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"Are we still talking about sex?"
Anna enters the coffee shop at this very moment, eyebrows furrowing with confusion, and slight intrigue.
"Why is it, you guys are always talking about sex?" The blonde asks, placing her backpack on the floor and placing her hands on her hips.
Monica chuckles and pats the space on the couch next to her. Anna's shoulders slump as she sighs, sinking into the cushioned furniture. Her head rests on Monica's knee, who was positioned above her on the arm of the couch.
"Tired, sweetie?" The woman questions with a tone of sympathy, petting her hair.
"Mhm," She nods, hands stretching out. "Need - coffee -"
A mug is placed in her hands, and she opens one eye to see Chandler smiling kindly at her. She mumbles a thank you, bringing the cup to her lips and sipping the drink.
The group parts into their own conversations once again, with Anna downing the rest of Chandler's coffee. She looks over her shoulder at the man in question next to her, who sees her tired eyes and opens his arms. She falls back into his hold, letting her eyes flutter close as Chandler gently rubs her arm and the voices around her fade into sleep.
A lock opening and the sensation of a heartbeat against her ear rouses Anna from her nap, and she blinks to see Chandler's face above her. He glances down at the woman in his arms and smiles softly.
"Hey," He whispers.
"Hi," She replies. She looks around her to see they're in her apartment. "Thanks for bringing me back. Sorry for falling asleep."
"That's alright," He tells her, placing her tenderly on her bed. "Tough rehearsal?"
Anna nods, rubbing her eyes. "Got a show coming up, so it's all non-stop."
Chandler nods in understanding. "Well, get some sleep, yeah?"
Anna grins lazily, nodding her head again. "Don't have to tell me twice."
Chandler laughs quietly, kissing her forehead and whispering goodnight as he switches off the light and leaves her to sleep.
When he gets back to his own apartment, Joey is at the kitchen counter, digging into a sandwich.
"Where were you?" The Italian queries, noticing his best friend's subtle smile.
"What? Oh- um, I-" Chandler stammers over his words, blushing profusely. "I took Anna home."
Joey nods, taking a second to realise. "You walked her home?"
"No, I carried her," Chandler mentions under his breath. Joey opens his mouth to make another comment, cut off by the man again. "She was tired, I didn't want to wake her!"
"Alright, alright," Joey holds his hands up in defence, smirking. "Whipped."
The snarky comment disappears into Joey's room along with the body, leaving Chandler half-way through his rebuttal. He leans on the counter, rubbing his hand over his face with a frustrated sigh.
"I am so whipped," He admits to himself, letting his head fall onto the surface with a groan.
At exactly six minutes past noon the next day, Chandler entered Central Perk with the hopes of finding Anna there. And his prayers were answered, as there she stood, blonde locks bundled atop her head with a few lost strands escaping around her cheeks, which were flushed from the steam coming from the coffee machine. Her eyes danced around the room as she waited for the coffee to brew, landing on Chandler's frame in the doorway.
Her hand waves at him and she mouths a soft greeting. He advances and sits on a stool across the counter from her.
"Hey there," Chandler greets. "How'd you sleep?"
"Wonderfully," Anna grins. "And again, thank you so much for bringing me back. You shouldn't have."
"Really, it was nothing. That's what friends do."
Her smile falters for a moment. Friends. Right.
Chandler instantly regrets the comment. Why did he say that? He didn't want to be friends - he wanted so much more. "I mean--"
"At least let me take you to lunch as a thank you," Anna regains her smile. "It's the least I can do. My shift ends in ten."
Chandler nods. "Sure. Sounds great."
Anna mirrors his action, her head bouncing in agreement. She finishes off her work, Chandler waiting patiently until she's done.
And soon enough, they're sat in a Mexican a few blocks away, sharing a large portion of nachos and laughing in casual conversation. Their connection flowed so easily, like they had known each other for lifetimes.
"Thanks for lunch," Chandler turns to the smaller girl at the steps of his apartment block. "I really enjoyed it."
"Me too," Anna smiles, taking his hand in hers earnestly. "We should do this more often."
"For sure." He embraces the girl in a hug, letting the blonde kiss his cheek.
"See you later, Chan," She waves bye, walking backwards and vanishing around the street corner.
"Bye," He waves back, fingers tracing the skin where her lips were. He groans internally, cursing his own awkwardness and lack of flirtation skills.
His legs drag him to Monica's couch, where his face hides in a pillow.
"You alright, man?" Ross asks, as the rest of the group look on in worry.
"No," He replies, words muffled until he rolls over. "I think I'm falling in love."
