Chandler. That name had come to mean a lot of different things to her. Jokes, sweat, awkward pauses, and lately… a weird kind of sweetness. But that wasn't the point, he had always been sweet, hadn't he? It was just that now she was noticing. That was the problem. The noticing.
She curled up under her heavy quilt, trying to enjoy the quiet on the balcony, except New York was never totally quiet. As those words passed through her mind the window next to her opened with a slam, and she almost jumped out of her skin at the shattered silence.
Speak of the damn devil.
The top of Chandler's untamed hair was moving out onto the balcony, his narrow shoulders and long legs attempting to follow.
He was mumbling, maneuvering out the window with so little grace that, if she hadn't seen it herself, she wouldn't have believed it possible. One of his feet snagged on the window frame and he almost fell into her lap as he stumbled free. He hadn't seen her.
"Bastard," he growled vehemently. He was oddly twitchy as he moved to the railing, and he still hadn't noticed her. Part of her didn't mind. She liked watching him like this: when he didn't know anyone was there—when he wasn't trying to impress or entertain.
Okay now she sounded like a stalker. She shook her head. What the hell was the matter with her?
"Chandler?" she said, just so she wouldn't feel like his creepy, lovesick, peeping-tom. Lovesick? She flinched at the word. Chandler was fumbling with something in his pocket. He hadn't heard her. "Chandler!"
Now it was his turn to jump. With a girlish shriek he spun toward her, clutching his chest. She grinned widely.
"Oh," he sighed, visibly calming. She got one of his trademarked, crooked smiles, a look that aroused such strong emotion it made her want to hit him in the face. She was a little pleased to see a blush filling his cheeks. "Hey, Rach."
"Hey."
He took a step towards her, and she felt charged with electricity. She stiffened a little beneath the quilt. "What do you think? Is Gotham safe tonight?"
"What?" she asked with a frown, trying not to look too closely at the half of his face bathed in a soft glow, or the silhouette of his body against the night.
"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me, sir." He winked. She looked up and now saw the blanket had risen behind her, forming the odd, cat-like ears of batman's costume. The rest looked a little like a cape.
She smiled weakly and he grinned.
"Good one," she murmured.
"Thank you." He took another step closer and her chest tightened another notch.
His eyes were so blue. So damn pretty. And why were his lashes so long? It wasn't fair. They made his eyes look smokey as they bored into her, pinning her.
She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She was an adult, one who had made plenty of mistakes, experienced her fair share of heartache, yet this, this crush felt like the stupidest thing she'd ever done.
True, he was one of her best friends, but he was also ROSS's best friend and college roommate. A relationship between her and Chandler was impossible, not without losing her friend group. She was kicking herself, but dammit if she wasn't crackling with electricity right now.
"Rach?" She opened her eyes and saw that he was crouching in front of her, his hand resting on the arm of the chair. There was a slight crease between his brows. She wanted to smooth that crease out with her thumb, then maybe move across his face, down to his lips. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at herself. "Are you going to be okay?"
That was that phrase he'd used from her surprise birthday party with her super-angry divorced parents, that had come back to her when she first realized the squishy feelings she had inside of her.
Neither of them had noticed Ross stick his head out the window, so they were both startled when his voice broke into their conversation. "Hey, Chandler— pizza's here."
Rachel stared, puzzled by Chandler's reaction. He'd leapt away from her, standing against the balcony wall, as far from her as he could get in one move.
She turned her attention and glared at Ross, "What about me? Don't I get pizza?"
"Hm… I'm not sure? Why don't you WRITE ME ABOUT IT." He disappeared back into the apartment, taking his shiny, black crunchy hair with him, and Rachel growled.
She and Ross were decidedly 'off.' She still boiled with anger when she thought about how he had lied about reading the letter she poured her heart into.
She wanted to do some verbal combat, but with Chandler in such close proximity… well, she blamed him. He was making her mind all fuzzy with his… existence. She looked back to where he stood, leaning against the balcony.
She shook her head and refocused on Ross. He was such a baby.
"He always has to get the last word doesn't he?" Chandler said softly, still staring at the empty window, and she looked at him in surprise. His eyes widened, and he went pink with his mouth hanging slightly ajar. "Well, ahaha… um… we should go inside shouldn't we? Okay? Yeah? I'll see you in there."
As he moved, a breeze washed through the balcony, and a delicious smell was all around her.
"Mm… what are you wearing?" she asked, realizing with surprise it was coming from Chandler. He hesitated beside the window.
"A... shirt?"
"No, that smell..." she clarified.
"Ah. Something I picked up from the store. You like it?"
"I love," she said, suprised. Without prompting he moved forward and bent in front of her once more. The mingled mint and spice made her hum in appreciation.
"Okay, mental note made," said Chandler, a cocky smile on his face. "This is definitely coming with me on the next date."
"Definitely," said Rachel, and her voice may have been a touch too breathy, because suddenly both of them were a little pink, and she was very aware of the proximity of his face.
She laughed punched his arm good-naturedly, and he moved back toward the window. She might as well have hung a huge sign on his neck reading "friend-zoned".
He reentered the apartment almost as clumsily as he'd exited and didn't glance back. She shamefully watched his ass.
She didn't feel like pizza. She didn't feel like talking much. The crisp, New York air blew into the openings of her blanket and she pulled it tighter around her with a shiver.
What the hell was it about him? When she'd been engaged to Barry, she had almost hooked up with Chandler in a bar. She still remembered the stranger with a goatee and a cue stick in hand, right when she'd been looking for relief from her boring, passionless relationship.
Before that, she'd made out with him at a college party. The night had been blurry from the alcohol in her system, and the pulsing lights and music added to the dream-like quality. He'd approached her, and for weeks after she would remember his hands on her waist. His lips had commanded hers in a way she'd never experienced before. He had been her first really good kiss (she blamed that on Chip).
She frowned a little at the thought of Chip. That embarrassing call Ross had orchestrated still stung. She was glad Monica had gotten the chance to dump his ass the other night. And she hoped Mon was having a good time what's-her-face's birthday party—her best friend deserved to let loose.
Rachel was older now. She was more experienced and had had a lot of good kisses since that drunken highschool night. Chandler was still in her top 5. He might be towards the bottom, but still, top 5.
"Hey, Rachel," Phoebe said cheerily, ducking out with two slices of pizza. "Thought you might be getting hungry." Rachel's stomach growled at the smell and she glanced inside to where Chandler was. Phoebe passed her one of the slices.
"Thanks, honey," Rachel smiled, sitting up and adjusting her blanket to eat comfortably. The melty cheese and salt filled her mouth and she closed her eyes.
"Hey, um, what did you do to Chandler?" Phoebe asked with a tilted head. Rachel gasped, inhaling her bite, and the piece effectively blocked her windpipe. She was choking. Phoebe's eyes widened. "Oh my god!" She stood and poked her head back inside the apartment. "Doctor! We need a doctor!"
Rachel tried to tell her she was fine, because this was ridiculous, she wasn't really choking, but no sound would come out. Her vision was becoming splotchy and real fear seized her. What if this really was how she died. Blood pounded in her ears.
"What?! What!?" Ross yelled, hopping out the window.
"Um, no. I'm sorry, I mean a real doctor," Phoebe clarified. Rachel's face began to turn purple and she stood up, leaning against the wall.
Ross glared. "Um, no. Actually, I am a real doctor."
"Well, okay. We'll keep you in mind for our next dinosaur-related emergency. But right now Rachel needs a medical doctor so could you please pull your head out of your own ass!" For the first time Ross looked at her and the blood drained from his face. That wasn't a good sign.
Chandler and Joey were standing at the window, staring at her with obvious horror on their faces. Also, she noted, not a great sign.
"I call mouth to mouth!" Joey yelled, hopping through the window eagerly.
"Are you kidding? That won't help. She needs the Heimlich or something," Ross muttered.
Phoebe rounded on him, "How the hell do you do the Heimlich?!"
Chandler looked grey in the face. In fact everyone was shaking, or was that her? She could feel unconsciousness calling her.
"I can try-" Ross began to say, color coming back into his cheeks.
Chandler tried to catapult himself through the window, but his foot got stuck in the window frame again, and once he freed it, he ran headlong into Rachel from behind, knocking her into the wall, and sending the pizza out of her throat onto the streets below.
Rachel gasped as Chandler caught himself on the banister, and steadied her waist using his other hand. They all stared into the inky blackness over the side as Rachel coughed and gasped in sweet air. Chandler's warm hands brushed around her hips, his body heat rolling off of him and warming her from behind. He was postured over her in a very suggestive position. His breath came quick in her ear and on her neck. She used that pace to slow her own gasps down. She felt his heartbeat in the center of her back, and her own began to slow to match his. His shoulders, wider and bigger than hers, seemed meant to swallow her. Mostly, she felt his hips, brushing her ass from behind. She had never in her memory, wanted anyone this badly.
She spun around and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face and getting lost in his smell and warmth. For comfort, and to hide the expression on her face, which she was sure wasn't appropriate for this situation.
For a beat he didn't hug her, and then long arms firmly wrapped around her, pressing her into his chest, and everyone surged forward. Phoebe hugged her from behind, Joey from the side, and Ross made an exception to their current war and put a hand on her shoulder.
She'd never felt so grateful, but, as she pulled back and got lost in a sea of her friends worry, she met blue eyes and couldn't help but wish it had just been her and Chandler.
