Author's note- Hey guys! Yes, I actually updated...this story is a stress reliever for me so expect it to be updated regulartly. I posted it this morning in a hurry that I forgot to give some people credits for this story. Special thanks go to Jjaks for his fine job of editing and creativeness; and the people who actually own friends, who give us many laughs every Thursday night for the past seven years.
Part Two
April 23, 1994
It is so beautiful here.
Monica digs her toe into the cool sand and takes a look around her. The waves crash one on top of the other, composing the ever-comforting music of nature. The sea glitters while lovers tread through it playfully along the shore.
She takes a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent in. She has been living in the city for so long that she never stops to appreciate scenery like this, which is probably why she decides to return to the beach house on her twenty-fifth birthday.
It is quite an uneventful year, depending on how she looks at it. She still lives in the same apartment, hangs around with almost the same people and works at the same place. However, there are also a few noticeable changes.
Kip got married and moved out without even a word of notice several weeks after her last birthday. She wasn't really surprised, especially not after learning that Grace was pregnant. If everything went smoothly, they probably had the baby in January already. When she started to look back at that incident in the third person's perspective, it was obvious that they truly love each another…his eyes lit up every time they lay upon her.
Ross and Carol are still married. Nevertheless, they seem to be drifting apart lately. Carol spends more and more time in the gym with Susan while Ross divides his time between the museum and karate (or karatae as he calls it) classes.
Speaking of marriages, she ran into her high school best friend a few days ago and she proudly, or rather smugly, announced that she is engaged.
"He's a dentist." She remembers her declaring snootily.
She sighs and starts to walk back to the house. It seems like everyone is moving forward but her.
She is living alone again. Her former roommate moved out because her constant obsession with tidiness drove her crazy. Apparently, she concealed her move quite well. It took Monica quite some time before she realized that she didn't live there anymore. Regardless of what happened, they are still on good terms and she loves her flaky friend dearly.
Chandler has a new roommate.
Monica can't help but chuckles as the image of Joey Tribianni appears in her mind. He is certainly one of a kind. While undoubtedly handsome, the unemployed actor is certainly not the brightest crayon in the box.
She remembers her second encounter with him. To this day, she still can't figure out how he mixed up an invitation to lemonade with an invitation to sex. Nevertheless, Joey turned out to be an amazingly loyal friend. Moreover, he gets on extremely well with Chandler. Somehow, he becomes the brother that he never had.
She is glad about their newfound friendship. Before Joey moved in, Chandler spent most, if not all, of his time with her. While they usually talk, play scrabbles and watch movies, they never really get to do some of the macho stuff that he and Joey do. With the exception of his introduction to Baywatch, Joey's influence is good for him. He is livelier nowadays…even his jokes are funnier.
A sentimental smile creeps into her face when she thinks about Chandler. They had certainly come a long way.
The morning that followed their magical night, Monica woke up alone. She didn't know if she was relieved or disappointed at his absence. Despite their decision to remain friends, it is extremely hard to pretend that nothing has changed when in fact everything is already different. Both of them are not the kind of people that screw around and earth-shattering sex, the kind that they experienced, is not nothing.
A several days passed before she saw him again. Even then, the air was awkward between them. She didn't know how to act around him. How to be friendly without being TOO friendly? Even before her 24th birthday, the line between friends and something more is always ambiguous to them. Consequently, she just kept minimal contact with him. As for Chandler, he avoided her, period.
Fortunately, the others thought they were still fighting over the Kip incident that they didn't really notice the real reason behind their tension.
In the end, it was Kip's departure that linked them together again. It is ironic how the man who tore their friendship apart is the same one that mended it. Gradually, they were back to where they started: best friends.
Nevertheless, that doesn't mean she doesn't want to throw him on the kitchen table and do him right then and there sometimes. Thankfully, she is smart enough to understand that the timing is disastrous. It was so difficult to get things back to normal. Is it really a good idea to mess them up again? No, it is far better to keep things the way they are supposed to be.
As she approaches the house, she silently makes a birthday resolution to herself.
This year, she will not to sulk about her life, or lack thereof, anymore. This year, she will not take things for granted and hold grudges. She will live life to the fullest and be satisfied with what she's got.
She sighs and shakes her head again. It would be nice if she can keep these promises. Though it is highly likely that she would forget about them all by the next day, just like she did with all the other resolutions. Life just doesn't work that way. But just the same, she will continue to try.
"I knew you would be here." A familiar voice interrupts her thoughts.
Startled, Monica looks up to find Chandler sitting on the porch steps. For the first time in months, she recognizes that uncomfortable grin on his face. It is evident that he's been waiting for her for quite some time, during which he remembers what happened in the house last year. And yet…what is he doing here?
Upon seeing her puzzled expression, he smiles and stands up slowly, wiping dirt off his pants while doing so.
"I need to get you home, NOW." He tells her straight away.
"Is something wrong?" the urgent sound of his voice worries her.
He ponders for a moment before finally giving up, "They're throwing you a surprise party and when you didn't show up, I figure that you must be here. They're kinda bummed, you know? Especially Joey…its his first time throwing a surprise party."
"I know." She tells him quietly after a moment.
"How?" Now its his turn to be puzzled.
She giggles before replying, "Well, its kind of obvious when Joey came to ask me about where to buy a cake for 'his' birthday. When I reminded him that his birthday passed two months ago, he told me that he actually needed it for one of his non-existent cast-mates from his imaginary play."
"I TOLD him not to ask!" He exclaims bitterly.
A moment of silent curses passes before he remembers his real purpose in finding Monica.
"Its okay." He tells himself and turns to Monica, "Its not too late. They are still waiting…we have to go home right now."
He takes her hand and begins to drag her toward the main road.
"Stop it!" She shakes her hand away from his forcefully. "Does it ever occur to you that MAYBE I don't want to go to a fake surprise party? Do you even stop to think that maybe this is not an occasion to celebrate for?"
"Well, I try not to think on weekends." he winks at her knowingly.
"Its Thursday." she reminds him agitatedly.
"Same difference." he replies nonchalently and takes her hand once again eagerly, "Now, let's get you to your party!"
"What IS it with you and the party?" she yanks him back with her freakish strength.
Reluctantly, he admits, "Okay, Joey's got this really cool Baywatch cake and I want to get one of the nipples before both him and Ross get to them first..."
He's got to be kidding.
"Then what are you doing here?" she exclaims, annoyed at his childish behavior, and continues, "Take the nipple and leave me alone!"
"I would! But Phoebe wouldn't let us touch them unless you're there...I mean, it IS your birthday." he pauses for a while, as if to calm himself down from an emotional breakdown, and informs her, "She said she'll give Pamela a nasty breast reduction if we come near it."
Monica closes her eyes and let out a sigh. She can feel that same old mixture of irritation and amazement churning in the pit of her stomach. She puts her hand on her face and sits on the porch dejectedly.
"Chandler," she looks up at him wearily, "why don't you just..go? Tell Phoebe that I'm not coming and...and go have your cream boobs."
For the first time since he saw her, Chandler abandons his plans. He softens as he takes a seat beside her to find out what is upsetting her.
"Hey," he touches her cheek tenderly and asks, "What's wrong?"
She contemplates while fidgeting her fingers. After a few seconds, she finally confesses, "It my 25th birthday, you know?"
"Hence, your friends are throwing you a party!" he points out the obvious exasperatingly.
"Ugh! You are not helping!" she drops her head on her knees frustratingly.
"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry." he places his hand on her shoulder reassuringly and prompts her to continue, "Its your birthday...go on."
She stares out at the sea for a while to formulate her thoughts and resumes her confession.
"Ever since I was a little girl, I have this plan to be married by the time I am 25. And now I'm here…" she sighs, "well, do you see a ring on my finger? I don't even have a boyfriend for God's sake!"
His hand leaves her back quickly as he muses, "That's it? That's all you're fretting about?"
"What do you mean 'that's it'?" she counters, offended that he takes her dilemma so lightly.
"That's is a very trivial thing to sweat over...considering all the other shits that go on in the world, like poverty, another world war, propagandas, governmental conspiracies..." he stops when he notices that she is now looking at him strangely.
"I've been watching X-files..." he smiles feebly. Then, as if to explain himself further, he adds, "Dana Scully is hot."
"Are you sure its not Mulder that you're looking at?" she asks slyly.
He ponders seriously as he strokes his chin, and finally comments, "Alright, I admit it. Mulder is one complex hunk of a man."
Upon his "confession", Monica laughs uncontrollably as she pulls him into a hug. She just can't help it. She breaks away and studies him more closely. He always possesses this...stupidly humorous way of making her smile.
"Man, I needed that!" she wipes a tear is a direct result of laughing so hard.
Triumphantly, he kisses her forehead lightly and say, "No problem, just remember that life never goes as we planned. Look at me, I thought this job of mine is only temporary. Who would've thought that I am still a data processor after four years!"
"That's because you are too afraid and lazy to find another job." She argues.
"Hey!" he says defensively before shrugging in agreement a second later, "Eh, you're right."
"I just…" she sighs, her mood becomes sober again, "I feel like everyone is moving ahead, doing important things while I am on a stand still. My parents put Ross on a pedestal because he is married with a successful job. And Kip, he's married with a kid. Even Rachel is getting married!"
He takes a deep breath in preparation to reason with her, "Your parents are just plain stupid. Studying animals that died over billions of years ago is just as unproductive as me being a data processor. The only difference is that Ross actually likes his job. Besides, his marriage is on the rocks anyway. Kip got married because he knocked Grace up and Rachel... who the hell is Rachel?"
"Rachel was my best friend in high school!" Monica says incredulously, "You met her a couple of times before. She was in Central Perk just a few days ago...you even hit on her, remember?"
As realization dawns on his face, so does embarrassment.
"I didn't hit on her!" he denies.
"'I dropped my ball'?" Monica quotes his pick-up line, "That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
"She sounded desperate!" he defends, "She said she wants to have meaningless sex with the next man she sees! A guy's got to do something..."
"Well, whatever you were aiming for, you missed." she pats his back sympathetically.
"Look, I know nothing about Rachel." he ignores her remarks, " but I know one thing is for sure: her marriage will fail."
"Chandler, that's mean!"
"So, what's your point?"
Baffled at his indifference, she finally utters, "You don't even know her!"
"Oh this comes from the woman who wishes her ex-boyfriend and his wife to be so fat that they have to be lifted out of the house by a crane last year!" He states sarcastically and continues, "Look, all I am saying is that nothing is perfect. You don't even realize how lucky you are! You have a job that you actually like, a big apartment in the Village that you can afford and you have great friends…they went through a lot to plan this party, you know."
Monica stares at him shamefully. There she was, complaining about her life when she just promised herself to appreciate it not even ten minutes ago. He's right. She is really lucky to have friends like him.
"I can't believe you came all the way here just to find me…" She changes the subject, "especially after what happened last year."
It takes him a while to figure out what she is referring to. He usually tries not to remember that specific event. It was too hard to actually be her friend again without undressing her with his eyes and he wants to keep it that way.
"Eh!" he replies awkwardly, "It's the least I can do. Are you feeling better now? Do you want to go?"
"Uh…yes and no." she gives him a lopsided grin, "I do feel better now but I don't really want to go home. I want to have a quiet evening."
"Oh! I understand." He prepares to leave, "I'll…uh…I'll leave you alone then."
As he stands up to leave, Monica grabs his hand lightly. A crazy idea comes to her all of a sudden. While she wants to spend her birthday peacefully, she doesn't want to spend it alone.
"Do you…I mean…can you stay here? And keep me company?" she pleads.
Surprised, Chandler runs his hand through his hair. Did she ask him what he thinks she ask him? Or did she just ask him to stay?
"I don't know, Mon. Joey's got a big cake." He jokes lightly. Better be safe for being oblivious than be sorry for assuming implications that are not implied in the first place.
"So you'd rather eat cake than spend time with me?" she pretends to be cross with him.
"Well, they DO have nipples."
Mischievously, Monica runs her fingers down his arm and whispers in his ear flirtatiously, "I have something much better than that."
"I don't think it's a good idea, Mon." He answers hesitantly, "It is a tempting offer, really, but I don't want the sex to mess up our relationship again."
"No silly! I don't mean THAT!" she chuckles, "Are you crazy? I have ice-cream in the fridge."
"Oh. That's mean."
"Hey, I am not responsible for your mind being in the gutter." she bickers before returning to the subject again, "So, what do you say?"
Suspiciously, he looks at her for a long time as he considers about what to do. It is not that he doesn't trust her; on the contrary, it is HIMSELF that he doesn't trust. Being back into the house, especially with all the memories fresh in his mind, he is not sure if he can handle being around her without doing something stupid like…jumping on her...
"I have Ben & Jerry's." she further entices him.
That seems to seal the deal.
"What am I going to tell the others?" he asks in the end.
"Just call and tell 'em that you hooked up with a girl or something!" she solves the problem proudly.
Now it is his turn to laugh uncontrollably. However, unlike genuine laughter, his fades rather immediately.
"No, seriously." he says after a second of silence.
"Boy, you really don't give yourself enough credit, do you? Come on Chandler! Stay with me!" she watches him understandingly. Half reading his mind, she says, "Look, you don't have to worry about…you know…I swear that I won't even touch you!"
* * *
"You are such a liar!" Chandler pants heavily as Monica snuggles next to him.
They are lying in the narrow space between the couch and the coffee table, completely spent. Evidently, they didn't even have time to make it to the bedroom in the heat of the moment.
"You know I was never good at promises." She interrupts, "Besides, I didn't hear you complaining a few minutes ago."
"Something was IN my mouth at the moment. Plus, if I remember it correctly, Ms. Geller," he kisses the top of her head and continues smugly, "I wasn't the one who said, 'NOW, Chandler, NOW!'"
She slaps him playfully.
"You were thinking it!" she states knowingly.
In truth, she doesn't even know what happened. Okay, they had sex…again; that part she knows. But the stuff leading up to the sex is kind of fuzzy. One minute they were fighting for the TV remote control, the next minute, while the contestants are yelling out alphabets on "Wheel of Fortune", they were making out heavily on the floor. One thing led to another…
So far, there is nothing quiet about this birthday.
"So I guess I did hook up with a girl." He says thoughtfully before asking, "Seriously Mon, what are we doing?"
"I don't know." She kisses his chest and says, "Maybe it is this day or maybe it's the house…have you seen that movie…oh…I forgot what its called…" she abruptly switches the subject, "…it is about a guy and a girl. They meet up in some cottage once a year to have a romantic evening. Then, they'll go back to their respective lives the next day…what its name?"
"You mean 'Same Time Next Year'?" he asks, wondering where she's going with this.
"Yeah, that's it! That's the one I was talking about. It's a good movie, don't you think?" her eyes, suddenly childlike, is looking at him excitedly. Chandler can't help but to kiss them tenderly, one lid after another.
"Yeah." He answers softly, "Is there any point to this?"
"Let's do that!" she suggests.
"What? You mean coming here every year and..." when he is answered by the furious nodding of her head, he sighs and rationalizes, "Monica, that's a movie; this is real life."
"What movie isn't inspired by real life events?" she debates, "Let's face it. We can't control ourselves but we can't continue this back home either…unless you want to."
She gazes at him nervously. They've had this conversation before. She knows that Chandler is not at the place to commit to anyone, including his best friend, right now. The last thing she wants to do is to force him to get into something that he doesn't really want get into.
He pushes her head gently back to his chest and strokes her hair silently. As she listens to his heartbeats, Monica grows more and more impatient.
He hugs her closer to him. He can't believe it. What he thought was a one time thing became two and now Monica wants to continue it every year. Part of him is excited about her offer, another part of him, the conscious part of him, knew that this…thing would not come to any good.
"I don't want to do anything that both you and I will regret." He says after a long while, "I don't want to ruin our friendship."
Monica sighs, just as she's expected, he is too afraid to begin anything serious. Nevertheless, she recovers quickly enough to rationalize with him, "It won't ruin our friendship. Listen, something is causing us to lose control...twice in a row. Would it be so bad if we just take one day of the year to cross the line without feeling guilty about it?"
"I need to think about this, okay?"
"Alright, you think about it." She decides resolutely, "In fact, I'll give you a year. If you show up here next year, I take that you accept my offer. If you don't…well…I'll understand. Deal?"
Chandler caresses her cheek and her jaw line with his thumb before he agrees, "Deal." He says gently.
"Good!" she responds lightly, "Now, with all the small talks out of the way, let's…" she raises her eyebrows provocatively as her hand travels slowly from his chest to his stomach and further down south.
Alert and aroused, he licks his lips and looks at her seductively. His eyes are downright lustful.
"Let's make the most out of your birthday." He finishes her sentence huskily as he brings her face down and captures her mouth with his own.
They explore each other's mouth thoroughly, before he kisses her cheeks, her neck and up her ear.
"Happy 25th." he breathes as he nibbles on her ear. She responds by letting out a small moan.
"By the way, can I return your present and keep the cash?"
Part Two
April 23, 1994
It is so beautiful here.
Monica digs her toe into the cool sand and takes a look around her. The waves crash one on top of the other, composing the ever-comforting music of nature. The sea glitters while lovers tread through it playfully along the shore.
She takes a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent in. She has been living in the city for so long that she never stops to appreciate scenery like this, which is probably why she decides to return to the beach house on her twenty-fifth birthday.
It is quite an uneventful year, depending on how she looks at it. She still lives in the same apartment, hangs around with almost the same people and works at the same place. However, there are also a few noticeable changes.
Kip got married and moved out without even a word of notice several weeks after her last birthday. She wasn't really surprised, especially not after learning that Grace was pregnant. If everything went smoothly, they probably had the baby in January already. When she started to look back at that incident in the third person's perspective, it was obvious that they truly love each another…his eyes lit up every time they lay upon her.
Ross and Carol are still married. Nevertheless, they seem to be drifting apart lately. Carol spends more and more time in the gym with Susan while Ross divides his time between the museum and karate (or karatae as he calls it) classes.
Speaking of marriages, she ran into her high school best friend a few days ago and she proudly, or rather smugly, announced that she is engaged.
"He's a dentist." She remembers her declaring snootily.
She sighs and starts to walk back to the house. It seems like everyone is moving forward but her.
She is living alone again. Her former roommate moved out because her constant obsession with tidiness drove her crazy. Apparently, she concealed her move quite well. It took Monica quite some time before she realized that she didn't live there anymore. Regardless of what happened, they are still on good terms and she loves her flaky friend dearly.
Chandler has a new roommate.
Monica can't help but chuckles as the image of Joey Tribianni appears in her mind. He is certainly one of a kind. While undoubtedly handsome, the unemployed actor is certainly not the brightest crayon in the box.
She remembers her second encounter with him. To this day, she still can't figure out how he mixed up an invitation to lemonade with an invitation to sex. Nevertheless, Joey turned out to be an amazingly loyal friend. Moreover, he gets on extremely well with Chandler. Somehow, he becomes the brother that he never had.
She is glad about their newfound friendship. Before Joey moved in, Chandler spent most, if not all, of his time with her. While they usually talk, play scrabbles and watch movies, they never really get to do some of the macho stuff that he and Joey do. With the exception of his introduction to Baywatch, Joey's influence is good for him. He is livelier nowadays…even his jokes are funnier.
A sentimental smile creeps into her face when she thinks about Chandler. They had certainly come a long way.
The morning that followed their magical night, Monica woke up alone. She didn't know if she was relieved or disappointed at his absence. Despite their decision to remain friends, it is extremely hard to pretend that nothing has changed when in fact everything is already different. Both of them are not the kind of people that screw around and earth-shattering sex, the kind that they experienced, is not nothing.
A several days passed before she saw him again. Even then, the air was awkward between them. She didn't know how to act around him. How to be friendly without being TOO friendly? Even before her 24th birthday, the line between friends and something more is always ambiguous to them. Consequently, she just kept minimal contact with him. As for Chandler, he avoided her, period.
Fortunately, the others thought they were still fighting over the Kip incident that they didn't really notice the real reason behind their tension.
In the end, it was Kip's departure that linked them together again. It is ironic how the man who tore their friendship apart is the same one that mended it. Gradually, they were back to where they started: best friends.
Nevertheless, that doesn't mean she doesn't want to throw him on the kitchen table and do him right then and there sometimes. Thankfully, she is smart enough to understand that the timing is disastrous. It was so difficult to get things back to normal. Is it really a good idea to mess them up again? No, it is far better to keep things the way they are supposed to be.
As she approaches the house, she silently makes a birthday resolution to herself.
This year, she will not to sulk about her life, or lack thereof, anymore. This year, she will not take things for granted and hold grudges. She will live life to the fullest and be satisfied with what she's got.
She sighs and shakes her head again. It would be nice if she can keep these promises. Though it is highly likely that she would forget about them all by the next day, just like she did with all the other resolutions. Life just doesn't work that way. But just the same, she will continue to try.
"I knew you would be here." A familiar voice interrupts her thoughts.
Startled, Monica looks up to find Chandler sitting on the porch steps. For the first time in months, she recognizes that uncomfortable grin on his face. It is evident that he's been waiting for her for quite some time, during which he remembers what happened in the house last year. And yet…what is he doing here?
Upon seeing her puzzled expression, he smiles and stands up slowly, wiping dirt off his pants while doing so.
"I need to get you home, NOW." He tells her straight away.
"Is something wrong?" the urgent sound of his voice worries her.
He ponders for a moment before finally giving up, "They're throwing you a surprise party and when you didn't show up, I figure that you must be here. They're kinda bummed, you know? Especially Joey…its his first time throwing a surprise party."
"I know." She tells him quietly after a moment.
"How?" Now its his turn to be puzzled.
She giggles before replying, "Well, its kind of obvious when Joey came to ask me about where to buy a cake for 'his' birthday. When I reminded him that his birthday passed two months ago, he told me that he actually needed it for one of his non-existent cast-mates from his imaginary play."
"I TOLD him not to ask!" He exclaims bitterly.
A moment of silent curses passes before he remembers his real purpose in finding Monica.
"Its okay." He tells himself and turns to Monica, "Its not too late. They are still waiting…we have to go home right now."
He takes her hand and begins to drag her toward the main road.
"Stop it!" She shakes her hand away from his forcefully. "Does it ever occur to you that MAYBE I don't want to go to a fake surprise party? Do you even stop to think that maybe this is not an occasion to celebrate for?"
"Well, I try not to think on weekends." he winks at her knowingly.
"Its Thursday." she reminds him agitatedly.
"Same difference." he replies nonchalently and takes her hand once again eagerly, "Now, let's get you to your party!"
"What IS it with you and the party?" she yanks him back with her freakish strength.
Reluctantly, he admits, "Okay, Joey's got this really cool Baywatch cake and I want to get one of the nipples before both him and Ross get to them first..."
He's got to be kidding.
"Then what are you doing here?" she exclaims, annoyed at his childish behavior, and continues, "Take the nipple and leave me alone!"
"I would! But Phoebe wouldn't let us touch them unless you're there...I mean, it IS your birthday." he pauses for a while, as if to calm himself down from an emotional breakdown, and informs her, "She said she'll give Pamela a nasty breast reduction if we come near it."
Monica closes her eyes and let out a sigh. She can feel that same old mixture of irritation and amazement churning in the pit of her stomach. She puts her hand on her face and sits on the porch dejectedly.
"Chandler," she looks up at him wearily, "why don't you just..go? Tell Phoebe that I'm not coming and...and go have your cream boobs."
For the first time since he saw her, Chandler abandons his plans. He softens as he takes a seat beside her to find out what is upsetting her.
"Hey," he touches her cheek tenderly and asks, "What's wrong?"
She contemplates while fidgeting her fingers. After a few seconds, she finally confesses, "It my 25th birthday, you know?"
"Hence, your friends are throwing you a party!" he points out the obvious exasperatingly.
"Ugh! You are not helping!" she drops her head on her knees frustratingly.
"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry." he places his hand on her shoulder reassuringly and prompts her to continue, "Its your birthday...go on."
She stares out at the sea for a while to formulate her thoughts and resumes her confession.
"Ever since I was a little girl, I have this plan to be married by the time I am 25. And now I'm here…" she sighs, "well, do you see a ring on my finger? I don't even have a boyfriend for God's sake!"
His hand leaves her back quickly as he muses, "That's it? That's all you're fretting about?"
"What do you mean 'that's it'?" she counters, offended that he takes her dilemma so lightly.
"That's is a very trivial thing to sweat over...considering all the other shits that go on in the world, like poverty, another world war, propagandas, governmental conspiracies..." he stops when he notices that she is now looking at him strangely.
"I've been watching X-files..." he smiles feebly. Then, as if to explain himself further, he adds, "Dana Scully is hot."
"Are you sure its not Mulder that you're looking at?" she asks slyly.
He ponders seriously as he strokes his chin, and finally comments, "Alright, I admit it. Mulder is one complex hunk of a man."
Upon his "confession", Monica laughs uncontrollably as she pulls him into a hug. She just can't help it. She breaks away and studies him more closely. He always possesses this...stupidly humorous way of making her smile.
"Man, I needed that!" she wipes a tear is a direct result of laughing so hard.
Triumphantly, he kisses her forehead lightly and say, "No problem, just remember that life never goes as we planned. Look at me, I thought this job of mine is only temporary. Who would've thought that I am still a data processor after four years!"
"That's because you are too afraid and lazy to find another job." She argues.
"Hey!" he says defensively before shrugging in agreement a second later, "Eh, you're right."
"I just…" she sighs, her mood becomes sober again, "I feel like everyone is moving ahead, doing important things while I am on a stand still. My parents put Ross on a pedestal because he is married with a successful job. And Kip, he's married with a kid. Even Rachel is getting married!"
He takes a deep breath in preparation to reason with her, "Your parents are just plain stupid. Studying animals that died over billions of years ago is just as unproductive as me being a data processor. The only difference is that Ross actually likes his job. Besides, his marriage is on the rocks anyway. Kip got married because he knocked Grace up and Rachel... who the hell is Rachel?"
"Rachel was my best friend in high school!" Monica says incredulously, "You met her a couple of times before. She was in Central Perk just a few days ago...you even hit on her, remember?"
As realization dawns on his face, so does embarrassment.
"I didn't hit on her!" he denies.
"'I dropped my ball'?" Monica quotes his pick-up line, "That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
"She sounded desperate!" he defends, "She said she wants to have meaningless sex with the next man she sees! A guy's got to do something..."
"Well, whatever you were aiming for, you missed." she pats his back sympathetically.
"Look, I know nothing about Rachel." he ignores her remarks, " but I know one thing is for sure: her marriage will fail."
"Chandler, that's mean!"
"So, what's your point?"
Baffled at his indifference, she finally utters, "You don't even know her!"
"Oh this comes from the woman who wishes her ex-boyfriend and his wife to be so fat that they have to be lifted out of the house by a crane last year!" He states sarcastically and continues, "Look, all I am saying is that nothing is perfect. You don't even realize how lucky you are! You have a job that you actually like, a big apartment in the Village that you can afford and you have great friends…they went through a lot to plan this party, you know."
Monica stares at him shamefully. There she was, complaining about her life when she just promised herself to appreciate it not even ten minutes ago. He's right. She is really lucky to have friends like him.
"I can't believe you came all the way here just to find me…" She changes the subject, "especially after what happened last year."
It takes him a while to figure out what she is referring to. He usually tries not to remember that specific event. It was too hard to actually be her friend again without undressing her with his eyes and he wants to keep it that way.
"Eh!" he replies awkwardly, "It's the least I can do. Are you feeling better now? Do you want to go?"
"Uh…yes and no." she gives him a lopsided grin, "I do feel better now but I don't really want to go home. I want to have a quiet evening."
"Oh! I understand." He prepares to leave, "I'll…uh…I'll leave you alone then."
As he stands up to leave, Monica grabs his hand lightly. A crazy idea comes to her all of a sudden. While she wants to spend her birthday peacefully, she doesn't want to spend it alone.
"Do you…I mean…can you stay here? And keep me company?" she pleads.
Surprised, Chandler runs his hand through his hair. Did she ask him what he thinks she ask him? Or did she just ask him to stay?
"I don't know, Mon. Joey's got a big cake." He jokes lightly. Better be safe for being oblivious than be sorry for assuming implications that are not implied in the first place.
"So you'd rather eat cake than spend time with me?" she pretends to be cross with him.
"Well, they DO have nipples."
Mischievously, Monica runs her fingers down his arm and whispers in his ear flirtatiously, "I have something much better than that."
"I don't think it's a good idea, Mon." He answers hesitantly, "It is a tempting offer, really, but I don't want the sex to mess up our relationship again."
"No silly! I don't mean THAT!" she chuckles, "Are you crazy? I have ice-cream in the fridge."
"Oh. That's mean."
"Hey, I am not responsible for your mind being in the gutter." she bickers before returning to the subject again, "So, what do you say?"
Suspiciously, he looks at her for a long time as he considers about what to do. It is not that he doesn't trust her; on the contrary, it is HIMSELF that he doesn't trust. Being back into the house, especially with all the memories fresh in his mind, he is not sure if he can handle being around her without doing something stupid like…jumping on her...
"I have Ben & Jerry's." she further entices him.
That seems to seal the deal.
"What am I going to tell the others?" he asks in the end.
"Just call and tell 'em that you hooked up with a girl or something!" she solves the problem proudly.
Now it is his turn to laugh uncontrollably. However, unlike genuine laughter, his fades rather immediately.
"No, seriously." he says after a second of silence.
"Boy, you really don't give yourself enough credit, do you? Come on Chandler! Stay with me!" she watches him understandingly. Half reading his mind, she says, "Look, you don't have to worry about…you know…I swear that I won't even touch you!"
* * *
"You are such a liar!" Chandler pants heavily as Monica snuggles next to him.
They are lying in the narrow space between the couch and the coffee table, completely spent. Evidently, they didn't even have time to make it to the bedroom in the heat of the moment.
"You know I was never good at promises." She interrupts, "Besides, I didn't hear you complaining a few minutes ago."
"Something was IN my mouth at the moment. Plus, if I remember it correctly, Ms. Geller," he kisses the top of her head and continues smugly, "I wasn't the one who said, 'NOW, Chandler, NOW!'"
She slaps him playfully.
"You were thinking it!" she states knowingly.
In truth, she doesn't even know what happened. Okay, they had sex…again; that part she knows. But the stuff leading up to the sex is kind of fuzzy. One minute they were fighting for the TV remote control, the next minute, while the contestants are yelling out alphabets on "Wheel of Fortune", they were making out heavily on the floor. One thing led to another…
So far, there is nothing quiet about this birthday.
"So I guess I did hook up with a girl." He says thoughtfully before asking, "Seriously Mon, what are we doing?"
"I don't know." She kisses his chest and says, "Maybe it is this day or maybe it's the house…have you seen that movie…oh…I forgot what its called…" she abruptly switches the subject, "…it is about a guy and a girl. They meet up in some cottage once a year to have a romantic evening. Then, they'll go back to their respective lives the next day…what its name?"
"You mean 'Same Time Next Year'?" he asks, wondering where she's going with this.
"Yeah, that's it! That's the one I was talking about. It's a good movie, don't you think?" her eyes, suddenly childlike, is looking at him excitedly. Chandler can't help but to kiss them tenderly, one lid after another.
"Yeah." He answers softly, "Is there any point to this?"
"Let's do that!" she suggests.
"What? You mean coming here every year and..." when he is answered by the furious nodding of her head, he sighs and rationalizes, "Monica, that's a movie; this is real life."
"What movie isn't inspired by real life events?" she debates, "Let's face it. We can't control ourselves but we can't continue this back home either…unless you want to."
She gazes at him nervously. They've had this conversation before. She knows that Chandler is not at the place to commit to anyone, including his best friend, right now. The last thing she wants to do is to force him to get into something that he doesn't really want get into.
He pushes her head gently back to his chest and strokes her hair silently. As she listens to his heartbeats, Monica grows more and more impatient.
He hugs her closer to him. He can't believe it. What he thought was a one time thing became two and now Monica wants to continue it every year. Part of him is excited about her offer, another part of him, the conscious part of him, knew that this…thing would not come to any good.
"I don't want to do anything that both you and I will regret." He says after a long while, "I don't want to ruin our friendship."
Monica sighs, just as she's expected, he is too afraid to begin anything serious. Nevertheless, she recovers quickly enough to rationalize with him, "It won't ruin our friendship. Listen, something is causing us to lose control...twice in a row. Would it be so bad if we just take one day of the year to cross the line without feeling guilty about it?"
"I need to think about this, okay?"
"Alright, you think about it." She decides resolutely, "In fact, I'll give you a year. If you show up here next year, I take that you accept my offer. If you don't…well…I'll understand. Deal?"
Chandler caresses her cheek and her jaw line with his thumb before he agrees, "Deal." He says gently.
"Good!" she responds lightly, "Now, with all the small talks out of the way, let's…" she raises her eyebrows provocatively as her hand travels slowly from his chest to his stomach and further down south.
Alert and aroused, he licks his lips and looks at her seductively. His eyes are downright lustful.
"Let's make the most out of your birthday." He finishes her sentence huskily as he brings her face down and captures her mouth with his own.
They explore each other's mouth thoroughly, before he kisses her cheeks, her neck and up her ear.
"Happy 25th." he breathes as he nibbles on her ear. She responds by letting out a small moan.
"By the way, can I return your present and keep the cash?"
