I'm so so so so sorry! So much has been going on around here I just
haven't gotten up enough time or energy to actually write. But, I just
heard this certain song and got inspired. Thanks for the great reviews and
sorry again! And to JoO1Z, that thing about cracking up every time you
hear 'George' is very interesting. =D
Here's the third chapter! (finally)
By the way I got the title of this chapter from the song "Layla." Thanks Eric Clapton! ;)
Someone to Lean On Chapter Three: Won't You Ease My Worried Mind
When Chandler awoke, he opened his eyes and was surprised to find Monica still in his arms, sleeping peacefully under the warm sheets. He was amazed because last night had seemed like a dream to him. He had expected to wake up and find that he was alone in bed, with only the memories of Monica from two weeks ago to hold onto. But here she was, breathing steadily, solid in his embrace.
He carefully wrapped his arms around her tightly, not knowing what exactly would happen next. He just wanted to stay like this forever, not having to worry about that other guy. Chandler was filled with anger at the thought of George, but as long as he had Monica with him he knew he didn't have to be afraid for her.
Monica shifted in his arms, but her eyes stayed closed. She seemed afraid to open them. "Chandler?" she asked softly, hoping, wishing, he was really there and it wasn't George.
"I'm here," Chandler assured her, kissing her cheek gently. "I'm here."
She opened her eyes and looked over at him, relieved at the sight of him. "I . . . I thought it was just a dream."
He nodded. "I know, so did I. But, we're both here . . . right?"
Monica smiled slightly and sat up. She glanced over at the clock. When she saw that it was eight in the morning, her eyes widened and she got quickly out of bed and started pulling on her clothes from the previous day.
Chandler sat up also, "No, don't go."
She looked at him longingly. "I have to, Chandler. He might already be awake by now and wondering where the hell I am."
"But you can't go back to him, not after what he's been doing to you! Just stay here, please?" He stood and pulled on a pair of jeans. "Besides, what are you going to tell him if he is awake?"
After finishing dressing, Monica headed toward the door to Chandler's room and turned to him. She shrugged, "I'll make something up. If I stay here, he'll find someway to track me down, and I don't want to be the cause of you getting hurt."
Chandler hesitated, taking in every inch of her with his eyes before going over to her and kissing her passionately, not wanting her to leave but knowing there was nothing he could do.
Monica kissed him back for a minute, and then pulled away gently. She touched the side of his face, staring deeply into his eyes and thanking him wordlessly for the night before, then turned away and opened the door. "Goodbye, Chandler."
He watched helplessly as she exited the apartment, then sat heavily onto a chair and thought about her, hoping they would see each other again. He hated not knowing where she was or what was happening to her.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Monica took a deep breath and unlocked her apartment, entering quietly. The place was still, and no lights were on. She made her way over to her bedroom and was relieved to see George snoring loudly, sprawled across the bed. This would give her more time to think of a place she had supposedly gone after exiting the apartment last night after their fight. Besides, she slept on the couch most of the time anyway, so he wouldn't have to know she had been gone all night.
She silently crept across the floor to her dresser and grabbed a change of clothes. Then she left the room and entered the kitchen. Suddenly she realized that she had to be at work by eight thirty, and now it was a quarter after eight. Monica sighed and readied herself hurriedly, partly thankful for her new job which required her to work from eight- thirty to six, six days a week. Now she wouldn't have to face George until that night.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Ross Geller woke and looked around the room, not recalling where he was. Then he saw the hotel items and heard the loud vehicle and other street noises outside and remembered; China. How could he forget? He'd been there for over six months. Ross then spotted the stack of suitcases in one corner of the hotel room and groaned. He was leaving tonight, and still didn't have everything packed.
But, he was still relieved to be going home. He missed his parents, Monica, New York. This city he was staying in was very busy and crowded, like New York, but it was a different type of those things. New York was . . . New York. He couldn't even explain it.
Ross had decided to come home on surprise, so he hadn't contacted anyone he knew to tell them. He figured his first stop would be Monica's, because he didn't want to bother his parents so late at night. It would be a long trip back.
He stood up and made his way over to the suitcases. There were so many more of them now than there were when he left from America, it seemed. This was one of the times when he would enjoy having his sister around. Monica's coordination and organization skills would definitely come in handy right now.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Joey finally got back to the apartment at about noon, and he was wearing the same clothes he had on the day before. Phoebe and Rachel were also over at their place, eating lunch with Chandler. Joey walked through the door with a cocky grin on his face, and greeted his friends.
Chandler hadn't told anyone anything about the previous night. He didn't know what they would think, and besides, he figured Monica wouldn't want him spreading her story around the city. He definitely longed to tell someone, anyone, but knew he'd have to keep this secret even from his closest friends for as long as possible.
Rachel smiled at Joey. "Where've you been?"
Joey sat down at the table next to Chandler and rested his arms on the wooden surface. "You know that extra on 'Days of our Lives' I told you about?"
"Ooh, yeah! Did you guys finally, you know, get it on?" Phoebe, who was sitting across from him, leaned toward him excitedly.
"No, but her cousin came to visit her yesterday and . . ."
"You guys had a threesome?!?" Rachel guessed. She didn't like to picture it but that was how Joey was.
"No, yeah, like that would happen!" Joey laughed. "But, the extra ordered pizza, and that one hot pizza delivery girl came. And I just said, 'how you doin'?' and I had her."
"Then what was the point of you telling us about the extra and her cousin?" Chandler, who was silent until now, spoke up.
"What cousin?" Joey asked.
Everyone rolled their eyes except for Joey. He was looking around at his friends, puzzled, when something behind Rachel beyond the living room, in Chandler's bedroom, caught his eye. "Hey, did either of you girls leave your bra here?"
Chandler didn't have to follow Joey's eyes to know what he was talking about.
"No. You would like that though, wouldn't you?" Rachel asked, following his gaze, but not seeing what he meant.
Phoebe grinned. "Why?"
Joey was about to reply when he saw Chandler shoot him a 'shut up now if you want to live' look. "Oh, nothing, I . . . I guess I'm seeing things."
Phoebe giggled. "Yeah, Joey always sees bras."
The girls laughed as Joey looked at Chandler questioningly. Chandler said nothing in return, just sat there and hoped he could trust Joey. Joey would certainly ask later where the bra came from when Phoebe and Rachel left, but all he had to know was that Chandler had a girl over last night. And that was the truth. He was only leaving a thing or two out. Okay, quite a few things.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Dude, what was that about?" Joey asked eagerly, walking up to Chandler after seeing the girls out of the apartment.
Chandler shrugged and pulled himself up into a sitting position on the kitchen counter. "I just met someone last night. Brought her back to the apartment . . ."
"Why couldn't you tell Rachel and Phoebe that?"
'Uh-oh,' Chandler thought. 'Okay, think of something fast . . . fast!'
"It was Janice." Chandler had been desperate for a reply and hadn't caught those three words until it was too late. 'Oh yeah, great job thinking fast.'
"Oh my god! Janice?" Joey shouted.
"Shh!" Chandler jumped off the counter and stood in front of Joey. "Yes, Janice. We met at . . . the bus stop."
"Don't you know what this means though?!? Now you're gonna start going out with her and then it's not going to matter if anyone finds out cause they'll have already found out about the thing you don't want them to find out about!"
"Oh, Joey, breathe. It's alright. We both agreed that last night was just well, last night. We're not gonna see each other again." Chandler had no idea what he was getting himself into when he said it was Janice. Joey was probably going to tell everyone anyway. He was sort of like Rachel in that way. Then Chandler realized that it didn't really matter if anyone found out. It wasn't actually Janice, it was Monica. Two very different people. Still . . .
He sighed when he saw that Joey was still panicking. Chandler couldn't believe he was doing all this just to respect the privacy of a woman who he was probably never going to see again anyway.
~*~*~*~*~*~
FIVE DAYS LATER
"George?" Monica asked, wandering into the kitchen to find him sitting at the table, drinking as usual. He stared at the beer can with a blank look on his face.
"Yeah, what is it?" He said it more as a statement than a question.
"I'm going to a friend's house for the night," she winced, dreading his response.
"Whatever." George took another swig of beer, not once glancing in her direction.
She left the room and smiled to herself. She didn't know why he was acting like this, but she didn't really mind. He was either drunk or coming off a high of something, but as long as he didn't yell at her she was fine with it.
Now she could only make her way across the street and hope that Chandler would be as happy to see her as she would him . . .
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was a Thursday evening, about a half hour after Chandler returned home from work, and he had discovered Joey was at an audition. He was sitting in Joey's bark-a-lounger (sp?), since it was the most comfortable of the two, and watched nothing in particular on television when someone knocked on the door.
He stood up, clicking off the TV and jogged to answer the door. His heart skipped a beat when he saw who was beyond it. "Monica."
"Hey, Chandler."
"Oh . . . my god, what-what are you . . .?" he stuttered, feeling mixed emotions over seeing her. He had been positive he would never see her again.
"Doing here?" Monica laughed a little to herself. "I'm not sure actually."
Chandler nodded, "Okay . . . well you can come in if you want to."
She nodded also and stepped into the apartment, then walked over to a chair and took a seat. Chandler followed suit and they sat in silence for a while, neither knowing what to say in a situation like theirs.
Monica didn't really surprise him when she stood and walked over to him, then after he made room for her she sat next to him on the chair and cuddled up against him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.
She laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes, realizing just how safe she felt in the arms of Chandler Bing. He also closed his eyes, marveling in the feeling of having her in his embrace again. What had happened? Just two weeks ago he had been this guy with no hope of ever finding love, just happy with his job and hanging with his friends . . . now he was with a girl who he might not really have a chance with, and his life didn't make any sense. But right now he was happy, right now all was fine. He found that if he didn't think about the future or the past, just focused on this moment, Chandler was completely happy, content. He was in love.
You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You'll forget the sun in his jealous skies
As we walk in fields of gold
So she took her love for to gaze a while
Upon the fields of barley
In his arms she fell as her hair came down
Among the fields of gold
Will you stay with me, will you be my love
Among the fields of barley
We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we lie in fields of gold
See the west wind move like a lover so
Upon the fields of barley
Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth
Among the fields of gold
I never made promises lightly
And there have been some that I've broken
But I swear in the days still left
We'll walk in fields of gold, we'll walk in fields of gold
Many years have passed since those summer days
Among the fields of barley
See the children run as the sun goes down
Among the fields of gold
You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You can tell the sun in his jealous sky
When we walked in fields of gold
When we walked in fields of gold
When we walked in fields of gold
~"Fields of Gold" Sting
I'll have the next chapter up ASAP. Hopefully sooner than getting this one up. Lol, I apologize again for that. Anyway, review and tell me if you liked and if you think this story is actually worth writing! =)
Here's the third chapter! (finally)
By the way I got the title of this chapter from the song "Layla." Thanks Eric Clapton! ;)
Someone to Lean On Chapter Three: Won't You Ease My Worried Mind
When Chandler awoke, he opened his eyes and was surprised to find Monica still in his arms, sleeping peacefully under the warm sheets. He was amazed because last night had seemed like a dream to him. He had expected to wake up and find that he was alone in bed, with only the memories of Monica from two weeks ago to hold onto. But here she was, breathing steadily, solid in his embrace.
He carefully wrapped his arms around her tightly, not knowing what exactly would happen next. He just wanted to stay like this forever, not having to worry about that other guy. Chandler was filled with anger at the thought of George, but as long as he had Monica with him he knew he didn't have to be afraid for her.
Monica shifted in his arms, but her eyes stayed closed. She seemed afraid to open them. "Chandler?" she asked softly, hoping, wishing, he was really there and it wasn't George.
"I'm here," Chandler assured her, kissing her cheek gently. "I'm here."
She opened her eyes and looked over at him, relieved at the sight of him. "I . . . I thought it was just a dream."
He nodded. "I know, so did I. But, we're both here . . . right?"
Monica smiled slightly and sat up. She glanced over at the clock. When she saw that it was eight in the morning, her eyes widened and she got quickly out of bed and started pulling on her clothes from the previous day.
Chandler sat up also, "No, don't go."
She looked at him longingly. "I have to, Chandler. He might already be awake by now and wondering where the hell I am."
"But you can't go back to him, not after what he's been doing to you! Just stay here, please?" He stood and pulled on a pair of jeans. "Besides, what are you going to tell him if he is awake?"
After finishing dressing, Monica headed toward the door to Chandler's room and turned to him. She shrugged, "I'll make something up. If I stay here, he'll find someway to track me down, and I don't want to be the cause of you getting hurt."
Chandler hesitated, taking in every inch of her with his eyes before going over to her and kissing her passionately, not wanting her to leave but knowing there was nothing he could do.
Monica kissed him back for a minute, and then pulled away gently. She touched the side of his face, staring deeply into his eyes and thanking him wordlessly for the night before, then turned away and opened the door. "Goodbye, Chandler."
He watched helplessly as she exited the apartment, then sat heavily onto a chair and thought about her, hoping they would see each other again. He hated not knowing where she was or what was happening to her.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Monica took a deep breath and unlocked her apartment, entering quietly. The place was still, and no lights were on. She made her way over to her bedroom and was relieved to see George snoring loudly, sprawled across the bed. This would give her more time to think of a place she had supposedly gone after exiting the apartment last night after their fight. Besides, she slept on the couch most of the time anyway, so he wouldn't have to know she had been gone all night.
She silently crept across the floor to her dresser and grabbed a change of clothes. Then she left the room and entered the kitchen. Suddenly she realized that she had to be at work by eight thirty, and now it was a quarter after eight. Monica sighed and readied herself hurriedly, partly thankful for her new job which required her to work from eight- thirty to six, six days a week. Now she wouldn't have to face George until that night.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Ross Geller woke and looked around the room, not recalling where he was. Then he saw the hotel items and heard the loud vehicle and other street noises outside and remembered; China. How could he forget? He'd been there for over six months. Ross then spotted the stack of suitcases in one corner of the hotel room and groaned. He was leaving tonight, and still didn't have everything packed.
But, he was still relieved to be going home. He missed his parents, Monica, New York. This city he was staying in was very busy and crowded, like New York, but it was a different type of those things. New York was . . . New York. He couldn't even explain it.
Ross had decided to come home on surprise, so he hadn't contacted anyone he knew to tell them. He figured his first stop would be Monica's, because he didn't want to bother his parents so late at night. It would be a long trip back.
He stood up and made his way over to the suitcases. There were so many more of them now than there were when he left from America, it seemed. This was one of the times when he would enjoy having his sister around. Monica's coordination and organization skills would definitely come in handy right now.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Joey finally got back to the apartment at about noon, and he was wearing the same clothes he had on the day before. Phoebe and Rachel were also over at their place, eating lunch with Chandler. Joey walked through the door with a cocky grin on his face, and greeted his friends.
Chandler hadn't told anyone anything about the previous night. He didn't know what they would think, and besides, he figured Monica wouldn't want him spreading her story around the city. He definitely longed to tell someone, anyone, but knew he'd have to keep this secret even from his closest friends for as long as possible.
Rachel smiled at Joey. "Where've you been?"
Joey sat down at the table next to Chandler and rested his arms on the wooden surface. "You know that extra on 'Days of our Lives' I told you about?"
"Ooh, yeah! Did you guys finally, you know, get it on?" Phoebe, who was sitting across from him, leaned toward him excitedly.
"No, but her cousin came to visit her yesterday and . . ."
"You guys had a threesome?!?" Rachel guessed. She didn't like to picture it but that was how Joey was.
"No, yeah, like that would happen!" Joey laughed. "But, the extra ordered pizza, and that one hot pizza delivery girl came. And I just said, 'how you doin'?' and I had her."
"Then what was the point of you telling us about the extra and her cousin?" Chandler, who was silent until now, spoke up.
"What cousin?" Joey asked.
Everyone rolled their eyes except for Joey. He was looking around at his friends, puzzled, when something behind Rachel beyond the living room, in Chandler's bedroom, caught his eye. "Hey, did either of you girls leave your bra here?"
Chandler didn't have to follow Joey's eyes to know what he was talking about.
"No. You would like that though, wouldn't you?" Rachel asked, following his gaze, but not seeing what he meant.
Phoebe grinned. "Why?"
Joey was about to reply when he saw Chandler shoot him a 'shut up now if you want to live' look. "Oh, nothing, I . . . I guess I'm seeing things."
Phoebe giggled. "Yeah, Joey always sees bras."
The girls laughed as Joey looked at Chandler questioningly. Chandler said nothing in return, just sat there and hoped he could trust Joey. Joey would certainly ask later where the bra came from when Phoebe and Rachel left, but all he had to know was that Chandler had a girl over last night. And that was the truth. He was only leaving a thing or two out. Okay, quite a few things.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Dude, what was that about?" Joey asked eagerly, walking up to Chandler after seeing the girls out of the apartment.
Chandler shrugged and pulled himself up into a sitting position on the kitchen counter. "I just met someone last night. Brought her back to the apartment . . ."
"Why couldn't you tell Rachel and Phoebe that?"
'Uh-oh,' Chandler thought. 'Okay, think of something fast . . . fast!'
"It was Janice." Chandler had been desperate for a reply and hadn't caught those three words until it was too late. 'Oh yeah, great job thinking fast.'
"Oh my god! Janice?" Joey shouted.
"Shh!" Chandler jumped off the counter and stood in front of Joey. "Yes, Janice. We met at . . . the bus stop."
"Don't you know what this means though?!? Now you're gonna start going out with her and then it's not going to matter if anyone finds out cause they'll have already found out about the thing you don't want them to find out about!"
"Oh, Joey, breathe. It's alright. We both agreed that last night was just well, last night. We're not gonna see each other again." Chandler had no idea what he was getting himself into when he said it was Janice. Joey was probably going to tell everyone anyway. He was sort of like Rachel in that way. Then Chandler realized that it didn't really matter if anyone found out. It wasn't actually Janice, it was Monica. Two very different people. Still . . .
He sighed when he saw that Joey was still panicking. Chandler couldn't believe he was doing all this just to respect the privacy of a woman who he was probably never going to see again anyway.
~*~*~*~*~*~
FIVE DAYS LATER
"George?" Monica asked, wandering into the kitchen to find him sitting at the table, drinking as usual. He stared at the beer can with a blank look on his face.
"Yeah, what is it?" He said it more as a statement than a question.
"I'm going to a friend's house for the night," she winced, dreading his response.
"Whatever." George took another swig of beer, not once glancing in her direction.
She left the room and smiled to herself. She didn't know why he was acting like this, but she didn't really mind. He was either drunk or coming off a high of something, but as long as he didn't yell at her she was fine with it.
Now she could only make her way across the street and hope that Chandler would be as happy to see her as she would him . . .
~*~*~*~*~*~
It was a Thursday evening, about a half hour after Chandler returned home from work, and he had discovered Joey was at an audition. He was sitting in Joey's bark-a-lounger (sp?), since it was the most comfortable of the two, and watched nothing in particular on television when someone knocked on the door.
He stood up, clicking off the TV and jogged to answer the door. His heart skipped a beat when he saw who was beyond it. "Monica."
"Hey, Chandler."
"Oh . . . my god, what-what are you . . .?" he stuttered, feeling mixed emotions over seeing her. He had been positive he would never see her again.
"Doing here?" Monica laughed a little to herself. "I'm not sure actually."
Chandler nodded, "Okay . . . well you can come in if you want to."
She nodded also and stepped into the apartment, then walked over to a chair and took a seat. Chandler followed suit and they sat in silence for a while, neither knowing what to say in a situation like theirs.
Monica didn't really surprise him when she stood and walked over to him, then after he made room for her she sat next to him on the chair and cuddled up against him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.
She laid her head against his chest and closed her eyes, realizing just how safe she felt in the arms of Chandler Bing. He also closed his eyes, marveling in the feeling of having her in his embrace again. What had happened? Just two weeks ago he had been this guy with no hope of ever finding love, just happy with his job and hanging with his friends . . . now he was with a girl who he might not really have a chance with, and his life didn't make any sense. But right now he was happy, right now all was fine. He found that if he didn't think about the future or the past, just focused on this moment, Chandler was completely happy, content. He was in love.
You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You'll forget the sun in his jealous skies
As we walk in fields of gold
So she took her love for to gaze a while
Upon the fields of barley
In his arms she fell as her hair came down
Among the fields of gold
Will you stay with me, will you be my love
Among the fields of barley
We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we lie in fields of gold
See the west wind move like a lover so
Upon the fields of barley
Feel her body rise when you kiss her mouth
Among the fields of gold
I never made promises lightly
And there have been some that I've broken
But I swear in the days still left
We'll walk in fields of gold, we'll walk in fields of gold
Many years have passed since those summer days
Among the fields of barley
See the children run as the sun goes down
Among the fields of gold
You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You can tell the sun in his jealous sky
When we walked in fields of gold
When we walked in fields of gold
When we walked in fields of gold
~"Fields of Gold" Sting
I'll have the next chapter up ASAP. Hopefully sooner than getting this one up. Lol, I apologize again for that. Anyway, review and tell me if you liked and if you think this story is actually worth writing! =)