The End of an Era
Rachel sat at the kitchen table and flipped the asterisk shaped paperweight around in her hands. Every now and then, she would stop twirling it and hold it up to let the light from above shine off of its metallic surface. She would catch glimpses of her distorted reflection in the silver bauble that she held on to so tightly. It felt fitting to see her face stretched out and her features obscured by the optical illusion that the object in her hands was creating. Her entire world was being warped and twisted into something unrecognizable. Nothing in her life had the same clarity it once did before Monica and Chandler dropped their bombshell announcement on her. Nothing would ever look quite right again now that they were going to be living together, here, and Rachel was going to be moving out.
She slowly looked around the apartment. This was her home. This was where she lived and now, she was being told she had to leave so that Chandler could move in. It did not seem fair to Rachel. This was not his home. This place was not the backdrop all of his life changing events. He did not deserve to live here in this big beautiful apartment with its perfect purple walls and a bathroom that always smelled like fresh flowers. Boys don't deserve bathrooms that smell that good. His bathroom smelled like wet birds and cheese. Doesn't Monica know what she is inviting into her perfect, pristine home? Can't she see the mess she is making of all their lives?
Her eyes began to study the room intently, stopping only to fixate on some random object that seemed much more significant to her now than it did just a few short hours ago. The green ottoman she tried to move when she first attempted to clean the apartment. She just wanted to try and rearrange a few things, bring a small touch of her own personal style to the place she would call her home. That little green piece of furniture helped teach Rachel a valuable lesson that day when it came to living with Monica. Don't do anything, because Monica would much rather do it herself. It saved Rachel countless hours she might have spent cleaning and moving furniture around or buying decorative trinkets like the stupid silver star she was now holding in her hands. She wondered if Chandler knows that? Or will he have to learn it the hard way like she did. Will Monica break something he likes because she thought that it did not go with the rest of the decor? Would she slyly throw away some object he was fond of simply because Monica found it garish? Would he be as forgiving as Rachel has been all these years? Could he handle actually living with Monica? Rachel could not help but nod to herself. They have been dating for over a year, and in that time, even she had to acknowledge that Chandler was proving to be the one person who may be able to handle Monica even better than she could. He was patient, easygoing, supportive; and yet, he was also still able to playfully chide her when she would start to go overboard, in a way no one else could.
She looked next at the big comfy chair. Large enough that two people could sit in it, comfortably huddled close, side by side. She loved that chair. It was warm and inviting and cozy. When they all gathered here for a meal or to watch a movie, everyone would fight for the couch because it faced the television, but Rachel knew that the best seat in the living room was the chair. Suddenly, half a dozen different images of Monica and Chandler sharing that chair flashed in her mind. Were they always so close? Even before they started dating, they would snuggle up and share that seat. Practically sitting on top of each other almost everywhere they would go. Already accustomed to occupying the same space. Now, they were going to be living together. She wondered if she should have seen it coming. If the two of them showed any other hint of the couple they have now become. Maybe it was there all along, and they just needed a little push. Maybe that is all London was for them. A nudge that gently brought them together.
Then there was the balcony. How many nights had she spent out there? Talking with her friends or simply taking in the view of the city as she indulged in a drink. Where would she find an apartment with a balcony like that ever again? With a view like that? Rachel smirked, finally dispensing of the dour expression she had held ever since Monica left. The memory of the night when it was just her, Phoebe and Monica out there hoping to catch a glimpse of George Stephanopoulos flashed through her mind. It was really just an excuse to lounge around outside on some couch cushions, enjoy the warm air, drink and gossip about what the boys would be like in bed. Even then, it seemed Monica had a soft spot for Chandler. She was always giving him the benefit of the doubt that there was more to him than the sophomoric, clumsy sarcastic guy they all knew. Rachel tried to remember what Monica called him. "Sophisticated. Him? Really?" Rachel knew Chandler could have his moments, but sophisticated is not a word she would use to describe him. She placed the sliver asterisk down on the table and allowed her fingers to dance on her chin. She wondered if this was why the two of them seemed to fit together so well. They see things in each other that no one else does.
Rachel ran her hand across the surface of the kitchen table and looked longingly at it. Even this was soaked through with fond memories from the last six years. The meals they had shared here, from cereal, coffee and bagels, to extravagant feasts that you could only find in the most expensive of restaurants. Monica would whip up all of these wonderful dinners on an almost nightly basis, sometimes, just for the two of them. Who was going to cook for her now? She was definitely not going to attempt to prepare her own food. That never ends well. Now Chandler gets to have all those amazing meals with Monica? He gets to pick through those little tins filled with leftover food from the restaurant? Rachel sat up straight and wrinkled her brow. Now that she let herself think about it more clearly, she realized that Monica had been cooking for him long before Rachel ever moved in. He was always there, sitting at the table before work, or joining her on a quiet Saturday evening for dinner. Every Thanksgiving, Monica would always made sure to make him his own, special meal. Rachel wondered why she never noticed that before. Why hadn't the two of them? They both were always very attentive to each other's needs even when they were just friends. Suddenly, Rachel realized that Monica and Chandler being together does not seem so strange after all. In some strange, weird, perfect way, they fit each other.
As she pondered that thought, the front door to the apartment swung open roughly and Joey entered the room in a huff. He looked around and offered her a grunt as a terse greeting. Rachel shook her head and let out an exasperated sigh, sharing a knowing glance with him.
"Can you believe this!"
Joey snorted as he sat down next to her. "I know. Who do they think they are? Aren't we all supposed to vote on stuff like this?"
Rachel nodded angrily in agreement. "Right? What? They get to ruin our lives because they had sex one night!"
Joey grumbled under his breath and hung his arm over the back of his chair. "I hate change."
Rachel let out a loud groan and then reached across the table to snatch a pineapple from the centerpiece. "I hate change! I mean, where am I going to live that just has pineapples like this in a bowl on the table? Do you know where they do this? Nowhere, that's where."
Joey looked over at the pineapple in her hand with a look of puzzlement as he tried to figure out what she was talking about. He shook his head as if to brush it off and then gestured emphatically with his hands. "Where am I going to find a new roommate that I get along with so well? It isn't easy. We all got lucky. Remember that guy Chandler used to live with when I moved out. What if I get one of those? What if I get some guy who thinks I slept with his girlfriend?"
"That doesn't sound that far-fetched Joe."
Joey allowed a lascivious smile to appear on his face. "Yeah, you're probably right about that."
Rachel shook her head. "We have to do something Joe. We have to fix this. I don't want things to change, do you?"
Joey pouted as he looked down. "No."
"Great. Then we have to make sure nothing changes. That everything stays the same."
Joey nodded but then looked over at her with an uncertainty in his eyes. "Uh, okay. So how do we do that?"
Rachel sighed as she sunk down to the table, practically deflating as she shrunk into herself. "I don't know."
Joey's eyes widened as he snapped his fingers. "I got it. You gotta sleep with Chandler."
Rachel twisted her face up in confused disgust. "What?"
"Yeah, think about it. You sleep with him, Monica finds out, they break up, they don't move in together, and then everything says the same."
Rachel rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Yeah, except Monica still probably throws me out for sleeping with her boyfriend."
Joey nodded as a sage expression flashed across his face. "Oh yeah."
"Plus, I don't want to break them up, and I definitely do not want to sleep with Chandler. They are too happy. I'd feel terrible if they broke up."
Joey allowed a smile to spread across his face. "I know. It's crazy isn't it? Monica and Chandler. Who would have seen that?"
Rachel turned her head to scan the room one more time. "You know, I think the signs were always there. Maybe we were all too busy to notice. I think this makes more sense than we realize."
Joey nodded. "Yeah, it's like they just kind of fit, you know."
"Yeah."
The two of them sat in contemplative silence. Joey let out another dejected sigh and Rachel ran her hand over his arm. A crooked smile spread across Joey's lips. "You could sleep with me."
Rachel lifted her hand and slapped him on the shoulder. "Joey! How would that help?"
"I know it would help make me feel better."
"Ugh. You know what Joe, if you aren't going to be useful, then go mope around in your own apartment."
"Okay." Joey got up from the table and turned to walk out. He spun around to face Rachel before he reached the door. "Hey, how about you at least flash me or something."
Rachel sighed angrily and shook her head. "Goodbye Joey."
Joey shook his head in defeat and turned back to the door. Before he could reach the handle, the door opened and Chandler walked in. "Hey guys. What's going on?"
Joey raised an admonishing finger at him and snarled. "You!"
"Uh, everything okay Joe?"
"You know what you did!" Joey stormed out, pulling the door shut behind him.
"Well, that was, uh, something." Chandler lifted his eyebrows dismissively and then approached the kitchen table. "So, Rach. How you doing? Monica told me she talked to you."
Rachel scoffed and threw her hands up. "Oh, I'm wonderful. Everything is great. I love trying to find a new place to live."
Chandler reached into the refrigerator and took out a bottle of Yoo-hoo. "Oh good. I'm glad."
Rachel huffed even louder than before and began to shout. "I was being sarcastic! This is terrible. Do you know how hard it is to find a nice apartment in the city? Why would you do this Chandler? Why?"
Chandler stopped in his tracks and looked over at Rachel apprehensively. "I'm sorry?"
"You should be sorry. Seriously, what brought this on? Was it Vegas? Because they say what happens there should stay there you know."
Chandler pulled out a chair and leaned over the back of it. "No. It wasn't Vegas. I mean, I guess it was sort of about Vegas. When we were there, and I thought we were going to get married, I was really happy, and I think I realized that I was happy because it meant we would live together." Rachel looked up at him as her features softened. "Rach, I just want to be around her all the time. I can't imagine not living in the same place she does. Not waking up every morning in our own bed that we both share. I've never felt that way about anybody before. I know that this is hard for you and Joey and some things will change, but you will always be her best friend. She will always be there for you."
Rachel groused under her breath and shook her head but then allowed a half-smile to lift at the corner of her mouth. "You make a good point. I'm still not happy about this, but I'm not mad at you anymore. I think now, I'm just going to be sad."
Chandler smiled and twisted the cap off of his drink. "Yeah? You sure that you are going to be okay?"
"I don't know. But I do feel a little better knowing how important this is to you guys. How important she is to you. She's my best friend too, and I'm starting to think that you two getting together may have been the best thing that has ever happened to her."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I have to tell you, I never thought you had this in you."
Chandler chuckled as he turned to leave. "You know what, I never thought I had this in me either."
"I guess maybe you are more sophisticated than you let on."
"Really? I don't think so."
"Well, I know at least one person who does. And she is usually right about these kind of things."
