I'm back! besides this one, I have at least one more chapter that's set at the beach house. I thought it was the perfect setting to make the characters have some more intimate and serious conversations/moments. Also, since there won't be real mondler in this fanfic, I couldn't resist sprinkling a bit of cuteness into their friendship! :P
Monica woke up feeling more annoyed than she usually did when she was on vacation. Frustrated - it was more what she was feeling, Monica decided when she remembered the previous day and how she lost at the beach volley against her brother.
Through the closed curtains on the window, Monica could see that it was already morning, but still too early to wake everyone else. Perhaps it was a good hour to go take a run along the beach, without the heat from the blazing sun, to try to ease her mind. Besides, the exercise would also help with her weight loss process.
Deciding to start her day, Monica put on her running clothes and went down the stairs to prepare her breakfast in the kitchen. But as soon as she stepped onto the tile floor, she jumped with a high squeal, scared to find someone else already there.
"I'm sorry, didn't want to scare you," Chandler apologized, turning around from the cupboard.
"I wasn't expecting someone else to be here. What are you doing here so early?" Monica asked, after recomposing from her scare.
"I woke up and couldn't sleep again. And my stomach decided to let everyone else in this house know that I was starving, so I decided to see if there was something to eat," Chandler explained nonchalantly. Really, how did he manage to use even the slight sarcasm so early in the morning, Monica thought, inwardly rolling her eyes.
"And you? What the hell are you doing up so early?" Chandler returned Monica's question to her.
"I'm going for a run while the weather is bearable. I was about to make breakfast for myself before you appeared out of nowhere and scared the crap out of me," Monica answered.
"Sorry about that again," Chandler apologized again.
"It's okay. I was going to make eggs. Want some?" Monica offered.
Chandler accepted Monica's offer, and she immediately went to work. She prepared each of them a toast and a glass of orange juice before working on the eggs. She could feel Chandler's gaze on her back while she scrambled the eggs on the pan.
"Stop staring; it's creepy," She said.
"It's just; You move with such ease in the kitchen. It's like you're a different person while you cook. It's actually nice to watch," Chandler explained.
Monica felt herself slightly blush at the sort of compliment. The only person who had ever complimented her without any reason behind it was Rachel.
"Oh. I do like to cook," Monica found herself saying. "Now, let's eat before the eggs get cold," She added to divert the subject because they'd never had such an intimate conversation before, and it felt slightly weird.
She took a sip of her orange juice, and Chandler took a forkful of the scrambled eggs.
"Oh my god! These eggs taste amazing! What is your secret?" Chandler exclaimed as soon as the food touched his mouth.
"It's just scrambled eggs; there's no big secret. I just cooked it as usual."
"Oh. But they do taste amazing. You should totally be a chef!"
This time Monica didn't try to hide the blush that stained her cheeks. Complimenting her was flattering enough, but complimenting her food? It was the ultimate praise she could get. And maybe Chandler was right. She loved to cook, and she'd already had enough proof people liked her cooking. How come she'd never thought about being a chef? Not until that moment.
"I know!" She exclaimed in her high-pitched signature tone, which would have been heard by everyone in the house if they weren't asleep.
Chandler let a small chuckle at her excitement, but they didn't continue the conversation. After a few minutes, they cleared their empty plates and glasses from the table.
"Hey, Monica. I hope this doesn't seem weird, but can I join you on your run? It's not like I have much to do here, being the only one awake," Chandler asked once everything in the kitchen was put into its place.
The question was unexpected. Monica had decided to go run alone to clear her mind from the frustration of the day before. She wasn't expecting someone else to tag along. And yet, she hadn't also been expecting to already feel so much more at ease just after breakfast.
"Sure," Was her answer.
The cool breeze of the morning hit their faces, and Monica started to already feel more refreshed. They started with a little warm-up conducted by Monica, which to her satisfaction, Chandler followed without complaining. Then, they settled on a steady and slow run around a park near the beach.
They ran for about half an hour, not saying much, only occasional comments on their surroundings and a few callouts from Monica when Chandler was left behind. Then, they stopped to drink water from a fountain before heading back to the house.
"Hey, Monica, can I ask you something?" Chandler asked out of nowhere, a bit tentatively.
"Sure?" Monica answered, a hint of uncertainty in her voice.
"Yesterday you were really upset about the volley game. Are you still mad at me today?"
"I'm sorry about that," She started. "I know I am a bit too competitive, and it upset me that we lost. I woke up still frustrated from that; that's why I decided to go for a run, to clear my mind from it. But I think I can forgive you for being so slow after you enjoyed my food this morning." Monica finished with a playful smile.
"Hey! I'm not slow! I have just been pretending so you could keep up with me! I definitely can run faster than you!" Chandler said with mock indignation.
Monica snorted at Chandler's response. "Of course you are!"
Chandler looked around for a few moments before his eyes settled on a three a few yards away.
"What about we race down to that tree over there? See who's faster?"
"Is that a challenge?" Monica asked him, already hyped about the upcoming competition.
"Oh yeah, it is!" Chandler said before they settled in position to race.
They counted to three, and Monica sprinted as fast as she could toward the three. She didn't feel Chandler going behind her, but she didn't care.
"I won! I am the fastest! Suck it, looser!" Monica yelled as soon as she reached the three. Only after basking in her victory for a few more seconds did she notice Chandler far behind, as if he had only then left his starting point. He finally reached her.
"You let me win on purpose, didn't you?" Monica asked him.
"Well... It was to make it up for yesterday, for making you lose at the volley. Ross told me how unbearable you can get for days when you lose at something, and I didn't want to experience it first hand, knowing I was the responsible one."
In other circumstances, Monica would have been mad. However, she was still happy about winning the race, even though it was a fake win, and she could detect a hint of playfulness in Chandler's smile when he spoke. Monica could tell that the first part of his sentence was true. But as for the rest, she could tell there was more to it than what he'd said.
"You know, you were right this morning," Monica said after a short silence. "I should consider being a chef."
Chandler smiled at her. "It's good to hear it. I'm sure you will be an excellent chef," He assured her.
Monica smiled at the easiness with which Chandler's words left his mouth.
"What about you? What are you going to do next year? Do you plan to go to college?" She asked, the curiosity taking the best of her.
Chandler looked at the ground as if he was embarrassed. But then, he started to speak softly.
"I want to study something related to writing. But I'm not sure I will."
"Why not?" Monica questioned, genuinely curious to know his motives.
"Because I would be inevitably linked to my mother. I want people to value and recognize me for my work, not because I'm Nora Bing's son. And that would be impossible in the literature world," Chandler admitted.
Monica could sense some downheartedness in Chandler's answer. And even though she never thought of herself as good at comforting people, she tried to cheer her friend up.
"Maybe you could write a comic book! I know you like comics, and it is the farthest from related to your mother books!"
Chandler looked at her, his previous sadness gone, and raised his eyebrows.
"A comic book, really? What do you think I am? A nerd?"
Monica smiled by seeing her attempt at comforting Chandler had worked.
"Well... Considering you're friends with my brother, I will have to say yes."
"Maybe I shouldn't have let you win this race..." Chandler murmured.
"No!" Monica yelled as if taking back what she'd said. Then, a second of silence fell between them before Chandler spoke again, back to a more serious tone.
"Don't talk about this to Ross. I never shared this whole writing thing with anyone, and I would like it to remain that way."
Monica answered with equal seriousness.
"I won't, I promise. But seriously, you should consider doing what you love. Don't let your mother get in the way; just try it!
Chandler held his gaze on her for a moment after she finished speaking, a genuine smile on his lips.
"Thanks, Mon," He acknowledged her words.
It might have seemed a regular acknowledgement, but Monica noticed he'd used her nickname, Mon, for the first time. She was used to hearing it only from Rachel and occasionally her brother. Only people who genuinely cared about her had ever used it. And yet, Chandler used it with such ease that it seemed they had been close friends for a long time. Maybe they were closer than she'd realized. Within their group, they had never been as close as Monica was with Rachel, but perhaps that had changed. Just as he'd trusted her with his confession, Monica realized she had another friend she could trust - someone who cared about her despite all her quirks.
"No problem," Monica responded with casualness as if having these kinds of intimate conversations was common for them.
"So, should we go back before they think we went missing?"