AN/I haven't posted in forever so I apologize. Feel free to leave a review it's always appreciated :) I'm trying to get back into writing so I might be rusty.
Edit: Thank you to WarriorBeetle for helping me out with the timeline!
It took a few weeks, but Chandler convinced Joey to switch apartments back after Monica almost got caught sneaking out. At least with their apartments back to normal, she had her bed back. The more they had to sneak around the more they were itching to tell everyone. They talked about when the right moment would be up until Ross announced he was getting married. It was decided to tell everyone after the wedding to avoid stressing Ross out more than he already was.
"This is so amazing, I can't believe my brother's getting married! And in London! It's so romantic." Monica read her invitation over as she flopped down on the couch next to Chandler.
His arm moved behind her, resting on the back of the couch as his eyes scanned his invitation. "I can't believe they're going through with it. They've been together six weeks and they're getting married? It's fast, isn't it? Right? It's fast…"
Monica chuckled inwardly to herself, placing a hand on his knee to reassure him. "Yeah, but there's no talking him out of it. Trust me, I tried, but he's set on this. All we can do now is support him."
"I'm so jealous all of you are going," Phoebe frowned accusingly at her pregnant stomach. She was sure her friends would take pictures for her to see, but nothing would compare to being there. "I had no idea you couldn't fly in your third trimester."
"I'll document everything for you Pheebs, don't worry." Joey sat on the arm of her chair, oblivious to her fake smile.
When Rachel came through the front door, the friends quickly stuffed their invitations under their legs or in between the cushions. It was a weak attempt to shield her from Ross's wedding since her invitation was laid out on the kitchen table. She picked up the envelope, recognizing the bad handwriting immediately, "Is this Ross's wedding invitation?"
Monica has known Chandler for years, she thought she knew everything about him, but since they started dating, she's learned even the smallest things. Like how arguments or awkward situations made his whole body tense next to hers before he came out with his signature witty comment. She expected a joke about not hiding the right invitation from Rachel, but his eyes were fixed on his pants like he's never seen them before. Monica gently squeezed his thigh as she got up to meet her friend in the kitchen. "I guess we should've hidden that one."
"Oh, no, no you don't have to do that," Rachel read her invitation. "I'm happy for him. I mean, why wouldn't I be? It's his wedding, it's a happy occasion, isn't it? I'm super, super happy…I'll work on it."
"I'm sorry honey," Monica sighed, rubbing her arm. "You are going though, aren't you?"
Rachel shrugged, putting the envelope in one of her shopping bags. "I don't know. I don't know if I can."
"This isn't one of those, uh, you don't go then we don't go, right? Ross already got our tickets and I talked to my boss about the days off…" Chandler leaned his head back to look at the girls in the kitchen. They were both upside down in his perspective, but he could see Monica's smile, but Rachel was rolling her eyes at him.
Monica stepped over to the couch and then grabbed his hair to push his head to the side playfully. She turned back to Rachel, ignoring Chandler snickering behind her. "At least say you'll think about it? It would be weird without you."
"No, yeah. I'll think about it. I just need a minute," Rachel muttered as she went to her room.
–
Chander climbed out of his bed when the clock on his nightstand read one o'clock. He put his robe over the white t-shirt and boxers he wore for pajamas. Carefully, Chandler closed his bedroom door, listening for any signs of movement from his roommate. Once it was clear Joey was still asleep, he moved across the dark apartment and then out into the hallway. For a moment he paused outside of apartment twenty, praying to any power of the universe that Rachel wasn't awake. Slowly, he walked into his girlfriend's apartment and scanned the empty living room. Chandler let out the breath he was holding as he made his way to Monica's room, not noticing Rachel watching him from the bathroom.
"Do you always have to come over so late?" Monica asked from under her covers when she heard his footsteps.
He chuckled, placing his robe on her chair before getting into bed next to her. "Joey takes a while to fall asleep."
Like clockwork, she rolled over to lay her head on his chest. His arm wrapped around her as she settled peacefully on top of him. Monica's eyes fell closed at the feeling of his hand running through her hair. "Well, I'm starting to have a hard time falling asleep without you here."
"If we told everyone, then I could just come to bed with you every night instead of sneaking in at one in the morning." Chandler pointed out, moving his hand down her arm.
"Ross's wedding is in a few days, we just have to wait till we get back from London. He'll be married and happy with his new wife, our friends will be happy for him so everyone will be in a good mood. Then we can tell them and hopefully, all of that positivity will rub off on us," Monica sighed.
"I know. This is just getting a little frustrating. Does it matter what they think? What's the worst that could happen?"
Monica shrugged, "I don't know. What if Ross gets angry at you? What if Rachel tries to warn me that dating in the group is a bad idea because of what happened? Or Phoebe…"
"Then we'll deal with it together," he interrupted before she could spiral into hypotheticals. "Right now, let's just focus on getting through this wedding, and in a few days we won't have to worry about this anymore."
"You're right. Of course, you're right. I'm just nervous. Rachel told me about how hard it was for her to see Ross engaged and I know it's selfish, but I was imagining what it would be like if I was in her shoes. As much as I want her there at the wedding, I understand why she doesn't want to go. It would kill me if I had to watch you get married to someone else." Monica rambled quickly, tracing the faint freckles on his arm. "Being in a relationship with a friend is always so risky and this has been so perfect it almost doesn't feel real. I don't want people wrecking it by telling us it's some kind of mistake. I want people to take us seriously because this is more than just sex, it's the best relationship I've ever been in."
Even though the room was dark, he watched Monica's finger in the glow of the moonlight coming from the window. The longer she rambled the more his smile grew. It never mattered what the topic was, but he could listen to her talk for hours. He was sure he was in love with her because no one has ever made his heart beat faster just by smiling in his direction. There was nothing he could say to make her feel better about this situation because if he was being honest, he felt the same way. Being known as the funny friend, no one ever took him seriously, but this was the most serious he's ever been.
Chandler leaned over her and kissed her.
–
The next afternoon, Rachel returned from a shopping trip when she ran into Chandler in the hallway. He had just closed his apartment door to leave when she had made it to the top of the stairs. "Hey, Chandler."
"Hey, I'm going down to the coffee house, wanna come?" He offered, eyeing the shopping bags in her hand.
"Oh, I'd love to, but Monica is making me help set up for Phoebe's baby shower." She smiled down at the decorations she had bought for the apartment. Rachel watched him smile fondly at the floor as he nodded in understanding. As he went to leave, she quickly grabbed his sleeve to stop him. "Maybe this isn't any of my business, but I saw you last night, going into Monica's room."
His heart dropped into his stomach and his eyes searched her face for a clue of what she was thinking. Chandler wasn't sure what was safe to say and the silence between them stretched. "Oh…kay."
"Why were you sneaking around our apartment at one in the morning?" Her head tilted in curiosity.
"That's a good question," he shoved his hands in his pockets. Chandler avoided her gaze as he tried to think of something to tell her. 'Because she's my girlfriend and I can't spend one night apart from her,' didn't seem like the right thing to say. "She has problems sleeping and she called me for company. She said it's because she's nervous about traveling tomorrow. To London. She also told me you weren't going, that's a bummer."
"Well, the whole Ross thing is complicated. You've never been in love, have you?"
Chandler chewed on his bottom lip with a soft hum. "I have actually. It's nice, or dare I say, love-ly."
Her eyes rolled at the horrible pun, "Is it the same person you said didn't love you back a few months ago? Are you going to tell me who it is?"
"Oh, no I can't tell you that. It's a secret," he smiled at her curiosity.
Rachel scoffed, crossing her arms. "What is this high school? Come on, it's no big deal, just tell me. Is it a guy?"
He couldn't help but chuckle at the suspicions that have been following him around since childhood. "No, it's not a guy. I'll tell you when I get back from London, deal?"
"Fine," she sighed. "So, you're not judging me…for not going? I think it's the right thing, but I still wish I was going, am I crazy?"
Chandler shook his head with a slight shrug. "You're not crazy. He's your friend, it's understandable to want to support him. But also, you're in love with him so it's hard to watch him marry someone else. If I was in your position, I wouldn't go either."
"I'm not in love with Ross. I mean, I used to be, but I'm not anymore. That's all in the past," she dismissed him.
His eyebrows furrowed as his lips pursed together. "Okay, sure."
"I'm not!"
"I didn't say anything," he put his hands up defensively. "I'll see you later, Rach. Tell Mon said hey."
Rachel watched him walk down the steps before she went into the apartment to set up for the baby shower. Her roommate was in the middle of cleaning the living room as Rachel put her bags on the table. "Hey Mon, Chandler says hi."
"Did you see him?" Monica looked up from her task.
"Yeah, in the hall. He told me about your sleeping troubles, if you ever need help falling asleep I bet some tea might help." Rachel started to get out the decorations to get the apartment ready.
"My sleeping troubles?' Monica furrowed her eyebrows. She went over to the coffee table to help set up the balloons.
She opened up a gift bag to wrap up Phoebe's present as she shrugged. "Yeah. I saw him come over in the middle of the night and he said you called him for company because you have problems falling asleep. Something about being nervous about traveling to London. My mother is a nervous flier too, so I totally understand."
"Oh, right. Yeah. Um, well, I've never been across the pond before, so," she chuckled nervously. Monica tucked her hair behind her ears, "Did he say anything else about me?"
"No, but he did tell me that he's finally going to tell me who he's been in love with when he gets back from London. It's been like five months, but my curiosity is killing me," she smiled. "Who do you think it is?"
Monica could feel her cheeks heating up and she looked down at the tissue paper in her hands. She remembered before they were together, Chandler talked about being in love with someone who didn't love him back, but she wasn't sure what it meant. When they first started dating, she knew it was her he was talking about, but having feelings for a person and being in love was different. Over the past five months, she's fallen in love with him more every day and she wondered if he felt the same. They hadn't told each other they love each other yet, maybe he was waiting for the perfect time. She was too scared to say it out loud. "I'm not sure who it is," she lied.
–
The morning was hectic, saying goodbye to Phoebe and Rachel and then trying to get to the airport on time. Monica was yelling at everyone the whole way there about the most efficient way to get to the gate. Once they got there though, they were all able to relax while waiting to board. Monica had her head leaning on Chandler's shoulder, not sleeping, but 'resting her eyes' as she put it. He held both of their plane tickets in his hand, tapping the paper against his leg until he noticed they were sitting in different rows. "Hey, Joe?"
"Yeah?" Joey up from his video camera.
"What's your seat number?"
Joey dug through the pocket on his carry-on bag and then pulled out his crumpled ticket, "G15. Why?"
"You're sitting by Monica," he held up her ticket to show her seat.
"Really?" He smirked and looked at the sleeping woman on Chandler's arm. "Do you think she'll sleep on the plane?"
Chandler's jaw clenched and he shook his head. "Do you want to trade seats with me? I'm sitting next to Ross."
"Why does it matter?" Joey questioned. "Are you mad at Ross?"
"What? No. It's just, y'know. A six-hour flight, that's a lot of Monica. I'm doing you a favor here." He held out his ticket, hoping Joey would trade seats with him. "Unless you want to listen to her chattering the whole time."
He grimaced at the image of sitting by a talkative Monica for six hours. "Yeah, let's switch."
Chandler gave him his ticket and took the other one, looking at the seat number triumphantly. Since he was stuck sharing a hotel room with Joey the whole trip, wasn't sure how much he'd be able to sneak away to see Monica. So, a six-hour plane ride next to her sounded perfect. His thoughts were broken when Ross handed him a cup of coffee before sitting in the chair across from him.
Ross laughed slightly at his sister, leaning on Chandler as a pillow, "She's really tired."
"Huh?" Chandler looked up from the cup, then to Monica. "Oh, yeah. She had trouble falling asleep last night. She stayed up for hours checking and double-checking her luggage even though I kept telling her she had everything," he chuckled lightly.
He nodded, keeping his eyes on his best friend. Ross wondered how Chandler seemed to know everything about Monica lately. They'd always been close, but now he knew things about his sister that he didn't even know. "Rachel told me that you said she has sleeping problems? She's never been scared of traveling before."
"Yeah, but she's never been out of the country before either. I guess such a long flight is more nerve-wracking. Plus you know Monica. Everything has to go perfectly for her, y'know?" He felt like he was just digging himself into a deeper hole of lies. Ross was probably going to worry about his sister's health when they just wanted to be with each other. Chandler sipped his coffee to avoid Ross's gaze, feeling guilty that he couldn't tell the truth. "She'll be okay. After we're back home, hopefully, it'll be better."
Ross nodded, then noticed Monica started to move in her sleep. She looked at the cup in Chandler's hand and mumbled so softly he almost didn't hear her question, "Is that coffee?"
"Yeah, you want some?" Chandler laughed as she took his cup from his hands. "I thought you were asleep."
"Resting my eyes," she corrected. Monica sipped his coffee and winced slightly at the bitter taste. She forgot that Chandler drank black coffee, not with cream and sugar like her. "How can you drink this?"
"It wakes me up, isn't that the point?" He could tell early morning Monica wasn't appreciating his teasing so he got up. "I'll get cream and sugar for you."
"Thank you," Monica smiled as he left towards the closest coffee shop.
Ross scoffed from his seat, crossing his legs at the ankles. "Why don't you get your own coffee? I got that one for Chandler."
She shrugged, not caring enough to come up with a lame excuse. They would all know in a few days that she was dating Chandler, it didn't seem worth hiding anymore. She wasn't about to do anything extreme, but stealing a cup of coffee from him didn't seem that big of a deal. "It's too far."
Chandler came back and took the cup from her, being careful not to spill it as he took off the lid. He noticed there wasn't much room at the top so he took a larger sip before adding the cream and sugar for her. Monica took the coffee back when he put the lid on and then took another sip. "Better?"
"Much," she mumbled. Monica moved her legs over the armrest, resting them on Chandler's lap.
–
"Please Chandler? I don't want to go alone, who's going to be in the videos for Phoebe?" Joey begged, following him around the hotel room with the camera in his hands.
"I can't, I have plans with Monica. We can go sightseeing tomorrow, okay?" Chandler sighed, fixing his hair in the mirror in the bathroom.
Joey groaned, rolling his eyes. "Come on man, you're always with Monica lately. Just bring her with us, it'll be fun."
Dates weren't something they could do very often. They could count the number of times they've gone to dinner or a movie on one hand. Going to a new city where barely anyone knew them, seemed like a perfect chance to take her to someplace really special. As much as he wanted to help out his friend, he wasn't going to miss this opportunity. "Tomorrow Joe, I promise."
He sighed, flopping down on the bed, fiddling with the setting on his camera when the hotel phone rang. Joey grabbed the receiver before Chandler could reach it, "Hello?"
"Hey, Joey. Is Chandler around?" Monica asked on the other end.
He looked over his shoulder at Chandler, who was already reaching for the phone impatiently. "Oh, hey Monica. We were just talking about you."
"You were? Good things I hope," she chuckled lightly.
Joey dodged Chandler's outreached hand, moving so he couldn't grab the phone. "Oh, of course. There's nothing bad to say about you Mon."
Chandler rolled his eyes and quickly grabbed the phone from his roommate. Nervously, he played with his hair, "Hi."
"So, you've been talking about me?" She teased.
"Yeah, we were just talking about how much you were snoring on the plane," he joked.
Monica scoffed into the phone, "I do not snore, you know that."
"No, but you get clingy sometimes." Chandler smiled into the phone, ignoring Joey's confused expression. "Did you call to talk about your sleeping habits?"
"Actually, I called because…please don't get upset, but I can't go out today. The church got torn down so I'm helping Emily find a new location for the wedding. It's a whole mess. I'm so sorry."
"What? But, I was looking forward to this. Shouldn't Ross be the one helping her since he's the groom?" Chandler sat on the bed across from Joey.
"You would think so, but apparently he's doing something else. Honey, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you tonight," Monica said suggestively
He smiled at the implication, glancing at Joey to see if he was still listening. Luckily, he was back to messing with the video camera. "Alright, fine. But you owe me."
"After the rehearsal dinner, I'm all yours," she promised. "I'll see you tonight."
"Okay," Chandler hung up the phone with a sigh. "I guess I can go sightseeing with you, Joe."
"Yes!" Joey hopped up from his place on the bed to grab his map. "We can see all of it and get some great things to show Phoebe when we get back."
Chandler reluctantly followed him out the door. For now, he just had to focus on having a decent time with Joey, which usually wouldn't be hard, but he wasn't able to hide his disappointment. Even if he was putting a damper on their outing, he didn't care. A rare chance to take his girlfriend somewhere nice was ruined by eager construction workers. After Joey insisted on buying a hat that looked utterly ridiculous, he couldn't take any more of it. Chandler went back to the hotel to be alone.
–
At the rehearsal dinner, Chandler looked around the hall at all the tables full of wedding guests. It amazed him how they were able to throw such a nice event in a short amount of time. He stuck by Joey the whole night, trying to help him through his homesickness until he met a bridesmaid. With his best friend preoccupied and Ross negotiating with his soon-to-be inlaws, he sat near the bar.
His eyes were stuck on Monica who was sitting with her parents. It didn't look like it was a pleasant conversation for her. Chandler turned to the bartender and ordered a scotch on the rocks with a twist. He took the glass, set the tip on the counter then walked over to his girlfriend. Over her shoulder, he placed the drink in front of her on the table. She practically downed the entire drink like a shot making him chuckle.
"Chandler, don't you think Monica should find a man to settle with? She's not getting any younger," Judy said. "This is Ross's second wedding, we haven't been able to even have one for her."
He cringed internally at the rude comment and put on a fake smile. Her parents already didn't like him very much, so it would be easy to turn their negativity onto him instead."I know, I keep offering, but she refuses. She's too picky."
"That's something I can agree with her on. No offense dear, but you're not marriage material," she sipped her champagne.
"Well, why waste time finding the perfect guy when she can settle for less? You did say she's getting older," he pointed out. Chandler knelt next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I think we'd make a cute couple don't you think?"
"What are you doing?" Monica whispered in his ear.
Judy looked between the two of them, shaking her head. "If she wants to have kids then she needs to find someone soon that's what I meant. Someone actually suitable for her."
"Oh, you want kids?" Chandler looked at her surprised, though he knew this already. "Well, we shouldn't keep your mother waiting. Let's go now."
Monica smiled at his stupidity as she took his hand, letting him pull her from her parent's eyes. They rounded the corner to an empty hallway then she wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're an idiot Chandler Bing."
"Your mother is an idiot for saying those things about you," he muttered.
"That doesn't mean you have to talk about yourself that way. I'm not 'settling for less' or settling at all. I hope you know that." Monica pulled him down and pressed her lips to his, feeling his hands tighten on her waist.
Maybe it was because he knew that everyone would know about them soon or just because he's never been confident in himself. But a small part of him was always worried she would realize she was out of his league. Or that all of this was some kind of dream. When they did tell everyone, he knew they would have comments, so to hear her say that was reassuring.
Chandler grabbed her hand again as he started to walk toward the elevator, staying close to her. "I know that now. I also know that we made a little deal earlier today."
Monica looked back at the dining room where the rehearsal dinner was coming to an end. When they made it into the elevator, they waited for the door to fully close before they were kissing each other again. Monica pulled his shirt out from his pants and then loosened his tie as she pulled his bottom lip between her teeth.
The elevator doors slid open on their floor and Chandler stumbled slightly out of the elevator as they walked to his room. He pressed her against the door, not paying attention as he attempted to unlock his room with his keycard.
"You're sure Joey's not in there, right?" Monica whispered when he finally got the key in.
"He's with a bridesmaid," he reassured.
Chandler guided her inside, letting the door fall closed behind them.
–
The next morning, Joey walked back to his room with his suit jacket over his arm, his shirt untucked. It didn't seem worth tucking it in when he was about to change his clothes anyway. Nothing could have prepared him for walking into the hotel room with clothes all over the floor with the sound of the shower running in the bathroom. Joey looked around the floor, noticing Chandler's suit scattered haphazardly and a lacy bra next to the bed. He looked up at his disheveled-looking roommate, raising an eyebrow in question. "What happened here last night?" He smirked.
"Nothing," Chandler said quickly, grateful he at least had his boxers on. "Why are you back so early? I thought you were with the bridesmaid…"
"Oh, no no no. Don't try to change the subject. Did you find your own bridesmaid last night? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised, but this is good for you. When's the last time you had sex before this? Janice? Or was it that stripper?" Joey hummed, trying to think of Chandler's dating history for the past five months.
He rolled his eyes at the subject and then put on a nearby t-shirt. The shower in the bathroom suddenly turned off and he quickly got up to push Joey out of the room. "Does it matter? Look, why don't you go find the breakfast buffet or something? I bet there's one downstairs."
"Hey, babe? Have you seen my bra? I can't find it-" Monica stopped in the bathroom doorway when she saw Joey standing there, his jaw now wide open. She held the towel that was wrapped around her body tighter, "Joey…Hi."
Chandler noticed Joey's eyes scan the woman in front of them. He quickly grabbed the bra from the floor, standing in front of her to block the other man's view. "Why don't you finish getting dressed," he whispered.
She nodded then quickly hid back in the bathroom.
"Ross is going to kill you," Joey pointed out.
"No he's not…is he?" He turned to his best friend, now nervous.
Joey went to the other side of the room to sit on his bed as he tried to process what was happening. "You and Monica slept together? I mean. You and her? Really? Man, if you slept with my sister I would kill you. You didn't, right?"
"No," Chandler scoffed. "This is more than just, sex. Okay? We were going to tell everyone when we got back. There was just, never a good time."
"Wait, how long has this been going on exactly?"
"Eleven months?" Chandler guessed.
Monica came back from the bathroom, now in her dress from the night before, her hair still damp. "Ten months, three weeks, and five days," she corrected, climbing over his bed to sit next to him.
"Are technicalities really important right now?" Chandler sighed.
Joey shook his head in disbelief, "This is insane! You've been sleeping together for ten months? And no one knows? Why- I mean, how did this happen?"
"We've been dating for ten months," Monica corrected again. She didn't want to get too caught up in details right now, but saying they'd just been sleeping together seemed to diminish what they had. "It's a long story, but we just kind of realized that we had feelings for each other then he asked me out," she shrugged.
"We didn't tell anyone because things just kept getting in the way. We started dating after Ross and Rachel broke up so it didn't seem right to say anything. Then we wanted to find out what this was, we weren't sure where it was going at the time."
"Exactly. When we switched apartments, I was too stressed out already, telling people would've made it worse. Then, y'know, Ross's wedding came up out of nowhere. We didn't want to steal any focus from this. And we still don't. Which is why we agreed to say something when we got back to New York. So can you keep a secret until then? Please?" Monica held on to Chandler's hand, hoping their friend would agree to help.
Joey looked between their desperate faces. His first instinct was to tell everyone about this. It was huge that two of their best friends were in a relationship, and it seemed serious. Though, he didn't want Ross's wedding ruined either. It was only a few days, so it shouldn't be too hard. "Alright fine…This is just unbelievable. I mean, it's great that you guys are happy, but I never expected this."
"I don't think we did either," Chandler said honestly. His eyes were locked on hers, he could feel his heart starting to race in his chest.
Their faces were only inches apart until Chandler closed the gap. His hand moved to the back of her neck as he pulled her closer. He could still feel the butterflies in his stomach even after all this time.
"I don't wanna see that," Joey whined.
Monica chuckled, leaning her forehead against Chandler's. "Sorry."
"We're telling them the second we land in New York," he said for clarification.
"I was hoping to have a private dinner with her first," Chandler said softly, putting an arm around her waist. Since their date plans fell through in London, he hoped they could manage a night out back home. With Joey's help, it might even be easier. "Then, we can tell them. We just have to hope this wedding goes smoothly so nothing else gets in the way."