Rachel's attempt to get Ross's attention in London had failed miserably. When she saw him with Emily before the ceremony, she knew she couldn't ruin it for him. It wasn't fair to Ross or Emily. She tried to keep her mouth shut. But when he had said her name at the altar, Rachel knew she had to say something. She just didn't know how or when.

When they had gotten back from London, Phoebe gave birth to the triplets. Ross was still trying to contact Emily. Overall, it wasn't an ideal time to confess that she still had feelings for Ross. Especially since she was still trying to figure them out herself.

Anytime Rachel was stressed like this, she went shopping. This in particular, she was in dire need to spoil herself. When she had spent too much at Bloomingdale's, she walked around the city, unsure if she was ready to go back to the apartment. If she went back now, she'd be forced to think about Ross and she couldn't handle it, not yet at least.

Rachel stopped in her tracks when she noticed Chandler across the street, holding a door open. Her eyes glanced up at the canopy that read 'Marea'. She's never been there herself, but she heard it was expensive. Rachel's head tilted as she tried to think of who Chandler would take to such a nice restaurant.

She watched Monica exit the restaurant after him and they both stayed in front of the restaurant to wait for a cab. Rachel's eyebrows furrowed when Chandler moved behind her to help her put on her coat.

Chandler whispered in her ear before he started to kiss her neck. Monica's head fell to the side, exposing her neck more like a reflex. It looked like she was laughing at whatever he had said to her. Reaching her hand behind his head, she grabbed his hair and pulled him down into a proper kiss.

Rachel felt frozen in place as she watched her best friends laughing and kissing each other as if it was an everyday occurrence. Part of her wanted to march across the street and confront them. Her head swirled with questions, but Chandler hauled a cab, opened the door for Monica, and they left. They were gone just like that while she was still confused about what she had seen.

The alarm pierced Chandler's ear at five in the morning. He was quick to hit the top of it to shut it off before anyone else woke up from the noise. As he started to get out of bed, Monica whined, pulling his arm back. "Monica, honey, I have to go."

"No you don't," she mumbled into her pillow.

He chuckled lightly and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "I do before Rachel wakes up."

"Five more minutes with me, please?" Monica begged, weakly pulling on his hand.

"Fine," Chandler laid back down.

Monica held on to his hand and moved his arm back around her. She hummed, content in his arms as she moved closer to his chest. "Can we stay like this forever?"

"Sure," he whispered softly. Chandler kissed the top of her head as he stroked her hair. Monica's breathing eventually evened out and he knew she was asleep. Very carefully, he did his best to remove himself from her without waking her. Although, he failed because when he got to the door, his shoes in his hand, he heard her whisper again.

"This is the worst part of my morning."

"Mine too," he mumbled sadly. Chandler wasn't sure when he became so clingy. In past relationships, cuddling felt suffocating. Now all he wanted to do was hold Monica, kiss Monica, talk to Monica, just be with Monica all the time. He's never had a girlfriend that was also his best friend before. He didn't have to worry about impressing her or pretending to be someone else.

Except now he had to be someone else in front of his friends. Pretending like he wasn't in love with Monica. Or restraining himself from being close to her in front of the others. He was grateful they had agreed to tell everyone this week because he wasn't sure he could keep it up any longer.

Part of him was excited to tell the others. He knew when it was all out in the open, they could do whatever they wanted. He wouldn't have to let her go every morning anymore. The other part of him was scared. Sacred of what everyone would say. Scared that he would mess everything up if they knew. Knowing his friends, they would probably judge Monica for being with him. None of them really believed he could be good at this relationship thing. He wasn't sure he believed it either.

Chandler gently closed the door behind him and then turned to go back to his apartment. He practically jumped out of his skin when he saw Rachel standing in the kitchen, watching him with her arms across her chest. "Rachel…what are you doing up so early?

"Bad dream," she said softly, keeping her eyes on him. Rachel wanted to ask about what she had seen outside the restaurant. Seeing him walk out of her roommate's room confirmed what she already knew. Monica and Chandler were a couple and were keeping it a secret from everyone. He looked like a deer in headlights. There wasn't a lot he could say to make this look any better for him.

"Uh, what kind of bad dream?"

He was going to ignore the elephant in the room. Typical Chandler. "I had a dream that my best friend was lying to me. Eventually, everyone ended up getting hurt. Then the friend group fell apart."

"Oh. It was just a dream though, right?" Chandler scratched the back of his neck. "I mean, Monica wouldn't lie to you to hurt you. Even if she was hiding something from you, which she isn't, then maybe it's for a good reason. Maybe she's worried about being judged. Or maybe she's still figuring out the right way to tell you. She's your best friend, she wouldn't hurt you on purpose."

There was something about the scared tone in his voice, the way his eyes avoided hers, or the way he was frozen in the same spot. She didn't know him as well as Monica did, clearly, but he knew whenever he was nervous he tried not to move. It was like he was hoping he wouldn't be seen. But she was staring at him, watching closely when he spoke. He wasn't just nervous about being caught. Chandler looked genuinely terrified.

Something in Rachel broke when she realized they weren't keeping this secret because they didn't trust her. It was because they were scared. If what Chandler said was anything to go off of, they were scared of the group, not just her. That somehow hurt more. They shouldn't have to be scared of their own friends.

She couldn't guarantee they wouldn't be teased, because let's face it, it's an unusual pairing of best friends. Monica was out of his league and they were too different. A woman so ready for commitment, that she has her babies' names picked already, with a man that ran at any sign of a serious relationship? They just didn't fit. Rachel hoped that this hasn't been going on for very long or that it was possibly a one-time thing. She knew Monica better than anyone and knew how fast she could catch serious feelings. Feelings that were too serious for Chandler. She deserved better than him.

"She's my best friend. She should know that she can tell me anything. I don't want her getting hurt," Rachel said firmly. It was surprising to watch his demeanor change from worried to serious.

Chandler's jaw clenched, "Well, Rach, whatever you think she's hiding, isn't about you. Maybe just talk to her about your dream when she wakes up. She's still asleep right now…"

"Right," she said softly, looking down at her feet. Rachel heard his footsteps move across the apartment then the front door opened. She wasn't sure why she asked, she knew the answer and he knew that she did. "What were you doing in Monica's room?"

He stopped by the door, his hand on the handle as he glanced over. His answer was quick and so quiet that she almost missed it, "Bad dream."

Hours later, when the sun was up and Monica was sitting at the kitchen table dressed for the day, Chandler was back, making breakfast for the three of them. It was unusually quiet and Monica could tell something was on Rachel's mind. There was also tension between her best friend and her boyfriend, but she couldn't think of why. It was like they were tip-toeing around each other. Unable to take it anymore, Monica put the paper down and then rubbed her hands on her jeans as she looked between them. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is fine," Rachel smiled, tight-lipped.

"Rachel had a bad dream last night," Chandler said, not turning away from the stove.

Monica watched Rachel shoot a glare at the back of her boyfriend's head and her eyebrows furrowed in even more confusion. It didn't make sense that he would know about Rachel's dream the night before when they haven't spoken until now. It also didn't make sense that she would be upset with him for saying something almost trivial. The group shared their dreams a lot, why was she angry at Chandler for saying something?

"What kind of dream was it?" She asked, concerned.

There was a pause. Rachel stared at the back of Chandler's head almost daring him to say something. Until she couldn't keep quiet anymore. There was no point. They all knew, why were they doing this.

"I know you and Chandler are sleeping together," she said. Rachel shook her head slightly to start over. She told Monica the fake bad dream she had told Chandler earlier and leaned back in her chair. "I don't know why we're dancing around each other when we all know the truth now."

Monica felt a lump in her throat. She heard Chandler moving the food off of the stove, but it sounded distant. Like she wasn't really there because she was too deep in her own thoughts. The only thing that brought her back was Rachel's hand on top of hers. "What?"

"Look, I don't know a lot about this. All I know is you two went to dinner last night, I saw you because I went out shopping. Then this morning, Chandler and I ran into each other. He didn't say anything, but he didn't have to." She looked up at Chandler, his back was still turned, but his shoulders were now tense. His movements seemed to become more aggressive, but he wasn't angry. Rachel looked back at Monica with concern, she looked scared, just like Chandler had earlier. "I don't think this is going to ruin the group. Me and Ross, y'know…were together and we're still friends."

"We're not-" Monica began, shaking her head. She stopped herself before she said something she regretted. She wanted to say that they weren't like her and Ross. This was different. But it sounded like she was trying to deny what Rachel was saying.

"There's no point in trying to hide Monica," Rachel said frustrated. "At the restaurant last night, I saw you kissing."

"No, I mean, yes, but that's not what I was going to say," she said quickly. Her thoughts seemed to be moving a mile a minute, her chest felt tight and her breath quickened. It felt like she was in trouble somehow like she was caught doing something wrong.

"If this was just a one-time thing, I'm not judging. It makes sense, you haven't gone out with anyone in a while and we all get desperate sometimes. It makes us do stupid things," Rachel tried to comfort her.

That grabbed her attention and her mouth fell open as she searched for words. There were too many things she wanted to say. No, this wasn't a one-time thing, I don't care what you think, I've been dating Chandler for almost a year and it's been the best year of my life, she wasn't desperate and it definitely wasn't stupid. Where was she supposed to start?

Chandler placed three plates of eggs and toast down on the table and then sat down, moving his eggs around with his fork. It was hard not to be insulted by what Rachel was implying about his girlfriend. He was keeping his head down, pretending to ignore the conversation between the two women even though it involved him. Anything he said right now would come across as defensive, Monica would handle this better than he could. Although, he kept an eye on her because he's seen that look before. On late nights when they stayed up talking about her parents and her mother's judgmental eye. When he had to calm her down if the memories became too much.

"That is not what this is. I'm not desperate for anything, I'm actually really happy with my life right now." Monica scoffed at the skeptical look Rachel was shooting in her direction, running her fingers through her hair in frustration. "Chandler and I have been together for a while, but we didn't tell anyone. We wanted to figure things out before getting other people involved. Plus things kept getting in the way like Ross getting engaged or the wedding or Phoebe getting pregnant-"

"Woah," Rachel interrupted her as she stood from her chair. "How long has this been going on?"

"Eleven months?" Monica said softly, shrinking in her chair slightly. It was a long time. Too long to not tell anyone about it. Honestly, it was a miracle Chandler hasn't yelled at her for it yet. Most people told everyone they knew right away. By now they would have said that special L word or even gotten engaged. Now she was getting ahead of herself. They weren't ready to be engaged yet. She flinched slightly when she felt something on her leg, but relaxed when she realized it was just Chandler.

By now he was good at touching her without anyone noticing. Above the table, he was eating his breakfast, unbothered by the conversation going on. While underneath he held her knee, running his fingers in small circles to calm her down. It was working. Monica mustered up the courage to look up at her best friend again. Rachel's eyes were full of hurt and betrayal. She couldn't blame her either.

"A year? You've been dating for a year and you didn't tell any of us? This is the kind of thing you tell your best friends. I understand not wanting to say anything right away, but a year? Are you serious Mon?"

"Eleven months and four days," Chandler corrected quietly, just like Monica had in London.

Rachel rolled her eyes, annoyed that this was the first thing he decided to add to the conversation.

"Look, Rach, we wanted to tell you. We were planning to tell everyone way sooner, but we knew it wasn't going to be easy. There would be questions, but it wouldn't be a short conversation and you know that. We couldn't say anything when Phoebe got pregnant because there was a lot going on. There was the whole apartment switch and her mood swings, we didn't know how that would go over. Then when we decided to just do it, Ross got engaged. You were going through a lot and I wanted to be there for you," Monica started to explain herself quickly, talking a mile a minute.

"Plus, Ross would kill me if he found out I'm dating his sister right before his wedding," Chandler chimed in again.

Rachel shook her head, not believing what she was hearing. "Going behind his back to date his sister, you run that risk either way. Plus he knows you, Chandler, he's not going to be happy when you break up."

This time Monica got out of her seat with her arms crossed, "Who said we're breaking up?"

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Mon, I love you, but let's be serious for a minute. This is Chandler. There's a reason he can't keep a girlfriend around. He's going to eventually get scared about something and break up with you. It's what he does."

"I'm right here," Chandler piped up.

"This isn't the time for your jokes Chandler," Rachel said, sounding tired. "I don't want to see you break my best friend's heart."

He slumped back in his chair, deciding not to say anything else. There wasn't a lot he could say anyway. One thing about his friends is they loved making jokes about each other. He could take the ones they made about him. It was only fair since he joked about them too. However, over the years, the jokes about his love life started to hurt because he knew his friends weren't really kidding. They saw him as a pathetic boyfriend, who couldn't satisfy anyone he starts a relationship with. A scared man who had no chance of marriage or a family. This time Rachel wasn't even hiding it behind a light tone and a laugh.

Chandler looked down at his plate of food and he felt sick. He tried to mentally prepare himself for when Monica turned to him and said that Rachel was right. He wished that she stood up for him, maybe telling them that they were wrong, but it was unfair to expect her to defend him. Because that was a downside to dating his best friend. She knew what Rachel was saying was true. So this was the moment when she was going to break up with him. Then he would have to pretend like he was okay with letting her go because it was her choice and he had to respect it. His vision turned blurry when his eyes filled with unwanted tears as the best thing in his life seemed to be slipping out of his hands like sand.

The tension in the room seemed to tighten the second the front door opened and Phoebe walked through with a cheery greeting. Monica and Rachel were having a staring contest while Chandler was looking unfocused at his plate of eggs. Their friend stopped in her tracks, looking between the three of them. "What is going on in here?"

"Monica and Chandler have been dating behind our backs for a year," Rachel crossed her arms over her chest. It wasn't her information to share, and she knew it would only make Monica upset with her, but she didn't care. Monica didn't have the right to be upset right now, not when she was the one keeping secrets as big as this.

At first, Phoebe laughed. She didn't believe it, but when Monica shot her a glare, she closed her mouth quickly. "I'm sorry, she's serious?"

"Yes," Monica sat down in her seat, ignoring Rachel to finish her breakfast. "You can be mad at us all you want, but we had our reasons. We planned on telling you earlier, but the chance never came. There's nothing else we can do about it, okay?"

"I'm not mad," Phoebe sat across from her. "But I don't understand. You're totally out of his league. What's the point in settling with him?"

"I'm not settling," she said simply. She was determined to keep her answers short and simple because she didn't want to argue. Fighting with her friends about who she was dating seemed pointless because she didn't care what they thought.

Phoebe glanced at Rachel who still seemed to be pouting in her seat like an angry kid. "Why are you so mad about this? It's great, our Chandler finally found someone who'll put up with him."

"Because he's not going to marry her. He's going to find some stupid reason to dump her and we're going to be left picking up his mess. This is such a stupid idea. When Ross and I broke up, it took weeks to get over him. I'm just trying to be realistic," she sat next to Monica. Her sadness was replaced with more concern as she gently put a hand on her arm. "Mon, I just think you deserve better."

Suddenly Chandler was up, out of his chair, throwing the food left on his plate away before putting his dishes in the sink. He started washing his plate the way Monica taught him to when a hand grabbed his arm.

"Chandler, honey, what's wrong?" Monica asked softly.

"Nothing, I just have to get to work," he muttered. Chandler put the now-clean dishes on her drying rack. "I'll see you later, Monica, okay?"

He didn't take his eyes off the floor as he left the apartment. It wasn't a lie, he did have work, but not for another hour. He just couldn't sit there anymore, mentally watching the sand fall from his fingers.

Monica stood by the door, staring at the purple paint. He rarely called her 'Monica' anymore. It was always 'Mon' or some nickname he gave her. She also knew his schedule and he didn't have to be at work until nine. Behind her, Rachel was already making comments about him running, but she didn't hear it because she was chasing after him.

Almost tripping down the stairs, Monica didn't reach him until the lobby. "Chandler!"

"Yeah?" He stopped by the door of the building.

She ran to him, crashing into his body at full speed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her toes. Monica felt him stumble, almost running into the wall when he hugged her back. Somehow this hug felt different. His grip was tighter and he wasn't saying anything like he usually did. The fact that he's been so quiet all morning just made her more worried.

"What's wrong?" She mumbled into the crook of his neck.

"Nothing," he whispered. Chandler's grip on her waist tightened as the tears he's been holding back started to fall. He couldn't tell her. It would make the sand fall faster even if he was holding on as tight as he could.

Monica looked up and grabbed the sides of his face. Her thumbs slowly wiped the tears off of his cheeks. All she could do was repeat, in the softest voice, "What's wrong baby?"

He attempted to look away from her, but she moved his head back. Chandler swallowed thickly, trying to find the words. How was he supposed to tell her that he didn't want her to leave him without sounding pathetic? Before he knew what he would say, Chandler heard himself whisper, "I love you."

In an instant, her lips were on his. The kiss was so slow and tender, she felt butterflies fill her stomach like it was the first time. Monica's fingers tangled in his hair, her nails gently scratching his scalp, causing him to moan. Her chest started to feel tight the more her body craved oxygen, but she didn't want to pull away from him. His hands gripped her shirt tightly, if they were in a more private place he would have ripped it off of her.

When she couldn't breathe anymore, Monica pulled back and rested her forehead against his. Between breaths, she muttered, "I love you too."

"So, you're not going to break up with me?"

Her eyebrows furrowed and she gently cupped his cheek. "Break up with you? Why would I do that? That's never even crossed my mind."

"But, everything Rachel said is true. I'm so bad at this, you deserve better-" he began to explain until she cut him off.

"Don't say that," she said firmly. "Sweetie, we've been in each other's lives for so long. I knew your past with other women before this morning believes it or not. It doesn't matter what they say because they don't know you as I do. They haven't seen the wonderful boyfriend that I know. You've actually changed a lot, I don't know if you've noticed, but you have."

"In a bad way?" Chandler pulled her body closer, laying his forehead down on her shoulder.

She hummed, running her fingers through his hair, "No, in a wonderful way. Now that they know about us, prove them wrong and show them what an amazing boyfriend you are."

Joey strolled into the apartment, not realizing the sour mood in the room as he sat in Monica's chair. He started to eat her leftover toast before he noticed Rachel. "What's going on?"

"Monica and Chandler are dating," Phoebe smiled. "Rachel is sad they didn't tell her."

"They told you?" He looked between them both. "Thank God, I don't think I could've kept it in any longer. They've been driving me nuts all week."

Rachel leaned forward in her chair, "They told you and not me?"

He shrugged, now eating Monica's eggs. "No. I walked in on them in London. Well, afterward. Monica was getting out of the shower and she was wearing a towel," he added with a smirk.

Both of the women cringed at his need to add such detail. It didn't occur to them that their best friends being in a relationship meant they were having sex. They haven't seen their dynamic on display yet. "Do you know what they're like as a couple?" Phoebe asked.

"Annoying," Joey rolled his eyes. "When they're alone, they're all over each other. Cuddling or kissing or whispering and giggling. Sometimes Monica sneaks into our apartment after you go to sleep and they're so loud that I had to get headphones."

"Chandler was here last night," Rachel said like they were comparing notes. "I didn't hear them, but I saw them outside of a nice restaurant."

He just nodded because he knew this already. "They were celebrating their eleven-month anniversary. Honestly, I'm surprised they've lasted this long. She's totally out of his league."

"That's what I said!" Phoebe smiled. "Plus, we know Chandler is never getting married. There's no way it'll last. I just hope this doesn't ruin the group because Ross is not going to take this well, especially when they break up."

"I don't think they're going to break up," Joey said honestly. Both girls were looking at him confused and he started to push his eggs around with the fork. "They've been together for a while. Neither of them has been in a relationship for this long before…"

"But isn't there some kind of man code about not dating your best friend's sister?"

Rachel jumped slightly, startled when Ross came in and the three at the table glanced at each other. First, she looked at Phoebe, her friend looked eager to tell Ross the big secret. Then over at Joey who seemed to be begging both of them to keep quiet. Silently, the three of them agreed not to say anything.