Thank you all! Sorry for the delay!
Rachel and Ross stood in the hallway between Apartments 19 and 20, surrounded by suitcases. Due to the lack of space, the two were practically on top of each other, lodged between the door frame. Ross held on to Rachel's shoulder for support.
She searched her pocket for the key to her new apartment.
"Got it!" she exclaimed, pulling the silver piece of metal out of her pocket.
"Good, good. Now open the door!"
She inserted the key into the lock, turned it, and put it back in her pocket.
The door opened and she flipped open the light switch.
"Oh. My. God!" she all but yelled. "This is AMAZING!"
"You really think so?"
"TWO bedrooms all to myself?! I think that's pretty amazing for a college student!"
Ross laughed, "Well I'm glad you liked it."
She leapt into his arms, sending him backwards against the wall. "Thank you! Thank you! I love you! You're incredible! Thank you!"
He hugged her back. "I love you too," he replied, gently patting her hair. "Come, you want to go meet the gang now?"
She slowly slid down his body, before landing comfortably on both her feet. "Mmhmm," she nodded. "I'll just look at the bedrooms and bathroom and we'll be on our way."
---
*Knock-Knock*
Rachel slowly banged her fist against the closed door that read '20' in shiny gold letters.
She heard a shuffle of voices and movement inside the second she pulled her hand away.
Someone in heels was walking and she heard a woman's clear voice above the rest. "If that's Ross knocking, I'm going to kick his ass. He never knocks."
Rachel's eyes widened and she looked up at Ross, who was holding back a chuckle. He put his arm around her and smiled, "It's okay. We have this thing where none of us ever knock, but since it's you, she won't be annoyed."
"Are you sure? She sounded pretty mad!"
"Nah, that's Monica, for you."
"THAT'S Monica?!?!" Rachel wondered. She had had such a different image of his sister: quiet and timid.
"Yeah. She looks very mild in photographs and stuff, but in reality, she's a crazy bitch."
She shot him a sarcastic look. "I'm glad you feel that way about your sister."
"You'll love her though. She's great."
Rachel nodded. "Good! You be nice to her," she warned.
The door suddenly opened and startled the pair standing in the hall.
"Ross!" Monica greeted, itching to say something to him about his knocking on the door. But when he saw that he was not alone, she figured she'd spare him this time.
Ross embraced his sister and squeezed her tightly. "Hi Mon!"
He motioned to Rachel. "Come on in!"
She tentatively stepped inside and smiled at the attractive dark-haired woman in front of her.
Ross grabbed Rachel's hand and pulled her to stand next to him. "Mon, this is Rachel. Rachel, this is my sister, Monica."
Rachel let go of Ross' hand and held it out for his sister to shake. "Hi Monica!"
She firmly shook her hand and smiled pleasantly. "Hello."
It was unexplainable, but Rachel was suddenly consumed by this affectionate, pleasant feeling. Something about the warmth in the simplicity of Monica's hospitable gesture made her feel giddy.
Ross placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her into the living room. "Come, I want you to meet my friends."
Monica followed closely behind.
Two dark-haired men and a blond woman stood up when they saw Ross waiting expectantly, with a girl at his side.
"Hey Ross, you didn't tell us you had a girl on the side!" one of the guys joked.
Ross rolled his eyes. "Guys, this is Rachel, my friend. She just moved in across the hall actually."
They all nodded and waved, waiting for their friend to introduce them individually.
"Okay Rach, so Mr. Funny Man over there is Chandler. The one with the Cheeto in his hair would be Joey. And-"
"Hi Rachel, I'm Phoebe!" the blond girl interrupted.
"Yeah, that's Pheebs," he trailed off.
Rachel smiled and her eyes took a quick glance around the room. It wasn't long before she noticed Joey staring at her. "What?" she asked, uncertainly.
"Nothing. It's…you're…I mean… you're hot!" he told her plainly. "How you doin'?"
She felt her cheeks turn pink with embarrassment. "Um…"
"JOEY! Stop hitting on her!" Monica scolded, and Rachel could easily have given her a hug for saving her.
"Thanks," she told her, turning around.
"It's no problem. You'll get used to it. Joey here has hit on basically every girl in the city." She carried out a tray of snacks from the kitchen table and crossed paths with Rachel, setting it on the coffee table in the middle of the living room.
"Wow, Monica's getting all fancy on us, today!" Chandler teased, "That never happens when it's just us!"
Monica shot him a look, "Well, Rachel's here for the first time and I just wanted to do something nice. Got a problem?"
Once again, Rachel was taken aback by Ross' sister's sweet ways.
She'd be a wonderful mother she thought to herself.
"Thank you, Monica. You have no idea how much it means to me."
"Aww, it's okay. Finally, somebody appreciates me!"
Phoebe interrupted, "We appreciate you Mon!"
"My ass."
Rachel turned and saw that Ross had found a comfortable spot on the couch. "Hey Rach, come sit down!"
She nodded and took a seat next to him.
Something told her that wouldn't be the last time she'd be sitting on that couch.
It was one of many more to come.