A/N: I promised myself that when I started writing fics I wouldn't be as
lazy and procrastinistic (is that a word? According to spell check, no) as
all the other writers I know who take forever with updates, but tada! Yep,
I've become one of them ::slaps hand:: , I'm sorry, but this time of the
year is so hectic, especially for me, I'm graduating high school and there
is a LOT going on. Here is the next chapter...hope you like it (Expect
quicker updates in the summer)
-
"Joey, can you give me a hand with these?" asked Chandler, entering their new apartment with groceries.
"Sure," he said, shutting off the television, and entering the kitchen.
As Chandler placed some milk in the refrigerator there was a knock on the door.
Opening it, the across-the-hall neighbors stood there, lasagnas in hand, "Hey Joey!" said Monica, remembering the nice, but dim, man she had gone out with last week.
"Hi Mon, Hi Rachel," he said, taking the lasagnas eagerly, "This is my roommate Chandler Tyler. Chandler, this is Monica Geller and Rachel Green."
"Chandler, right, from the restaurant!"
"Hi Monica," he said, "Nice to meet you Rachel."
"You two know each other?" Joey asked, confused as usual.
"Yeah, Monica is the head chef where I work. She's my boss." Answered Chandler, looking at his feet.
"That's so cool that you know each other!" Rachel shouted, excitedly, "Now we can all be friends!"
Chandler stared at his new peers, hesitant to the get too close to them. Anyone who ever started a meaningful relationship with him had ended up breaking his heart, intentional or not. Girlfriends, relatives, friends, they were all the same. Joey was the only one who he allowed himself to get close to. Something told him this would take a lot of work.
One thing that had bothered him, or rather, consumed his thoughts, everyday since he began his new job, was Monica. She was beautiful, to say the least, but he was too scared to make any move. He pondered her name; what was the last name of the girl he met so long ago? The only person in the world, who witnessed his kidnapping, what was her name? Her first name was Monica, that much was certain, but the rest was too vague, too unclear to figure out.
"So, we were wondering if you too wanted to come over for dinner tonight?" Monica ventured, looking at the flashing 5:00 P.M. on her digital watch.
"That sounds great," said Joey, "What time?"
"Seven, we're having pizza," answered Rachel.
"Do you guys want to hang out here until then?" asked Joey.
"Sure, we can help you unpack," said Monica eagerly, grabbing an empty box and throwing it away, passing a less than enthused Rachel.
Noticing his bare arm, something he would only reveal to his best friend, Chandler ran into his cluttered bedroom in a rush, leaving all present, more than confused. He struggled with his T-shirt, throwing it off, and found a sweatshirt to put on. Returning to the living room, everyone waited for an explanation.
"What?" he asked, innocently.
"What was that?" asked Joey, "One second you're in here, and the next, you're running at the speed of light into your bedroom."
"I don't know, I was cold, I needed a sweatshirt." He answered, dryly, concentrating on a piece of dust on the floor.
"Are you kidding?" stated Rachel, "It's like a hundred degrees in here!"
"Yeah, Chandler, what's going on?" pressured Joey.
Chandler glared at his friend to try to make him understand. With Joey not comprehending, Chandler surreptitiously made eyes at his own arm, eventually causing Joey to nod in understanding.
"Oh, uh, Chandler gets cold very easily, yeah; it's always been like that." Joey covered up for him.
The girls just nodded and started unpacking more boxes, as Chandler whispered a quiet 'thank you' to the man he owed so much. Not just his job, his apartment, and a little money. He owed Joey his life.
-
"Oh my gosh! Joey, you have seven sisters?" asked Monica incredulously, chewing on her second slice of pizza as Joey swallowed the remainder of his fifth.
"Yep, seven whole sisters," he answered.
"Wow," said Rachel, "Well, two is enough for me. Chandler, what about you? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"Uh, nope, no, just me." He said, smiling.
"Oh, that sounds great, your parents probably gave you a lot of attention, plus, they couldn't favor anyone more than you." noted Monica, thinking of her own parental problems.
"Well, yeah, but I never knew my father, and my mother, she uh, well," He began clearing his throat, as an excuse to think of something else to say, deciding it was better not to get into this just yet, "She wasn't really around much."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Answered both of the women, extremely curious, but polite enough to change the topic to something else.
Many, many hours later, the four of them were still in Monica and Rachel's apartment, nibbling on potato chips and drinking sodas. Monica and Chandler sat on the couch, close to each other, while Joey and Rachel tried aiming popcorn into each other's mouths, missing terribly. It seemed like a little slumber party to them, all seemed to be enjoying themselves, accept Chandler.
Glancing at the clock, he noticed how late it really was, "Hey you guys, it's 2:30 in the morning," he said, tiredly. He could tell Monica was exhausted, particularly by the way she was cuddling with him, eyes drifting shut on his chest. Her arms were wrapped around him, as she snuggled closer. Chandler didn't principally mind, but he was a bit uncomfortable. The scar on his arm was searing with pain, as it did every once in a while, but the pressure Monica was putting on it was a little unbearable.
His pain getting the better of him, he let out a soft "Ow", causing Monica to sit up straight, looking him in the eye.
"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"
"No, no." he answered, letting her lay back down, her head resting on his thighs.
It's not like he would ever tell her about his scar, no one would ever know, that much he swore to himself. The only person he could ever let in was Joey, other than that, no one. He couldn't tell, he was too ashamed.
-
Chandler's new job had been a handful. Waiting tables wasn't as easy as it looked, there were annoying customers, dirty dishes, lousy tips, and crowded kitchens. Not a day went by when he didn't mess up an order, or spill a drink. He was sure that if Monica hadn't been friendly with him, he would be at the unemployment office long ago.
"Chandler! There's a telephone call for you! They say it's urgent!" shouted someone from the phone. He walked over and picked it up, listening intently after a quick "hello". The person on the other end said something that he could not believe, something he would not believe.
Placing the paper that held an order in the appropriate place, he approached Monica, "Monica?" she turned around and wiped her forehead with the back of her palm.
"Yes?" she asked. Lunchtime was very busy, and though Chandler was her friend, he knew that no one was to disrupt her unless it was absolutely mandatory. This led her to believe, or hope, that maybe he wanted to ask her out. She knew it couldn't be, that was just Paula dabbing crazy thoughts into her head.
"Could I ask you something?"
"You better do it quick, I'm very busy." She answered, trying to not be too unfriendly.
"Well yeah, it's kind of important. Actually, it's very important," he said, knowing that what he was about to say would change her life forever.
- - - -
I may have gotten another 'accept' wrong (SORRY!) Oh my God, I hope that this scar thing is getting too "Harry Potterish", I'm going to try everything I can to make sure that doesn't happen. You know, how it burned when he was near Monica? I don't think that I will do that anymore, I was going to make it a thing, but I don't want this to get like that, too superficial.
Speaking of crickets! We weren't speaking of crickets? There were two in my basement (which is where I am right now) and they freaked me out! Luckily, my dad killed one and my Grandma killed the other. She's a very hip and happenin' granny. I'll continue, hopefully soon, and you will know what the phone call was about, and eventually find out why Chandler owes his life to Joey. Please review, especially if you hate crickets (No offense if you are a cricket) ;)
-
"Joey, can you give me a hand with these?" asked Chandler, entering their new apartment with groceries.
"Sure," he said, shutting off the television, and entering the kitchen.
As Chandler placed some milk in the refrigerator there was a knock on the door.
Opening it, the across-the-hall neighbors stood there, lasagnas in hand, "Hey Joey!" said Monica, remembering the nice, but dim, man she had gone out with last week.
"Hi Mon, Hi Rachel," he said, taking the lasagnas eagerly, "This is my roommate Chandler Tyler. Chandler, this is Monica Geller and Rachel Green."
"Chandler, right, from the restaurant!"
"Hi Monica," he said, "Nice to meet you Rachel."
"You two know each other?" Joey asked, confused as usual.
"Yeah, Monica is the head chef where I work. She's my boss." Answered Chandler, looking at his feet.
"That's so cool that you know each other!" Rachel shouted, excitedly, "Now we can all be friends!"
Chandler stared at his new peers, hesitant to the get too close to them. Anyone who ever started a meaningful relationship with him had ended up breaking his heart, intentional or not. Girlfriends, relatives, friends, they were all the same. Joey was the only one who he allowed himself to get close to. Something told him this would take a lot of work.
One thing that had bothered him, or rather, consumed his thoughts, everyday since he began his new job, was Monica. She was beautiful, to say the least, but he was too scared to make any move. He pondered her name; what was the last name of the girl he met so long ago? The only person in the world, who witnessed his kidnapping, what was her name? Her first name was Monica, that much was certain, but the rest was too vague, too unclear to figure out.
"So, we were wondering if you too wanted to come over for dinner tonight?" Monica ventured, looking at the flashing 5:00 P.M. on her digital watch.
"That sounds great," said Joey, "What time?"
"Seven, we're having pizza," answered Rachel.
"Do you guys want to hang out here until then?" asked Joey.
"Sure, we can help you unpack," said Monica eagerly, grabbing an empty box and throwing it away, passing a less than enthused Rachel.
Noticing his bare arm, something he would only reveal to his best friend, Chandler ran into his cluttered bedroom in a rush, leaving all present, more than confused. He struggled with his T-shirt, throwing it off, and found a sweatshirt to put on. Returning to the living room, everyone waited for an explanation.
"What?" he asked, innocently.
"What was that?" asked Joey, "One second you're in here, and the next, you're running at the speed of light into your bedroom."
"I don't know, I was cold, I needed a sweatshirt." He answered, dryly, concentrating on a piece of dust on the floor.
"Are you kidding?" stated Rachel, "It's like a hundred degrees in here!"
"Yeah, Chandler, what's going on?" pressured Joey.
Chandler glared at his friend to try to make him understand. With Joey not comprehending, Chandler surreptitiously made eyes at his own arm, eventually causing Joey to nod in understanding.
"Oh, uh, Chandler gets cold very easily, yeah; it's always been like that." Joey covered up for him.
The girls just nodded and started unpacking more boxes, as Chandler whispered a quiet 'thank you' to the man he owed so much. Not just his job, his apartment, and a little money. He owed Joey his life.
-
"Oh my gosh! Joey, you have seven sisters?" asked Monica incredulously, chewing on her second slice of pizza as Joey swallowed the remainder of his fifth.
"Yep, seven whole sisters," he answered.
"Wow," said Rachel, "Well, two is enough for me. Chandler, what about you? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
"Uh, nope, no, just me." He said, smiling.
"Oh, that sounds great, your parents probably gave you a lot of attention, plus, they couldn't favor anyone more than you." noted Monica, thinking of her own parental problems.
"Well, yeah, but I never knew my father, and my mother, she uh, well," He began clearing his throat, as an excuse to think of something else to say, deciding it was better not to get into this just yet, "She wasn't really around much."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Answered both of the women, extremely curious, but polite enough to change the topic to something else.
Many, many hours later, the four of them were still in Monica and Rachel's apartment, nibbling on potato chips and drinking sodas. Monica and Chandler sat on the couch, close to each other, while Joey and Rachel tried aiming popcorn into each other's mouths, missing terribly. It seemed like a little slumber party to them, all seemed to be enjoying themselves, accept Chandler.
Glancing at the clock, he noticed how late it really was, "Hey you guys, it's 2:30 in the morning," he said, tiredly. He could tell Monica was exhausted, particularly by the way she was cuddling with him, eyes drifting shut on his chest. Her arms were wrapped around him, as she snuggled closer. Chandler didn't principally mind, but he was a bit uncomfortable. The scar on his arm was searing with pain, as it did every once in a while, but the pressure Monica was putting on it was a little unbearable.
His pain getting the better of him, he let out a soft "Ow", causing Monica to sit up straight, looking him in the eye.
"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"
"No, no." he answered, letting her lay back down, her head resting on his thighs.
It's not like he would ever tell her about his scar, no one would ever know, that much he swore to himself. The only person he could ever let in was Joey, other than that, no one. He couldn't tell, he was too ashamed.
-
Chandler's new job had been a handful. Waiting tables wasn't as easy as it looked, there were annoying customers, dirty dishes, lousy tips, and crowded kitchens. Not a day went by when he didn't mess up an order, or spill a drink. He was sure that if Monica hadn't been friendly with him, he would be at the unemployment office long ago.
"Chandler! There's a telephone call for you! They say it's urgent!" shouted someone from the phone. He walked over and picked it up, listening intently after a quick "hello". The person on the other end said something that he could not believe, something he would not believe.
Placing the paper that held an order in the appropriate place, he approached Monica, "Monica?" she turned around and wiped her forehead with the back of her palm.
"Yes?" she asked. Lunchtime was very busy, and though Chandler was her friend, he knew that no one was to disrupt her unless it was absolutely mandatory. This led her to believe, or hope, that maybe he wanted to ask her out. She knew it couldn't be, that was just Paula dabbing crazy thoughts into her head.
"Could I ask you something?"
"You better do it quick, I'm very busy." She answered, trying to not be too unfriendly.
"Well yeah, it's kind of important. Actually, it's very important," he said, knowing that what he was about to say would change her life forever.
- - - -
I may have gotten another 'accept' wrong (SORRY!) Oh my God, I hope that this scar thing is getting too "Harry Potterish", I'm going to try everything I can to make sure that doesn't happen. You know, how it burned when he was near Monica? I don't think that I will do that anymore, I was going to make it a thing, but I don't want this to get like that, too superficial.
Speaking of crickets! We weren't speaking of crickets? There were two in my basement (which is where I am right now) and they freaked me out! Luckily, my dad killed one and my Grandma killed the other. She's a very hip and happenin' granny. I'll continue, hopefully soon, and you will know what the phone call was about, and eventually find out why Chandler owes his life to Joey. Please review, especially if you hate crickets (No offense if you are a cricket) ;)