Crossing the Line

Monica lazily woke up and stretched her arm out, feeling for Chandler's body. It had become a reflex for her. The first thing she did every morning. Reach for him to check and see if he was still in bed. Lately, she found that this gentle touch, her fingertips tickling at his side while he slept, was not driven by lust or her insatiable need to feel his flesh against her own, like it had been in their first few weeks together. Now, she just needed to touch him, to know that the one good thing in her life was still there by her side. He was now her safe space. Her security blanket. Her comfort zone. Her sanctuary.

Of course, the thought of trying for a quickie before everyone else woke up did cross her mind. Usually, if it was still close enough to dawn, one of them would wake the other and then the they would enjoy a quiet, almost romantic round of lovemaking by the light of the rising sun that broke into the apartment through the window from the bathroom. Their movements would be slow, deliberate. They spoke softly, if at all, choosing to communicate with their bodies instead. Edging themselves towards climax with their almost painful, measured pace. Being as careful as they could not to make any excessive noise, so as not to wake anyone else in the apartment before they were done.

It had turned into a contest Monica would have with herself. She wanted to see how far they could go and still maintain this ridiculous fiction that they were just two friends begrudgingly sharing a bed. But they weren't "just friends" anymore. They were evolving into something much greater than "just friends". They were crossing that line between friendship and love.

Monica sometimes would laugh at the fact that, for the last two months, no one else was able to see what was growing between them. It spun her head round like a top at how obtuse her friends were. But their ignorance also spurred her on. Daring her to take more chances. To push the limits of what they could get away with.

Like last night, when everyone was over for a Blockbuster night. She watched as the others became completely engrossed in this week's rental. The movie "Twister" capturing everyone's full attention. So, she turned her body around and laid her head down on Chandler's chest. He carefully and gently massaged her scalp with his thumb and forefinger and she could swear she let out little moans of delight. No one cared. No one said a word. They all sat mollified by the flickering light from the television as cows flew across the screen. All of them bathed in its glow, while she and Chandler used the shadows of the room to their advantage. Hiding in plain sight.

And now, as she stretched her leg across his, and ran her toes up and down his calf, she smiled. This was how she wanted to wake up every day for the foreseeable future. Perhaps even for the rest of her life. Maybe not on a pull-out couch bed in a dirty apartment flanked by all of their friends and two filthy birds. But the uncomfortable surroundings did not matter. She wanted to be with him. At the beginning and end of every day. With his arm around her and the rhythm of his breathing lifting his chest as she lay her head down on him. Even his scent was comforting. Like a warm autumn afternoon. Like sage and thyme. Like the beach at night.

But it was more than just waking up next to him. There was this fullness she felt in her heart for the first time in what seemed like forever. That was the real drug she could not live without. The one inching her closer and closer to imagining herself saying those three little words to him. The intense clarity of complete affection for him that made her want to stop pretending that she was not crazy about this man when they were around other people. The one that told her, that perhaps, it was time to give up this charade and come clean about what they were doing. Tell their friends. Tell her brother. Tell everyone.

But first, she would have to let him know. She would have to explain to him that after almost a decade of friendship and two months of amazing sex, she knew. This was it for her. He was the one she wanted. And she had to figure out how to tell him without freaking him out. Without him thinking she was already shopping for wedding dresses, bassinets, and a three-bedroom home. Find the right balance between his fear of commitment and her perceived obsession with marriage and babies.

So, until she could solve that particular riddle, she would take what she could get from him for now. These secret little touches under the blanket. The stolen kisses in the hallway. The undetected, intimate glances behind their friends back. The blooming of the lily of love right there, under everyone's nose.

"Hey. I'm trying to sleep."

Monica couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, you can stay asleep, or…" She mischievously slid her foot higher up his leg, almost wrapping it around his hips.

Chandler craned his neck to look at the alarm clock on the counter. "Do you think we have time?"

Monica began to walk her fingers from his abdomen up his to his chest. "Well, Rachel doesn't work until ten today, so she will stay in bed for another hour at least. And Joey won't come out of his room until noon."

Chandler rolled over and pressed his lips to her shoulder, sliding the strap of her tank top down so that he could pepper her skin with soft kisses. "Mm. I love it when you talk to me about our friend's sleeping habits."

Monica chuckled quietly once more and snaked her arms around his neck. She moved her leg so that it was now between his thighs and she began to slowly slide up, bringing her weight over the top of him.

Chandler slipped his hand down and put his thumb inside the band of her panties, stretching them so he could fit his hand inside and rest his palm on her hip. Wrapping his fingers around so they could press into the flesh of her buttocks.

Monica brought her hand down, running them below his waist as she started to shimmy his boxers off, getting them down under his knees. Chandler took care of the rest by wiggling them off and kicking them to the bottom of the bed.

Monica started to breath heavy, almost panting as they kissed, she could feel the hunger rise inside of her, the one that blinded her to all the risks and compelled her to consume this man. She lifted her leg over him, straddling him as she pulled his hands underneath her tank top. Chandler groaned as he anticipated feeling the soft warmth of her breasts as Monica slowly guided his hands up higher and higher.

Suddenly, the front door to the apartment opened, freezing them in their motions. Monica's eyes went wide with horror. Chandler, finally finding the wherewithal to move, instinctively jerked his body, throwing her off of him and onto her side of the bed. The two of them, with their pupils dilated and completely out of breath, stared into the kitchen, clutching the covers to their throats in an attempt to hide their arousal.

Monica peered over the counter and let out an exasperated sigh as she recognized her brother rummaging around the kitchen cabinets. "Ross! What are you doing here this early!"

"Hey guys. I don't have any coffee at my place."

Chandler tried to mask his frustration with sarcasm. "You know. They have these places called coffee shops. New York is filled with them. I think you might even know where one is."

Ross chuckled. "What? Oh, yeah. Well, I was also hoping maybe Monica was making breakfast."

Monica huffed and shook her head. "Well. I'm not."

Ross grumbled and spied a bunch of bananas in a bowl on the table. He snatched one and started to peel it. "Oh, you know, that reminds me. Uh, Chandler. Can I ask you something?"

Chandler shot a nervous glance at Monica before chuckling uncomfortably. "Talk to me? This early? What about?"

"Well, uh, could you come in the kitchen for a minute?"

Chandler reluctantly nodded and started to move, sliding the covers off of him. Monica's eyes went wide as she remembered they removed his boxers and he was now completely naked from the waist down. She grabbed his arm tight. Compelling him to stay in bed, digging her nails into his bicep as an exclamation point.

Chandler glared at her and rubbed his arm. "Ow!"

Ross looked at Chandler, confused by his sudden yelp. "What?"

Chandler shot an aggrieved pair of eyes at Monica, and she shot him a knowing look as she gestured slightly with her head at the lower half of his body, setting off a light bulb in his brain. "Oh, uh. I can't go over there. Why don't you come over here?"

"Well, I kind of wanted to talk to you privately."

"We can be private over here."

Ross twisted his brow and eyed Chandler curiously. He narrowed his gaze, bewildered by his behavior. Then, his eyes went wide, almost with a mix of disgust and embarrassment. "Oh. You woke up with, uh, you know, uh, morning…uh…ewwww!"

Monica nodded exaggeratedly, eager to go along with Ross's conclusion. "Yep. That must be it."

"What? No! I don't. it isn't…" Chandler looked back at her, completely shocked she would think that Ross's assumption about the state of his arousal was a good idea.

"Oh jeez, Chandler. And with my sister in the bed."

Monica nodded along. "I know! You're such a pig!" She then reached across and slapped him lightly in the face. "How dare you!" Her performance as the aggrieved party, enraged to the point that she had to strike him, had been so transparent, so wooden, that Chandler would have laughed if he didn't find this situation insulting and infuriating. He rubbed his cheek and rolled his eyes at her.

He then decided he had no other recourse but to play along. Even if it made him look like a pig. He spoke slowly, in a flat, matted, unconvincing tone of his own. "Oh dear, I am so sorry. Whatever will we do about my apparent disgusting behavior."

Ross stepped into the room, clearly unable to pick up on Monica and Chandler's terrible acting, and instead, grew aggravated at what was happening. "You know what? I've been thinking a lot about this sleeping arrangement…" Ross gestured at the two of them in bed together with a tinge of disgust. "…and I have to say, I don't like it."

Monica nodded. "I don't either. It's disgusting sleeping next to this guy. It makes me want to throw up. But, what are we gonna do? I have to sleep somewhere until we find a new place to live. Oh well, good talk."

Chandler turned slowly, staring at Monica with a blank expression. She offered him a quick, sheepish smile.

Ross screwed up his face, indignant that his sister appeared to be brushing him off. "I know what you're going to do. You're going to pack your bags and you're going to stay with me until you find a new apartment."

"What?" Monica's face dropped like a stone upon hearing Ross's solution to her sleeping arrangement. A solution she did not care for at all.

"It makes so much sense. I can sleep on the pull out at my place. You can have my room. You guys shouldn't have to do this. And you shouldn't have to put up with this guy waking up and you know, having one of those things." He started to mime with his finger, holding it out straight and rigid.

Monica and Chandler looked at each other, finding themselves backed into a corner. Monica shrugged her shoulders in defeat. "I can't think of any reason why I wouldn't do that."

Chandler nodded slowly. "Neither can I."

Monica, in a tone that mimicked Chandler's own deadpanned sarcasm, spoke slowly to her brother. "Yay. I can't wait to live with you."

Ross smiled, convinced he saved the day. "Okay, now, where were we on that making breakfast thing?"

Joey hung up the phone and let loose with a salacious smile. His eyes full of lascivious anticipation. "Looks like I'm not going to be able to stay for laserdisc night Ross. I'm gonna go have me some sex."

Ross, carrying a bowl of popcorn into his livingroom, smirked at Joey's matter-of-fact declaration. "I guess you and Kathy have a hot date tonight?"

Joey tilted his head, as if what Ross had asked him was completely ridiculous. "No."

Rachel and Phoebe both shot Joey a confused, disheartened look. "Oh no. You broke up with Kathy?"

"What? No. I'm going to see Kathy later tonight." Joey gestured with his thumb over his shoulder at the phone. "That was Casey, who I am going to have an early dinner with right now."

Rachel folded her arms indignantly. "Well, who the hell is Casey?"

"Casey is who I am going to go have sex with before I meet up with Kathy tonight."

Chandler slowly shook his head. "This is not the group you want to be saying this stuff in front of my man."

Joey winced, realizing his roommate was correct.

Phoebe screwed her face up in disgust. "Ew! Joey! You can't date two different women. That's disgusting."

Joey pointed an accusatory finger at Phoebe. "What? Didn't you do that last year with the teacher and the fireman?"

"Oh, that was different."

"How?"

"They were men. Cheating on men doesn't count. They deserve it."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Look, Joey. You can't do that. You can't string two girls along. You have to pick one. And I have to say, what you have with Kathy seems to be going really well. Plus, we already know her. I don't want to have to be friendly to a brand new girl. They don't like me."

Phoebe nodded in agreement. "Yeah." Rachel shot Phoebe an aggrieved look. "Oh, not me. I love you."

Rachel became emotional and hugged Phoebe. "I love you too."

Joey swiveled back and forth between the two of them, growing frustrated that he could not come up with a plausible reason for them to allow him to date two different women at once. He then gestured towards Chandler. "Can't you guys be more like Chandler? He would just, distract one of the girls. And make her pancakes." Joey then turned to Ross. "Ooo. Do you have any pancakes?"

"What? Aren't you going to have two dinners tonight?"

"Yeah, but there's always room for road pancakes." He glanced at Chandler and shook his head, expressing disbelief in Ross's naivete when it came to Joey and how much food he could eat.

Rachel sat forward in the chair and stuck a scornful finger in Joey's direction. "Joey! I'm serious! You can't do that."

Chandler leaned over into Monica's shoulder. "I didn't always make them pancakes."

Monica arched an eyebrow and chuckled.

Chandler looked across the room as Phoebe and Rachel continued to pile on Joey and then spoke softly, close to her ear. "So, how is living with Ross?"

"Oh my god. It's been two days and I might as well be fourteen all over again. He's the worst."

Chandler let out a quiet laugh and then shook his head. "I remember back in college, being up late with a pillow over my head while his rock polisher went off all hours of the night. It's a rock Ross. How clean does it have to be!"

"Oh my God. And his air purifier!"

Chandler nodded in agreement with an exasperated look on his face. "For four years, all I heard was that thing."

Monica arched her neck to see if anyone was looking and then bounced her fingers off of Chandler's thigh. "You know, he is going to be away this weekend. He is going to some conference in Florida. We'd have the entire place to ourselves."

Chandler lifted his eyebrows, impressed at her opportunism. "Really? A whole weekend?"

"Yeah, I figure if we play this right, we could be naked the entire time."

Chandler nodded, smiling proudly at her exuberant perversion. "That's a whole lotta naked."

"…I mean, that's where I really found my sound." Ross's words punctured the air and broke Monica's train of thought.

She turned her head, and snorted as she laughed at what she heard her brother just say. She grasped at Chandler's knee, almost as if to hold herself up for fear of toppling over in laughter.

"Oh my God, I completely forgot about your sound."

Chandler crinkled his brow, curious to hear more. "His sound?"

"Yeah, this was when he was still in high school. He would lock himself down in the basement for hours. No one was allowed to hear the sound."

Ross shot a pair of narrowed eyes at his sister as he bristled at her teasing.

Phoebe jumped up excitedly. "Well, I want to hear the sound!"

Ross turned to his sister and gloated childishly. Monica was almost certain he was about to stick his tongue out, but instead, he jogged excitedly into his room. "I'll go get my keyboard."

Joey started to inch closer to the front door. "Well, not that that doesn't sound great, but, well, it does not sound great. SO, I'll see you guys later."

Both Phoebe and Rachel shot their heads around, snapping their eyes on him like two predators. "What!"

Joey stepped back and pressed against the door defensively. "Well, I was just going to…"

Rachel curled up her lips into a scowl. "You were just going to be some kind of two-timer, you, you…you two-timer!"

"Good one Rach." Phoebe nodded in sincere approval.

Chandler leaned over towards Monica again. "Man, I am glad I am not Joey."

"Well, you might change your mind if they kill him before Ross brings his keyboards out."

The door to Ross's apartment crashed open as Monica shoved Chandler inside with animalistic, libidinous intent. He stumbled back under her forceful advances, losing his balance as he backed his way inside, only catching himself on the chair before toppling over it. Monica, seizing an opportunity to expedite things, leapt over the arm of the chair that he was leaning on, crashing down on top of him.

Although it had only been a couple of days since the last time they had sex, it was enough to push her into overdrive. Now, there was nothing that could get in their way. No apartment full of roommates. No nosy brother pulling her from Chandler's bed. No restriction on how wild and loud she could be tonight. Nothing to hold her back.

Chandler reached his hand up and circled a finger along her jawline, just under her earlobe. "Wow. You look so…"

"No time for that!" Monica tore at his shirt, ripping it off of him with one hand while running her other hand roughly through his hair, scratching at his scalp with her fingernails until she caught a tuft of hair and jerked his head back so she could kiss at his neck.

Chandler quickly kicked off one of his shoes as Monica finished pulling his shirt off, hearing a slight tear as a button popped off and bounced under the couch. She then sat up and smiled with devilish intent as she carefully began to unbutton her shirt.

Chandler stared at her, perplexed at the gentle care she was taking in removing her own clothes compared to the reckless abandon with which she tore off his. "Wait a minute. How come my shirt gets ripped and yours doesn't?"

Monica opened her shirt, revealing herself to him, and smiled as she watched his face grow still. Chandler's mouth went slack as he suddenly forgot what he was complaining about.

"You were saying?"

"Never mind."

He pulled her back on top of him, kicking off his other shoe, which crashed on the other side of the room. Monica kissed at his chest and he brought his hands down around her backside, gripping at her buttocks tightly.

Monica kissed her way up under his chin. "Get up."

Chandler continued to fondle her ass as he groaned with pleasure. "But I'm comfortable here."

"Get up so I can take your pants off."

"Yeah, sure, why don't I get up."

Monica laughed as she lifted herself up off of him and shimmied out of her skirt. Chandler quickly kicked and bucked until his pants fell to the floor around his ankles and then stepped out of them. They stared at each other, almost stalking each other with their eyes, like a matador and bull. Both panting heavily, circling around each other, waiting for one of them to make a move.

Finally, Chandler pounced as he rushed to her. Their bodies collided and he reached under her once again, to grab at the back of her thighs and lift her up. Monica wrapped her legs around his waist, squeezing him tightly to hold herself up as he searched for somewhere to prop her up. He thought about up against the wall, but feared his legs would turn to jelly and give out on him. He then caught sight of the kitchen table and began to slowly move towards it until a devilish smirk spread across his lips once he spied Ross's keyboard. He turned and stepped over to it, pressing a hard kiss to Monica's lips. Distracting her with his tongue until he put her down, bare-assed on the keyboard, causing then to press down and play a symphony of awkward music.

Chandler pulled back and chuckled to himself. "Now we get to invent our own sound."

Monica laughed, but then became distracted as every time he pressed up against her, the keyboard would play out of tune, haphazard notes. Sometimes one on top of the other, like some drug addled organ that had come to life and could no longer find the right notes to play.

"Uh, Chandler, not that I don't appreciate the effort, but, it's kind of distracting, no?"

"Yeah. Plus, I don't know if this is a good angle."

Chandler lifted Monica up again, and as she pulled her leg to wrap around his backside again, her foot hooked onto the keyboard stand, yanking it wildly and throwing them, and it off balance. Monica tried to compensate by leaning back, but she went too far, and the two of them crashed into the keyboard, sending it, and them, to the ground as they toppled over it.

Monica closed her eyes, afraid to look at the mess they made. The keyboard wheezed away it's final notes. Out of tune and winding down like a deflated bagpipe. Chandler shifted slightly and heard a crunching sound. Like someone chewing an apple. He winced as he looked down, finding a shattered compact disc under his foot.

Monica gasped as she looked upon the broken CD. "Oh no. I think we killed the sound!"

Ross paced angrily around the livingroom. He eyes wide in disbelief. He would stop and look at Monica and Chandler as if her were about to speak, but then shook his head, unable to find the right words, and paced some more. The only time he made a sound was when he whined as he looked at his mangled keyboard.

Monica looked at Chandler and then back at Ross. "We're really sorry."

Ross despondently glanced once more over his shoulder at the twisted remains of his keyboard in the corner of the room. "I don't understand. How did this happen?"

"Well, like we said. I had decided to clean the apartment and Chandler came over to help me. I wanted to really deep clean the carpet, so I asked him to move the keyboard. He picked it up while I was vacuuming and I backed into him. And, well, we fell right on top of it. I'm so sorry Ross."

"Yeah buddy, I'll buy you a new one."

"Oh yeah! But what about this!" Ross held up the crumpled remains of the compact disc that had all of his effects for The Sound. "This took me years to make!"

"I'm sure we can get those back."

"Some of these are over fifteen years old! They don't even make the file anymore. Now how am I going to get the exact sound of the original Star Wars lightsaber? They don't make that sound on trees you know."

Chandler looked over at Monica and then back at Ross sheepishly. He then started to try and mimic the sound Ross had described, while miming swinging a lightsaber around the room.

Ross begrudgingly nodded. "Yeah, that's actually not half bad."

Monica shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe this is for the best. Maybe your sound was too good for this world."

Ross narrowed his eyes, undeterred by his sister's words. "Neither one of you were very supportive of my sound. How do I know this wasn't sabotage!"

Chandler put his face in his hands, trying hard to hold back some cutting remark, and then looked back up at Ross. "How about tomorrow, we go to the music store, pick out a new keyboard and see if we can find all of your old sound effects. Okay buddy?"

Monica nodded. "Yeah, we feel so terrible. I'll even make you your favorite dinner tonight."

Ross nodded slowly, finally coming around, and smiled. "Yeah?"

Monica smiled back sweetly at her brother. "Yeah."

Ross nodded and gave his sister a tight side hug. "Thanks guys. It really means a lot to me to get your support in recreating the sound." He then snapped his fingers as his eyes opened wide with discovery. "You know what, I think I might have left some backup copies of all my sound effects with Carol. I'm going to run over there and look."

"What? Now?"

"Yeah. I have a show at Central Perk tomorrow night. I need my discs if I am going to wow the crowd." Ross strutted and bounced his head with a renewed cockiness. Monica rolled her eyes and Chandler could only give Ross two sarcastic thumbs up as Ross giddily bounced out of the apartment.

Monica mimed wiping sweat from her brow. "Whew! That was a close one."

"I know, we have got to be more careful."

Monica screwed her face up. "You have to be more careful. I didn't knock his keyboard over."

"What? It was your dangly legs that kicked it over."

You were the one carrying me around."

Chandler looked down and smirked. "You mean like this?" Chandler could not help himself as he reached over and hoisted Monica up once again in his arms.

She wrapped her legs around his torso and smiled back at him. "Well, Carol does live about twenty minutes away. We probably have at least an hour or so until Ross gets back."

"It would be a shame to waste that time doing something productive."

Monica nodded and leaned in to kiss him. "A real shame."

They both smiled into their kiss, but once their lips touched, the light-hearted nature of their playfulness gave way to a deeper and more passionate kiss. Monica parted Chandler's lips with her tongue. He groaned as she took control, closing his eyes and succumbing to her overpowering lust. She pressed harder against him, squeezing him like a boa constrictor with her thighs. His hands cupped at her backside, kneading his fingers into her buttocks. Monica ran her hand up to the base of his neck, her fingers playing with his hair. The two of them easily and totally lost in each other.

"What the hell is going on!"

Lost in each other until now.

"Ross?" Monica turned to look, seeing her brother standing in the doorway.

Chandler's eyes opened wide with panic. He then nodded at a pace so fast, it looked as if his head might roll off. "Well, and, that is how you do the entwined branch." He then looked at Ross. "Oh, hey, I was just showing Monica some yoga moves."

Ross stared at them, a mix of rage and confusion. Chandler was frozen as he held Monica up in the air. Her legs were still tight around his hips.

Ross gasped his incredulity. "With your tongue!"

Monica finally hopped off of Chandler and stepped towards her brother carefully. "Ross, wait! I can explain."

"I don't need anything explained. I have eyes!" He glared at Chandler. "This is so over the line dude. First, she's my sister. Second, she's having a rough time and you go and take advantage of her."

Chandler gestured defensively. "No, no. That's not it at all."

"Well what is it then?"

Chandler and Monica got quiet. Neither of them sure exactly what to say to somehow make all of this go away.

Ross fumed as he grabbed his jacket from behind the door. "There are rules Chandler. Between friends. You really crossed a line here."

"Ross, wait…"

"No, I have to...I don't know what I have to do. Go for a walk or something."

Ross stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Chandler turned to face Monica. "Well, that went well."

Monica covered her face with her hands and groaned. "You know, I bet if we just told him what was going on when all of this started, he probably would have been all right with it."

Chandler gesticulated wildly. "Oh don't say that. Why do you have to say that."

Monica shrugged her shoulders with a sheepish grin on her face.

Chandler put his hands on his hips and looked down. "Let me go see if I can find him. I'll talk to him."

"You sure? What are you going to say?"

"I have no idea. Maybe something along the lines of 'sorry I'm doing your sister'."

Chandler slowly stepped into Central Perk and saw Ross sitting at the couch alone. He could tell my his posture that he was no doubt licking his wounds at what he felt was betrayal at the hands of his oldest friend. Chandler stood back for a moment, unsure of what to say as he felt a strong streak of guilt charge through him from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. He took a dee breath and stepped around the couch, cautiously approaching his friend.

"Hey."

Ross looked up at him. The anger was gone and now all that was left was this hangdog expression that Chandler knew well. "Hey."

"Look, I'm sorry. And you were totally right to be mad at me. I did cross the line. And I have no excuse. But you have to know, kissing your sister is…"

Ross stiffened up and cut Chandler off. "What is that about? Is this about getting back at me for kissing your mother? Because I thought we worked that out."

"No, no. It's just…."

"How long has this been going on?"

Chandler took a moment, wondering how truthful he should be. Worried more about Ross's wounded pride than anything else, and fearful he might add to that. "Well….since the girls moved in."

"What? And so, you've been sneaking around behind my back, making out with my sister this whole time."

Chandler's eyes went wide as he froze. If Ross was this mad at the idea of Chandler and Monica kissing, how mad would he be if he knew the entire truth? Chandler decided holding some details back might be the most prudent way to go right now. "Yes. Making out. Just a few, harmless kisses. Maybe a hug here and there."

"And she's okay with this?"

Chandler couldn't help but smirk. "Well, she does kiss me back."

"I don't know. You said it yourself a few weeks ago. She's been kicked out of her apartment, doesn't have a job…"

"Yeah. You're right. Maybe this is all just, you know, a way to make herself feel better."

"I think I have to talk to Monica."

Chandler sat down on the other end of the couch and nodded. "Yeah. You should do that."

Chandler realized, that perhaps, he needed to talk to Monica as well. They were still so undefined. While it had evolved from sex to dating, he was unsure of how she truly felt about him. How he felt about her. How she would feel after finding out how he felt about her. It was confusing and frustrating to try and walk this tightrope between managing a new relationship he so desperately did not want to screw up and keeping it a secret from everyone. But Chandler knew that was just a helpful distraction. It was useless for him to deny it anymore. He knew how he felt. He simply was not ready to admit it to anyone, even just to himself, until now.

He was in love.

He was in love with Monica.

He had crossed that line. It was so clear to him. She was the first person he thought about in the morning, and the last person he thought about at night. He felt hollow and disjointed when she was not around. The way her nose crinkled when he made her laugh made his heart swell. She was smart and beautiful and funny and the kindest person he had ever known.

In their quiet moments alone, he just wanted to wrap her up in his arms and tell her how he felt about her. Tell her that he could see them, off in the not so distant future, planning to marry. Discussing having a family. Moving out to the suburbs. It was all there, so real in his mind that it made him wonder if he had been abducted by aliens, had his brain scrambled, and then returned to Earth a different man.

And sitting here, all he wanted was to tell Ross all of that. He wanted to assure his friend that he would not take something like this lightly. That he and Monica weren't just fooling around. That he would never take advantage of her. He wanted to tell Ross, that he was in love with his sister.

But, he couldn't. He had to tell Monica first. And he had to hope and pray she felt the same way too.

"Oh, hey guys."

Chandler and Ross slowly turned and looked over the back of the couch at Kathy as she walked into the coffee shop. "Hey."

"Woah. I can feel the tension over here. Why the long faces?"

Ross scoffed as he shook his head. "Well, wouldn't you look like this if you found out your best friend and your sister were goofing off behind your back?"

Kathy let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank God. They finally told you. I didn't think I could hold it in anymore."

Ross shot up as he rediscovered his ire from earlier. Jabbing an indignant finger at Kathy. "What? You knew!"

"Well, uh, I just walked in on them, and uh…"

Ross spun around and glared. "Chandler!"

Chandler raised his hands defensively. "Yeah, that was just an accident."

Kathy wiped her hand over her forehead, as if wiping sweat from her brow. "Whew! Man, I am so glad they finally told you they were sleeping together. Now everything can go back to normal and I don't need to keep anymore secrets."

Ross gripped at his hair, running his hands over the top of his head. "You're having sex!"

Chandler winced and backed up into the corner of the couch. "Well…"

"I can't believe you! Of all the girls you could be doing this with….and you pick Monica! Monica!"

"Look, we're not just…uh.." Chandler bit his tongue and sucked in his lower lip, as if to render himself speechless so that the first two people who found out that he was in love with his best friend were not her brother and the girl his roommate was dating.

Ross glowered at him impatiently. "What?"

Chandler sat there, silent. Unsure of how to untangle this web.

Ross, shook his head and shouted one more time at Chandler. "Monica!" He grabbed his coat and stormed out.

Chandler gestured incredulously at Kathy and she winced apologetically. His eyes went wide with confused disbelief at her indiscretion. "You had to tell Ross that I was having sex with his sister."

Kathy meekly shrugged her shoulders. "In my defense, I hardly know you guys. I forgot Monica even had a brother."