A/n:
Y'all want more scenes with Chandler and his dad and it was quite difficult to think of a story but I thought of a way.This story is quite emotional, so please prepare your tissues. Enjoy!
After that night, the two of them tried to avoid each other. It was awkward of course, he sang his heart out for her and she saw it. Monica attempted to try talking to him but every time she went closer to him, he managed to find a way to get away or avoid her.
The whole plane ride was quite uneasy too. Chandler tried to pretend to have a conversation with Joey whenever Monica went across the aisle. She was getting upset by this whole situation, now that she finally has decided, what if—
Monica's thoughts are broken when Rachel softly strokes her arms, "You're thinking hard... what's wrong?" She asked in concern.
Monica sighed and cast a glance across the aisle where Chandler and Joey is, who were having a deep conversation. "Is it about Chandler?" Rachel asked.
She gave him one last look before turning to face Rachel, "Yeah... he's been trying to avoid me Rache," She replied sadly.
"Well, give him some time. He's probably still embarrassed about the whole thing. You should talk to him after we went back, okay? Just give him some time to clear his embarrassment," Rachel chuckles at the end.
Monica smiled, it's a little relief that Rachel knows about her secret about Chandler. She has finally someone to talk to about it, and she'll never feel alone if something bad happens. Something bad happens... that what's scares her a lot, What if something bad happens and it will ruin everything, Monica thought of that "what if" every single day. That's the only thing that was holding her back but she decided to follow her heart and never let herself eat her by that.
She's in love... with her best friend and it couldn't be more terrifying and at the same time amazing.
They went back to their apartments. Exhausted. Ross and Phoebe shared a cab together, and Joey quickly went to his room and sleep, same with Rachel who is having major jetlag, leaving Monica and Chandler alone in the kitchen.
"We're certainly are alone," She thought. "Should I take my chance to talk to him?"
She take a glance at Chandler and she was surprised when she caught Chandler looking at her too. She gulped and cleared her throat, "Uhm...Chandler, can we talk?" She stared.
"...Sure..." He trailed off.
She took a deep breath and move slightly away from him across the table, moving to the back of the couch, "About that night—"
He quickly cuts her off, "Can we please not talk about that..." He said, plainly.
Monica was taken aback by this; she had assumed he wanted to talk about it as well; perhaps it was just her... But she wanted to ask and talk about what happened that night because it's a big deal, especially she finally made her decision about being together.
"But maybe we should talk about it..." She mumbled. Chandler shakes his head, putting his hands inside his pockets, "No, I don't want to talk about it Mon. What happened in Vegas, we should just leave it there and forget about it..." He murmured his voice was barely even can be heard but Monica understands him.
She scrapes the material on the couch using her fingers, not knowing what to say next. This was harder than she thought. Maybe Rachel was right, maybe she should give him some time alone to think about what happened. It is embarrassing, after all.
She heard him sigh, "I think I'm going back to my room, I'm quite beat. Anyway, Thank you for convincing me to see my dad, It meant a lot to me." He said as he suddenly walks over to her and she looks over at him with an overly pounding heartbeat pumping into her chest.
He stands in front of her, and Monica can't keep her gaze fixed on him; her entire body is trembling because they were so close that they felt a spark in between them. He suddenly cups her face, which caught her off guard. She finally saw him again for the first time since that night, and this time she looks at him differently. He's not the guy who lived across the hall, who was also his neighbour and best friend. She sees him as a guy, a guy with whom she is beginning to fall in love with.
He caresses her cheeks and leans in, Monica closes her eyes, expecting a wonderful kiss on the lips but all she received was a kiss on the cheek but there was something in that kiss that felt different.
Chandler leaned down and kiss her cheeks, longer than he thought. Monica felt the breathing of his nose to her ears making her spine shiver. He moves slowly away from her but barely leaving her skin, smelling her wonderful Vanilla scent. He noticed that she was gripping the edges of his jacket, eyes tightly shut and his eyes fixing to her lips. He badly wants to touch those again, but it's time to move on...
Move on from her...
He now moves away, taking her hands from his jacket, putting them on her baby bump. He can't believe in 6 months, he's going to have a baby. They're going to have a baby. It's weird that he still doesn't freak out about all of this. I mean, he is Chandler, the guy who freaks out about everything especially babies and commitments.
He moves her hands from her bump as she opens her eyes. Their blue ocean eyes caught each other, full of waves can be seen from one another. He looks down on her stomach and softly rubs it, "You should get some rest now, we had a long flight and do me a favour Mon, please don't mention what happened about that night...please. What happens in Vegas, stay only in Vegas, okay?" He said.
Monica frown at him but Chandler didn't notice it as he was busy looking at her stomach. She wants to bring the subject about them but it's really hard when you're not on the same page. "Maybe I should talk about it some another time," She thought.
She softly sighs, "Okay...I won't bring it up...—But I can't promise you anything. What happened that night had a huge impact of confusion in me, Chandler. I hope you can understand that." She said, inaudible, but loud for him to hear.
He looks up to her again and softly nodded, "Okay...I understand," He said, "and I'm sorry if it affected our friendship... I didn't mean to ruin what we have." He added, sincerely.
She softly smiled at him, "It's okay. I know you didn't mean it to ruin. Sometimes feelings just... take control of us because we can't handle it anymore, it's too much. It's big..." She murmured.
They look at each other for a second, Chandler totally agrees with what she had said. Your mind becomes unconscious and all you can think is the person that means everything in your world. That's what he felt about Monica with a slight stab of the knife in the chest. He loves her so much it hurts but it's time to move on.
After the accident, Chandler talked to his father about everything. About Monica and after everything that he had said, it came to his mind that it's time to completely move on.
FLASHBAC
"Hey kid, are you okay?" His dad asked, noticing his son's dejection. He sat down beside him on the bar, ordering a margarita. The bartender recognize his dad and was very thrilled when he was in front of him since he's the famous Helena Handbasket."
It's so awkward when both of your parents are famous," He joked.
His dad chuckle, "I'm only famous in the city, sweetheart, your mother is famous everywhere," He said, taking his order from the counter, "So what's going on. Is Monica still missing?"
Chandler brought his head down to his drink, tapping the edges of the glass. His dad was shocked when his friends including him, suddenly left the room. He thought Chandler was mad at him but it was only his and Monica's situation. He never really knew Monica but he's familiar with her since Chandler told him when he first moves into the city, he was going to be neighbours with his best friend's sister; She was uptight, controlling, and a clean freak. Chandler said those words back then.
"No, we already found her... she was in the hotel with Rachel. She's good now," He replied softly, taking a sip of his drink.
His dad looks at him for a while, worried about his son's situation."So why did she ran away earlier? That seems so abruptly," He said.
Chandler puts down his drink and sigh, "Because she saw me singing..." He trailed out. His dad looks at him, confused for a while, "That's it?... So what if she saw you sing—"
"No! You don't understand!" He suddenly burst out. His dad flinches slightly at his sudden outburst. Chandler took a deep breath and exhaled, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout at you, I'm sorry" He apologized and heading back to his drink again.
"It's okay..." He muttered. It's his first time seeing Chandler react like this, he didn't think that Monica seeing him singing upon the stage would be such a big deal to him. Something is going on with them and he wants to know what it is since he's his father."Uhm, Then why did she leave earlier?" He carefully asked again. "
I told you already, it's because I sang," He said again, getting frustrated by his father's question.
"I don't get it."
"Of course you don't get it, nobody gets it," Chandler muttered underneath his breath.
His Father sigh, "Chandler, please just tell me... I'm here to understand," He said.
Chandler takes the whole shot of his drink and planning to order another one but before he could say anything to the waiter his dad stopped him, "Hey, calm down with those. What is going on with you?"
"She left because she knows," He suddenly said. His dad looks at him with furrowed eyebrows, "What?"
"Monica... She ran away because she knows..." Chandler trailed off.
His dad is getting more and more confused by his statement, "Knows about what?"
"Knows that I'm in love with her..." He finally said it.
Helena looks at him surprised. Surprise by the unexpected revelation about his son."What?"
"Yeah!, I'm the fool who's in love with her!" He said the alcohol is already washing him over. His dad is still looking at him with wide eyes and then he tries to recall what he was singing earlier before the show. 'Can't help falling in love then the realization hits him, "Oh..." He trailed off.
"Yeah... I'm in love with her," He admitted softly, staring at his glass sadly. His dad reluctantly put his hand around Chandler's back and comfortingly patted it, "Then why don't you want to come clean? Since she already knows, you two should talk about it," He suggested.
Chandler scoffs and looks up to him, "I can't," He replied, inaudible.
"What? Why?"
"Because she doesn't want to ruin our friendship and I don't want too to. I respect her decision and I don't want to see her sad because of me. It hurts dad. It hurts here," pointing his chest while he said the last statement.His dad looks at him sympathetically, "Does she not feels the same way?" He asked.
Chandler didn't speak for a while and break eye contact with his dad. He doesn't know if Monica still feels the same way about him. Maybe she moved on, he thought. He rubs his face in vexation, "I don't know. Maybe she moved on or starting to move on...but she clearly doesn't us to be a thing..." He told.
Helena sigh, "Do you really love her?" He asked carefully.
Chandler looks at him, "Dad, I just told you a gazillion times already, I'm in love with her,"
"Then you need to let her go," with no hesitation, his father said.Chandler was taken back. Surprised by his words, "What?..."
"If you truly love someone then learn to let go..."
Chandler's breath stops as his heart. He can't do that. He can't let her go, that's going to be hard, especially when he's already in love with her."I...— I can't do that..." He said, "I can't," He said, he can feel the lump in his throat.
"Chandler, you said that she's starting to move on right? and she doesn't want to ruin your friendship? If it's all of that things meant to her and you want her to be happy then you need to let her go... I know it's hard but as long as you see that wonderful smile on her face then everything's going to be alright. Both of you will be happy in the end."
Chandler looks at him, with his eyes that start to become red. He'll never be happy. Monica is the reason of his happiness, if he lets her go then he just lost the crucial part of him, but seeing her smile is the most innocent and wonderful thing to see in the world and he wants that."How can I move on?..." He trailed out, "She's the reason for my happiness... if I let her go then what about me? How will I become happy?!" He said, his voice was in desperation and sadness.
One tear rolls down across his cheek, his hands were turning red and numb because of his hard clutch.His dad felt bad about this. His problem was harder than he thought but this was the only way.He wipes the tears that strolled across his cheek and softly smiled at him, "I've never seen you cry since you were 9 and I thought that you're never going to cry after that..."Chandler swallowed as tears continues to stroll down, "But look at you now, crying because of a girl not because of their parents splitting up..."
"Dad..."
"Chandler. The reason of her happiness will be your happiness. Seeing her happy will be your happiness, it might be not you that's making her happy but at least she will feel the understanding and the love that you relinquish," He said, comforting his son back.
Chandler buries his face into his hands and softly sob. In 27 years of his life, he never cried like this before and the reason for his sadness is Monica. Maybe his dad was right, he needs to let her go before anything else gets worse.
"It's just that... I love her so much to the point it hurts... and letting her go will be a hundred times worse but your right it's time..." He mumbles, softly nodding by his advice.
He looks at him with determination, "What's the first thing I should do?"
The gang minus Chandler is in the coffee shop, enjoying their quality time with each other. It's been a week since their wonderful trip in Vegas ended and went back to New York and it's been a week since the humiliation happened. Monica was relieved that this past week wasn't weird at all. She and Chandler still talk, maybe there were times that it was quite uneasy for the both of them but it worked out well.
She decided that this day, she will tell about her feelings and her decision. She wants to get it out in her system. She's been dropping hints this past few days but Chandler didn't seem to have noticed it, boys are really oblivious about this kind of stuff. But today is the day she will tell him. She hopes it will turn out well.
"Hey, Mon. So when are you going to tell him?" Rachel whispered beside her.
"After his work, I think? Later at night? I don't know. I'm getting nervous," She said, rubbing her hands nervously. "I think, I'm going to the restroom," Monica said as she got up and went to the Ladies' room.
The others suddenly heard a familiar voice, entering the coffeeshop, "Hey guys," He greeted.
Joey looks over behind the couch and saw Chandler, "Hey, Why are you here?" He asked.
Chandler looks at his watch, "Well, it is my lunchtime, Joe," He said sarcastically. Joey gave him a look and notice that there was a woman behind him.
"Who's she?" He asked.
Chandler remembered that he was going to introduce someone to the gang, "Oh, yeah. Mina these are my friends and guys this is Mina," He introduced.
A beautiful lady stood beside him and greeted the others with a wave. Ross was stunned by how beautiful she is, same with Joey and Rachel was shocked and surprised that Chandler brought a girl and introduce her to them. While Phoebe wave at her, "Hi, I'm Phoebe!" She said.
Mina smiled at her, "I know, Chandler talks all about you guys," She said. She looks at them one by one and notices something, she furrowed her eyebrows and asked, "Where's the other girl?"
"What other girl?" Phoebe asked.
"The brunette one. I forgot her name...- oh! Monica!" She finally remembers.
Suddenly Monica came out to the restroom and heard her name with an unfamiliar voice, "I'm Monica," She said. Standing behind the couch, she looks down at the others who are giving uncomfortable looks from one another.
She looks to Joey's side and notices Chandler standing beside him, "Hey! Why are you here?" She asked, as she smiled up to him.
She then notices a girl standing beside him, her smile quickly fades away as confusion takes over. "Uhm, There's Monica," Chandler muttered to Mina.
Mina looks at her with a smile and greeted, "Hi, I'm Mina. Chandler talked all about you and congratulations about the baby and don't worry, I'm comfortable with your situation," She said.
Monica just stood frozen in her place. Her breathing stops as her heart.
Maybe she can't talk about it now...
What do you think? HAHA, Are you still okay? Since this is a drama genre, the following chapters will be quite sad and a lot of unexpected things will happen...
Tell me what you think about this chapter!! Thank you for enjoying my story!
