Chapter 9
It was early in the morning when the door to the small coffee house chimed open and a group of people walked in. Hearing them enter, the woman at the counter looked up and smiled when she saw the group of six wander in; five of them looking around with interest and curiosity while the man in the approached the counter with a smile.
"Oh hey! This is a surprise!" she greeted, walking around the counter.
"Morning Morgan," Ross replied, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek. "I thought we'd swing by today so I could show the guys the place."
"Oh? Well that's great!" Morgan smiled, turning to the rest of the group. "Welcome to Morning Covfefe, where we serve the best covfefe around the city!"
"Haha, thanks Morgan, the place looks great!" Monica said, tapping the hard wood of a nearby table.
"Yeah, it's very homey," Phoebe added, poking at a hanging decoration.
"You design it yourself?" Chandler asked.
Morgan smiled. "Thank you, and no, not all of it. Stephen and Alexa helped me with the furniture and decorations."
"Well it looks great," Monica said.
"Hey, where's Carla? Is she not working today?" Ross asked as he looked around for the other waitress.
"No, I decided to give her the week off. She's been having headaches again."
"You've been holding down the fort by yourself all week?"
"Yeah, but it's not that bad," Morgan said, shrugging. "It's been pretty easy today."
She motioned towards the only other people in the coffee house: an older couple sitting in the corner near the windowsill. Ross waved to them, recognizing them as some of the regulars and they waved back.
"Please, everyone have a seat. Make yourselves at home," she said, gesturing for them to sit down. The group walked over and took a seat on two green couches surrounding a glass coffee table, reminding them a little of Central Perk.
"So you run this place all by yourself?" Rachel asked after everyone was settled down.
"Yup," she answered cheerfully. "It pays to be your own boss."
"You know, Rachel used to be a waitress," Chandler pointed out and she immediately swung around and gave him a glare.
"Really?" Morgan asked, now interested. "How was that?"
Rachel cleared her throat. "Um, it was alright but it wasn't for me though," she replied, making sure to chose her words carefully as to not offend her. She wasn't too proud of that period in her life but Morgan seems to enjoy it so she wasn't about to tell her off.
"Well that's still quite respectable. Most people look down on us waitresses," Morgan said and she nodded simply. "Anyways, so what can I get all of you?"
"Some coffee for all of us would be great," Ross replied and she wrote it down on a little notepad.
"No problem, anything else?"
"Do you have anything to eat?" Joey asked, rubbing his stomach.
"I've got some bagels and muffins ready if you'd like. Why don't I throw in some of those?" she offered, writing those down too.
"Cool, so how much will that be?" Chandler asked, beginning to pull out his wallet when she stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry about it. It's on the house," she smiled.
"Are you sure? We can pay if you'd like," Chandler said, looking at the others.
"No, please, my treat," Morgan insisted.
"Thanks Morgan, you're the best," Ross said and she gave him a playful wink before heading back to the counter.
As the six of them settled back down, enjoying the relaxing atmosphere of the coffee house and making small talk with each other, suddenly the front door chimed open again, this time a different group of people entering which they all recognized.
"Hey, would you look at that? Looks like we've got a party in here," Nate joked as he approached the couch area, with Henry, Stephen, Alexa, and Lauren following.
"So, Ross finally decided to show his friends the coffee house," Henry said with a smile, giving him a handshake.
"Hey guys, hope you're all enjoying yourselves," Stephen greeted as he and Alexa pulled up a few chairs.
"We are, and the coffee house is great. It's like the one back home, only better," Chandler answered, scooting over with Joey to make some room for the other guys.
As everyone got resettled and re-acquainted with each other, Lauren was the only one left standing as she kind of hovered around where Ross was sitting on the couch.
"Hey there little one, you want a seat?" Ross asked playfully, beginning to stand up and offer up his own.
Lauren smiled but shook her head. "No that's alright. I'll just sit here," she said, sitting on the arm rest.
"No way, come here," he said, pulling her down onto his lap. She giggled as she readjusted on his leg and the two shared a laugh, something Rachel noticed in the corner of her eye and she couldn't help but frown.
At that moment Morgan returned with their orders and was surprised to see the rest of her friends there also.
"Woah, where did all of you guys come from?" she asked, placing the tray of food and beverages on the counter.
"We all just appeared out of thin air," Nate joked, dazzling his hands as if he had just performed a magic trick.
"Well not all of you I see," she pointed out. "Where's Scott?"
"He's sick," Lauren answered. "He woke up with the flu so he's taking the day off."
"Damn, that sucks," Morgan frowned. "Well I guess now that you're all here, what am I getting all of you?"
"Just the usual for us would be great Morgan," Alexa said, motioning at herself and Stephen.
"Usual for me too please," Lauren asked sweetly, earning a playful nudge from Ross.
"Count me in on that also," Nate added.
Morgan nodded her head before turning to Henry. "And what about you? You just getting the norm too?"
"Nah, I think I'll get one of your morning specials," Henry answered, sitting back with his feet up on the table.
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you joking? That takes me ten minutes to make. Do you really want to order that or are you just messing with me?"
"Nah, I'm just messing with you."
"Then I'm just getting you a coffee," she said, writing it down. "Bastard…" she muttered as she turned around.
"What was that?"
"Nothing," she smiled, starting to walk away but not before Henry flipped her off.
"So, how are all of you?" Alexa asked, turning to the group. "We haven't seen you all since the party. What have you all been up to recently?"
"Nothing much. We've mostly just been relaxing and hanging out," Monica answered.
"And hitting the beach," Joey added.
"Yeah, don't forget the beach. We love the beach," Chandler continued.
"Hell yeah man," Nate approved, fisting bumping both of them. "We were thinking of heading their later today."
"You guys should join us," Henry offered and Chandler and Joey looked at each other, nodding in agreement.
"Sure, we're down."
Stephen rolled his eyes. "Great, I see it now; the four stooges, walking along the beach and hitting on every girl in sight." The group snickered at his remark.
"Shut up man, you're married," Henry countered, giving him a friendly shove and he laughed.
"So ladies, what's the plan for you now that the boys have their double dates?" Alexa asked just as Morgan returned, handing out everyone's drinks before taking a seat.
Monica looked at the other two and shrugged. "We're not sure. We don't really have anything planned."
"Well hey, if you don't have anything planned, I've been meaning to ask," Morgan said, entering the conversation as she turned to Monica. "You're a chef right?"
Monica nodded, unsure as to why she was asking.
"How would you like to help me out here? I've been looking for an extra pair of hands to help me in the kitchen."
"You want me to help make food?" she clarified, her voice full of excitement.
"Yeah, I mean, I guess it's not what you're normally used to but you can help make pastries and other stuff. I can pay you too if you want," Morgan offered.
"Are you kidding? I'll work for free!" Monica exclaimed, jumping up. "Can I get one of those apron things too?"
"Sure," Morgan laughed, standing up as well.
"Ooh! Ooh! I want to help too!" Phoebe exclaimed, waving her hands.
"You can cook too?" Morgan asked.
"No… but, oh, I can play the guitar like I do at the coffee house at home!"
"That would be great Phoebe, but unfortunately I don't have a guitar or any equipment here," Morgan explained in a sad tone.
"Oh…"
"Wait, did you say you can play the guitar?" Alexa asked.
"Well, I know almost all the chords," she answered.
"That's good enough. How would you like to join me today?" Alexa offered. "I teach at a local elementary school and I've been looking for someone to come in and introduce the kids to music."
"Oh, that's great! I'll teach them my Smelly Cat song!"
Chandler rolled his eyes. "Alexa's going to have her hands full with that one," he murmured.
While everyone was still talking, suddenly the sound of a beeper going off was heard and everyone turned to Ross who had to reach into his pocket to turn it off.
"That must be the museum. I should probably get going," he said, finishing his coffee as Lauren got off his lap to let him stand.
"Hey, um, do you mind if I tag along?" Lauren asked shyly, watching him as he rose to his feet. "I kind of want to talk to you about something later."
"Sure, but don't you have to work?"
She shook her head. "No, I took the day off today."
"Well in that case, I could use the company," he said with a smile as she smiled back in return. "After all, I guess if one Hughes can't pester me all day then another one has to."
Lauren giggled before the two of them said their goodbyes to the group and left. As they walked towards the entrance, Rachel couldn't help but follow them with her eyes, still feeling a pang of jealousy despite not wanting to. A part of her wished she had the courage to ask to spend that kind of time with him. She had still yet to do the very thing she came here to do; tell him her true feelings and win him back, but until she knew what he was thinking she didn't dare make a move.
Even after Ross and Lauren had left, she continued to stare at the front entrance, lost in her thoughts. She heard someone say her name behind her but she was too focused to listen to hear what they had said. It was only due to a light tap on her shoulder that pulled her from her trance and she quickly spun around to see Monica looking at her.
"Sorry, what was that?" she asked, hoping no one noticed her staring.
"I said what are you going to do today?" Monica asked again.
"Oh, um… I'm not sure…"
As she responded, everyone looked to Stephen who was drinking his coffee and raised an eyebrow when he noticed everyone's looks.
"What? Unless she wants to sit in a bunch of meetings with me today, she's probably better off doing nothing than coming with me," he answered simply, returning to his coffee.
"You know, I think I'll just hang around here for a bit," Rachel said and Monica shrugged.
"Suit yourself."
After that was settled, everyone returned to their conversation with each other, though Rachel just wasn't that into it. As she picked up her own drink and took a sip, she turned to look at the door again, now wishing she had gone along with him today.
…
It was late in the afternoon when Rachel returned back to the house, and after paying the taxi driver her fee, she slowly made her way up the stairs to the front door. She was alone, though that wasn't really something new to her.
After spending a few hours with Monica and Morgan at the coffee house, she eventually decided that she needed to get away from all the coffee and the serving as it reminded her too much of her waitressing days, so she had grabbed the spare key from Monica and headed out.
The next few hours mainly consisted of her just walking aimlessly around the city. Of course, she had tried to get a hold of someone else, but everyone else was busy, Lauren didn't answer her phone and she didn't bother calling Scott since she remembered he was sick today, so instead she ended up just walking around by herself. It was nice though, and the weather was great, but that can only take you so far when you're by yourself and eventually she had gotten tired and decided to just head back home.
Now in the present, Rachel approached the front door, removing the key from her pocket and inserting it in the keyhole. However when she turned it, she realised she had actually just locked it and was surprised to find the door already unlocked before she had gotten there. Not seeing any cars out in the driveway, she wondered who was already in the house and cautiously entered quietly.
"Ross, please, I don't understand!"
Rachel froze at the sound of the distressed, begging voice, and spun around to see what was going on. To her surprise, she spotted Ross and Lauren standing in the living room, tears streaking down Lauren's face while Ross looked equally as distraught.
Unsure of what had happened, she looked on.
"Ross, I love you so much," Lauren blurt out, stumbling forward to close the distance between them. "Please, why can't you give us a chance?"
Rachel's eyes immediately widened. "Oh my God!" she gasped quietly, covering her mouth as she backed up slightly. She couldn't believe she had just walked in on them during such an intense moment. Luckily they haven't seen her yet, and she preferred it to remain that way, so she quietly ducked down beneath the counter, peeking slightly from above and watching the scene unfold with an attentive eye.
"Lauren…" Ross started, rubbing his forehead. "I just don't think it's a good idea for us to get together…"
"But why?" she asked, her voice cracking from her crying. "Why, Ross? Is… is there something wrong with me?"
"No, no of course not. Lauren, you're beautiful. You're smart, you're funny, you're adorable, and you have a huge heart. There's absolutely nothing wrong with you," he reasoned softly and she looked to the ground, tears streaming down her face. He gently took her small hands in his, wiping away some of those tears with the pad of his thumb. "Sweetie, please don't cry. It kills me to see you like this."
"I… I..." she stuttered, catching her breath. "… I can't keep living like this. I love you so much, Ross. N-never has anyone cared for me… and… and… been so kind to me like you. I-I just don't understand why we can't be together."
As she watched and heard Lauren's confession, even she was sympathetic towards her. Here was a girl, laying out her heart for him, and though they were chasing after the same man, she gained a newfound respect for her strength and courage.
"Lauren, I'm so sorry," Ross expressed softly, staring into her watery eyes. "I'm just not in the right place right now."
Lauren nodded slowly and sadly, obviously having a hard time controlling herself as her tears didn't stop falling. She was breaking down on the inside, and it was shown all over her face just how much this all hurt.
"Oh Lauren…"
Gently he caressed Lauren's cheek, wiping away a few tears before slowly leaning in and placing a soft, long kiss on her lips. She reacted at first but slowly readjusted, wrapping her arm around his neck and kissing him back as her tears still trickled down her cheek.
Form Rachel's perspective, the kiss had caught her completely off guard and made her breath get caught in her throat. Did Ross change his mind or was this only a sympathy kiss? She carefully watched on as their long kiss ended and Ross pulled back, wiping more tears from Lauren's face.
"I love you Lauren," Ross whispered, his voice full of sincerity as he caressed her cheek. "I really do… but…"
"…but not in the same way I love you," she finished for him slowly, looking up into his eyes. He nodded sadly.
"I'm so sorry."
"I know," she said, before slowly walking into his arms and hugging him tightly. He hugged her back and the two remained holding each other for a while. "Can I ask you something?"
"Anything," he replied sweetly.
"Do you love Rachel?" Lauren asked, letting go slightly so she could look at him. Meanwhile Rachel was surprised to hear her name and she felt her heartbeat fasten as she looked on with interest.
"Why do you think that?"
"Because I've seen the way you look at her, and the way she looks at you."
Ross sighed. "You know I never want to lie to you Lauren… and the truth is… yes, I do love Rachel, but things are… complicated between us."
Rachel had to cover her mouth to hold her shock as now small tears were appearing in her own eyes. He loves her. This was what she had been waiting for; confirmation that he still feels something for her, and now she knows he does. Now she could finally tell him about her own true feelings. She just needed the right opportunity.
"Did you two used to date?" Lauren asked.
"Yes."
"So she was the girl you dated for a year," she concluded, hints of shock in her voice.
"How did you know that?" Ross asked.
"She told me."
"Hmmm…"
At that moment, Rachel realized that their moment was about to end and she was bound to be discovered if she didn't do anything. Quickly she wiped away the few tears she had in her eyes and stood back up, turning to open the front door and closing it again, this time a little harder as to pretend she had just gotten home. Her trick seemed to work as both Ross and Lauren heard the door shut and they both turned to see her standing in the entrance.
"Oh, hey Rachel, we didn't hear you come in," Ross said, gently letting go of Lauren as he approached her.
"Oh, well I just got back," Rachel lied, turning to Lauren who was drying her eyes with a tissue. "My God, what happened?"
Ross and Lauren looked at each other before he turned back. "We just finished watching a sad movie."
"Ah, I see," she nodded, knowing very well that was a lie.
For a moment nobody said anything as a quiet, almost awkward silence went through the three of them.
"Are the others with you too?" Ross asked, breaking the silence.
"No, just me. They're all still off doing their own things."
"Hmm, ok. I was thinking tonight I'd take you guys out for dinner at a restaurant downtown," he said.
"That would be great," Rachel said, smiling slightly.
"Cool." Ross turned to Lauren who had just finished drying her tears. "Lauren, do you want to come too?"
"No, that's alright," she politely declined and Ross frowned slightly. "I should probably head back home and see how Scott is doing."
"Oh, that's right," he said. "Well at least let me give you a ride back."
"That's ok, I'll just call a taxi," Lauren responded, beginning to walk over to the cell phone but Ross stopped her.
"Please? I insist," he said, looking at her with soft eyes. She gave in and gave a weak smile.
"Ok."
Ross managed a small smile as well as he led her to the front door. "I'll be back soon Rach," he said to her and she nodded.
"Ok."
She watched them leave together and as soon as the door shut behind them, she immediately walked over to her bags. Digging around, she found the blue velvet box and opened it, smiling when she saw the ring again knowing this time, there was true purpose now instead of the false hope she had held before.
"Soon…" she whispered. "Soon…"
…
"Man, hanging out with Nate and Henry was awesome!"
"I know right! Those guys are so much fun to be around!" Chandler agreed, giving Joey and high-five.
"Yeah, well you know, Morgan's pretty awesome too. She let me test on some new pastries in the kitchen and we ended up selling quite a bit of them," Monica bragged.
"What about you Pheebs? How was playing the guitar for those kids?" Chandler asked.
"Oh, it was great!" she exclaimed. "Yeah, the kids loved it and so did Alexa!"
"Um, are you sure she just wasn't being polite?" Joey questioned.
"No, she actually did like it! She even wants me to come back next week to play for everyone again."
"Alright guys, enough bragging. We're here," Ross announced as he led the group towards the small Italian restaurant.
He was glad that his friends had bonded so well with the friends he made here in San Diego, though he couldn't quite focus on all their stories since he was still a little shaken from his earlier talk with Lauren. It had been so sudden and out of the blue, though that's usually how she operates, but what had really gotten to him was just how much she had revealed. He knew she had held feelings for him for a while now but he had no idea they had been that strong to the point where she was breaking down in front of him. Turning her down this time had made him feel so guilty and sorrowful, but he just couldn't bring himself to enter into a relationship with her and risk hurting her. He truly did love her, but he loved her as a sister, and if he let himself hurt her in any way, he would never forgive himself.
That also led to the other reason why they couldn't be together: Rachel. A small part of him was glad he finally revealed to someone about these feelings he had hidden for this past year, though it was still hard for him to say that he still loves her. Then when she had walked in, he had worried she had overheard some of their conversation but luckily it didn't seem like she had heard anything. The last thing he wanted was for her to know about his true feelings towards her; for his sake, and for hers.
Back in the present, as Ross approached the restaurant doors he was immediately greeted by the restaurant manager who came out just to welcome them.
"Ross, my friend, it's great to see you!" the short, Italian man exclaimed, embracing him.
"How are you Francesco?" Ross smiled. "It looks like it's pretty busy tonight. I hope you have room for six."
"For you, my favourite customer? Always. Please, all of you, follow me," Francesco said, gesturing for them to follow him as he entered the restaurant.
Ross chuckled softly at his friend's openness towards everyone and decided to let everyone else in first as he held the door open with a smile. However, just as Rachel, Monica, and Joey entered Ross spotted someone down the street; a man wearing a black trench coat and a dark hat, standing at the edge of an alleyway with his face concealed in his clothing. His smile immediately disappeared and he cleared his throat.
"Hey guys, sorry, I'll be right back," he said suddenly to the other, letting go of the door.
"Um, sure," Chandler said in questioning tone, taking the mantle of being the door holder.
"Who's that?" Phoebe asked, following Ross' eyes to the strange man waiting across the street.
"Someone from work," Ross replied quickly. "Go ahead without me, I'll be with you in a second."
"Uh, alright," Chandler shrugged as he and Phoebe walked into the restaurant.
Waiting until all his friends have gone in, Ross looked around him to make sure no one was watching before he quickly made his way down the street. Walking with his head down and trying to blend in, when the strange man saw him approaching, he silently motioned towards the alleyway with his head and Ross nodded, and the two of them entered into the shadows between the two buildings.
"Thanks for coming. Sorry for the late notice," Ross said quietly as soon as he was sure no one was around them.
"No problem Ross, anything for an old friend," the man responded. "You got the money?"
"Of course," he answered, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a one-hundred dollar bill. "Here."
The man took the bill, stretching it out with a few tugs before tucking it into his own pocket. He then opened up his trench coat and reached into his inside pocket, removing two pill bottles and handing them to Ross.
"Thanks," he said, accepting both of them as he quickly slipped one into his own inside pocket. With the other, however, he swiftly cracked it open, pulling out one of the small white tablets and swallowing it down. In turn, the man raised an eyebrow.
"Listen Ross, I know I'm your dealer but go easy on those, huh?" the man cautioned, watching him put away the second bottle. "You've been running through these faster than usual. How many of those are you taking a day?"
"Three, sometimes four."
"That's a lot Ross, I'd watch it. That shit can fuck you up if you're not careful."
"Yeah, I got it. Thanks anyways Bernard," Ross muttered, beginning to turn away.
"Hey, one more thing," Bernard mentioned and Ross turned towards him.
"Yeah?"
"Watch your back man. He knows you have it."
At that, Ross' eyebrow immediately furrowed and his face remained expressionless. "What?"
Bernard crossed his arms. "The case. Enrico knows Scott gave it to you."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Ross said blankly.
He raised his arms. "Alright, whatever you say." Bernard lowered them and gave him a serious look. "Just watch yourself, yeah? I don't want what happened to George to happen to you."
Still with his deadpanned look, Ross simply zipped up his coat and turned around.
"Take care Bernard," he said simply before exciting the alleyway.
Minutes later Ross returned to the restaurant, looking around and finding his group of fiends all waiting for him. He immediately went over to them, carefully taking off his coat before sitting down and opening up the menu in front of him.
"So, what did the guy want?" Chandler asked, noticing his silence.
"Hmm?" Ross perked. "Nothing, he just came to give me my paycheck."
That seemed to answer his question as he returned to look at the menu and the others talked about what they were going to order. For him, however, his mind was now thinking about what Bernard had said and he knew it'd be stuck with him for the rest of the night.
He knows you have it.
Shit…
…
Author's Note: Sorry, the beginning's kind of slow but it's really just supposed to set up the rest of the chapter. Hope you enjoyed nonetheless and you'll all for sure enjoy the next chapter when stuff really begins to go down.
Side note; not sure if all of you watch football but I want to congratulate the Eagles for winning the Super Bowl, finally dethroning Brady and the Patriots. Enjoy your win Eagles fans, because next year, Miami's taking that trophy home instead. :P
