Easy Lover - Present

A/N: Okay, my research paper is finally done! Wheee! The problem for this fic was that I had to actually sit down and write more, which I wasn't able to do until today. I actually have homework, but meh. I figure there's no reason to study Physics. After all, when I grow up, I want to be a bum on the street. *shakes head* Bums don't use Physics! ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this fic. Oh and sorry to Gellershorty101 and whoever else enjoys my 'Yen Conversations' more than this fic, LOL, but Yen is not on so I have no conversation. :'( *hugs Yen* Don't study too hard, babe. Your tiny brain won't be able to take it. J/k, j/k! Pants ya! :D

Chandler paces around his living room. He feels so angry with himself for ever giving into her. He knows it's his own fault though. He knew it all and chose to ignore it all, just the same. It was easier to blame someone else, though. He hates the memory of her. Still, whenever he closes his eyes, he sees her face, feels her skin, smells her shampoo…he doesn't sleep much anymore.

He turns on the television. It's the news. He doesn't want to hear about the world. He changes the channels. He sees a familiar face and stops. It's a celebrity talk show. It's Monica next to the host. He feels his chest contort. Still, he watches. She smiles easily and laughs at the host's jokes. She answers his questions with fox-like ease. She tucks a wisp of hair behind her ear, in the same way that always drives Chandler crazy.

"So," the host begins, "We've heard the rumors. We all want to know the truth. Are you, or are you not, dating your co-star, Chandler Bing?"

"Me? Dating Chandler?" she laughs, "No, of course not. He's just a really good friend."

The audience cheers in approval.

"Way to disappoint the audience."

Monica laughs again. "Yup, sorry guys."

Chandler cringes. She seems so fake. Why can she be happy, like this, for the audience, but not for her own co-stars? Well, besides for him. But still - had she just been pretending all along? Maybe he had never truly gotten to her, after all. Maybe that's why it was so easy for her to break his heart.

"So, you're not dating anyone?"

"Nope."

"Aww, that's hard to believe!"

"Thanks. But, no, I like it this way."

"Well, the single life is nice, if you catch my drift…?"

Monica chuckles. "That's not what I mean! I just feel a lot better on my own. I can work as much as I need to, I can rest as much as I need to… I don't get much time to myself, ya know?"

"So, you can't see yourself ever dating anyone?"

"Oh, no, of course I will! I'm just waiting for the right guy, and the right opportunity…"

"She's bluffing," Chandler mumbles to himself before walking over to the television and shutting it off. Then, he takes the remote that he has broken a few hours before, and throws it in the over-flowing garbage can. He never leaves his home, anymore. He can't even remember the last time he took out the trash. It could have been last week; it could have been last year. Time has blurred.

Chandler looks over at the unplugged telephone. He's glad it's unplugged. He doesn't want to deal with anyone harassing him today. He just wants to be alone with his thoughts. He wants to waste his life away. For so long, Chandler had thought acting had been the right career choice for him, even though it was so difficult. However, he now sees how wrong he was. He isn't cut out for the acting business. He can deal with the rejection of himself as an actor, but he can't deal with the rejection of himself as a person. Acting and having his heart broken now come hand-in-hand for Chandler. There is no way to convince him otherwise.

He's wearing his pajamas. He's been wearing the same pair for two weeks. He knows it's disgusting, but he doesn't care. After all, there's no one to impress anymore. Once the movie finished filming, he had fled the scene completely. Before that, he had shut himself off from everyone around him, including his friends. He acted, and he acted well, when he had to. That was all. His life was on autopilot. He didn't look at Monica when they weren't doing a scene together. She didn't seem to notice the difference.

Suddenly, there is a knock at the door. Chandler sighs and goes to answer it, hoping it's the pizza deliveryman. He doesn't want to eat, but his body's hungry. He has lost a lot of weight lately. Slowly, Chandler makes his way to the door. He doesn't bother straightening his hair or doing anything else to better his disheveled appearance. It doesn't matter anymore, anyway.

Chandler opens the door, expecting to see someone standing there with a pizza, but instead, finding more than he bargained for. He shuts the door hurriedly. He locks it and sits back down on the couch. He then lays his face on a cushion, willing it all to leave again; willing the stinging past to leave him with just the burning memories.

There's loud knocking on the door. "Chandler! Chandler, open up! Come on, Chandler!"

He doesn't move a muscle.

"Chandler, stop being such a damn baby and open this fucking door!"

He remains still.

"Look," the voice called through the door, "If this is about us, then you should just –"

Chandler runs over to the door and opens it. "What makes you think this is about us?!"

His eyes are hard, boring into her. She feels nervous. He looks so angry. She's never seen this side of him before.

"I – I mean since you'd been all weird ever since we…ya know…"

Chandler tries not to show his surprise. So she had noticed? Still, that doesn't change anything, he reminds himself, she still hurt you. You just can't let her know it.

Monica tries to grab his hand, but he moves away. She's still wondering if it's about them. "What's wrong? Do you wanna talk?"

"You ask me to talk now? Not when we were on the set, no. There are more important things there, right?"

"No, it's just –"

"You want me to come back, don't you? You want me to go to all these stupid fake publicity rounds and pretend to be happy, like you do, don't you?"

"No, that's not –"

"Look, Monica, I'm not coming back."

Monica glares at him. He's not even giving her the chance to explain! She really wants him to come back. She misses him. But he won't let her say it.

"Chandler, just stop being such a baby and come back!" she screams.

For a fleeting moment, they lock angry eyes. She doesn't know if she can hold out.

"Fine, I'll come back," he whispers harshly. He doesn't want to seem weak.

"Thank you!" she cries, throwing her arms around him.

Nervously, he puts his arms around her, as well. He loves the way she feels in his arms. He breathes in the familiar scent of her shampoo. He closes his eyes and tries to ignore the voice that's screaming at him from the inside.

Monica tightens her grip around Chandler. She has missed him so much. He was always so sweet – giving her a chance as a person, while everyone else just wrote her off as conceded. She doesn't allow herself to analyze the situation any further, though. He's coming back. He's okay. She didn't hurt him. He said it wasn't about her. No, it wasn't her. She didn't do anything. I didn't do anything, she half-heartedly repeats, in her head. She didn't ruin things between them.

Monica is so happy, she feels as if she could cry. She misses him. She misses his friendship. That's all, though. After all, she's Monica Geller. She doesn't need anyone. People need her, but she doesn't need them. She pulls away, smiles, and nods at him. Yeah, she doesn't need him. But that still doesn't explain why, every time she sees him, her stomach flutters and her heart skips a beat.



A/N: BTW, I am aware that I have switched tenses. :p Hopefully, you're not confused. Personally, I don't see what's confusing about it, but what do I know? It all makes sense to me. I mean I know how this thing's gonna end. :p All right, please leave me a review. Don't be too harsh. =-x Thanks for reading!