EASY | chandler bing

four; where chandler's early

CHAPTER FOUR
･ﾟ:* ✧

chandler

he was early. it had been snowing all morning, hundreds of snowflakes spiraling in the air and falling onto stiff coats and flushed faces, and chandler had arrived early at central perk after getting through this snowy shower. he ran his numb fingers through his hair, icy drops still caught up in it as he pushed the door open. he wasn't expecting anyone to be around yet.

the couch wasn't as empty as he thought it would be. his eyes caught sight of caroline, who was snuggled on the couch in a big navy sweater and a long brown scarf, a cup of coffee resting on the table beside her. she sat in a corner of the sofa, her head lowered, and he noticed that she was reading—he couldn't help but smile at how cute the scene was. she had been sick for the past few days, with the tip of her nose always rosy and coughs uncontrollably breaking through her lips.

"hi there," chandler greeted, taking a seat on the opposite side of the couch not to bother her too much.

she snapped her head up, a smile growing on her face as she recognized him. she'd been around their friend group for more than a week now and definitely got along well with everybody. chandler had never had the occasion to chat with her in private though.

"hey chandler, how are you?" she asked, letting the book lie open on her lap.

"well, not bad, almost got turned into ice outside. you?"

"i'm still sick, but i made it to here so i guess Iim alright," a cough inevitably followed her sentence.

"great, we could almost be a functioning person if we assemble" chandler joked, making caroline laugh. she had noticed that he was the 'funny one' of the group. "excuse me," he continued as a waiter passed by. "can i get a cup of coffee please? caroline, do you need anything?" he asked kindly.

"i'll have another cup of tea, please," replied the cellist, gratefully handing the waiter her empty mug.

when he left, getting called by other customers, chandler and caroline found themselves alone again. chandler tried to think of something clever to say, his natural anxiety kicking in.

"so, is it good to be back in new york?" he asked, realizing a little too late that it might be a stupid question since she had been back home for some time now. caroline closed her book after checking the number of the page, smiling softly in a way that made chandler forget all about his awkwardness. it made him feel like everything he did was okay.

"it feels really great, especially seeing my family. but my cat's the happiest about it!" she chuckled, "i've missed him so much, i don't think i could've been away much longer without him."

"you have a cat?"

"yes, his name is mittens! oh, now you're going to label me as a crazy cat lady... i mean, that wouldn't be wrong." they both laughed.

"well, i love cats myself so that's no big deal," chandler reassured her. "forget what i said about the functioning human being though, if we assemble we'd be one crazy cat-loving machine."

chandler then asked her about the book she was reading, and she asked him about his likes and work; although nobody ever remembered what his job was, he tried not to make it too boring.

"thank you," the waiter brought them their orders. "it's not fulfilling, but it's good for a living," chandler explained, recalling how it felt to be in his office. "what i've always wanted was to be a writer or something, but that's not very realistic."

"it could be though, if you give it a chance," caroline encouraged, and even if chandler knew he'd never have the guts to actually quit his job to pursue a career he'd really enjoy, he was thankful for her optimism.

before he could add anything else, ross, monica and phoebe chimed in. caroline turned to them, saying hello, and the peaceful atmosphere buzzed with talking.