At Apartnt 520.
"What? You're moving out?"
Monica was shocked. "Why?"
"Rember why I moved out of the school dorm in the first place?"
Adam pointed at Monica's dark circles and smiled, "The walls here aren't soundproof enough. I think it's better for
to find my own place so I don't keep you up at night."
"It's fine. It was just the New Year's party. I get it. It was a one-ti thing."
Monica tried to persuade him to stay.
"Ahem."
Adam cleared his throat and said tactfully, "It wasn't just a one-ti thing. I have pretty good stamina, you know~"
"…"
Monica's jaw dropped.
Adam had never brought a girl ho overnight before, so she just assud that last night was because of the party and how wild things got. But now, from what he was saying...
"What do you an?"
Monica couldn't believe her guess and asked reflexively, "Are you saying...?"
"Yeah. If I keep living here, you might have to deal with more nights like last night…"
Adam confird her suspicion.
"Okay."
Monica raised her hand, cutting him off, and imdiately agreed.
No way. One night was hard enough. If that kept happening, it would be unbearable.
"Where are you planning to look for an apartnt?"
Under 'pressure,' Monica agreed, but she still felt a bit sad.
Adam was the perfect roommate—not only was he clean and tidy, but he also didn't complain about her obsessive habits. And, honestly, he was great eye candy.
"Sowhere nearby."
Adam grinned. "I still want to co by for breakfast sotis. You're like a gourt chef."
"You can even place orders. Whatever you like, I'll make it for you."
Monica bead.
Jack once said: *Distance and ti can destroy any relationship.*
Renzo once said: *Human nature can't withstand temptation.*
That's why Jack sang: *Friends stay together for life.*
Monica had a natural gift for bringing people together and cherished her friendships.
"Wow, if Joey heard that, he'd be so jealous," Adam teased.
Joey had two great loves: eating and… well, you know.
Once, they joked about him having to choose between the two, but he couldn't give up either.
He often snuck into Monica's apartnt looking for food.
In the original tiline, when Monica and Chandler planned to move to the suburbs after adopting kids, they suggested Ross take over the apartnt. Ross declined, saying it was filled with too many mories that belonged to Monica.
Chandler agreed but added another irrefutable reason: Joey lived across the hall and devoured tons of food every year.
Stingy Ross wasn't as generous as Monica, and the thought of feeding Joey—who could devour an entire 50-pound turkey and still want more—was terrifying to him.
If Joey and Monica were ever a couple, the only result would be Monica 2.0… but way heavier!
Unless it was a special holiday, Joey was lucky to sneak a bite, let alone place orders.
Keep dreaming!
---
The next week...
After looking at several places nearby, Adam finally chose an apartnt on the fourth floor of the building opposite Apartnt 520—the sa building where they often watched that "Ugly Naked Guy."
With the curtains open, Adam and Monica could see each other's apartnts from their windows. They could even shout to each other if they wanted to chat.
For so reason, the apartnt didn't have a number, so Adam followed the previous tenant's idea and hung a sign on the door that read "Duncan's Apartnt."
It was a typical two-bedroom, one-living-room setup with a sensible layout.
On moving day, everyone pitched in, and it was done in no ti.
To celebrate, they held a small party at "Duncan's Apartnt." You'd think Adam would be the center of attention, but he wasn't.
Soone was just too excited, bragging nonstop about his charm. He even said, "No matter how great Susan is, she can't pull out a miracle, can she?"
His smug face and arrogant words annoyed all the girls, who tead up to roast him.
Adam just asked a few questions before laughing quietly to himself.
The butterfly effect couldn't defeat historical inevitability.
How long could Ross keep laughing?
The answer ca soon enough.
---
The next morning…
After getting up and washing up, Adam headed to Apartnt 520 for breakfast.
Joey was already at the table, impatiently chanting, "Food, gim food!"
"Hiii~..."
At that mont, the door opened, and Ross walked in. Before they even saw him, they heard him—definitely not a happy "hi."
"Ohhh…"
Joey, already starving, groaned, "Every ti I hear him say 'hi' like that, I just wanna die."
"What happened now?"
Monica, busy with breakfast, looked over. Seeing her brother, who was annoyingly smug the night before, now looking utterly defeated, she nearly threw a spatula at him.
"Snap out of it, you big baby!"
Ross glared at her.
Monica didn't back down and glared right back.
The Geller siblings showed their love through their competitive, confrontational way. There was nothing delicate about either of them—including Monica!
"Alright, Ross, is it about Carol again?"
Adam tried to diate.
"How did you know?"
Ross, still glaring at his sister, looked away. When Adam hit the nail on the head, his face fell into a look of utter misery.
"Who else can make your mood swing from cloud nine to rock bottom like that?"
Adam teased.
"I think... our marriage is really over."
Ross slumped on the couch, his head down, fiddling with his fingers. "Between
and Susan… she actually chose Susan. Can you believe that?"
"We can!" *x3*
Adam, Joey, and Monica responded in unison.
Ross's head shot up, eyes blazing. "WHY?!"
"Don't get worked up. She just doesn't appreciate you."
"Won understand won better?"
"Nice~"
Adam, Monica, and Joey each offered their opinions.
"Shut up, Joey!"
Before Ross could explode, Monica smacked down Joey's dreamy grin.
Just then, Chandler and Phoebe showed up, and after hearing the story, they all tried to comfort Ross.
Adam didn't have the heart to share his theory.
Based on the events from the original tiline, he was 80% sure there was more to this story.
Carol's affair with Susan had been going on for over six months. Soon, she and Ross would finalize their divorce, and then she'd tell Ross she was pregnant with his child.
Which leads to a simple math problem:
If they'd been separated for over six months and were officially divorced before she announced her pregnancy—already over a month along—anyone could do the math.
But Susan, just smiled knowingly.
---
*(End of Chapter)*
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