Two days later.
**Central Park Café.**
"I told you Carol wasn't that kind of person. Adam was thinking too negatively about her."
Ross, in stark contrast to his previous frustration, chuckled and said, "It was just an accident, right, Monica?"
"Right."
Monica forced an awkward smile.
"I'm sorry."
Adam and Monica exchanged a glance, vaguely guessing what had happened. Adam quickly apologized, "I was just talking nonsense before."
Not daring to ask any more questions, he swiftly changed the topic: "So, did you get the naming rights for the baby?"
"Yes!" Ross beamed. "If it's a boy, his name will be Ben Geller. If it's a girl, she'll be Julia Geller. Aren't those great names? Now listen to the names *they* were considering—Minnie? Helen?"
"Minnie? As in Mickey Mouse's girlfriend?"
"Helen Geller? Like *Three Days to See* Helen Keller?"
"Wow, a celebrity namesake. Not bad at all."
The group laughed and teased him.
Just then, Chandler confidently pushed open the café door. Seeing that the group was still deep in discussion and had ignored him, he couldn't help but interrupt: "Hey, hey, hey! I've been sitting here for seven whole seconds, and not one of you has asked about my date with Aurora?"
"Oh, how was your date, *Chandler*?"
Phoebe imitated Aurora's pronunciation, playfully exaggerating.
"It was amazing."
Eager to share his excitement, Chandler stood up and said, "She's unlike any woman I've ever met. Her life is incredibly exciting..."
Chandler then recounted Aurora's fascinating experiences. The group was genuinely shocked, exclaiming in disbelief multiple times.
To summarize: Aurora traveled the world, openly had both a husband and a boyfriend while still dating Chandler, and during their date, she even managed to count the coins in Chandler's pocket just by using her feet.
As for her relationship with Chandler, she bluntly defined it as "Italian comradeship."
Because she *was* actually Italian.
Which made it all the more amusing—like a general shouting to his lieutenant, "Lieutenant! Where the hell is my Italian artillery?" only for the lieutenant to actually bring out an Italian friend with some local specialties.
"Why are you all looking at me?"
Seeing that everyone had turned to stare at him at that part of the story, Adam twitched his mouth and said, "Shouldn't you all be looking at Joey instead?"
"Oh, right."
The group suddenly realized and turned to Joey.
"I always thought Parisians were the most romantic, but you Italians really know how to have fun."
Phoebe clicked her tongue in amazement.
Joey smirked and nodded proudly.
"It's really a shame you guys broke up," Monica consoled.
"Broke up? What do you mean? I'm seeing her again on Thursday."
Chandler grinned. "Did you even listen to the whole story?"
"..."
Monica was speechless. "I think *you're* the one who didn't listen to the whole story. This is ridiculous. You're actually dating someone like that?"
"That's what I thought at first," Chandler shrugged, explaining, "but then I realized—this is a win-win! I get to have fun without any responsibility. It's basically every man's dream."
Joey nodded again in agreement.
"No, it's not!"
Phoebe, unconvinced, turned to Ross. "Ross, this isn't *your* dream, is it?"
"Of course not!" Ross immediately denied it. But under Chandler's judgmental gaze, he hesitated and weakly corrected himself, "Okay, fine. It's every man's dream."
"So, you guys really don't mind if the woman you're dating is also dating other people?"
Monica was in disbelief.
"I couldn't do it."
Joey said seriously, "If I'm dating a woman, I need to be sure I've dated more people than she has."
Monica and Phoebe gave him a look of pure disdain.
"Adam, can you do me a favor?"
Chandler turned to Adam.
"What is it?"
Adam was caught off guard.
"I want to give Aurora the perfect date, so I need to book a table at Palma Garden Restaurant."
Chandler smiled pleadingly. "But I can't get a reservation. You're a rising writer in New York—maybe you can pull some strings? Oh, and you know what? You and Caroline, me and Aurora—we should totally do a double date! What do you think?"
"Uh..."
Seeing the group nod in agreement, Adam forced a smile. "Chandler, I'll try, but I advise you not to get too invested. In any relationship—whether it's love or 'Italian comradeship'—the person who cares more loses. Aurora is a veteran at this game, so trust me, the one who'll end up losing is you."
"It's not always about winning or losing."
Chandler dismissed his concern with a grin. "This is a win-win!"
Adam sighed internally.
There was another layer of meaning he couldn't say out loud.
The reason Chandler was getting so caught up in this was *probably* related to his mother, Nora.
Aurora, with her worldly charm, extensive travels, and many lovers, was *just like* Nora.
Chandler's parents had left him with all sorts of psychological baggage.
His father's eccentricity had led Chandler to develop habits like shaping his eyebrows and curling his eyelashes—little things that made people assume he was gay. He was also so physically affectionate with Joey that even *they* joked about hugging too much.
His mother, on the other hand, had left him with unresolved issues—like that one time he dreamt of calling her on the phone, exposing his complicated love-hate feelings toward her.
Now, he had met a woman who was just like Nora.
He might say it's perfect—"no responsibilities, all fun"—but subconsciously, he'd end up wanting *more* from Aurora.
Otherwise, why would he already be taking their second date so seriously—booking a fancy restaurant and even inviting Adam and Caroline for a double date?
In America, introducing a date to your friends wasn't as casual as it might seem. It had *somewhat* of the same significance as meeting the family in some cultures.
Chandler clearly didn't realize this, but Adam did.
Still, as Chandler's 'guardian' in more ways than one, Adam couldn't outright refuse or warn him.
Chandler was too emotionally invested at this point. No matter how well-meaning the advice, he simply wouldn't accept it.
So Adam had no choice but to agree.
Thinking about it, if Chandler hadn't fallen so hard in the end, it wouldn't have been a big deal. And besides, they *did* break up eventually.
When Adam called the reservation number Chandler gave him and mentioned his name, he actually got a reservation.
It made sense.
This was America, a country ruled by capitalism.
Luxury restaurants and high-end stores always kept track of local celebrities.
For the average person, reservations were impossible. But for VIPs? The doors were always open.
Because that's where the money was.
After all, it's all just business.