Chapter 7 – Something is happening.
The next morning…
Chandler was relieved that he was due at Something For Everyone at 6am. Joey was still asleep in bed recovering from a hangover so there were no awkward questions to be asked about what happened out in the hallway the previous night.
He worked through the rest of the morning as best he could, trying not to think about Monica. Luckily, that morning, it was unusually busy. He groaned inwardly when he saw Phoebe walk through the door at lunchtime.
"Hey Chandler," she greeted, "When are you taking a break?"
"Not today Pheebs," Chandler replied shortly. He didn't want to go through the questioning.
Phoebe shrugged, "Ok, I'll just say what I've got to say out here then."
Chandler rolled his eyes and turned to the assistant maitre d'. "Will you be able to cope?" he asked.
"Sure, no problem."
"Great thanks." Chandler pulled Phoebe into the back where the kitchen was. He looked at her and sighed. "Go on. Ask away." He muttered.
"What happened in the hallway last night?" Phoebe demanded, getting straight to the point, "One minute you guys were all over each other, then the next you both disappear and you come back alone not saying another word for the rest of the night."
"I don't want to get into details." Chandler said quietly.
"So are you two going out or not?" Phoebe continued, ignoring Chandler's vague reply.
"No we're not." Chandler answered, turning away.
Phoebe looked closely at him and saw the sadness in his eyes. "I don't understand," she said, confused, "You kissed. Surely that means something…right?"
"It doesn't mean anything Phoebe!" Chandler snapped, losing patience. "It was just a kiss. People kiss at parties…it doesn't mean anything."
"Oh so that'll be why after Monica left last night you looked like you were going to die." Phoebe said sarcastically. "Then this morning you sneak out of the apartment without telling Joey. Yeah, that kiss didn't mean anything to you." she shook her head in disbelief.
"Look, what we did last night was stupid," Chandler protested, trying to sound convincing, "We're in competition with one another, it wouldn't work."
"Of course it could work!" Phoebe exclaimed, "Chandler, this last month or so I've never seen you look so happy. You and Monica have so much in common and the attraction is so obvious. Hell, that psychologist guy has never even spoken to you and he knows!"
"Look, Monica and I agreed we shouldn't see each other again until the day of the competition. It's better that way. Now can you let me get back to work now?" Chandler walked back out into the restaurant, leaving Phoebe to stare after him in disbelief.
*****
Six days later"Ok I've got the cheesecake ingredients so I'm ready to go." Monica looked nervously at Rachel. The past couple of days had been hectic. Not only was she trying not to think about the possibility of winning $40,000, she was trying not to think about Chandler. The kiss stayed in her mind all the time and all she wanted to do was fall back into his arms. Rachel still didn't know anything about what happened that night and she wasn't about to tell her. At least not yet. Rachel had enough worries of her own, but she refused to tell Monica what was bothering her. "Is Ross coming today?" Monica asked.
Rachel shook her head. "No. He…he's got to be somewhere today."
Monica frowned. "He's known about this competition for weeks. How can he be busy on my big day?"
"He just is, ok Mon?" Rachel snapped. She sighed, seeing the hurt on Monica's face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that." She muttered.
"It's ok," Monica assured her. She hoped that wherever her brother was, he was ok. She just wished Rachel would tell her.
*****
Chandler arrived early at the location where the competition was taking place. Phoebe and Joey kept him company, knowing that he was nervous and needed support. The pair stood around in the hallway as Chandler went to sign in.
"Any sign of Monica yet?" Joey asked Phoebe.
"Not yet." Phoebe glanced up and down the hallway. She broke into a smile as she saw Rachel walking up followed by a slightly older couple.
"Hey Pheebs. Hey Joey." Rachel greeted. She gestured to the couple standing next to her. "This is Jack and Judy Geller, Monica and Ross' parents."
"Pleased to meet you." Phoebe said politely. She smiled, "Isn't all this just so exciting?"
"I suppose." Judy said, sounding doubtful. She turned to Rachel. "Where's Ross?" she asked.
"Um…he couldn't make it." Rachel said uncomfortably. "I actually wanted to talk to you about that…"
Phoebe nudged Joey. "Why don't we go look for Chandler?" she suggested, looking meaningfully at him.
"Oh…yeah." Joey replied quickly, for once getting the point. They walked away.
*****
Monica was so nervous she wanted to be sick. She wondered if Chandler was feeling the same way. She came to the conclusion that he was probably feeling worst than she was as making cheesecakes wasn't very easy for him.
All the guests of the contestants had their own refreshment rooms so Monica decided to try and find the room that her group was located at. She paused outside one door, hearing familiar voices inside. She was just about to walk in until she heard what they were saying.
"Ross…Ross couldn't be here today because he had to go somewhere," she heard Rachel explain to Jack and Judy, "He's…he's attending a Alcoholics Anonymous meeting." Monica drew in her breath, shocked.
"What?" Judy asked faintly, "He's what?"
"Over the last three months or so Ross has been drinking heavily," Rachel explained quietly, "He's tried to give up but that's just caused him to be depressed and very irritable. The doctor prescribed him some pills to stop the depression but it didn't help. He still drank. This week he's finally admitted he's got a problem and he's attending his first meeting today."
"Where was Monica when he was going through all this?" Judy demanded, "Why wasn't she helping him?"
"Monica didn't know anything about this!" Rachel protested, "She just thought that Ross had another anger problem. I didn't want to worry her, she's under enough pressure as it is."
"Yes…having childish fights with that man and the press." Judy said angrily, "It's been so embarrassing for us. I don't suppose that has helped Ross either."
"Now Judy, I don't think it's our Monica's fault that Ross has a drinking problem." Jack cut in.
"She's concentrated so much on this…this competition that she's failed to see her own brother was ill!" Judy shouted.
"You didn't notice either!" Rachel shouted back, "You can't put all the blame on your daughter! This is Ross' problem…not hers!"
Monica backed away from the door, tears streaming down her face. Her mother was right; she had got too involved in the competition. How could she not see her brother had a problem? There was no excuses for it, she saw him everyday. She ran down the hallway and out of the building, trying to breathe in the fresh air. She leaned against the wall and sobbed into her hands.
"Monica?" a voice asked in front of her. She looked up and saw Chandler looking at her with a mixture of shock and concern. "What's the matter?"
"Ross…Ross has got a drinking problem," Monica burst out, "And it's all my fault!" she collapsed into Chandler's outstretched arms and sobbed into his shoulder.
"Sshh…" Chandler soothed, stroking her hair. He looked down at her tear-streaked cheeks. "How can it be your fault?" he asked softly.
"Because it is!" Monica cried, "I've been so involved in all this that I've failed to see my own brother was going through hell! What sort of sister am I? Why didn't I see…" She stopped when Chandler brushed a finger against her lips.
"Monica, it is not your fault that Ross has got a problem." Chandler told her gently but firmly. "From the sounds of it, this has been building for a while…long before we entered this competition. It wouldn't have made the slightest bit of difference even if you hadn't entered."
"But my mom said…"
"Your mother blamed you?" Chandler said in disgust, "I can't believe she would do that! Doesn't she care about your feelings?"
"It's always been the same. Ross is No.1 in our family. What I do doesn't matter." Monica replied, wiping her eyes.
"Don't listen to her! She should be proud to have a daughter like you. You're a beautiful, successful woman with a kind heart." He lifted his hand to stroke her cheek.
"Thank you." Monica told him, reaching up to hold the hand that was touching her cheek.
"Would all contestants please go to their places in the main room." A voice announced over a microphone inside.
"I guess it's time." Chandler said softly, squeezing her hand. He stood back. "Good luck with round one."
"Good luck to you too." Monica added, smiling at him.
"Thanks. I'm going to need it."
*****
Several hours laterThe cheesecakes were made and the judges were walking in. "I would like to remind you all that any contestant lower than five points will not go on to the second round." One of the judges, a man in his fifties announced. He turned to the other judge, a woman with dark hair and a stuffy accent. "Shall we begin to taste the cakes?" he asked.
"Yes." The woman replied, nodding curtly.
Monica sneaked a glance at Chandler. He caught her eye and smiled quickly. She could tell he was terrified. His hair was shiny from sweat and his hands trembled.
The judges were very critical of the contestants. They took tiny slow bites out of each cake either having contented or disgusted looks on their faces. One chef, a sixteen-year-old girl from Florida, got the worst of it. "1 point." The judges told her. "That cake was disgusting. If you have a teacher, sue him," the woman added. The girl burst into tears.
When the judges arrived at Chandler's table, he looked like he was going to collapse. "This is…very good!" the woman exclaimed. Monica glanced over at the woman in shock. That was the first time she had ever given anyone praise without difficulty. Chandler's eyes were popping out of his head. "I give this…8 points!" the judge announced. "Well done."
Monica breathed a sigh of relief and she grinned at Chandler who just sat down in his chair in shock.
It was Monica's turn next. She waited nervously for the judges' reaction. "This is nice," the woman told her, "Maybe a little too sweet but I still give this 7 points!"
The score was lower than Chandler's, but Monica didn't care. She was through to the second round. She gave a happy smile to Chandler and sat down.
*****
Ten minutes later, Monica was outside waiting for Rachel and her parents to tell them the news. She didn't care what her mother thought now; she was going to really try her best in this competition.
"Hey congratulations Monica!" a voice said. She spun around to see Chandler who was still looking shocked.
"Congratulations to you too." Monica told him, giving him a long hug.
Chandler smiled gently at her. "Mon, I just want to say that if you win and I lose, I'll be happy for you. I've had such a great time with you over the past few weeks and, well, I guess that's it." He laughed nervously.
"I'll be happy for you too." Monica answered, letting him continue to hold her close. Realising what she was doing, she stepped back, confused. "What…what is happening here?" she asked him. "What's happening between us?" She looked down at her feet.
Chandler shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. He just stood and gazed at her. "I…don't know." He said hesitantly, "What do you think is happening?"
Monica heard footsteps behind her and she turned around to see her mother walking up to her.
"Please don't fight out here!" Judy exclaimed, glaring at Monica in disapproval. She scowled at Chandler, looking at him with suspicion. She turned back to Monica. "We've been waiting out here ages for you, let's go."
Joey walked over and smiled. "Congratulations Chandler! I heard you got through!" he exclaimed, giving his friend a hug. He studied the expression on Chandler's face and followed the direction of his gaze, where Monica was walking away from them with her mother.
"Come on dude," Joey said quietly, pulling Chandler away. "You look like you need a drink…you lovesick dog." He chuckled and shook his head at the non-response from Chandler.
END OF CHAPTER SEVEN:oh here's something for a A/N, I'm a Aunt now! As from early Sunday morning, I now have a nephew called James. Gosh, I'm 17 and I have the responsibility of buying presents for my nephew. He's going to be spoilt I can see it! lol: