but not really with just me." She gripped the counter and waited on him to continue, "Okay, it's a double date."
Monica took a deep breath and shook her head, "No, no way," she wagged her finger at him, "the last time I went on a double date with Joey it was horrible. The two people we went out with were not brother and sister and, in fact, a couple and it was very uncomfortable. I swore I'd never do it again."
Chandler walked over to her and grabbed her hand, "These two are not together," he promised, "she says they are just friends but have no romantic feelings for each other. Just like you and me!"
He didn't know that saying those words cut through her like a knife, so she tried to hide the disappointment she was sure her face displayed. He moved even closer to her, and oh God, she could smell the faint smell of his cologne that he'd put on that morning. "Just like you and me," she repeated, nodding slowly. There it was, the proof she'd known all along, he didn't have any feelings for her.
"Come on, Mon, please?" He sighed and swung his arm back and forth to make hers swing too, "You are the only one available."
She dropped his hand, crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him, "What in the hell does that mean?"
His eyes grew twice their size, "No no," he stepped closer to her again, "I didn't mean it like that! I meant that Phoebe is seven months pregnant, and Rachel is…"
Monica put her hand up, "I know," she interrupted.
"You would have been my first choice anyway," he said with a wink, and she rolled her eyes and didn't even know how to pretend to be mad at him anymore. He sighed and moved closer to her again, then took both of her hands in his, "Please, Mon. I really like this woman. We've been on two really great dates, and I don't want to lose my chance."
"Why don't you just wait until she's available again and go out with her by yourself?"
He shook his head, "She's on vacation for the next two weeks."
She crinkled up her nose at him and stepped back from him, trying to put physical space between them. No, sorry. I just really hate blind dates."
"I'll do anything, please. The only reason she agreed is because she already had plans with her friend, and I told her I could bring a friend."
Monica sighed and shook her head slowly, but then looked into his pleading blue eyes. How could she possibly say no? She couldn't. In that moment, she wanted to give him everything he wanted, even if she hated the idea of having to watch him romance another woman.
"Fine, Bing, but you owe me, and I mean big time. Don't forget about this when I try to collect."
"Oh, God, I won't!" He said excitedly, then leaned forward and planted a kiss on her cheek, "You are the best! Thank you so much!"
She nodded as her cheek burned where his lips touched her skin. She resisted the urge she had to put her hand over it as he gave her the details of the restaurant. He left then with the promise to return in half an hour to pick her up.
She walked to his room and began to look through her selection of clothes for something decent to wear on this blind date.
God, she hated blind dates.
That sickening, gut wrenching feeling she got every time she even thought about going on a blind date made a roaring comeback.
And if it was Joey, or her brother, or practically anyone else that had asked her, she would've not given in and stayed at home just like she told Rachel she would.
But it was Chandler who asked, and it was Chandler who she wanted to make happy.
And, if going on this double date with him so he can be happy with whatever-her-name is, then she would suck it up and deal with it.
Hopefully the guy would be worth her time, but she doubted that he would be as compelling or as handsome as Chandler. Nobody was these days.
She jumped when Rachel called her name, then turned to her roommate, who was in a towel, fresh out of the shower.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
Monica sighed, "Chandler asked me, uh," she cleared her throat, "he asked me to go on a double date with his date and her friend."
Rachel lifted an eyebrow, "You hate blind dates," she said pointedly.
She shrugged a shoulder, "Yeah, well. He's my friend and he needed my help. So, I agreed." Rachel narrowed her eyes at her friend, wondering if there was any other reason she agreed to a blind double date, both things she knew Monica hated.
Monica turned back to her closet and looked through more of her clothes but felt goosebumps on her flesh as she felt Rachel's eyes on her. She hadn't told Rachel about her recent crush on Chandler, but Rachel had an eye for these things, she always had, and Monica was afraid that she would figure it out soon.
"So, you need to look hot," Rachel said, and moved over to stand next to her. She shifted the clothes in Monica's closet and picked a dress up and held it up to her, "Wear this deep red. You look amazing in red, and I don't think any man can resist you while you're wearing red."
Monica lifted her eyebrows slightly at her friend, "There's some men that have no problem resisting me," she mumbled. She crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed them with her hands.
"Mon, what's going on? Who are you talking about?"
Monica shook her head and slightly turned away from her, "No one. I just meant that I don't have a boyfriend, still, and I…"
"Oh, honey, come here," Rachel said, then wrapped her arms around her, "Please try and have a good time tonight with this guy. Maybe he'll be the one."
Monica sighed, pulled back from the hug and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She debated on telling her friend about her feelings for Chandler. But she didn't want the 'I feel sorry for you look' to get any worse than it was now, so she decided against it. "Thanks Rach," she said instead, "go get ready for your date." Rachel grinned at her and nodded as she left the room.
About half an hour later, Monica looked down at her watch and rolled her eyes. They were supposed to meet their dates at 7:30, and it was already 7:05. She hated to be late, and Chandler knew this about her.
Rachel had already left for her date, so she was in the apartment alone with her thoughts, which consisted of Chandler. She was going a little stir crazy.
She finally stood and walked over to apartment 20, "Bing, it's been 40 minutes!" She yelled when she opened the door.
He walked out of Rachel's room, his face one of aggravation until he saw her. He stopped and looked her over, "Wow, Mon, you look beautiful," he said.
She wondered how much of that statement was because she was doing him this favor of going out on a double date with him and how much of it he meant from his heart.
"Thanks," she replied, then tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. It was in a neat updo except for a few strands of hair that framed her face. She gestured to his outfit and smiled, "You look nice too."
Nice was a definite understatement, she thought. He looked so incredibly handsome, with his blue, button-down shirt, black sports jacket, and black pants. His brilliant blue eyes were shining and all of his teeth showed when he smiled, and the only problem she had with the way he looked was the fact that she wasn't going to be the one to stare at him all night, at least, she was going to try not to.
"I can't pick out a tie that goes with this," he groaned and pointed towards the bedroom behind him, "will you come help me?"
Her brain stupidly drew up a mental image of helping him tie the tie, then pulling on the neckwear to plant a kiss on his lips, which she knew she would thoroughly enjoy. She swallowed nervously.
She happily looked over him again, "Honestly, I don't think you need the tie," she said, then reached her hand out and fixed his shirt collar just a little.
He looked down at his outfit, "Really? You're sure?"
She nodded at him and pressed her lips together for a second. "I'm sure. You look nice."
"Thanks," he replied, then rubbed his hands together excitedly, "let's go then!"
"Hi," Monica said, plastering a fake smile on her face as she shook the stranger's hand, "I'm Monica."
The man that stared back at her smiled back, but not nearly as big, "Hi, Brian, nice to meet you," he said, then moved to shake Chandler's hand.
"Pleasure," Chandler said politely, then turned his attention to his date as she shook Monica's hand.
After they were seated and the waitress took their drink orders, the four of them stared at each other until Chandler cleared his throat, "So, uh, Charlotte, do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"Yes," she said with a smile, "I have four sisters, and Brian here actually dated my younger sister for almost two years.
"Oh really?" Chandler asked. Brian glanced over at Monica before he shook his head in affirmation. "Four sisters, huh? I bet you never had to wait on a bathroom in your life."
She laughed, "it was a fight every time we went anywhere. What about you, Chandler, do you have any brothers or sisters?"
He shook his head, "No, only child."
"Wow," Charlotte said, then turned to Monica, "how about you?"
Monica said thank you to the waitress, "Yes, I have an older brother. That's actually how Chandler and I met," she felt her heart rate speed up when Chandler turned those sparkling blue eyes to her, "they um, they were college roommates."
Chandler grinned at her, then turned to his date, "Yeah, she forgave me for being such a jerk back then and we're really great friends now, right Mon?"
She grinned back at him, "Yeah, best friends," she replied, and Chandler winked at her. She felt heat come to her cheeks, so she picked up her water glass and took a sip of it to hopefully cover it up, "so, um, Brian, how about you? Any siblings?" She turned to him as she sat the water down and lifted an eyebrow as he stared down at the table, playing with the corner of his cloth napkin. Monica glanced over at Chandler and Charlotte, who were equally confused, then turned back to her date, "Brian?"
He seemed to snap out of whatever had him in a trance and finally looked over at Monica, "hm?"
"Do you have any siblings?" Monica asked again.
"Uh, yeah, two older brothers," he said, then cleared his throat.
"Did you and Charlotte grow up together?" Monica asked, attempting to keep her date's attention for another second before he began to stare at Chandler's date, or his napkin, or his water glass, or anything but her.
Brian nodded and looked across the table at Charlotte again, "Yes. I've known Charlie for a lot of years."
She nodded and smiled, "Yeah, almost 25 years."
"Charlie, huh?" Chandler said, lifting his eyebrows at her.
"No, no, no, no. Nobody is allowed to call me that, only Brian." She smiled at him and he smiled back, which didn't go unnoticed by Monica. She looked over at Chandler, who smirked at her.
God, she hated how freaking adorable he was.
The night continued on, about places they've traveled, pets, work stories, concert adventures and past dating experiences.
"Well, if you will excuse me, I'm going to go to the ladies' room," Monica said, smoothing down the front of her dress as she stood.
"Oh, I'll join you," Charlotte replied.
Monica smiled politely and watched as Chandler stood too, "While you ladies are doing that, how about Brian and I go get us some drinks?"
He looked over at Monica's date, who nodded nonchalantly and stood from the table too. He smiled at Monica, "Scotch on the rocks with a twist?"
She nodded at him, "Yes, thank you."
He nodded back, "Sure," he then looked over at Charlotte, "what would you like?" He asked.
"I know what she drinks," Brian chimed in sharply.
Both women and Chandler looked over at him, surprised at his sharp tone, "Oh, okay," Chandler said, then glanced over at Monica, who had an eyebrow raised, "we'll meet you ladies back here."
Charlotte grinned at him as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.
Monica suddenly felt sick to her stomach and dizzy at the same time. She glanced over at Brian, who had a look she couldn't really read on his face.
Perhaps it was because she barely knew him, but he didn't seem into her at all. He'd hardly said two words to her and would only speak when Charlotte was a part of the conversation.
Truthfully, she was beyond ready to go home, get out of this 'what man can resist you dress', because now there were two, and put on sweatpants to drown her sorrows in rocky road ice cream.
"So, you really like Chandler?" Monica blurted out once they were alone in the bathroom.
She wanted to know, as much as her own sanity as for Chandler.
Charlotte looked over at her and smiled, "Yes, he's very nice," she began brushing through her hair with her fingers, "how do you feel about Brian?"
Monica took a tube of lipstick out of her purse and held it between her fingers, "um, well, he's very quiet."
She lifted an eyebrow at her, "Really? You think?" She chuckled, "My sister would think that is hilarious," she smoothed her blouse down, "she couldn't get him to shut up when they were dating."
Monica finished freshening up her lipstick then backed up to observe her work, "I just don't think your friend has very much interest in me," she admitted softly, "I can't get him to talk to me."
Charlotte turned to her then, "Don't give up on him yet, please. He really is a great guy," she said, "he's funny, handsome, smart, loving, caring, outgoing, kind," she looked away from Monica, then sighed, "I just want him to find a woman that's as good as he is."
She felt her throat constrict a little, because it sounded like she was describing her exact feelings for Chandler. If she couldn't have him, she wanted someone wonderful to have him.
"I understand," she finally replied, then smiled, "do you think we should head back out there? The guys are probably waiting for us."
"Yes, let's do." Charlotte smiled again and followed her out of the ladies restroom.
"Sorry, that took so long," Chandler said as he sat down Charlotte's drink in front of her, "there was a line."
"No problem," Charlotte said with a smile as she watched Chandler sit down.
He wrapped his arm on the back of her chair and moved slightly closer to her, and Monica swallowed and tried to ignore the ping of jealousy that shot through her. She'd been doing it all night.
"Thank you," Monica said to Brian, who mumbled something that sounded like 'you're welcome', but she wasn't entirely sure.
If the qualities that Charlotte said about Brian in the bathroom were actually true, she couldn't wait for him to display even one of them. Monica looked over at Chandler and wanted so bad to pull him away so she could tell him that Brian didn't have any interest in her and she was ready to go. But he looked so happy, comfortable next to his date that she didn't want to ruin it, so she would tough it out.
The light conversation between the four of them, well, really the three of them, because Brian wasn't saying much unless he was spoken to and didn't even look at Monica, continued as the night slowly went on.
Monica was thinking about items she needed at the grocery store as she listened to Charlotte tell Chandler about the time she'd spent in Egypt.
"Wow, so was it just like we see in the movies?" Chandler asked, picking up and taking a sip of his drink.
Monica didn't know what Chandler was drinking, because he didn't have a mixed drink very often, usually beer. But she wanted to taste it by kissing him so badly that she ached all over.
Mayonnaise. She needed mayonnaise at the store.
"Charlie, I can't do this anymore," Brian interrupted Charlotte as she spoke.
All three pairs of eyes turned to him, a stunned silence covering the table. Chandler and Monica looked at each other, then back at Monica's date. Charlotte's voice was the only one that was finally heard, "What?"
Brian glanced at Monica, then back to Charlotte, "I can't sit here and pretend to be okay with you dating someone else, again."
"Brian…" Charlotte started, but he cut her off again.
"I can't, Char," he said, and shook his head, "I want you. I've wanted you for so long, and I can't sit here and pretend that I'm not head over heels in love with you anymore."
Monica looked over at Chandler and raised an eyebrow knowingly.
"What?" Charlotte said again, obviously in complete shock.
He stood and walked around Monica, over to the other side of the table, where he knelt down and took Charlotte's hands, "I want to be with you," he said, "and I don't know what took me so long, okay? I don't know what I was so damn afraid of. But sitting here and watching you laugh with him makes me sick."
Chandler ran his tongue over his teeth and picked up his drink, turning it up and downing the rest of it.
"Brian," she said with a gasp, then glanced over at Chandler, then Monica, "I don't understand," she put on of her hands on his shoulder, "how long have you felt like this?" She asked softly.
He shook his head, "Too long," he said.
If this was a movie, Monica thought, she'd be crying her eyes out over the sweet scene in front of her eyes. But it wasn't a movie, it was her date, and Chandler's date, and it was turning out to be disastrous, as all of her dates turned out to be lately.
She took a sip of her own drink, watching Chandler as he watched the scene in front of them. He looked annoyed, obviously not thrilled that this woman he'd been on three dates with was now pretty much getting swept off her feet by the man she swore she had no romantic feelings for.
He rolled his eyes dramatically and stood from his seat next to Charlotte. She watched him walk around the table before she stood too and stepped away from their dates.
When Brian moved his body over and planted a kiss on Chandler's date's lips, Monica looked over at Chandler, and he looked back at her, "So, um, I guess we should go?" She asked softly.
"Yeah, before I throw up my dinner," he spat, then took a step closer to the table again, clearing his throat dramatically. The kissing duo pulled apart and looked up at them, Charlotte with a happy, shocked look on her face, but a touch of guilt. Brian's face was elated, no guilt at all found on his, to which Monica rolled her eyes. He couldn't even pretend he liked her.
"So, I guess Monica and I are going to take off," Chandler finally said to them. Charlotte put her hand on Brian's chest and stood from the table, taking a couple of steps to stand in front of Chandler.
"I'm so sorry," she said, then sighed, "I really had no idea…"
Chandler put up his hand to stop her, "Look, it's fine," he said sharply. Monica knew he did that because he didn't want to hear anymore. Frankly, neither did she.
"Are things going to be weird between us at work now?" Charlotte asked, her eyes shifting away from his and to the floor, "Because that's the last thing I wanted."
Monica looked over at Chandler, hoping to convey to him not to make things miserable at the office. He already hated his job; he didn't need the added stress of avoiding and hating one of his coworkers.
Chandler finally shook his head, "No, it's fine," he said, the cleared his throat, "enjoy your vacation, see you when you get back."
Monica let a small smile cross her face. Her friend really showed a lot of maturity lately, another reason she was so attracted to him.
Chandler put his hand on the small of Monica's back. She glanced at him and cleared her throat, "Well, um, it was nice to meet you," she said to Charlotte. She didn't think she could lie to Brian and say the same, so she didn't.
"You too, and I'm sorry," Charlotte said, then looked up into Brian's eyes again, "I really had no idea…" she whispered. He smiled at her and cupped her face, then began to kiss her again.
Chandler pressed his hand into the fabric of Monica's dress at the small of her back, "Come on, Mon, let's go," he said softly.
Monica nodded and turned with him to head out of the restaurant, hoping that he didn't notice the chill bumps that had formed all over her body at his touch.
She knew she should've been more upset about how this date plummeted from bad to worse, but she couldn't really bring herself to care. She was leaving with Chandler, and that was kind of the end of the date that she was hoping for anyway.
He stopped at the hostess podium, surprising her. She wrapped her arms around herself when his warm touch left her body, "Can I pay here?" He asked.
The lady nodded at him, "Sure sir," she said, "the entire bill?" She looked up at him, a smile plastered on her face, but it quickly dissipated when she saw the look on his.
Chandler glanced at Monica and chuckled once, "No, mine and hers," he nodded towards Monica.
She watched as he reached behind him and pulled his wallet from his back pocket, how he effortlessly moved his jacket out of the way, the muscles of his arm move.
God, she thought, was he trying to kill her? She felt her heart rate speed up as the lady took his card, then a moment later, handed it back to him.
He sighed the receipt, and Monica watched him put the wallet back in his pocket again. She didn't know why, but she found that move extremely sexy.
She didn't know when simple movements Chandler made like that became such a turn on, but she shivered all over as she thought about it.
He opened the door for her and she walked out into the cool April air, immediately crossing her arms as they started down the sidewalk. He was by her side again a moment later, his hands in his pockets as he walked with her, his eyes fixed forward.
She shivered and braved a look at the side of his face, "Thank you for dinner," she said softly.
He broke himself out of the trance he seemed to be in, "Oh, no problem," he sighed as they came to a crosswalk and stopped, "ah, I'm sorry, Mon," he said, shaking his head, "you didn't want to do this, and I shouldn't have made you."
She moved her hand from her arm and put it on top of his hand, "It's okay, Chandler," she said softly.
"God, your hands are freezing," he said, then quickly stripped his jacket off of his body, "here, put this on. He wrapped the jacket around her shoulders and wrapped an arm around her to pull her close to his body. She was amazed at the warmth that immediately spread through her. "It's about five blocks home, do you want to get a cab?"
No, she thought. If they got a cab, they'd be home in two minutes, which wasn't enough time alone with him, no friends around. She desperately wanted that. She shook her head, "No, it's nice out. Walking is fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure," she said, "thank you for the jacket, I'm good now. I want to walk." He nodded at her, moved his arm from her shoulders, and put his hand back in his pocket.
"I can't believe that happened," he finally said.
Monica pressed her lips together. She had a feeling when she saw the way Brian kept looking at Charlotte that he liked her more than just a friendly way. She wondered if she ever looked at Chandler like that.
"I had a feeling," she said to him.
Chandler looked surprised by that, "You did?" She nodded as a response, so he turned towards her a little more, "What, was it woman's intuition or something?"
She pressed her lips together for a second, "Well, yeah, kind of."
He chuckled once, "Well, if it's something you can teach, maybe you can help me out."
She shrugged her shoulder, "I don't think it is. I just knew the way he was acting towards me that he had no interest."
Chandler looked away for a second, "Mon, he was interested," he argued gently.
She chuckled, "When the guy you're on a date with makes you feel like you are possibly the ugliest woman on earth and like you have zero personality or anything interesting about you at all, your mind starts to wonder why," she shrugged, "I saw the way he looked at her, and I knew that he had no interest in me."
"Mon…"
"It's okay," she interrupted him again, "I did this for you, so I'm not upset about it or heartbroken."
"Yeah but…"
She chuckled and put her hand on his arm, "Chandler, really. Don't worry about it."
He furrowed his eyebrows together at her, but didn't say anything else.
They walked for several feet in silence. She kept looking over at him when they'd pass under a streetlamp. As handsome as he was, she didn't like this sad look on his face. She moved her arms so that it was fully in his jacket and wrapped her right arm through his left, "I'm sorry." She said softly, and it made him turn his head to look at her.
"Why are you sorry?" He asked, an eyebrow raised in confusion.
"I can tell you really liked her," Monica said, even though the words tasted like bile as they left her mouth.
"Ah," he said and shrugged a shoulder, "of course she was in love with someone else," he said as they took a right turn headed down another street, "it is me we're talking about. That is just my luck. Crazy snake man here, you know."
Monica turned her head at him, "Stop that," she said.
"It's true," he replied, "I always get the shit end of the stick."
"You will find someone, Chandler, and she'll be lucky to have you," Monica said, the last of her sentence quieter than the first.
"I just don't think it's going to happen," he shook his head.
She wanted so badly to tell him every single one of his good qualities that she loved about him, other than this self-deprecating one he was displaying now.
"I know it will happen," she finally said, "you are smart, funny, charming, handsome, and there are millions of women that would be lucky to find a man like you."
He stopped walking at the door of their building and turned to her, a smirk on his face, "You think I'm handsome, huh?"
She rolled her eyes and hoped he couldn't see the blush that rushed to her cheeks, "Shut up."
She began to open the door to go in, but he grabbed her hand to stop her, "Thanks, Mon, for saying that."
She turned her body back towards his, her heart rate increased as he looked into her eyes. "It's true," she said softly.
He didn't let go of her hand, and she wondered if he was about to kiss her, and damn, she craved that with every fiber of her being.
"Something you said earlier is bothering me," he whispered softly.
She furrowed her eyebrows together, searching her brain for any idea of what he could be talking about. "What?"
"You said you hated when guys made you feel like you're the ugliest woman on earth."
She chuckled softly, but he didn't, which confused her. She cleared her throat, "Oh, well, when a guy ignores you all night and won't hardly look at you, he can make you feel like that," she shrugged, "it's not the first time. It probably won't be the last."
He stepped closer to her and still held her hand in his, "Monica, you listen to me," he started, "you don't let any man make you feel like that, ever." She felt tears come to her eyes as he continued, "You are a very gorgeous, beautiful woman, and you deserve a guy that knows that. If he doesn't," he sighed, shook his head, then shrugged a shoulder, "then he doesn't deserve you."
She had to look away from him so that she could take a breath and try to control the tears that were just about to fall. When she met his eyes again, she saw no humor. He wasn't playing with her, and she knew he wanted her to know that he wasn't kidding around.
"Thank you," she managed to say, a small smile on her face.
He nodded at her and pulled on her hand, then kissed her cheek as he pulled her into a hug, "I mean it, Mon," he whispered, "don't let idiots like that tear you down."
She held onto him and shut her eyes, inhaling his wonderful scent and letting his sweet words sink in. She began to have a serious debate in her head as to whether or not she should tell him about her feelings, all because she wanted to know how he'd react. Would he kiss her? Would he run away from her? Would he tell her she'd lost her mind?
He pulled away too soon for her liking, so she took in a shaky breath and was truly proud of herself that she didn't start to cry in front of him. Now wasn't the time, she thought. She didn't know if there was ever going to be a good time.
"That's very sweet of you," she said as he took a step back from her.
She shivered from head to toe, as much from the cool air as being around him. He chuckled at her, "Cold yet?"
She swallowed and nodded, "Maybe a little," she finally admitted.
His smile grew and he placed his hand on her jacket covered elbow and squeezed it, "Ready to head inside?"
No, she wasn't. She wanted to stay out here with him all night and look at him just the way he was looking at her, and she could think of much better ways to warm up besides going inside.
"Yes," she finally said, and smiled as he opened the door for her.
They both checked their mailboxes, then Monica handed him the mail from apartment 19's mailbox, and Chandler passed hers to her, except Rachel's Victoria Secret magazine.
"Really?" She asked, pointing to the women's catalog.
He chuckled at her, "Hey, I gotta get what I can get," he winked at her, so she turned her back to him to lock the mailbox so he couldn't see her smile.
They turned back towards the stairs and walked side by side as they climbed them slowly. "I'm so sorry about tonight, Mon," Chandler said as they rounded the corner headed up to the second floor.
"It's okay," she said, and placed her hand on his arm, "it's not your fault."
"It is, though. You didn't want to go, and I did, so you did it as a favor to me, my fault."
She wondered what kind of favor he would ask of her that she wouldn't do, "Well, that's what friends are for, even if it doesn't go well."
They rounded the stairs on the second floor and started up the stairs to the third, "I'm beginning to hate dating," he said with an eye roll.
She sighed and nodded in agreement, "I haven't had a really good first date in a long time."
"Good first date?" He questioned as he turned towards her again, "What does that consist of?"
She smirked at him, "When you really, really like your date, and if everything goes well," she sighed and a dreamy look took over her face as they started on the last flight of stairs, "you get a good night kiss."
"So, for it to be considered a good first date, you want a kiss?" He checked.
"Well, yes, but it's not just any kiss," she rounded the corner and started to their apartment doors, "it's the kind that makes your heart race, toes curl, and leaves your lips swollen when you're done. The type of kiss that makes you not want to stop."
Chandler slowed his steps so that he was a couple behind her. She noticed that he wasn't walking next to her anymore and turned to face him. She furrowed her eyebrows together at the odd look on his face.
"What's wrong?"
He stepped closer to her, his eyes never leaving hers. Something passed between them, again, and she shivered from head to toe. He stuck the mail under his arm as he stood in front of her.
One hand in his pants pocket, the other rose to her forearm. "I think you should get a kiss goodnight," he whispered, "even if it's not from your original date."
Her lips parted as she stared into his eyes, "What?"
She thought she heard him correctly, but her mind was swirling, and she didn't know if it really happened or if she wanted it so bad that she made it up in her mind.
He smirked at her and stepped even closer, and she could smell his cologne now. "Will you hurt me if I kiss you?" His gaze lingered on her lips for a second, then he met her eyes again.
She was glad that he couldn't see the inside turmoil that was happening with her body, because oh God yes, she couldn't wait for his lips to finally touch hers.
"I'll hurt you if you don't," she finally answered, proud that she said the words without a shake in her voice.
He smirked at that answer and moved his hand to gently cup her face. She moved her free hand that wasn't holding mail to rest on his chest. She felt dizzy, lightheaded, like she could pass out from the sheer anticipation. Her heart beat rapidly, but she hoped she appeared calm and put together to him.
She wondered what he was thinking. He hadn't moved his mouth any closer to hers, and she worried that he was going to back away from her and not do this.
That thought scared her into saying a silent prayer that he wouldn't do that.
At this point, she needed it. She needed to kiss him. She didn't know how long she could stand the look in his eyes, his touch on her skin. She tried to swallow down the lump that had formed in her throat, then rubbed her hand across his chest a little, "What's on your mind?"
His eyes met hers, and while all his heart wanted to do was kiss her, long and deep and passionately, his mind was screaming at him that this was Monica Geller, his best friend, Ross's little sister, Jack and Judy's daughter, someone that he never thought he'd be kissing.
Well, that wasn't true, he thought. He'd thought about kissing her before. And…doing other things with her, if he was honest.
But that was a dream, a fantasy, and now, this was real. They were standing in the hallway between their apartments, her eyes shining, her perfect body close to his, her sweet perfume invaded his sense of smell, and God, he wanted to kiss her.
He licked his lips and rubbed her face with his thumb, "I'm thinking that this probably isn't a good idea," he whispered back.
She knew what he meant. The ability to read his thoughts came with the years of friendship and the closeness they always had, and this was no exception.
He was worried about their friendship.
He had truly become the one person she could always, always count on. And she knew he felt the same way about her, so now, with this moment, he didn't want to lose that.
And she didn't either, but she knew that kissing him wouldn't complicate things. Or God, she hoped it wouldn't.
It couldn't, right? If he wanted to kiss her, and she wanted to kiss him, then it shouldn't complicate anything.
Couldn't, shouldn't, wouldn't, she thought.
"Probably not," she whispered back softly, agreeing with him. She sighed then moved her head half an inch closer to his, "Do it anyway."
He stared into her eyes for just another second, then finally leaned forward and pressed his soft lips against hers. He felt her step even closer, so that her body was fully against his. She slid her hand up to the back of his head just as he pulled it back to break the kiss.
"Chandler," she whispered breathlessly, and it was enough of a confirmation for him to take his hand out of his pocket, grab both sides of his jacket that was on her body and pull her with him to the corner next to 20's door. The mail and Victoria Secret magazine that was under his arm and in her other hand fell to the floor all at once.
He pressed his lips against hers again even harder, earning a slight moan from her throat. He parted his lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck, so she opened her mouth too.
The moment his tongue touched hers, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop anytime soon.
God, she tasted so good.
He moved his hands from his jacket up to her face, cupping it gently to make sure that her mouth stayed against his. He wanted to explore every inch of her mouth, and as long as she was willing, he'd do just that.
She moved her hands down his chest, under his arms, and to his upper back, pulling him impossibly closer. Her whole body was on fire as his tongue battled with hers. As many times as she drew this moment up in her head, it was a thousand times better.
His lungs began to burn because they weren't getting any air, so he reluctantly pulled his head back and broke the kiss. He moved his hands down to her waist and finally opened his eyes, pleased when he saw that her eyes were still closed, her swollen lips still apart, her cheeks were flushed, and her breathing rapid, just like his.
He leaned down and placed one, two, three kisses along her jawline, then below her ear, which caused an involuntary moan to leave her mouth. He didn't know how long they could stay like this, out here making out like horny teenagers in the very public hallway, but none of that mattered now. He'd tasted her once, and he wanted to do it again, and often.
He grinned at her when her eyes finally fluttered open to look at him. If it was even possible, he looked even better than he did before.
She smiled back at him and noticed that he hadn't let her go, and she hadn't let him go either.
"That was nice," Monica finally whispered, breaking the silence between them.
His lips curled up in a slight smirk and he shrugged a shoulder, "Eh, it was just ok," he responded.
Her heart sank to the ground. There was no way, no way, he didn't enjoy that as much as she did. Her body tensed and she suddenly wanted to get away from him. He didn't want this, he never had, and it shouldn't have happened. She tried to pull away from him, but he grinned at her and tightened his arms around her, "I was kind of hoping for another," he said.
He was teasing her. Of course he was, because he was Chandler Bing, after all.
God, she wanted more too.
But she needed to play it cool and not like she wanted to get him into apartment 20 and do some other things with him that required both of their bodies.
She let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding in and relaxed again, "Why do you want another one if it was just 'ok'?" She teased back.
He chuckled once and put his lips on top of hers as he spoke, "Ok, maybe it was a little better than 'ok'," he moved his head next to hers and placed a gentle, open mouth kiss on her cheek on the way to her ear, "and I like the way you taste."
She gave up trying to tease him back and whimpered as she turned her head and planted her lips on his again. He opened his mouth and bit her bottom lip gently until a moan escaped her throat.
His tongue pushed into her mouth and she had to resist the urge to lift her leg and wrap it around his waist. An apartment door slamming on the floor above them made him pull back and break the kiss.
He looked at her and chuckled softly, "As much as I want to continue this, I think we're asking to get caught," he mumbled.
"Yeah," she agreed, "Rachel will be home soon," she moved her hands to his upper arms.
"And if Joey's date doesn't want to sleep with him, he'll be home soon too." As if on cue, they heard Rachel talking on her cell phone in the stairwell.
She squeezed his arms and took a step back, then squat to pick up the mail. He did too, and when they stood together, she took his jacket off of her shoulders, "Thank you," she said softly as she handed it to him.
He smiled at her, looked to make sure Rachel hadn't got to their floor yet, then took a step towards her and kissed her lips softly again, "Goodnight."
She grinned at him, "Goodnight Chandler," she whispered back.
"Oh, here," he said, then passed the Victoria's Secret magazine to her.
She turned her head and giggled a little, "I thought you wanted this?"
"Ah, I don't need it now," he said, then winked at her as he turned and went into apartment 20.
"No, Mom, I'm not coming to Jill's party," Rachel was saying, then stopped when she saw Monica and rolled her eyes as she pointed to her cell phone, "because when has Jill ever…" she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, "what is the party even for, anyway?"
Monica opened their door and walked into their apartment, her heart still racing, and her lips still tingled. She put the mail and magazine down on the counter, smiling at it as she turned and opened her refrigerator.
She grabbed a bottle of water and made her way to the couch as Rachel argued with her mother, but she wasn't listening. She wondered what he was thinking.
Or was he thinking that was a fix for the bad date and they were friends and kisses like that probably shouldn't happen again?
That thought made her shiver.
"Alright, bye Mom," Rachel said, then joined her roommate on the couch, "ugh, my mom is giving me a headache." She groaned. She looked over at too-quiet Monica and raised an eyebrow, "So, how was your date?"
She shrugged a shoulder, "Well, my date confessed his love for Chandler's date, so it wasn't great."
Rachel's mouth fell open, "He what?"
Monica pressed her kissed lips together for a second, "Yep, Brian, my date, told her that he was in love with her, and she must have had some feelings for him too, because she welcomed his advances."
"Oh honey, I'm sorry," Rachel said after she had gotten over the shock, "Are you upset? Was Chandler upset?"
She licked her lips and swore she could still feel his lips on hers, "I'm fine," she said, then shrugged a shoulder again, "Chandler is too. He'd been on two dates before this one, so he was a little more upset, but he seemed okay."
She patted Monica's knee, "Well, that's good that he had you to talk to afterwards."
"Yeah," Monica replied, then shook Rachel's knee, "how was your date?"
She watched her friend's face break into a smile, "It was good," she replied, "I really like him."
Monica listened as Rachel went into details of her date. She hoped she appeared normal on the outside, because on the inside, she had the biggest swarm of butterflies in her belly. She wanted to go across the hall and talk to him, see where his head was at, see if he wanted another kiss as badly as she did.
Tomorrow, she thought, she'd talk to him tomorrow.
"…I think this could really go somewhere," Rachel finished, the smile on her face not faltering.
Monica smiled back at her friend and nodded as she put her hand on Rachel's knee, "I like to see you happy."
"I like to see you happy too," Rachel replied, then that sad, I-feel-sorry-for-you look took over her face for the second time that night.
She licked her lips, "I'm gonna be okay," she responded, "don't worry about me."
Rachel sighed, "I know you will," she pulled her into a hug.
"I'm going to bed," Monica squeezed her friend's arm as she stood from the couch and headed into Chandler's old bedroom.
She took in and let out a deep breath as she leaned against the unintentional two-part door.
She was going to talk to him tomorrow.
In the words of Annie, it was just a day away.