Things were busy at work for both Rachel and Ross, so they did not meet Wednesday or Thursday. They planned to spend the entire weekend together, based out of Ross's apartment. Friday was a normal get-together at Monica and Rachel's. Ross, Phoebe, Joey and Chandler were there, and things felt pretty normal.
There was no awkwardness until Rachel and Ross said their goodbyes at about eight o'clock and left for Ross's. Ross pulled Rachel's little rolling suitcase. Phoebe left soon after. The atmosphere changed with only Joey, Chandler and Monica there. This combination of friends had scarcely been alone together before, and there was a lot of sexual tension in the air. The sexual tension came from Joey and Chandler only.
Monica was a beautiful woman, and available. Like all straight men, both Joey and Chandler had Monica rated, ranked and prioritized for a wide variety of fantasies; desert island, repopulating the earth, sex slave, girlfriend, and many others. Monica took this as a given, but it was not uncomfortable when others, such as Ross or Rachel, were present. Now that it was the two guys and Monica, the tension was thick. Monica sought to defuse the situation by saying, "Let's watch a movie! You guys can pick."
Joey said, "Well, we would pick a porno, so...."
"No pornos. It can be action, even sexy, but a mainstream movie."
They watched a movie filled with shootouts, car chases, and boobs. Monica would have been bored if she hadn't had her own little lab experiment going. A highly stimulating movie watched by two horny young men. She observed them carefully. The fact that they all knew what Ross and Rachel were doing at this moment seemed to highlight the sexually-charged atmosphere.
Joey's responses to the movie were disappointing. Or, rather, they were in line with Monica's low expectations. He was captivated by the car chases and shootouts, and he concentrated intensely on the sexy scenes. Monica could easily imagine that Joey was mentally putting himself into the sex scenes. It was a creepy thought.
Chander watched the action scenes with interest, but was clearly uncomfortable with the sexy scenes with Monica so close by. Chandler nervously glanced at Monica whenever there was nudity on the screen.
Deep into the movie, Joey received a phone call that he insisted he had to take. Chandler and Monica looked at one another skeptically. Joey was probably the last person anyone would want to call in an emergency. Monica paused the movie. Joey stepped into the hall for privacy.
With only Chandler and Monica in the room, and the movie not running, Chandler felt awkward immediately. On the other hand, Monica immediately felt comfortable alone with Chandler, when she had been uncomfortable with both he and Joey. Chandler was a lot like her brother, Ross, which Monica considered a very good thing in Chandler's favor. Chandler and Ross had been roommates at Columbia.
Monica enjoyed the feeling of mastery she had in this situation. She was quite comfortable, but Chandler looked about as if he was planning an escape. She said, "We've never really been alone together, have we?"
"No, I suppose not."
"Are you nervous, Chandler?"
"Oh, no, of course not. We've known each other forever, after all."
Monica let him stew a bit, and said, daringly, "I won't bite, if that's what you're afraid of. Or, maybe that's what you're hoping for."
"Uhhhh, biting is not on my list of fetishes."
"Mine neither. It just boggles the mind what some people are into!"
"I'll be frank, Monica. I can't help but wonder what Ross and Rachel are doing right now. Them getting together is a huge deal, for them, and for our little group."
"I know! Has Ross told you what's been going on, behind closed doors, that is?"
Chandler was defensive, "No!"
"You're lying. I can tell. Plus, I know that guys always talk, worse than girls."
Chandler admitted, "He told us some of it."
"Let's compare what Rachel told me with what Ross told you." They both sat up straighter and faced each other a little more directly. "Their first night, last Saturday. Rachel said that they had missionary sex twice. How about you?"
"I didn't have any sex, but Ross said the same."
Monica said, "It's your turn."
Chandler said, "Okay. Ross also said that they performed oral on each other the first night."
"Same here! Rachel also said that she was on top, and had an orgasm."
"Same here! It sounds like they're really telling the truth."