Chandler was lying in bed while a thunderstorm was raging outside. He had the blanket pulled over his head and he tried to calm down, breathing deeply.
He always hated thunderstorms, but what made this even worse was that he knew Monica was about to come in a few minutes, and he didn't want her to see him like a scared and pathetic little boy.
He was feeling doubly anxious because of this. A few minutes later he heard the front door open, and he pulled the blanket from over his face and took a deep breath. He slowly sat up on the side of the bed facing the door.
Monica opened the door, smiling. "Hey," she said.
"Hey," he answered. "Listen, I'm so tired. I think I'll sleep alone tonight."
He saw Monica's smile fall and he felt so guilty and bad about it.
"Oh, okay. Sure," she said, and she started walking towards the door. She put her hand on the doorknob and then she turned to him. "Listen, if you want to end this, it's okay. Just tell me. There's no problem."
Chandler looked at her shocked. He stood up and walked over to her, taking her hand in his. "No, I don't want to end this. This was totally not what I meant. I'm just so tired." Just as he finished saying that he heard a thunder and he jerked away from her, pulling his hand away and closing his eyes.
Monica looked at him funny.
He walked towards the other end of the room in a pretense of looking for a shirt that was lying on the chair. "Anway, so I think I'm going to go to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow," he said. He folded the shirt and put it in his closet.
Monica walked towards him and laid her hand on his shoulder. "Chandler, are you afraid of thunderstorms?"
"No, you're being ridiculous." He said, rolling his eyes, and he went to sit on the bed again.
There were a few moments of silence and then he heard another thunder and his fingers clenched the blanket.
Monica smiled and sat next to him. She rubbed his shoulder.
"It's okay if you're afraid of thunderstorms. I'm not judging you. We all have our fears. I'm afraid of animals dressed as humans and you don't judge me."
"I judge you a little," he said, smiling at her.
She punched his arm. "You better not judge me." She smiled back at him. Then she grabbed his hand that was lying on his leg. "So, you didn't want me to go because you want to end this?"
He turned to her quickly. "No, of course not. I wait all day to see you at night. I just didn't want you to see what a coward I am and how pathetic I am. I mean, what 29-year-old guy is afraid of thunderstorms?"
Monica smiled at him and rubbed his hand. "I don't think you're a coward or pathetic."
Another thunder rolled and Chandler grimaced.
"Do you want me to stay?" She asked with a smile. Chandler didn't know what he wanted, but her hand on him was comforting.
"Okay," he said.
"Okay. Come on, it's cold," she said and she got under the blanket. She laid on her side, propped on her elbow. He followed and got under the blanket after her, facing the ceiling. She pulled on his arm gently and he turned to face her, reluctantly.
"You're so cute," she said, smiling at him.
She wrapped her arms around his back, her hands stroking it slowly. He also wrapped his arms around her back, and he rested his head on her chest, sighing.
They laid like that for a while without talking, and then another, big, thunder sounded. He tightened his grip around her and buried his face in her chest. She tightened her grip on him as well and kept stroking his back. He still felt embarrassed, but much calmer than he was before.
After a while, Chandler spoke quietly. "I was 9 years old and there was a thunderstorm. I was terrified, and I wanted my mom, but she was with a guy. I didn't want to go and talk to her in front of him. I was embarrassed. It was another guy I didn't know, and I hated being around them when they came over. So, I stayed in my room, burrowed under the blanket. I was so terrified, and I was crying. When the thunders were louder, I would shake. At one point there was a very loud thunder and I… I peed my bed."
Monica held him tighter and kissed his head. "Oh, baby."
"I was hoping she'd come, but she didn't."
"Sometimes I want to punch your mother," she said.
Chandler chuckled. "Sometimes I want to punch your mother," he said.
She chuckled. "You see? That's why we're good together."
He chuckled again and burrowed closer to her. A few moments later she slid lower, so her face was leveled with his. She pulled her left arm from his back and stroked his cheek.
"Hey," she said. "Look at me."
He took a deep breath and looked up to her.
"I think you're one of the bravest people I know. Your mother should have been there. I get it that you hate thunderstorms." She leaned in and kissed him gently. They kissed slowly for a while, but then it got more heated. There was a thunder, but Chandler didn't even notice. He was focused on her. They broke apart after a while, catching their breath. He gave her a short, gentle kiss and put his head back on her chest.
They didn't say anything more that night. She stroked his back and eventually there was a thunder, and he didn't move. She looked down and could see that he fell asleep. She smiled and closed her eyes. After a while, she fell asleep herself.
The next day in the morning, she was sitting near the kitchen table, drinking coffee and eating a toast. Rachel was sitting on the couch in the living room and was reading a paper.
Chandler walked in. "Good morning," he said, smiling at them.
"Good morning," Monica said.
"Good morning," Rachel said.
Chandler poured himself a cup of coffee and put a toast on a plate. He set in front of her and put the cup and the plate on the table. He smiled at her.
"Thank you for last night," he said quietly.
She smiled back at him. She glanced at Rachel, who was still facing the other way, and she put her hand on his on the table. "You're welcome."
He put his other hand on hers and stroked it. They set like that for a while, staring at each other. Eventually, he leaned forward a bit. "I really, really want to kiss you right now," he whispered.
"Me too," she whispered back.
"Hey, guys," Rachel said and they immediately drew back their hands and looked towards her. Chandler sighed when he saw she was still looking at the paper.
"Do you want to go to a movie today?"
"Sure," Monica said.
"Yeah, sounds like fun," Chandler said.
Rachel looked back at them and smiled. "Great!" she said and looked back at the paper.
"Hey, Chandler, I forgot a pen at your place. Can you help me find it?"
"Sure," Chandler said, standing up. Monica stood up as well. They walked outside and into his and Joey's apartment. As soon as she closed the door behind her, he grabbed her face and kissed her.
"So will you come to me next time there is a thunderstorm?" She asked.
"Yes," he said and smiled at her before kissing her again.