Hi! :-) Thanks for your reviews. I'm glad you like the story. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

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Chapter 4

With his hands still framing her lovely face, Chandler inclined his mouth towards Monica's. If she had shown any resistance at all, he would have backed away. But she didn't. She seemed to want to feel his lips on hers as much as he wanted it to happen. Unfortunately, jovial voices from the other side of the door ruined what would have been their first official kiss as a couple.

"They're back," Monica said, hating to do it but knowing she had to break contact with Chandler.

"Of course, they are," he said, trying to compose himself so he could greet their friends without them getting suspicious.

"We're not going to say anything about this, are we?" Monica questioned, resisting the urge to bite her thumbnail as butterflies danced in her belly, partly from the excitement she was experiencing at being with Chandler and partly from nervousness at how the two of them would handle this situation they'd suddenly found themselves in.

"Are you kidding?" Chandler said, his eyes widening. "We are definitely not talking about us in front of them."

"Okay," she said, breathing a sigh of relief.

It was obvious they both needed time to adjust to the newness of their relationship.

They added some distance between them and smiled cheerfully when the gang entered the apartment.

"Hey," Rachel said. "I didn't expect to find you two together."

"Me neither," Joey said. "But," he quickly added, "I'm glad to see Chandler is no longer pouting."

"I wasn't pouting," Chandler retorted.

"Sure, man," Joey said, heading straight for the fridge. "Whatever you say."

"Hey, guys," Ross said, crossing to stand next to his sister. "I have news for you, Mon."

"If it's about Mom and Dad visiting this weekend, I already know," she told him.

She tried not to let too much irritation seep into her voice.

"Oh," Ross said, his enthusiasm somewhat dampened that his sister already knew the latest.

"Don't you know you're supposed to have me on speed dial so you can give me the great news as soon as you hear it?" Monica said, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Uh-oh," Phoebe said, waving her jeweled hands in the air. "I'm sensing some bad vibes."

"I thought I was going to see you at Central Perk," Ross defended. "Did Mom tell you she and Dad are taking Rachel and me to dinner on Saturday night? Of course, you're invited."

Monica stole a quick glance at Chandler. Ordinarily, the way her brother presented his news would have angered her, but knowing she had an excellent reason to pass on dinner made her feel almost giddy instead of anxious.

"I may already have plans," she hedged.

Chandler started and then stopped himself.

Was she talking about being with him instead of her parents, her brother and her best friend, who also happened to be Ross' girlfriend?

"You didn't tell me that," Rachel said, almost indignant at the thought of her best friend keeping something from her. "Plans with who?"

"Actually," Ross took pride in correcting anyone who misused the word 'who', "it's whom."

"Oh, who cares," Rachel snapped. "There? Did I use it correctly that time?"

"Yes, you did," Ross said, undeterred by his girlfriend's harsh tone.

"Anyway," Rachel said, after glaring at Ross, "what's going on Saturday night, Mon?"

"Well," she said, trying to think on her feet. "I may have dinner plans with a friend."

There. That wasn't a lie. Right?

Ross shook his head. "I don't know if that's going to be good enough for our parents, Mon."

"Well, it's going to have to be," she said loudly, "because I'm not available."

"Ooo," Phoebe said, suddenly inspired, "I could go. To either event. I could pretend to be you, Monica, with either your friend or your parents. I'll let you choose. It could be fun."

She smiled and looked at the others who just nodded politely so as not to upset her.

Monica stared at Phoebe as if she had just landed from Mars and then shook her head.

"I gotta get to work," Monica said, happy for the escape.

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Unable to keep the smile from her face throughout most of her work day, Monica tried to rein in her thoughts about Chandler, but she didn't always succeed. He had actually agreed to go out with her and hadn't run off in a panic when she mentioned the two of them dating. She just wanted to spend some time alone with him, away from the others, so they could concentrate on each other. How they were supposed to arrange that, though, she couldn't begin to figure out.

When she left the restaurant later that night, the most pleasant surprise awaited her.

Chandler.

He stood discreetly away from the employee's exit and greeted her with a winsome smile as soon as she came into his view.

"Chandler!" Monica said, clearly thrilled to see him. "What are you doing here?"

"I've been wanting to see you since you left the apartment. I've missed you."

Monica graced him with a bright smile right before he enveloped her in his arms. They hugged for a long moment but didn't kiss. The street was not nearly private enough.

"What do you want to do?" Chandler asked, when they finally broke apart.

"I want to go anywhere except Central Perk," Monica said. "Am I a horrible person for not wanting to be with the others tonight?"

"I don't think so," Chandler said, pleased she felt the same way he did. "I was with them for most of the day. Nothing earth shattering is going on, believe me."

"Does Phoebe still want to be me?" Monica said, her tone incredulous.

Chandler reached for Monica's hand and intertwined his fingers with hers as they walked along the semi-crowded street.

"What was that all about, Mon?"

She gave him a sly smile. "You mean my sudden previous engagement?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I thought maybe you and I would want to do something on Saturday night. It's so rare that I have a night off from the restaurant, but this Saturday happens to be one of them."

"Wow," he said, halting their progress in the middle of the busy sidewalk. "I can't believe you would blow off dinner with your parents to be with me."

"Why wouldn't I?" she said, reaching to hold his other hand in hers. "Can you not tell how happy I am that we're together?"

"But, technically," Chandler felt obliged to point out, "we haven't been together. I mean, we haven't gone out on our first date yet."

"So," Monica said, feeling more playful than she had in years, "rectify that situation, Mr. Bing. Decide how and where we're going to spend our first date and then let's get to it!"