Hi again! I'm back and as promised, there is another update. Thank you all for reading and a special thanks to stuckinthe90's for your continuous and super nice reviews. Hope you all like this chapter because I know you'll love the next one ;)
One week had passed since everything started to change. It was now Friday and Chandler stood at the restaurant door, watching the hours on his wrist as he waited for Hannah. When he spotted her on the other end of the street, he put out his cigarette on the ashtray near the wall and put a smile on his face.
"Hey. You look great" – He complimented the woman next to him. She wore a red knee-length dress and a black coat that covered her shoulders. She did look good, but he could not help but imagine how much better a certain brunette would look on that same dress.
"Have you been smoking?" – Hannah asked him, while he held the restaurant door open for her.
"Yeah, sorry. I know it's bad but I don't smoke that often" - Chandler said to the girl, with an apologetic smile.
She hadn't lectured him about it but he felt the need to apologize anyway. Deep down he knew it was because if it was Monica she would be scolding him for half an hour about how smoking was such a bad habit for his health. He shook his head, trying to ignore her voice at the back of his mind. He had smoked only that one cigarette and had only done it to try to ease his mind long enough for the date to go well.
He entered the restaurant right after Hannah and took a deep breath after closing the door behind him, getting ready for the night he had ahead.
It was almost midnight when Monica heard footsteps on the stairs of their floor. She listed attentively for a few seconds, concluding that they belonged to only one person. For a moment, she allowed her mind to wander and think that perhaps his date did not go well and he would never want to see the girl again.
She could feel the anxiety consuming her, like it had all night, while she waited for him to come from his date. She didn't know why she felt the need to stay awake and wait for him, but she knew that the thought of Chandler laughing and touching another girl all night made her feel queasy.
She couldn't wait until the next morning to know the date went. So, before he could reach his door, Monica opened her own and darted into the hall. He stopped in front of her with a confusing expression on his face.
"Mon? What are you doing here? It's late"
She took a moment to answer his question. Not because she didn't want to, but because the sight in front of her made her mind freeze. She had seen Chandler dressed up for dates several times in the past but for the first time, since she started having that strange crush on him, she noticed how good he looked when he dressed up and how the grey of his shirt enhanced the blue of his eyes.
"Sorry. I couldn't sleep and heard some footsteps on the stairs. Since I didn't hear another voice, I assumed you had come back from your date and that you were alone and thought about asking you how did your date go" – She lied to him, after adjusting her posture. She wanted to believe the lies she told herself earlier, but the smile on his face told her the answer would be another.
"It went great actually. I think we will go out again next week." – He said while opening his apartment door.
"Oh. Okay. Then I will let you sleep and tomorrow you tell us all about it. Good night"- She told him, turning to her door.
Once inside the apartment, she closed the door and leaned against it, the fake smile she had a few seconds earlier disappearing. She was genuinely surprised by his answer because earlier in the afternoon, she could feel that he wasn't 100% sure about that date. She had questioned him about it and he had said he was just nervous.
She did hate a bit his co-worker who set him up with a girl good enough that he would want to see again. Now that he was on the verge of getting himself a girlfriend, she knew that she should try to move on from those unrequested feelings she had for him. Maybe it was time to accept to go out with that waiter at the restaurant who did not seem to want to give up on her any time soon.
The next week, Chandler stood outside Hannah's apartment after another night spent with her. At first, he had been insecure about dating her but as the week passed and they got to hang out more at the office, he realized that he actually liked her. He could not say he was in love with her, nor that he did not have any feelings for Monica anymore, but since he had to move on from his crush, Hannah seemed nice enough for it. Besides, Monica clearly wasn't into him, because she too was on a date at that exact moment.
"I had a great night!" –Hannah said while moving her hand inside her purse, looking for the keys.
"Yeah, me too" – Chandler answered honestly. He studied Hannah's face for a second. Maybe this thing between them could work. He fidget with his hands inside his pockets, before taking a step forward, his mind made up.
"Look, Hannah. I have been having a great time with you. And I really like you". – She smiled at his words and stepped closer to him. They were both looking at each other and Chandler gulped nervously.
"Me too" – Hannah said in a soft tone, before stepping even closer to him, into his personal space.
Chandler knew what she expected to happen, so, while his mind was still hazy from the actually good evening he spent, he leaned down and pressed his lips on Hannah's, on a soft and brief kiss. When he separated from her, Hannah looked at him, with a smile on her face.
"Would you like to come in?" – She asked.
He knew what that question meant and although it felt wrong, almost as if he was cheating on Monica, he accepted Hannah's invitation. He stepped inside her apartment, to a night his mind knew was right but his heart felt like it was wrong.