Wow! Thank you so much for your reviews and support everybody! I hope I don't let you down with this story.
Here's chapter two, it's a bit of a filler but I promise the next ones will be better.
Thanks for reading and please keep the comments coming, you guys inspire me to go on.
Enjoy!
…..
Chapter 2.
The next day I wake up just as the sun is rising and, inevitable, my first thought goes to her. Monica's words haven't left my wandering mind. Did she mean she doesn't live in the apartment or that she left the city altogether?. I put my arms behind my head and stare at the plain white ceiling, trying to make up her face. It's easy; her features are engraved deeply in my memory. It is her voice what I have forgotten.
A part of me is desperate to find her, to hear the sound of her voice again, while the other one just yearns to run away before that moment happens. Although I know it is unavoidable, that sooner or later I will have to face her, if it's not now then it'll be at the wedding. A loud groan leaves my mouth, expressing my frustration caused by these conflicting thoughts that have been bugging me ever since I boarded that plane.
I hastily get up and get dressed to go for a walk and hopefully clear my mind.
I stroll along the streets of my old neighborhood with a bittersweet sensation. New establishments have replaced old ones; the old video store I used to go to is now a fancy restaurant, and the small grocery store I shopped at has been turned into another coffee shop. Without realizing, I end up in front of Central Perk. I stand in there as people go in and rush out with a coffee in their hands, probably heading to their workplace.
Nostalgia immediately washes over me as soon as I step in that familiar coffee shop. Aside from the goods on the counter, everything looks exactly the same as the last time I was there four years ago. I scan the place before going any farther. "Our" couch is occupied by complete strangers and so is every single spot in the place. There is not one single familiar face except for Gunther, whose peculiar hair doesn't seem to have changed a bit in these four years.
"Good morning, Gunther." He looks up from his notepad at me with evident surprise.
"Ross?" I give him a polite smile.
"Good to know I haven't been forgotten around here." Although I've always found this man to be sort of odd and sometimes inexplicably unfriendly towards me, it makes me happy to be recognized. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, thanks. It's nice to see you here again. Can I get you anything?"
"Yeah, a cappuccino would be fine, thanks."He turns to the coffee machine and returns little after. "Here you have."
"Thank you." I grab the mug and take a sip of the hot liquid. I keep the mug on my lips for a moment, waiting for him to move to another client but he stays there, observing me quietly, which begins to make me feel uncomfortable.
"So, how's Rachel?" he finally speaks. I frown at his unexpected question. I slowly put the mug down and clear my throat.
"I…um…I don't know. I haven't seen her in a while. Why?"
"Oh…I thought you guys were together." I frown again.
"No. I moved to London with my wife. What made you think that?" he shrugs.
"You both stopped coming here around the same time…I figured you had gone somewhere together. But I'm glad to know that wasn't the case." He says with a weird grin.
"She doesn't come here anymore?" the question leaves my mouth as I am thinking it.
"No...the rest come all the time, but she's probably been here a couple of times in the last three years." He stands in there, probably expecting me to tell him something but when I don't he moves away to attend a new customer. And, again, my curiosity grows bigger.
(…)
12.00 Sharp I turn in the key to my room and leave for Monica's apartment. The cab ride doesn't take more than fifteen minutes.
"Hey brother," she exclaims with joy as soon as she opens the door. I smile widely, feeling at home.
"Hi" I give her a hug, followed by a peck on her cheek. "How are you?"
"Very well, and you?"
"Tired, I'm trying to deal with this damn jet lag. I hope I'm not late?" I say, noticing the already neatly set table.
"No, you're right on time; I assumed you'd take your time leaving the hotel room." I smile.
"You know me too well."
"Unfortunately." She adds, clearly joking. "The food will be done in a few minutes. Why don't you go get comfortable? and I'll call you when everything's ready"
"Yeah, thanks."
I pull my suitcase into the bedroom and begin to unpack my clothes and some toiletries that I picked from the hotel. After a while, I sit on the bed and cannot help observing that room that was once hers. Monica did a good job remodeling the room; there is nothing left in this place that may indicate she ever lived here…even the color of the walls has changed from pink to a light green. I shake my head, in an attempt to get rid of her memory. I knew coming here would bring back past memories but I never imagined it would be this difficult to enter some place without associating it to her. I close my eyes tightly and remind myself that I am here for Monica and not to see her.
(…)
"Where is Chandler?" I ask sitting down at the table where there are only two plates.
"At work, he has lunch there almost every day."
"So…how is he dealing with all the wedding planning? One of these days you'll have to explain to me how you managed to change his mind about commitment." She laughs and I soon join her recalling how in the past just hearing that word would make him sick.
"Actually, very well I'd say, although I'm taking care of everything myself; there's no reason for him to freak out…yet." She says, lifting her hand with her fingers crossed.
"And, how are the rest? do they hate me?" I ask, adding a smile but deep down that is my biggest worry. After all, I promised to keep in touch but I never did.
"Of course not! We all love you, don't be silly."
"I don't know…"
"I swear to you. I told them this morning about you being here and they're dying to see you." All of them?
"So am I"
"Hey, why don't we plan something for the weekend? We all could go to a restaurant or we could meet here and have a barbecue like we used to! Yeah, let's do that!" she exclaims, her excitement growing as she thinks of new ideas. "What do you say?"
"Well, if everybody is available then…I'd love to." I stretch my lips into a smile while I feel my hands start to sweat.
"Great! I'll let them know tomorrow." She smiles, patting my hand a few times with enthusiasm.
"But I need you to bring me up to date, for example…what's going on with Phoebe?"
"Phoebe? Well Phoebe's is Phoebe, still free as a bird and working as a freelance masseuse."
"Does she still play at Central Perk?"
"Yeah, but not as often as she used to. Thankfully." We chuckle.
"How about Joey?"
"Joey….He's doing great, still the same Casanova you know. Oh! And he's back in Days of Our Lives!"
"Really? Didn't his character fall down an elevator shaft and crashed his skull?"
"Yup, but they transplanted somebody else's brain into his body." I arch an eyebrow at the messed up plot "I know. Anyway, the thing is he's making a lot of money so Chandler doesn't need to lend him money anymore, which is a huge relief I must say, becau…." She keeps speaking but suddenly her voice fades away when something on the fridge catches my attention. It is a photo of Monica with her. They both are wearing fancy clothes and the biggest smile on their faces. She looks absolutely stunning.
The feeling of my sister's hand over mine brings me back to the conversation.
"I'm sorry, what were you saying?" she gives me a small smile.
"What do you want to know?" I give her an inquiring look.
"What?"
"About Rachel. You were paying more attention to her photo than to what I was saying." Impulsively, I look at it again.
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize." I look down and grab the fork to take another bite of Monica's delicious chicken.
"She is fine as well." Monica says after a while. I meet her eyes and smile nonchalantly "You know, she works for Ralph Lauren now."
"Really? That's amazing."
"Yeah, it's unbelievable how far she's come….if eight years ago we had been told that this would happen I'm sure none of us would've bought it." She says with a chuckle and I smile but silently disagree with her. I always knew she could make it.
"Yeah…It's incredible." silence breaks through our conversation. I want her to go on but I do not say or ask anything because I know I shouldn't. I chose to leave, cutting her off my life; I do not deserve any answers. However, there's something I cannot help but to ask.
"Does she still hang out with you?" she gives me a funny look.
"Of course she does, why do you ask?"
"Because…I was in Central Perk this morning and…Gunther asked me about her…he said she no longer goes there. Is that true?"
"Yeah well, I don't know exactly why…she and her fiancé prefer to go to this new place a couple of blocks away instead." My hand freezes halfway between the plate and my mouth.
"Rachel is engaged?" I needlessly ask, unable to hide my surprise. Her eyes widen.
"Yeah…didn't I tell you? She actually got engaged a month before Chandler and I did."
"Wow…It seems like things have quite changed since I left, uh?..."
"Well, it's been four years…everything is different."
...