Hey guys, I'm back with a new chapter. Hope you all enjoy reading it, but don't forget to review!
Rachel came out of the bathroom after a long bath, with a towel on her hair.
"Someone got in late last night. Did you two love birds have your own little party after the anniversary?" Phoebe asked.
"No.. nothing like that" Rachel started putting nail paint on her toes. "We all were there almost till 2"
"So how was the party?"
"It was great. Ross' parents treated me like family. Judy is an amazing woman" Rachel answered thinking back to what Judy said to Rachel. "Oh.. and Monica asked about how you were"
"Really?" Phoebe said happily.
"Yeah" Rachel was not completely herself while telling Phoebe all these things. This did not go unnoticed by Phoebe.
"Rachel.. your aura does not seem to be clear. What is it?" Rachel chuckled at these words.
"Uhh.." Rachel closed her eyes and sighed. "Ross told me he's going to Cairo in october for 3 months on an excavation trip headed by the MET officials"
"Wow.. that's so cool" Then she noticed the look Rachel was giving her and frowned "Oooooh.. but not for your relationship"
Rachel got up. "I know" She started to walk left-right crazily. "And when we talked about it, I suggested a break, Phee-"
"What?" Phoebe almost yelled and got up from the bed.
"Yeah.. I just.. I don't know what I would have done if Ross had not argued with me over this" She plopped down on the bed with her head in her hands. "I love him so much. And last night, he proved that he loves me more than anything else, cos he offered to back out from the trip" She looked up at Phoebe. "I mean.. Can you believe that? This amazing guy, an all rounder intellectual guy, was going to throw away the greatest opportunity" She shook her head. "Just to be with me" She finished softly.
"So is he still going?" Phoebe asked kneeling down infront of her. Rachel nodded. "And you guys are still together?" Phoebe confirmed. Rachel smiled fainty. "Yes.. very much"
"Then why are you crying Rach?" Phoebe wiped a tear from her cheek.
"Because... I can't get these thoughts out of my head. What if he had agreed to take a break? What if, at this very moment, it was painful to even think about him, cos we would have broken up? I-I-"
"Don't think about that, Rachel. And even if you would have broken up, you guys would have eventually gotten back together" Phoebe said confidently. "He's your lobster" Rachel just looked at her. So she continued "Come on, Rach. It's a known fact.. Lobsters fall in love and mate for life. In the tank, you can actually see old lobster couples walking, holding each other's claws" She did the claws with her hands. Rachel chuckled. This definitely calmed her down a little, even if it was a strange thought off her quirky friend's mind.
"Thanks, Pheebs. You're the best" Rachel hugged her. "I know.. I'm a pretty cool person" They pulled away.
"Now go get dressed. We're already late for our class"
Ross was in the library with Edward doing some preliminary research for the trip. Ross was looking for a book in one of the shelves and Edward was sitting just behind him on the table.
"My parents were so proud that I was selected for the trip" Edward said getting up from his chair and walking towards Ross.
"Yeah.. mine too. They announced it before the whole family last night on their anniversary" Ross told him, still looking for the book.
"Dude.. that must have been so cool" Edward said.
"Ehh" Ross was obviously not happy the way things went when Jack announced about his trip.
"What is it?"
"Well.." Ross looked at him. "I didn't tell my sister and my girlfriend about the trip.. so they needed a lot of explanantion" He said thinking back to be cornered by Monica after he sort things out with Rachel.
"Ooh.. so everything good now?" He asked.
"Yep.. pretty much" Ross nodded.
"So you have a sister, huh? Is she the thin brunette with blue eyes?" Edward asked remembering a girl who frequently came to visit Ross.. or so he thought.
"Yeah"
"Can you introduce us?" Edward asked.
"No I don't think so.. she's seeing somebody" Ross explained.
"Oh.. alright.. let's get back to work"
"Yeah.. we need to hand the report to Dr Phil on Monday" Ross agreed.
The next day, Ross drove to Yale to surprise Rachel. On the phone, he had pretended that he was busy on Saturday and will meet her on Sunday. During his drive, he made a stop at a local gift shop and bought some flowers and some chocolates. He got back in the car and scribbled something on a sheet of paper. He smiled when he was finished writing, thinking how would Rachel react when she will read it. He reached Yale and directly made his way towards her room.
In her room, Rachel was talking to her Mom in her room. "The party was wonderful, Mom. You should meet the Gellers, really"
"No.. I got in pretty late but Ross and his friend, Chandler dropped me off so there's nothing to worry"
"Yeah.. I know I know... I need to bring Jill the dress when I get back" She said rolling her eyes.
"Can't say anything. Let's keep it for the next weekend"
"Tomorrow I'm meeting Ross. He said he had something important today" Rachel said frowning
"Okay.. I'll ask him and let yo-" She stopped mid sentence when she saw an envelope coming in. She got up from the bed and saw that it was addressed to her. She quickly opened it and started reading.
Rachel,
I know I upset you when you got to know about my trip to Cairo. But really.. I never meant to do that. Making you sad is the last thing I will ever want to do. I just want you to know that you have nothing to worry about. God knows how much I'm gonna miss you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier but I didn't want to get any hopes up.. in our case.. to sadden you. Last thing Rach... Never ever suggest to break up again.. I won't be able to handle it.
I love you so much.. and I will love you no matter where I am.. Either in Cairo or in a completely different galaxy.
R R
Rachel started crying. She got so engrossed in the letter that she didn't hear when her mother was asking for her attention and what was wrong that she suddenly stopped speaking.
"Huh.. no.. Mom, I'll talk to you later. Someone's on the door" She hung up the phone and quickly opened the door to find an empty corridor. She looked to her left and right.. but nobody. She frowned. She turned around to go back inside the room.
"Looking for somebody?" She heard a voice. She smiled and turned again to run into his arms. She hugged him with all her might. Ross kissed her hair while still hugging.
"Sweetie.. I'm here" He said pulling away and putting a strand of hair behind her ear. She smiled faintly, still sobbing.
"I know.. but you said you were busy today"
"I wanted to surprise you. Did you get the note?" She nodded. "You liked it?" She nodded again. She held his hand and dragged him into the room. She made him sit on the bed and knelt down infront of him. She looked him in the eye.
"I'm so thankful that you fought for us, Ross. I don't know what I would be doing right now if we had broken up that night. I'm so sorry I suggested that stupid break" She caressed his face "I love you so much"
He held both of her wrists. "I love you too" He kissed her right wrist. He wiped her tears and kissed her cheek as she found loosing herself in it. He helped her up and sat her on his lap. "What do you wanna do today?"
"Anything.. I just want to be with you.. that's all" Rachel answered.
"Yeah? Let's go for a movie.. and then we'll have dinner" Ross suggested. Rachel smiled and nodded.
"Lemme go get ready" She gave him a quick peck on the lips before going into the bathroom.
(...)
After 15 minutes, she came out in a towel to decide what she would wear. Ross looked up from his cell phone when he heard her running and couldn't take her eyes off her. She was the only one who could take his breath away. Water dripping from her shoulders, she never looked sexier to him. He got up and walked to where she was standing infront of her cupboard, still thinking. She felt him hug her from behind. "You're beautiful"
She chuckled. "Ross.. I'm not even ready. I'm still in this towel.. how can you possibly say that?"
"Because you're naturally so beautiful" He said in a serious tone.
"Really? You don't think my nose is a bit unaligned?" She asked scrunching up her nose. He quickly turned her around so she could look at him. "I really think I should get it reduced"
"Are you kidding me? You're perfect, Rach" He lowered his face and rubbed his nose with hers while saying "Your nose is fine too. No need to change anything" Rachel smiled.
They left her room after an hour. Rachel finally decided to wear the dress Ross bought for her when she was staying in Long Island. They both got to his car and as always, Ross opened the door for her. Rachel instantly remembered their first date when he opened the door to his car. The moment he opened the door for her that day, she opened her heart to him. Yes it is a cheesy thought but she was in love with this incredible guy. Ross got into the car and started to drive.
"You're so sweet, you know.." Rachel said, looking at him.
"Well.. I try" He said, looking straight ahead of him on the road. She chuckled.
"Ross.." He looked at her briefly. "Can we please celebrate our 4-month anniversary? Obviously you're not going to be here for our 5th or 6th month anniversary"
Ross frowned. I would miss an important milestone in our relationship, he thought. "Ofcourse Rach.. anything you want.. let's make the most of this month before my trip" Rachel smiled and looked away from him in her window.
"You know I will call you everyday from Cairo" Ross spoke after a few minutes.
"You'd do that for me?" Rachel looked at him and asked hopefully. Ross chuckled. "Who said for you? I'll do it for myself" Rachel smiled satisfied.
"You know I don't feel like watching a movie.. let's go somewhere peaceful, somewhere we can talk" Rachel suggested.
"Okay.. you know some place?" Ross asked.
"Yeah.. there's a children's park nearby. Take the next right, will ya?" Rachel directed.
"Sure"
(...)
Ross and Rachel walked hand in hand on the sunny day. There were not many people, mostly just families out to have a picnic. "I remember when Dad used to take us all to a place in Connecticut" Ross started. "It was this theme park.. Monica and I, some of our cousins.. we used to go as a big group, you know.." He looked down at Rachel. "The more the merrier.." She smiled. "This place reminds me of that"
"Family outings are great" Rachel commented. "No matter how much you hate your sisters, fight with them.." Rachel rolled her eyes, looking straight. Ross chuckled. "At the end, what matters the most is that you're all together.."
"One big happy family" Ross finished for her.
"One big happy family" Rachel repeated his words, looking up at him. She turned to look down at the grass, thinking something.
"What is it?" She is brought back to reality by Ross' words. She shook her head, still looking down. "Nothing"
"Come on.. tell me" Ross swung her hand, Rachel walked and sat on a bench. Ross followed her and did the same.
"So..." Ross says expectantly.
"Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?" Rachel asked.
"Wow" Ross got confused. "It's like one of my career counselling classes"
Rachel playfully smacked him on the arm "I'm serious"
"Okay okay" He started to think. "I guess I'll be working at the Museum.. Hopefully with a doctorate in Paleontology, you know.." Rachel smiled at him. "Probably living in the Village, to avoid the bitch of commute" She chuckled at this. He got a serious look on his face and looked at her "..and coming home to you"
Rachel was caught off guard with these words. "Wow" She didn't think he would say anything about their relationship. "Really?" She closed her eyes. "I mean.." She trailed of, not finding the right words.
"Hey.." He made her look at him. "it's not like we'll be married or.. or will have kids or something.. but I would like to believe we'll be living together, you know.." She nodded.
"Don't you think it's very early to think about our living situations? I mean.. I know I asked you this question but.." Rachel rambled.
Ross chuckled. "What has not been early in our relationship?"
She also chuckled at this. "Well.." She shook her head, laughing a little more. She decided it would be nice to play along. "I really hope to work for a fashion company like Ralph Lauren or.. or Saks.. ohhhh"
"See? it feels great to think like that" Ross said.
"Yeah.." She smiled. "We COULD.." she turned to him. "be engaged, you know.."
Ross stopped laughing and got all serious. "Really?"
"Don't give me that look now.." She said. Ross smiled and leaned in to kiss her softly. "I really hope that's our future"
"Yeah? It does sound like an amazing future" Rachel said from the bottom of her heart, thinking she could see this face for the rest of her life. It didn't matter if it was early to be thinking like that but she had complete faith in their relationship, in Ross. Maybe Phoebe was right, they were, in fact, Lobsters. And she chuckled when this thought entered her mind.
Ross got all worried. "Don't tell me you were kidding"
"Noooo.. it's just something I remembered" She took his hand in hers. "I could never joke about our future with you"
They decided to have an early dinner at a nearby restro bar. When they entered, they noticed they had a karaoke and seemed like a semi formal restaurant. The matre'd invited them to participate in the Weekly Karaoke Competition. It was a saturday special. They obliged and ordered their food. They sat on the table with their drinks in hand. They were having a good time. The middle aged man pointed towards Rachel and called her on stage. "Oh God" She muttered. "Go on" Ross gave her a nudge. "I'm a terrible singer, Ross"
"I'm sure you'll be better than the previous ones" He said.
She shyly went on stage. "We have a beautiful young woman here" He put the mic to her mouth so that she introduced herself. "Hi.. I'm Rachel"
"Can we have a huge round of applause for Rachel?" The man said. All started to clap. Rachel saw Ross standing and hooting for her. She smiled. "Now can we have a song please"
And the song started playing. She was relieved to hear a familiar song.
I was a little girl
alone in my little world
who dreamed of a little home
for me.
I played pretend between the trees, and fed my house guests bark and leaves, and laughed in my pretty bed of green.
I had a dream
I could fly from the highest swing.
I had a dream.
Long walks in the dark
through woods grown behind the park,
I asked God who I'm supposed to be.
The stars smiled down on me,
God answered in silent reverie.
I said a prayer and fell asleep.
I had a dream
I could fly from the highest tree.
I had a dream.
Ross came to the stage as she finished the song and gave her a hug. She could definitely be a singer, he thought. She had a hidden talent. "Very well sung, Rachel. And.. who's this young man?"
"He's my boyfriend" Rachel said proudly.
"So Mr Boyfriend, would you like to sing something too?" The man asked.
Ross looked down at Rachel. She smiled and nodded. "Sure.. but can I choose the song? I want to dedicate it to my girlfriend here" Rachel blushed. The man asked the people if he could allow him. A few people got up and screamed. The responses were "Such a sweet boy, let him" "oh no dude.. you don't get to choose" "That's a cute couple.. let them show us their love too"
"Okay. So most of them say you can choose the song. What's your good name?"
"Ross Geller"
"Which song is worthy enough to be sung for Rachel?" He asked.
"Uhh.. sorry but there's no song as such.. but one comes close enough to describe how I feel about her" He said shyly. Everybody in the audience said "awww" Rachel kissed him on the cheek and went back to their table. Ross whispered the song in the man's ear. He went off-stage to ask the technical people to play the song.
"We're ready.. are you, Ross?" He nodded. "Okay... can we have the song now?"
The song started to play. Rachel swore she had heard it but could not really figure which one was it until she heard the first words out of Ross' mouth.
Oh.. her eyes, her eyes.. make the stars look like they're not shinin'
Her hair, her hair.. falls perfectly with-out her tryin'
She's so beautiful
And I tell her everyday
Oh God, he always proves so sweetly what he says, she thought, continuously smiling and thinking back to the conversation they had about her nose, earlier in her room.
Yeah.. I know, I know.. when I compliment her she won't believe me
And it's so, it's so.. sad to think that she doesn't see what I see
And everytime she asks me do I look okay? I say..
When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
Cos you're amazing
Just the way you are.
And when you smile
My whole world stops and stays for a while
Cos girl you're amazing
Just the way you are.
Everybody started applauding at the display of young love. Also, they were enjoying listening to the song because of Ross' voice. Being a band member, he had to have a baritone.
Her lips, her lips.. I could kiss them all day if she'd let me
Her laugh, her laugh.. she hates but I think it's so sexy
She's so beautiful
And I tell her everyday
Rachel could swear the crowd cheered so loud that she could barely listen to Ross' song. They were screaming, hooting and clapping for Ross as if he was a Rockstar performing at his own concert.
Oh.. you know, you know, you know
I'd never ask you to change
If perfect's what you're searching
Oh then just stay the same
So don't even bother asking if you look okay
You know I'll say
When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
Cos you're amazing
Just the way you are.
At this point, Ross came down to Rachel and offered her his hand. She gladly accepted it and smiled. He started singing the end of the song slowly.
And when you smile
My whole world stops and stays for a while
Cos girl you're amazing
Just the way you are.
The whole time he looked straight into her eyes. He finished the song and kissed her hand.
The audience applauded hard at this. They even got to hear "Kiss her" "Kiss her"
"My my.. that was some song, Mr Boyfriend" The man said. "Wasn't it guys?" He asked the audience who yelled.. "yeah"
"Thanks" Ross said still standing near their table with Rachel.
"Rachel.. It seems Ross considers himself lucky to have you, doesn't it?" He looked at Rachel. She looked up at Ross who put the mic near her mouth to let her speak."Not more than me"
"Woohooooo" The man hooted. "Ladies and Gentlemen.. this is young love.. so naive.. Let's hear it for this cute couple.. Rachel and Ross"
Ross and Rachel waved to everybody. They sat down and waited for their food. Ross sipped his beer. "Wow"
"I know" Rachel smiled. "That was awesome"
"Rach.. You're a wonderful singer, I'd take you in my band if we needed a female vocalist" Ross said.
"Stop kidding" Rachel rolled her eyes and sipped her Long Island Iced Tea. "You never really cease to amaze me, Geller"
"Why's that now?" Ross asked.
"The song, Ross.." She simply said.
"Well I did mean every word of it. You're amazing, just the way you are" They kept looking at each other until the waiter arrived with their order.
They reached Yale. Rachel got out of the car after saying her good night to Ross. He kept looking at her walking away from his car. Suddenly he remembered something. He quickly got out of the car. "Rach.."
"Rachel" He shouted. She stopped and turned around. Ross caught up with her "What's up?" She asked.
"Here.. I got you these. Forgot to give them to you" He said handing the flowers and the box of chocolates to her.
"But why?" She asked. He shrugged. She smiled and hugged him. "Thanks"
"Good night, sweetie" Ross whispered kissing her hair. "I'll see you next weekend"
"Oh shoot" Rachel almost yelled and pulled away. "I forgot.. Ross.. Mom was asking if I could be home for the next weekend"
"Oh" Ross said.
"I'm sorry.." She said worried.
"Hey.. hey.. Don' say that.. just, you know, take care okay?" He caressed her face. She nodded. He kissed her forehead.