Rachel wakes up with a start when she realizes that there is someone peering at her while she sleeps. She opens her eyes and sees Emily casually drinking some tea, her fingers tightly gripping the fine china. She blinks, and clenches her own hands against the bed covers. She would like to pinch herself but that would look inappropriate. Well. No more inappropriate than being watched while asleep.
"Good morning," Rachel says cautiously. She understands that she's a guest in their home. Still, that's no reason to be watching her as she sleeps. She wonders if Emily does this to all the guests, careful to make sure that none of the good china is stolen. But who keeps good china in a guest room?
"Good morning," Emily replies, almost with a chirp. She doesn't say anything further, merely watching as Rachel pulls the covers to her chin. Rachel is at a loss for words, believing this to be quite an awkward situation that she has found herself in.
"I love Noah very much," she finally says, staring at Rachel to gauge her reaction.
Rachel doesn't say anything, choosing to keep quiet instead. Really, she thinks, wishing she could shake her head. Really, what does Emily expect her to say? She hopes that the other woman doesn't expect to engage in a battle for his affection. She has enough to deal with on her plate. She also wants to inquire why they have to continue this conversation while she's not dressed but she says nothing. Perhaps if she doesn't speak, Emily will wander out the door.
"I know he's rather fond of you, so I continue to put up with your presence in our lives."
"I'm sorry, I was under the assumption that we're all friends here."
Emily shoots her a snide look prior to replying.
"We are, but I know, and you know, there's no such thing as friendship where my fiancé is concerned. He's finally proposed to me, and we're starting a life together, and to be honest, I noticed the way you were eying him last night when I walked in."
"Excuse me? I wasn't eying him. We were having a conversation, as old friends often do."
Rachel scrambles in her mind to see if she was eying Noah a particular way. Just in case. Her blind spot masks the kiss.
"Yes, well. Old friends or not, I'm not prepared to lose him to you after all the time I've invested into this relationship. I suggest you attempt to maintain your distance."
Emily stands, smoothing out her skirt.
"Noah's already left for work, and I'm leaving as well. The housekeeper is here so I assume you can see your way out. Enjoy your morning."
She departs from the room, leaving a flabbergasted Rachel in her wake. The nerve of the woman, she thinks. She would have a few choice words to say if she was still in her field of vision. Flopping her head back onto her pillow, Rachel pulls the covers over her head and bites her lip to keep from screaming. She's in the early beginnings of a demanding role, her relationship is suffering, and now she has to deal with the jealous fiancée of the only childhood friend she keeps in touch with. It would be mildly amusing if it didn't make her want to scream in frustration.
An hour later, Rachel is making her way out of the bed. She has the luxury of enjoying a day off to recuperate from the previous night's performance. Checking her phone, she sees a quick apology from Noah that he didn't wait for her to wake up before he left. She smiles at the attached smiley faces, sending back a quick reply expressing her gratitude both for attending and allowing her to spend the night. She ignores the fact that Mark hasn't bothered to text or call with regard to where she is. She has been away all night, and there's not a single exchange of communication.
She takes a taxi home, debating what to do with her day off. She comes home to find Mark missing, throwing her bag on the counter out of anger. She texts him inquiring if he wants to run errands with her, unsurprised when he shakes her off with a solid no. He doesn't bother to provide a solid reason for the decline. She blames it on work, her eyes shading to the various other reasons dancing amongst her thoughts. Rachel walks out the door, her face hit with rays of sunshine and she promises herself things will become different.
She wanders around the Upper East side, her feet slowly making their way downtown. She ends up in front of Macy's in Herald Square, and shrugs. She's not due home, per se, Mark wouldn't call and inquire as to what's keeping her so long. She decides to walk in on a whim,
Rachel smirks, remembering Emily's lecture from several weeks past. So much for a love lasting forever, she thinks. Her smirk elapses into a frown when she realizes that for Emily to be with a stranger, she wouldn't be able to be with Noah. She pulls out her phone, her fingers scrolling to find his name. Finding it easily enough, she doesn't know what to say. She would like to inform Noah of what she has seen but she cannot tell him anything without evidence.
For several minutes, Rachel stays glued to her position. She can't believe that Emily would be cheating on Noah, Noah and his wonderful heart. He's undergone a significant transformation since high school, growing up to be the man she always knew he could be. She has seen the way he's stared at Emily, he'll be devastated. She has to be more than a hundred percent sure before she goes and breaks his heart.
Emily and the other man move slowly through the aisles of the store, Rachel shadowing their every step. Rachel observes her with the mysterious man. He's wearing a Mets hat, evoking memories of Mark. Mark loves the Mets. Rachel doesn't particularly care for the team, even more so given their current state. It's a debacle how the organization is run. She shakes her head, reminding herself to focus. She quickly ducks behind a nearby cabinet when she realizes she has wandered too close to them. Even from a distance, Rachel could see the closeness between the pair, and she quietly tiptoes to follow them. She tiptoes along when she stops suddenly, ducking behind another cabinet. She's slightly afraid to turn and make eye contact, should they continue to stand there. Deciding to count to thirty prior to turning around, she turns around with her eyes peeled to the floor, smacking into a body.
She opens her eyes, bewildered at the person staring back at her.
"Mark?"
"You look surprised to see me."
"Yeah, well. I wasn't expecting to run into you in the middle of the bedroom furniture section this afternoon. You informed me you were working when I asked you to run errands with me."
He throws an arm around her shoulders, flashing a smile that doesn't quite meet his eyes.
"I wanted to surprise you. You had mentioned you would like a new bedroom set, so I decided to check them out."
Rachel stays silent, wondering if it's a coincidence that he's in the same outfit as Emily's stranger. She feels her teeth moving instinctively moving to bite the inside corner of her cheek,
He kisses her on the side of her forehead, and takes her hand.
"Since you're here, we should wander around together."
Mark grips her hand tightly as they walk away, Rachel quietly discussing everything in sight. She doesn't notice the silence Mark emits but she'll notice something inside her shifts when she touches his palm. It's warm, she thinks. It's warm because someone's held this hand before.