A/N: Here we go :D The One Where It All Begins. :)
Chapter 1
MONICA'S POV
"Are you sure about this, Mon? Coz' I'm scared out of hell of this place. And we're not even in the worst part. I hear one of the most depressed neighborhoods is right over there. You're gonna be all by yourself! Rachel said to me as she pointed to the street that lead to the other side. The other face of New York. I'm standing at the middle of abundance and poverty, where the rich and the poor collide. "Of course I am! I've been wanting to do this in forever. I wanna explore. I want to see it for myself. I want to understand. I don't want to be confined in 'la-la land forever'. Besides, I'm in disguise and I dressed ordinarily. No one will recognize me. If anything goes wrong, I have my phone and I'll call you right away. I have a decent amount of money and if I get lucky I may be finally able to ride the subway, which I hear is fun." I said with a smile.
I would be lying if I said that I'm not even a tiny bit scared. I'm still doing something new which I am very uncertain of the consequences are. "Okay but be very careful! And have fun, I guess. Love ya, Mon!" She said as she hugged me goodbye. "I love ya too. Now, go home. And don't forget to tell Ross and Pete I went shopping all-day. For my parents; well, they're too busy to notice I'm gone today anyway. And remember all the excuses for me that I listed down for you! Meet me back up here by 4:30." I told her as she went back to her car. "Got it. Be careful!" she replied. "Right!"
I was wearing a plain yellow shirt and casual blue jeans with gray sneakers. I wore sunglasses and a cap and decided not to wear make-up. My hair was laid down and I ruffled it to make it a little messy. I also went out of my way and placed a prosthetic mole on my left cheek. That should do the trick. I brought a mini-map with me to help me as I get along. I walked down the unfamiliar streets, taking in the sights of disarray. I felt a tugging on my shirt which made my heart skip a beat. I cautiously looked to my side. A greasy man was seated in the sidewalk with a cardboard sign saying "Please help me."; laying out his hands waiting for me to do so. I was struck by his presence and immediately felt myself tearing up. Why does the world need to be unfair? I'm provided everything I need while unfortunate people like this man could barely survive. I took out my wallet and gave the man $50. He hesitated and said that it was too much and that all he needed was some spare change to buy crackers and soup. That would be his only meal for the day. I insisted and he gratefully accepted. "You are an angel. Thank you very much! This could feed me for a month." he said. I smiled at him and wished him well.
I continued on my way, looking at my map every once in a while. I tried to observe everything that has been happening as I passed by. I saw an angry couple arguing in one corner while I saw mischievous children strolling around with their skateboards. I saw a group of men in a circle looking like they're making transactions. Smoke radiated around them and I took a moment to observe the expressions in their faces; which were full of smug satisfaction. "At least they're having fun." I thought as I walked faster. I then came into a much more commercialized area. Street performers seeking money were all over the place. There was somebody tapping on his improvised drum while there was another man singing with his guitar. The mimes on one side of the road caught my attention though. A crowd was enjoying their act and I couldn't help but join in the fun. After the show, I felt hungry so I decided on buying a sandwich from a small kiosk.
CHANDLER'S POV
Another busy day in my third job of the day. Roy couldn't make his shift today so I had to fill-in extra time. It just means more income for me, which is neat. I was focused on flipping the patties on the grill when someone caught my attention. "One pastrami sandwich please." The woman said, her voice sounding familiar. I looked at her strikingly and I saw it. There she was; a beautiful lady who looks uncannily like Monica Geller with a quizzical look on her face. "It can't be. Why would she be here?" I thought. I know those eyes too well; those sapphire blue eyes which shone brightly on that fateful night at the yacht. And thoughts of those perfectly shaped lips which form a smile so lovely has been keeping me company for so long now. How could I forget her fair skin and soft long locks which are now disheveled, yet still can't taint her honest beauty?
What keeps me from believing that it really is her is the fact that this lady has a distinctive mark on the left side of her face. "Monica certainly doesn't have that." Maybe I'm imagining things. Damn, I'll have to get hold of myself already as this is becoming more and more unhealthy for me emotionally by the day. I was kept off my trance as she spoke once again. "Umm, excuse me sir? I said I'll have a pastrami sandwich?" she said. "Yeah, coming right up." I finished up her order and handed her the sandwich. She was searching for her wallet in her bag. "Oh shit." Panic and frustration filled her as she continued fumbling through her belongings. "What's the matter?" I asked. "I think I lost my wallet. I'm so sorry! I already took a bite of the sandwich and I can't pay you! How could I lose it? My things are organized well. I still have my phone though." She rambled on. "Maybe someone stole it from you?" I suggested. "How can it be? I'm so careful. And if I got robbed I believe I would have noticed it-" she stopped when she saw a small cut at the side of her bag making a small opening. "And there you go." I said. "You're not from here aren't you? Only people who aren't familiar with this place get robbed. So I guess you weren't careful enough like you say you are." I added with a knowing look on my face.
"Ugh, why should this happen to me? I'm supposed to gain good things from this one day where-" she stopped when she saw me raising an eyebrow. "I just mean that I'm so upset right now and I am terribly sorry I can't pay you. Yes, you're right I am new to this place. See, I even have a map." She eagerly showed me her mini-map. I found it really cute. "Okay, you relax now. The sandwich is on me. I understand. I know you're thirsty too, so have an iced tea. Still on me." I said with a smile. "Oh my God, thank you so much! But, wouldn't it be a bother to you? I mean I can go back next time and hand you my payment if you'll just list it down for now." she answered. "No really, my treat. But I have a request though." I said. "What is it?" She answered feeling uneasy. "Let me tour you around. You said you were exploring this place, which I find weird by the way. I mean this isn't exactly a tourist spot whose pictures you can show off to your friends. Also, you're doing this whole exploring thing wrong that's why you got robbed. You might as well do it right with a tour guide." I said coyly. "I'm not sure about that..." she said. "Don't worry, I'm a good guy. I don't rob people or do any other thing that violates human rights. I'm not gonna do anything to you. This will just be a local helping out a tourist." I reassured her. She looked straight into my eyes wanting to discern if I spoke the truth. "I guess I could use the help. Thank you. What about the store?" she said with a small smile. "I'm closing up in a few anyway. There's some mayo on your face." I said pointing at the stain. "Oh, where?" She asked while trying to wipe it off. After doing so, I noticed that the mark on her cheek was gone. I held a slight gasp which did not go unnoticed. "It really is her. I knew it! Wow, what are the odds? And she was trying hard to disguise herself." I decided to let it go and not tell her that I'm aware of her secret. "What is it?" she asked. "I just remembered something very important, is all." I replied. "Okay, so where are you taking me Mr. Sandwich guy?" She asked me and I could see a look of anticipation on her face. She should really stop giving me names.
"Don't call me that, there's more than sandwich in this guy. What do you want to see? Wait, first things first, what's you name?" I asked her wanting to know if she'll tell her real name or not. "Uhhm, my name's Ju-Juliet. Yeah, that's right: Juliet." she answered looking agitated. "Okay then, nice to meet you Juliet. I'm Romeo." I smirked. "Romeo, seriously? Do you expect me to believe that?" she said to me incredulously. "You think you're the only one who could give out fake names here?" I said. "What makes you think I'm lying?" She tried to challenge me but her eyes gave away the tinge of nervousness she was feeling. "You looked unsure of what your name is and took so long to answer. Trust me, I just know." I said while crossing my shoulders. "I'm not telling you if you're right or not. Whatever, just go with it. I'm Juliet. Period. Now take me to wherever you please, Romeo." she told me firmly. "Fine. Now, first rule: don't be grumpy, Juliet. Be nice to your splendid tour guide. And since, you've seen most of this vicinity already, I'm just gonna take you to the park. It will be fun."
"Oh, I wanna ride the seesaw!" She said like a child out on a play-date. I just chuckled. "What are you laughing at, Romeo-I'm such-a-grownup-I-don't-get-excited-about-seesaws?" She asked. "I'm just amused by how excited you are. It's nice that no matter how old we are there's still a little kid inside all of us." I simply said. "It really is. Now Romeo, would you mind pushing me while I'm on the seesaw? Please?" she said enthusiastically. "Sure, what kind of tour guide would I be?" I said. While we were at it, I asked her some questions wanting to get to know her better. Not that I think she would really open up to me as Monica. Maybe only the things that Juliet wants to share about herself to Romeo.
"So, what really brings you here?"
"I'm just going around the whole of New York and this happens to be my destination for today. You know, I just wanna observe the different cultures in the different cities."
"Okay."
"What's your dream job?"
"I want to be a chef. I always play restaurant when I was a little girl. What about you?"
"Nice, so I guess you should be the one serving me a sandwich then since you're the expert. I'm sorry it wasn't really delish. I want to get into advertising. I find it really cool doing all those creative stuff."
"Hey, don't be sorry. The sandwich was really nice, Romeo. I enjoyed it. Good choice of Advertising; so are you studying right now?"
"Not really, I'm still saving up money to get into college."
"I see."
"I work at least three jobs a day, to save it up and to support my family."
"That's really noble of you. I admire you."
"Thank you. When you love somebody, you're willing to do anything for them."
"It's your turn now, mister! Come on, sit here."
She stood up and pulled on my arm.
"No, we did not talk about taking turns."
"Come on, you know it's fun!"
Her hand was now holding mine, and I got shivers from sudden contact. If this were a dream, I don't ever want to wake up again.
"Okay, if you say so."
After playing on the seesaw, we decided on feeding the ducks at the pond. We were now eating ice cream while sitting on one of the park benches. I picked up a flyer on the floor.
"What are you doing?" She asked me when she saw that I was folding the paper.
"I'm making a paper crane, it's for you." I said as finished it up and put our names on it:
"To: Juliet
From: Romeo, your wedge-making tour guide."
"Thank you, I'll keep it safe." She accepted it with a smile and put the crane in her pocket.
"I hope you had fun."
"I certainly did, you're the best."
"So, where are you heading now?"
"I should probably get home. Oh gosh, it's almost 6 pm already! Rachel's supposed to meet me at 4:30!"
"You want me to accompany you there?"
"Yes, could you take me to this street right here? I know where to meet her from there." She pointed on her map.
"Are you sure you want me to leave you here?"
"Yes please, thank you so much Romeo! My friend is on her way anyway."
"Ok, be very careful. And it's all my pleasure. I wanna thank you too, I really enjoyed this day because of you." I said with a smile.
"So I guess this is goodbye then." She then hugged me, which surprised me. It didn't take too long for me to find myself hugging her back. It felt like the best 5 seconds of my life.
"Goodbye, Juliet. Take care." I said as I turned back and went on my way home whistling happily.
MONICA'S POV
This day turned out to be good. Well, apart from the fact that my wallet got stolen. Romeo, whatever his real name is; was really nice and sweet. Add to the fact that he is handsome too. What bothers me though is that he looks familiar. I remember his face but I can't remember when or where I saw him. Maybe he just reminded me of someone I know. He's really cute! I didn't expect that I'll meet an attractive man like him in an odd day like this. I feel myself gushing when I think about the moments we shared. God, this is wrong. I shouldn't be thinking about him this way. I have a perfectly fine boyfriend waiting for me. And we have a date at 8. Oh shit, I totally forgot about our date! And Rachel's still not here. It's getting darker by the minute.
"Don't move." I hear someone whisper in my ear while the person grabbed me from behind. He put a handkerchief over my face. Suddenly, everything blacked out.
A/N: So, what do you think of it? Please leave out you reviews. Thank you very much! :)
P.S. For those who are following my other fic; TOW The Secret Admirer, I'll probably update it next week. Thank you so much for all your reviews, they make my day. :)