Love In a Photograph

The Meet

Monica flung her coat over her shoulder. She saw on the tv the night before that it may rain that afternoon. She crept out of her apartment quietly, so she wouldn't wake up her best friend Rachel. As she rushed down the street searching for a cab. She chomped down on her cereal bar and thought about the events of the day. Monica was a professional photographer, she took photos of models, actors, celebrities etc. She always wished that she was the one having her photo taken. As a kid she always dreamt of becoming a popular actress and working with amazing people who would form lifelong friendships. She shook the thoughts out of her head, why focus on the things you don't have when you have so many exciting things already?

In a different part of the city, underground, a well dressed man got onto the subway. He found a spot to stand. He stared out the window, hoping this shoot would go well. His agent had nagged him on and on to not mess this one up or he's screwed.

"Chandler, you're hot and that's good for a model but you're shit at your job, that's not so good for a model," he recalled his agen telling him after yet another failed interview. He was so confused, what sort of motivation was that? At Least this job he'd gotten past the interview. It was a shoot for some magazine. Probably the best out of all the photo shoots he had done, best paying and great advertising for him. The subway speakers cracked with the automated sound that said it was almost stopping. This was his station. A flood of people exited out of the train. He squeezed his way through the hustle of people, clutching his wallet. Chandler twisted round the corners of the streets and managed to get to the massive skyscraper that the company was located in just in time.

"Hello," he greeted the receptionist, "I'm Chandler Bing, I'm here for the 9 am magazine shoot." The woman pointed to the elevator,

"Floor 7, then to your left," she smiled.

The elevator was crammed, people leaving and joining every so often. He left and walked into the room marked with the company's name. He knocked and entered.

"Chandler Bing?" a man in a suit asked.

Chandler nodded, "Yes sir. I'm here for the magazine shoot."

"Yes yes," the man ushered him over to the white screen. Chandler saw a woman with her braided hair in a bun push over closet on wheels that was stuffed with trench coats and smart shoes.

"Just pick out a pair, they all match," she said and then went to attend a female model.

He chose a coat and changed his shoes. An attractive dark haired woman dressed in a grey tennis skirt with tights and brown jumper appeared and offered Chandler her hand and he shook it,

"Hello," the woman greeted Chandler confidently, "I'm Monica Geller, I'll be your photographer today." She flashed him a shiny white grin and Chandler couldn't help thinking she was gorgeous, but that tends to happen when you work in the modelling industry.

"Chandler Bing," he replied and whispered, "I apologise, but I have zero clue what to do."

Monica giggled and told him to just sit on the stool and pose. He remembered the advice he had been told on how to pose correctly

Monica walked behind the camera and began taking photos from different angles. In some Chandler smiled, in others he glared right into the lens of the camera and in the rest he just looked around the room.

After a couple of minutes, she broke the silence and stopped flashing the camera.

"I believe that is it, thank you."

And that was that.

Another shoot finished.

Chandler exited the building and just aimlessly walked around the busy city. It wasn't as packed as it normally was, probably because it was 11 o'clock and cold outside. He walked past shops and restaurants, eventually walking past a cosmetic store that had a massive lapis blue poster glued to the front window. Chandler halted to read the poster.

You see, Chandler's family was known around the globe for their multi-million beauty company - Bing Beauty. A name that made Chandler want to shrivel up in embarrassment. When he was 18, he could finally leave school and his home to earn his own independence. However, no matter how much he spaced himself away from his parents, he would always inherit that company, being the only child, and no one would turn down millions of dollars.

He decided to go back to his humble apartment. As he got to the door, he could hear his eccentric roomate, Joey, going over a script for an audition. Chandler turned the key in the lock and swung open the door to see a man dressed in all green.

"Well that's a big booger," Chandler remarked.

Ignoring his annoying comment, as usual, Joey answered the question Chandler hadn't asked, "I'm practising for an audition - It's the Grinch."

Chandler was confused... "Joe, it's April."

Joey pulled of his green beanie angrily,

"Dammit! I did it again! I read the wrong month again!" Joey was flicking through last year's calendar and showing the date marked "Grinch audition today!"

Chandler shook his head and laughed inside at his friend's stupidity. He opened up a beer can and started to sip the cool delicious liquid,

"How was the photoshoot?" Joey questioned whilst taking off his neon green socks.

"Fine," Chandler replied between the sips, "Like the rest."

Chandler flicked his phone on and checked his online calendar,

"I've got another shoot tomorrow at 9:30 ish at Highland Park, so kinda far away."

"'Kay. Wanna get pizza?"

So they got pizza. The Joey special (2 pizzas) to be exact.