THE ONE WITH THE FINAL CHOICE.

♡

"We shouldn't have done that."

Though, there was no point in saying the words as there was no going back now. Zara felt sick, but seeing Chandler's face drop from what she had said, only made it worse.

Ignoring what the kiss had made Zara feel, she was suddenly focused on Joey — who was her boyfriend. Already the tears prickled her eyes, knowing she had ruined something pure.

"Woah, don't cry," said Chandler, where his fingers briefly reached out to touch her as if to comfort her, but they fell, knowing it was crossing the line again. "Please don't cry."

"Joey, Chandler," Zara reminded him.

"I know, I know," Chandler replied, panicking like Zara was. "It didn't happen then, okay? You're right, we shouldn't have done that. You shouldn't have done that."

"Me?" Zara questioned, trying to keep her voice quiet as she didn't want to wake up her roommates. "You were the one that kissed me!"

"Because you forced me to tell you how I feel!" Chandler bit back. "Why would you do that?"

"I..." Zara was speechless, staring at him with wide eyes, but she was afraid that the more she spoke, the more hurt Joey would be. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Chandler repeated, clearly hurt now too as Zara couldn't win. "So, this? What was the point? You got the truth out of me and I kissed you. And now you don't know."

All Zara needed was to hear the truth. Zara couldn't believe it until it had come from Chandler's lips. But, now she had the truth — and a kiss — so now it was enough fuel for everything to burn down around Zara.

Why did she need to hear the truth?

Chandler let out a huff, shaking his head. "And to think, I used to question why I ever doubted love. If this is it, then maybe I was right to avoid it."

"What do you want me to say?" Zara replied, finding herself angry now. "I'm with Joey, Chandler. We made things official tonight."

"You... what?" Chandler's face paled. "I didn't know that. You shouldn't have pressured me like that! I-I thought you were... I don't know what I thought, but it wasn't this! I wouldn't do this to Joey. He's my best friend."

"I didn't know you were going to kiss me!" Zara's voice rose.

"What did you expect?" Chandler shouted, standing up as he was quick to pick up his pillow and covers. "You know, this was cruel, Zara, even for you."

"I just wanted to know the truth," Zara whispered, feeling her heart crack.

"Yeah, well, now you know," said Chandler, sounding so cruel himself that wasn't like him. "And I hope it was worth it. Joey's going to hate us."

"I know," said Zara, feeling the tears fall down her cheeks. "I've ruined everything."

Chandler's anger evaporated for a second. "No, Zara," he told her, voice returning to normal again. "We've ruined everything."

Then, Chandler left as Zara remained sitting on the coffee table, wiping at her eyes in the hope that she would stop crying. Behind her, two doors opened, eyes falling on Zara as she turned to face them, feeling herself crumble apart.

"I screwed up," Zara confessed to them. "I really screwed up. I'm going to lose them both."

♡

That night, Zara barely slept as she stared up at her ceiling, feeling her heart in pieces. Even though she was devastated by what was to come, she was still hung up on the kiss.

But, even with what had been good, it didn't outweigh the bad.

Zara knew there was no going back from this; when Joey found out, he would be crushed, and he wouldn't forgive her. Worst of all, Zara knew it would come between Chandler and Joey, which only left her feeling even worse. 

All because Zara just wanted to hear that Chandler still loved her. It was selfish — she was with Joey — but there was that constant nagging in her mind that something was missing. No matter how good it was with Joey, she was always comparing what they had to Chandler.

And even that was enough to break Zara's heart.

With the sun breaking through the sky, Zara had gotten up for the day. She had vanished from her friends, avoiding them all, until she found it in herself to be brave enough to face Joey.

Plus, Zara knew how this was going to end. So, she found herself at Toby's apartment, knocking on his door in the hope he was awake.

"Zara, it's barely even morning," Toby complained as he opened his front door, seeing her. "What are you doing here?"

From his bed hair and pyjamas, Zara knew he had most likely been sleeping before she had come knocking. Maybe it was lucky he was a light sleeper.

"I need to talk to you," Zara told him.

Toby saw her red eyes. "What's happened?"

"Me," said Zara. "Like always."

Toby frowned at that but he let his sister into the apartment. Like always, the apartment was spotless, but Zara spotted all the sports gear that belonged to the two who lived there. At the small table, Zara sat opposite her brother with a cup of coffee, briefly telling him what had happened.

"Well," said Toby. "You've definitely made a mess of things."

"I know," Zara said. "I know it's awful, but I never expected Chandler to kiss me."

"You did encourage him too though," Toby told her. "Zara, he's practically been a madman these last few weeks over you. You gave him a shred of hope and he didn't waste that chance, even if it meant hurting his best friend. Maybe it shouldn't have happened, but it did, so now you gotta face the consequences of that."

"I know," Zara repeated, starting to see it all clearly now. "I'm the problem and I don't want to ruin their friendship, so... can I stay here temporarily until I find somewhere else?"

"Your plan is to move out?" Toby questioned, shocked.

"Yeah," Zara said. "I'm gonna talk to Joey and then Monica. I think it's best I just go."

"I mean, you're always welcome here," Toby reassured her. "But are you sure this is the right thing to do?"

"If I stay, all I'm doing is hurting them," Zara replied.

But, leaving would hurt Zara too. Living with Monica had been the first place Zara had found a true home, so she wasn't sure how she was going to survive leaving. That and they were all her best friends, so not seeing them every day felt wrong.

Yet, Zara was a coward too, where she called Monica to pass on the message that she had a meeting with her agent (a lie, which Monica knew) and she was going to stay at the office to go over chapters. Instead, Zara ended up hiding out at Toby's place, using writing as a distraction, though the words struggled to come out.

Towards the end of the day, Zara knew she couldn't put it off any longer. Packing up her stuff, Zara left a note for Toby for when he finished work before heading home.

Outside the guy's apartment, Zara paused. In her mind, she sunk into the thought of Joey being her boyfriend — of the blissful month they had together — as she knew it was about to fall apart.

And then Zara knocked, which was strange.

Joey opened the door, laughing as he spotted Zara. "Why'd you knock? You never knock."

Then, he didn't waste a second kissing Zara, grinning brightly as she tried not to crumble at the feel of him kissing her. Zara followed him into the apartment after, noticing the apartment was fully furnished again, which included the foosball table, and Zara was staring in confusion.

"When did this happen?" Zara questioned.

"Oh, Chandler did it," said Joey. "It's great, isn't it?"

That didn't make Zara feel too good, though.

"That's very sudden," Zara said.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Joey replied. "You know, I feel like I haven't seen you in ages. I've missed you. Did you have a good time last night?"

Every word Joey spoke felt like a new crack in her heart. "Yeah it was good," said Zara, but the words were forced. "Joey, I need to talk to you."

"Okay," said Joey, completely oblivious. "We're talking."

Zara looked at him, trying her hardest not to cry again as she didn't have the right to. She owed Joey the truth, but she didn't want to be the reason to hurt him.

"Hey," Joey said, placing a hand on her waist in comfort as he noticed the expression on her face. "What's wrong?"

"I need to tell you something," Zara tried again. "About last night when I got home."

"Okay," Joey said.

As she looked at him, she felt her face sinking with her heart, knowing the tears would fall with the words. "Chandler was on our sofa," Zara started. "And we ended up talking about how he was feeling. Chandler kissed me, but it was mostly my fault."

Seeing Joey's smile extinguish to be replaced with such a sad look was too much for Zara. His hand pulled away from her, but his eyes remained stuck on her, wide with shock and pending heartbreak.

"Chandler kissed you?" Joey repeated, voice breaking at the words. "Did... Did you pull away?"

"Not straight away," said Zara. "But I did after a second!"

Joey fell silent as Zara stared at him, desperate for him to say something — anything.

"Joe," whispered Zara, reaching for him. "Please."

Joey recoiled from her touch as she tried not to let her heart react to it.

"Why would he kiss you?" Joey questioned. "He knows..."

"I pressured him into telling me how he feels," Zara explained.

"But why?" Joey asked, sounding far too innocent. "I always felt bad for loving you because of Chandler, but you're with me."

"I know, and I'm sorry," Zara apologised, knowing she was going to start begging for forgiveness soon. "You know I love you, but..."

"You love him more," Joey finished.

"It's not like that," said Zara. "I don't know how to describe it, but it's like my heart is split in two for you both. It's selfish, but it's the truth."

"I can't do this anymore, Zara," Joey told her. "You're breaking me."

"I'm sorry," Zara said, voice so quiet. "I'm so sorry, Joey."

"Me too," Joey replied. "And we didn't even make it a day."

Zara couldn't look at him, it was too much as it caused her heart to sting.

"We had a month," said Zara, feeling the burn of tears thick in her throat, accepting that they were over. "That was everything to me."

"But it wasn't enough," Joey finished.

The front door opened then as Chandler came home, spotting the two. He looked about ready to run, but Zara was beating him to it. Without looking at either of them, Zara left the apartment, knowing she and Joey were done before they even had a proper chance.

And that was Zara's fault. She could have had everything, but she was alone again now.

Monica was home as Zara entered, being the one to hug her best friend first this time that surprised Monica before she was comforting her.

"Joey and I broke up," Zara cried.

"Oh, honey," Monica sympathised.

"Joey and Chandler are probably arguing right now too," continued Zara. "I've likely ruined their friendship."

"I'm sure they'll work it out," Monica reassured her. "Just like you'll figure this out with them both too. Chandler's upset, you know. He blames himself more than you."

"But it was my fault," Zara said. "I shouldn't have pushed him."

"You guys didn't go about it the best way, but maybe Chandler needed a push," said Monica. "Do you want to know what I think?"

Zara laughed at that, even through the tears. "You always have the best advice."

"Then, listen to me," Monica started. "You rushed into things with Joey and that was great, right? But maybe you need to actually figure out what you want now. The three of you can't keep doing this, it's not fair on any of you, and we all hate seeing you three like this."

"I know," Zara felt her heart heavy with the truth. "I do love Joey, but he was there, and I was overthinking it all, so I jumped straight into it. But I don't regret it. I just... I can't do this anymore. So, I'm gonna stay with Toby for a bit and then I'll be moving out."

Monica pulled back, looking at Zara with wide eyes. "What?"

"It's the best thing to do," said Zara.

"No, it's not," Monica argued. "You're running."

"I'm not," Zara told her. "I'm just removing myself for their sake."

"But..." Monica studied her friend, seeing her stubbornness in her mindset. "But, you can't go. This is your home."

"I'll miss you too," Zara replied.

Monica's face loosened, holding back tears herself. "Please don't go."

"I don't want to do this anymore," said Zara. "All I'm doing is hurting them, so we all need space to move on. This is what I need, Monica."

As Monica started to cry, Zara was the one comforting her this time.

"I'm sorry," Zara whispered to her. "I don't want to go, but it's time. You can get another roommate, anyone would love living here with you and Rachel."

"If this is what you need," said Monica, holding onto Zara's hands. "Then, okay, I'll accept it, but I'm not having another roommate. No one would be able to replace you and that's your room, Zara. Maybe one day you can come home again."

Zara smiled at that, wishing she didn't have to go. "I don't think anyone would cause as much drama as I have anyway."

Monica laughed at that, which was enough to replace the tears. "And," Monica continued, demanding everything now as Zara was not surprised. "You're staying for Thanksgiving, okay? I'm not taking no for an answer. We will have one last Thanksgiving together and then you can leave."

"But I'll just cause problems," Zara argued.

"No, you won't," Monica reassured her. "Please, Zara."

"Okay," Zara agreed. "But if it's too much, I'm going, and... let's not tell anyone that I'm leaving until after Thanksgiving."

"Deal," Monica said. "That gives me time to persuade you to stay."

But Zara's mind was set; one way or another, she was leaving.

♡

EPISODE EIGHT.

♡

Zara stuck to her word and stayed for Thanksgiving.

Though, in the build-up to that, she had distanced herself from everyone. Zara's excuse had been writing, but everyone knew the real reason. The fallout between the three was unspoken, but they all made it their mission to keep the three apart until things calmed down.

Chandler and Joey had fallen out over it, where neither was talking to the other. When Zara had found out, she had been crestfallen.

But, this was Zara's first Thanksgiving with a family member, and she wasn't sure how to act about that. Toby had been raised with all the holidays, so this was the first time he wasn't spending the day with his parents.

Right now, Zara hid down in the coffee house while everyone else was preparing the Thanksgiving dinner. She was busy typing, staying distracted, but she knew she'd have to go upstairs and face everyone soon.

"Why are you here alone?"

Hearing the voice, Zara felt her body still, where she wanted to be alone. Chandler joined her at their usual area, unknowing if he should sit down or not.

"I'm writing," Zara told him, not looking at him.

"It's Thanksgiving," Chandler pointed out, finally choosing to sit next to her, but he kept his distance.

"Like you care about Thanksgiving," Zara reminded him.

"I don't," said Chandler. "But I know you care now with Toby here."

Zara kept her eyes on her laptop screen, though she was merely using it as a distraction. They hadn't spoken properly like this since that night, so Zara wasn't sure what they were doing. She didn't want to fall into the trap of thinking they could be friends as they both knew they couldn't, but they couldn't be anything more because of Joey too.

"Toby's more of a cook than me," Zara said. "I think he secretly likes Monica bossing him around. Well, he likes teasing her about it."

Whatever was going on, Zara could tell the two were flirting in their own way. Zara was tempted to set them up, but she was certain things would happen naturally between them when they were ready.

"You should be up there with them," Chandler told her.

"I'll go soon," Zara replied. "I just... like being by myself at the moment."

Chandler frowned. "Because of me."

"No, well, yeah, kind off," Zara confessed. "But because of Joey too. I hate that you guys are fighting because of me. I hate that we can't take any of this back."

"Back as in the kiss?" Chandler questioned, fearful.

Zara looked at him with sad, broken eyes. "Back as in the very first kiss, Chandler. We never should have crossed that line to begin with."

"You still regret us?" Chandler's voice was barely there.

"I regret how this has ended," said Zara. "I regret losing two of my best friends over this. If we were never together, then maybe we'd all still be friends right now."

"But we'll work this out," Chandler told her. "We always do."

Zara didn't believe him, though. To prove her point, Zara's eyes fell on Joey behind Chandler as he came into the coffee house, finding them both together. Even just that was enough to cause Joey to turn around and leave, unable to face them.

As Chandler chased after him, Zara knew it was hopeless.

♡

Eventually, Zara headed upstairs with her laptop bag, preparing herself for perhaps the worst but best Thanksgiving of her life. As she entered the apartment, she didn't see Chandler or Joey, so she let out a breath of relief.

Then, she spotted Monica's eyepatch.

"What the hell happened?" Zara questioned.

"I got ice in my eye," Monica explained. "But I'm okay."

"So, guess who's coming for dinner," Rachel added.

Zara gasped. "Not Richard."

"No," said Toby, frowning. "Apparently the son."

"Oh, Monica," Zara said, placing her laptop bag on the end of the sofa. "I don't know whether to laugh or throw up."

Monica frowned at Zara's words.

Zara's eyes briefly fell on a large box in the living room, where she was tempted to question it, but Zara couldn't quite get over Richard's son coming over for Thanksgiving.

"He's coming here for Thanksgiving?" Ross questioned in realisation.

"I know," said Rachel. "It's sick."

"Why is it sick?" Monica questioned.

"Because it's Richard's son," Rachel exclaimed. "It's like inviting a Greek tragedy over for dinner."

"Yeah, Mon," said Zara. "This is weird. And if you sleep with him? You're just gonna be comparing him to his dad."

"I mean, come on, Phoebe," Monica turned to the blonde of the three. "You understand, don't you?"

"Yeah, I could see where I'd be your best shot," said Phoebe. "But no. No, I'm sorry, honey. I think it's twisted."

"What's twisted?" Joey questioned, coming out of the bathroom to join them.

Hearing his voice, Zara's eyes were instantly on Joey, catching him looking at her before they were both quick to look away. In her chest, Zara's heart felt twisted.

"Me going out with Richard's son," Monica told him.

"Ew!" Joey reacted, pointing a finger at Monica. "Ew! Ew! Ew!"

"Sounds like a really bad idea to me," Chandler said.

Zara's eyebrows met as her body turned, completely confused as she looked at the long box. There was no way...

"Is he okay in there?" Phoebe questioned.

"He's fine," Joey replied, sternly, as Zara's lips parted, shocked.

"What's going on?" Zara asked.

"Chandler's just doing some thinking," Joey said.

"In a box?" Zara questioned. "Why?"

But Joey ignored her, acting childish as he refused to even look at her. So, Zara let out a sigh, pulling out a chair at the table as she sat down, wanting to get the Thanksgiving dinner over with now.

"Hey, you know, Mon," said Ross, very eager to focus the conversation elsewhere. "If things work out between you and Richard's son you'd be able to tell your kids that you slept with their grandfather."

"Fine, judge all you want," Monica said. "But married a lesbian. Left a man at the altar. Fell in love with a gay ice dancer," then her eyes were on the two siblings. "Joked about my weight as a reason to reject me. Fell in love with two people at the same time. Threw a girl's wooden leg in the fire," and finally: "Live in a box!"

With that, Monica stormed away from them and headed into her bedroom. They were all silent after her burst of anger, where they had all inwardly flinched at the words.

"So, now," said Rachel, walking towards the box as Zara's eyes were suddenly focused on it, still lost on what was going on. "What exactly is the point of the box?"

Joey had his arms crossed over his chest as he stood close to the box. "Chandler?"

"The meaning of the box is threefold," Chandler started.

Zara stared down at the table,  biting down on her tongue to stay silent over it all. If this was their way of fixing their friendship, then Zara was going to face it. Though, if this was a punishment for Chandler, then it felt like Joey was punishing her too.

Toby nudged his arm slightly into her arm, knocking her slightly to get her attention. Catching Zara's gaze, Toby offered his sister a supportive smile.

"One: it gives me the time to think about what I did," continued Chandler as everyone else but Zara and Toby hovered around the box. "Two: it proves how much I care about my friendship with Joey. And three: it hurts."

That was enough of an answer for everyone as they started to move away.

"Joey," said Zara, finally looking at him. "Do you really have to do this?"

"I'm not the one doing this," Joey told her. "Chandler is."

"But it's my fault," Zara argued.

"Maybe so, but Chandler knew how much I felt about you," Joey said as Zara tried not to flinch at the words. "We made a deal: whoever you chose, we'd be happy for the other — we wouldn't interfere. And Chandler broke that promise."  

Zara pressed her lips together, disappearing herself this time like Monica as she ended up on the balcony. It was Toby who came out to find her, bringing her a coat as she gratefully took it.

"I know I promised Monica," said Zara. "But I don't think I can sit here and pretend."

"As ridiculous as it is, I think it might help them," Toby reassured her.

"They're both idiots," Zara decided, but the words were said with so much love still. "Chandler would kill me, but I could really do with a cigarette."

"That I'm not helping you with," Toby told her.

"I figured," said Zara. "You're Mr Perfect, so I bet you've never touched a cigarette before."

"I'm far from perfect," Toby replied. "Did you not just hear Monica?"

"To me, you are," Zara told him. "You had everything I ever wanted, but... I had that here, you know. It's gonna be hard to let it go."

"Are you still sure it's the right thing to do?" Toby asked.

"Yeah," said Zara. "They'll be friends again and I'll be nothing more than a bad ex that they'll laugh about in five years. But, I don't want to talk about them anymore. Why'd you make a joke like that about Monica?"

"I was a teenager," Toby answered. "Though, that's an awful excuse. I guess I panicked in front of Ross, not wanting him to think that I actually liked his sister, so I screwed up. I was mean. So, I guess I'm trying to make up for it now, but Richard's son was there to save the day."

"Nothing will happen from that," Zara reassured him. "It's just... Richard's important to Monica like..."

"Like Chandler and Joey are for you," Toby realised. "I kind of figured it was serious."

As they headed back in, Michael joined them as Zara and Toby were polite with their introductions. While dinner was cooking, they watched the game with Zara surprisingly silent, sitting with Toby as if her brother had suddenly become the safety net in her life.

With their team scoring, Joey, Toby, and Michael cheered.

"What happened? What happened?" Chandler cried out.

"You kissed my girlfriend!" Joey shouted at him.

Zara let out a frustrated sigh before standing and walking over to the kitchen to help Monica instead. Seeing her, Monica offered her a sad, apologetic smile as neither of them had known Thanksgiving would end up like this.

"If you want to go, I won't be offended," Monica whispered to her.

"I do," said Zara. "But I want to stay."

"This makes me so sad," Phoebe said, placing a comforting hand on Zara's arm. "You know, I never imagined it ending like this between you guys."

"All right, everybody," Monica called out. "This turkey is ready."

"Where can I wash up?" Michael asked.

"Here, let me show you," Monica offered, hurrying to show her strange date where their bathroom was. "Okay, the towels are hanging next to the sink and you can use the fancy soap."

"So, what do I have to do to have the privilege of the fancy soap?" Toby asked, coming over to join them in the kitchen.

Monica laughed at that. "Oh, with you, it'll take a miracle."

"So not impossible?" Toby realised, smiling to himself.

"Your chances are like this," Monica replied, pinching her fingers together, where the tips were barely brushing. "So, don't get your hopes up."

"Oh, I'm trying not to, but the fancy soap is tempting."

Rachel met Zara's gaze, where Rachel mouthed 'oh my god' and Zara shrugged as if to say 'I know'. Maybe, even with Zara, leaving, there was still hope for Monica and Toby. But, now Zara was sad as it suddenly dawned on her that Rachel wouldn't be her roommate either.

"So, he's nice, right?" Monica questioned, still smiling.

"Who?" Rachel questioned.

"Michael," Monica replied as if there was no reason for them to question if she meant Toby.

"Yeah," said Phoebe. "But, Monica, do you really want to be in a relationship where you can actually use the phrase that's not how your dad used to do it?"

Zara couldn't help but laugh before she took a seat on Monica's right with Toby opposite her, sitting next to Ross, who was at the head of the table. Sitting here, Zara was far away from Joey, where she, thankfully, could avoid looking at him.

"Wow, everything looks great," Michael commented. "Where should I sit?"

"Saved you a seat," Monica patted the spot next to her.

Rachel poured Monica a glass of wine, quietly repeating the word sick.

There was then a knock at the door as Phoebe went to get it.

"Gotcha!" Chandler shouted, laughing to himself.

"That doesn't sound like thinking to me," Joey snapped at the box.

"Sorry," Chandler replied.

"I don't think you should be talking at all in there!" Joey continued as Zara was too eager to take a large sip of her wine. "I think you got too much thinking to do to be talking and making jokes."

"Okay, okay," said Chandler. "You got it."

"Ross, could you pass me the yams?" Rachel asked.

Even Zara was passing the food around, trying to find a positive in this dinner. But, all she could think about was Chandler in a box and Joey acting harshly because he was hurt.

"Sure," said Ross. "Oh, and Joey's got the mashed potatoes if you want to exchange them."

Rachel snatched the yams, glaring at Ross. "Will you stop? What is the matter with you?"

At least, there was another drama going on that Zara hadn't caused.

Monica shared a fake laugh of warning. "We've got company."

"There's nothing the matter with me," Ross replied. "See, I'm not completely devoid of sentiment. See, I have feelings."

"Okay, fine," Rachel decided as she stood to leave.

"You can't tell," said Chandler. "But I'm trying to break the tension by mooning you guys."

Joey stood up, shaking his head as he walked over to the box. "All right, look," said Joey. "If this is just a big joke to you, then forget about it, all right? If it doesn't mean anything to you, then you should get out of there. Otherwise, you're just an idiot in a box."

"You're right, and I'm sorry," Chandler replied. "This means a lot to me. I want you to be my friend again. I swear I won't say another word tonight."

"So, you're going to start taking this thing seriously?" Joey questioned.

"Absolutely," Chandler told him.

"I can't do this," Zara decided, feeling too overwhelmed. "I'm sorry, Mon, but I really can't do this."

"I understand," Monica said, though she was sad.

"That sounds like another word to me! Are you going to take this seriously?"

There was silence, but Zara had stood up, knocking her plate with the cutlery as everyone noticed she was storming away like Rachel had. She disappeared into her bedroom as Rachel came out to prove to Ross that she had sentiment. As much as Zara wanted to see Rachel prove herself, she needed to leave.

Grabbing her overnight bag that was already packed, Zara stared at her boxed-up room with her heart breaking all over again. Come tomorrow, some of it would be moved to Toby's place, but the rest would remain here until Zara found her own apartment.

When she came out, everyone was staring at her.

"Toby, I'm sorry, but are you ready to go?" Zara asked, feeling bad.

"Go?" Rachel repeated. "It's Thanksgiving."

"Yeah, we can go," Toby reassured her.

"Where are you going?" Joey asked, finally looking at her.

"I can't be here with the two of you acting like this," Zara told him. "You guys have never been like this before and it's all my fault, so I'm gonna stay at Toby's for a bit. Then I'm gonna find my own place." 

"What?" Ross reacted.

"You're leaving?" Rachel questioned, hand covering her mouth.

"But... you can't," Phoebe protested.

"Phoebe's right," said Joey. "You can't leave."

"Joey, I need to leave," Zara told him, hating the fact that she was on the urge of crying again. "I can't keep doing this, it's not fair on any of us. I mean, look," her hand flung out towards the box. "Chandler's in a box and you're angry, Joey. You're never angry."

"But I don't want you to go," Joey said.

Zara smiled sadly at him. "If I stay, I'm only hurting you more."

Approaching him, Zara saw Joey's hands reaching for her as she held onto them, knowing her leaving was the closure all three of them needed. 

"I forgive you," Joey told her. "I'll stop being angry."

"But I'll know that's not true," said Zara, finally telling him the truth. "You deserve to be angry; I don't deserve your forgiveness. But, you gotta know: that night all those years ago, it wasn't the wrong time. I think if we had found each other again after that night together when you were looking for me, then we could have figured it out — it would have been you."

It was the right time, they just hadn't been ready. Maybe, if Zara had gone back to that bar and Joey had found her, then Zara's certain everything would be different. They might have had a real shot at something.

"Now, I wish I could go back even more," Joey whined, feeling his heart break again.

Zara wore a sad smile. "I wish so too," she told him. "I'm sorry that I've hurt you, but I don't regret any of it. I only regret how it ended."

Then, Zara rose on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, leaving her lips to linger with the two knowing it was final. Joey had stopped breathing as Zara pulled back, and he knew even if he kicked up a fuss, she would still leave.

"If you're going," said Joey. "Then you can't go thinking I hate you. I do forgive you, Zara. It hurts like hell, but I always knew you'd break my heart."

"That doesn't make me feel any better," Zara told him, but then her eyes fell on the silent box. "If you forgive me, then forgive Chandler, Joey. Don't let him suffer too much over something that was my fault."

Then, pulling away from Joey, she faced her friends. Toby lingered away from them, holding Zara's overnight bag. But, seeing her friends, Zara felt like bursting into tears again.

"It's not goodbye," said Monica. "As we'll see you tomorrow anyway."

Zara nodded at that, smiling. "No goodbye's then."

"No," Rachel decided. "I'm not saying goodbye to you."

"Yeah," said Phoebe. "Just because you're moving out, it doesn't mean we'll stop being friends. I don't live with Monica and I'm still here."

"Me too," Ross added. "Plus it won't be the same without you, Zara."

"Yeah," said Zara. "So I'll see you all soon then."

They nodded, wanting to believe it wasn't the end, and Zara let them think that. Zara wasn't one for goodbye nor was she open with her feelings much with her friends, but because of them, she had realised what love should be like.

But Zara's eyes fell on the box in the room.

As she reached the box, Zara lingered close to the wood in relief that she couldn't see Chandler's face. Even if she saw the others again, this with Chandler felt final. To move on, they had to let each other go.

But if she could see Chandler's face now, then Zara would cave in.

"You know, not seeing you is making this easier," Zara told him.

Zara placed a hand close to the breathing hole, suddenly very conscious that everyone was still around them in the kitchen with dinner forgotten, but it felt like her only chance to finally tell Chandler the truth.

"I don't know how to say goodbye to you," said Zara. "But I guess that's not surprising, is it? I never know what to say to you. You deserve the truth, though. I do love you, Chandler — I've always loved you, even when I was too scared and blind to see it. But... I love Joey too, Chandler. It's crazy, but I fell in love with my best friends, and now look what that's caused."

Her voice was thick as Zara paused, not wanting to cry. But, she didn't think it was tears, it was the years of self-doubt and fear trying to stop her from talking.

So, Zara forced herself to continue.

"I had everything I ever wanted with Joey," Zara continued, knowing Joey could hear too. "And as perfect as it was, all I could think about was how it wasn't you. It's always been you, Chandler, and I'm sorry it's taken me destroying everything to realise that. But, I can't do this anymore. I won't be the reason I come between you both. So, I'm gonna go, and give us space, then hopefully we'll be able to finally move on."

Though, deep in her heart, Zara didn't want to move on. 

"Goodbye, Chandler," Zara whispered.

Then, Zara turned to Joey for a final time, seeing his face drooping with sadness. It was Monica who came and saw the two out, trying not to cry herself.

"I'm sorry I ruined Thanksgiving," Zara said.

"You didn't. It's just one night," said Monica. "We have a thousand more together to look back on. And, anyway, I'll be seeing you tomorrow anyway."

Zara hugged her friend again. "Thank you."

"What for?" Monica asked.

"For being my best friend," Zara said. "For giving me a home."

Monica smiled sadly. "I feel like this is the only time I can say this because you're running anyway, but I do love you, Zara."

"I do love you too," Zara told her, knowing it was true, and it wasn't scary to have a friend who you loved.

In her mind, Zara thought of the two fresh eighteen-year-olds moving into college together, completely different, but oblivious that they were about to be forever friends. Maybe Zara's first true love had been Monica, who was the family Zara never knew she needed.

And now she was leaving.

Zara forced herself to go, where Toby wrapped a comforting arm around her in a silent reminder that Zara wasn't alone.

♡

"Open the box!" Joey cried out, moaning the words as he was quick to head over to Chandler, who was still silent. 

"What?" Rachel questioned.

"He can still catch her!" Joey shouted, removing the lid of the box. "Hey, come on. Get out of there! Get out of there!"

Chandler stood up in the box, looking at Joey. As much as he wanted to run after Zara, he didn't want to put Joey in the same position he had just been in as he knew how much it hurt.

"Joey..."

"Yeah, it's okay," Joey encouraged. "Get out."

Climbing out of the box, Chandler never looked away from his friend. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," said Joey. "You did some really good thinking in there."

"I mean, this is..."

But nothing needed to be said as the two hugged, finally fixing the pieces of their friendship back together.

"Now, go," Joey told him. "'Cause, you can still catch her."

"No, I can't," Chandler said. "Not when I know how much it's gonna hurt you."

"I'll be okay," Joey reassured him, but even Chandler could see through the cracks on his face. "Maybe not right now, but I will be as long as you're both okay. Just make her happy, Chandler, that's all I care about."

"Really?" Chandler questioned, struggling to hide the hope he was feeling.

"Yeah, really," Joey told him. "Just don't let her go again, okay?"

"I won't," Chandler promised, finding a smile growing on his face.

"Then go!" Joey exclaimed, gesturing for Chandler to leave.

Chandler didn't need to be told twice as he tore from the apartment with the goal to not only just chase after Zara but to get her back.

"Joey, are you sure about this?" Monica asked him after.

"Yeah," Joey replied, though he looked devestated. "I kind off knew it would end like this, but I was still crazy enough about her to try. If it's not me with Zara, then it should be Chandler."

Monica's heart broke for him as she hugged him, knowing that he needed it.

♡

While Toby lived close — closer to Phoebe than their apartment — she found the walk was needed to clear her head. It wasn't exactly the Thanksgiving she had wanted with her brother, but Toby was telling her that they could finish up the night with their own thing.

But there was someone calling out her name behind her.

Coming to a stop, Zara turned to see Chandler running towards them with no coat on and his orange shirt shining bright like a neon sign in the dark night. Zara was so stunned, having never expected to see him.

And then Chandler reached her, suddenly pausing while he was panting, trying to catch his breath.

But Zara felt like she couldn't breathe too now.

"Chandler?" Zara questioned. "What are you doing?"

"Something I should have done a long time ago."

Then, with that, Chandler was closing the last of the distance between them with his cold hands on her cheek, not wasting a second longer as he kissed her. Zara wanted to fight, but all she could do was melt, feeling the cold turn into snowflakes in her tummy.

As much as she never wanted it to stop, she forced herself to pull backwards.

"What are you doing?" Zara whispered.

"If you're gonna run, then I'm running after you," Chandler told her. "I'm not afraid anymore, it's always been you, Zara."

Zara felt like she was going to cry again, but this time from pure joy. All she had ever wanted was someone to love her enough like this and now here Chandler was, chasing after her with the goal to get her back.

But, as much as she wanted to fall into it, there was still too much trouble that came with it.

"Joey—"

"Joey's okay," Chandler reassured her. "He's forgiven me; he told me to come after you."

"Joey did?" Zara questioned, stunned again, but then she realised. "Of course, he did."

It was such a Joey thing to do to sacrifice his own happiness for the sake of his friends.

"Yeah," said Chandler. "So please come home. Please be with me."

Zara laughed at that, finding it crazy that the night was ending like this rather than facing the reality of starting over again.

So, she looked over at Toby. "Change of plans?"

"Sounds like the best change to me," Toby replied, having stood awkwardly to the side.

Chandler looked hopeful. "Does that mean...?"

But Zara was throwing herself at him this time as she kissed him. Chandler caught her with his hands on her waist, keeping Zara pressed against him with the silent promise to never let her go again.

And Zara smiled into the kiss, knowing she had made the right choice.

♡

I love Chandler and Zara so much!😭 Sorry to anyone who wanted it to be Joey, he was the original plan but Chandler was unexpected and they're so perfect for each other. I'm so excited to write about them figuring out being together and I have so much planned for them and Zara!

ALSO!! Keep your eyes peeled for my new story Midnight Rain (maybe this weekend) for Joey as he deserves so much love too. Eliza Rivera is gonna be keeping him on his toes. If anyone wants to know more, I'll be happy to share!