The One With The Indecent Proposal

By: Jana~

Chapter Four

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--They fell into an uncomfortable silence as the limousine droned down the road, both unsure of what to say, neither ever having been in a situation like it before.

Chandler could see the driver watching them through the rearview mirror, his eyes periodically leaving the road to take in the reason for the odd atmosphere that permeated the vehicle. Ill at ease with the intrusion, Chandler hit a button, raising the dark tinted glass that separated driver from passengers.

He smiled at Monica when she looked his way, with an expression that seemed to question his actions.

"He was kinda giving me the creeps," he explained, smiling.

There was only a slight nod given before she returned her attention to the passing scenery out the window.

It was obvious that there was a strain between them, and Chandler sighed as he tried to determine how to ease into some sort of relaxed conversation with her. "Penny for your thoughts," he offered; the old saying seemed fitting under the circumstances.

Monica turned away from the window and faced him. "A penny?" she asked, a slight smirk on her face. "With all your millions, and I only get a penny for my thoughts? I think you've underestimated the value of what goes through my mind," she added.

"Ok…" He smiled as he rephrased the request. "A hundred dollars for your thoughts."

"That's a little better," she said with a grin, but the happier expression soon faded, leaving behind a melancholy one. "I just have a lot on my mind."

"Understandably," he offered sympathetically. "Care to talk about it? I've been told I'm a pretty good listener."

"I'm not sorry I broke up with Pete," she confided, "But I am feeling a little down, ya'know? I mean, we were together a long time. It's always sad when a long-term relationship ends. Right?"

He nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

"And now I have the next 24 hours to deal with…"

"I'll try not to be too insufferable," he muttered dejectedly.

"I didn't mean it like that," she assured him. "You seem like a very nice person, and believe me, if I didn't think you were trustworthy, I wouldn't be here right now. It's just- I don't know what you're expecting from all this. I don't understand why you would want to spend all this money, just for… For what?"

"To be honest with you, I don't know what I was thinking. And," he added quickly, "I don't mean that like it sounds. It's just- I saw you standing there…" After trailing off he sighed, starting again. "I was set to leave the party. I wasn't even sure I wanted to go to it in the first place, but a friend talked me into it. It was the most boring party I've ever been to! They shouldn't be allowed to call those 'parties'! They should call them 'boredom gatherings' or something!" Monica laughed, and it brought a smile to his face.

"Anyway," he continued, "I was just getting ready to leave, and that's when I saw you. I don't know what I was thinking, when I came up with the proposal to Pete, I just knew I didn't want to leave without you."

"You have no idea how much pressure this is for me," she stated nervously. "You go and put me on some pedestal, after seeing me across a crowded room; you spend all this money so that I will spend time with you, and I'm not even sure what you want from me exactly."

Shaking his head, he held up his hands to reassure her. "There is no pressure, Monica. I don't have you on a pedestal, and I'm not expecting anything from you, ok? We're just gonna spend some time together. Talking, eating, maybe we'll catch a movie or something, I don't know. I just wasn't ready to walk away without knowing you a little better. But there's no pressure, ok? None. You just be yourself, and at the end of 24 hours, you will have your dream, and I will have spent an amazing day with an incredible woman."

"And over one million dollars," she added.

"That doesn't bother me," he told her. "It would be like a person with an average income spending just over a thousand dollars on something they want. It's a little steep, but not off the charts."

She chuckled. "I have a feeling, nothing about you is average."

"Hey," he defended with a smile, "I used to be average. Another John Smith, Office Drone. Working at a dead end job, no respect, tiny apartment. And all that was fine. The last thing I expected was to win the lottery!"

"Then, why did you play?"

"My friends talked me into it."

"Your friends seem to do that a lot."

"Yeah, well, when you meet them, you'll see why. It's hard not to get caught up in their enthusiasm. It's contagious. They wanted to get lottery tickets, and they convinced me to tag along. As they were buying theirs, they pestered me to get one too. So, I did."

"Just one?"

"Yep. One ticket. Quick pick. Boom, eighty-nine million take home."

"What did your friends say?"

"They were happy for me! And believe me, they've benefited from my winning. They've been my best friends for years. We've seen each other through some tough times. There's no way I wouldn't have shared the wealth."

"You're a good friend. Not everyone would do that."

"They would have. If either of them had won it instead."

"They sound like good people."

"They are," he said with a nod. "The best." He smiled thoughtfully, but it dropped suddenly. "Oh! This is me!" he told her, pointing out the window as the chauffeur pulled into the drive.

Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened as the estate came into view. It looked almost like a castle, but a bit more modern. Maybe not the size of Camelot, but large. Surrounding it was a near-forest of trees, and a waterfall that let out into a small stream, winding down and under a stone bridge.

"You live here?" she asked, astonished. "You live here?!"

He chuckled. "Yeah, it's a bit much. It was an impulse item, after I first got the check."

"Hell of an impulse item!"

"Yeah. My friends were all, 'C'mon! Buy a mansion! It'll be cool!' So, I did."

"If your friends told you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?"

"I have," he told her, laughing. "We had those parachute glider things on, though."

"You went cliff diving?" she asked, laughing with him.

He nodded, pointing at the top of the waterfall. "From up there. Don't ask how we got up there," he added. "It's a long story."

"Ah. Well, that waterfall is amazing."

"Yeah, pain in the butt to maintain though, believe me."

The driver pulled to a stop, jumping out to open the door for his passengers.

"Thanks, James," Chandler said as he handed the man an insanely large tip. "I might need you again tomorrow," he added. "If you're free."

"Yes, Sir!" he replied enthusiastically. "When you call just ask for me by name!"

"Will do," Chandler returned with a smile. He loved it when his large tips were so gratefully received. "You want the tour?" he asked Monica, stepping away from the car and toward the front door.

"Sure. How many bedrooms does this place have?"

"Eight, I think."

"You don't know?"

He shrugged, "I didn't buy it for the bedrooms."

"What did you buy it for?"

He smiled. "You'll see."

TO BE CONTINUED…

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