And I'm back with a new chapter. I have a feeling that this story is turning out to be just like its name, eternal and everlasting, because I cannot find a perfect ending right now. So I am gonna stretch it as long as I don't okay? I hope you guys do not have a problem with that. Because you're in for a long, long story. I hope you like this chapter, though. Please read and review!
"So how did she handle the news?" Monica asked her brother while having Sunday brunch with him at a diner. They always met once in a while, just the two of them.
"Eh.. she was sad... Then she understood. I mean.. she didn't take it well at first.. she even thought we should break up-" Monica gasped and kept her hand on his shoulder. He smiled. "Don't worry. I didn't let that happen"
"Thank god" She kept her hand on her chest, relieved.
"She's the best thing that happened to me. I'm not gonna let her go witho-" He said with all the honesty in his voice.
"Good for you, Bro. You two are amazing together. And if you had broken up, I swear I would have talked to her myself" She said only half jokingly.
"No need for that" He took a sip of his milkshake. "But.. I need some ideas" Monica looked at him confused. "Uhh.. we have decided to celebrate our 4 month anniversary before I go"
"Ohh.. You're not gonna be here for the 6th month" Monica realized.
"That's right. And I want to make it special for her, Mon. I want to clear her doubts about my leaving, you know. She acts all happy on the outside.. but I know.. she doesn't feel like it" He tried to explain.
"I understand" Monica said knowingly. She would be equally sad if Chandler was going away for 3 months.
"And you know.. yesterday.. we had the best time. It was the perfect day" He said reminiscing. She smiled.
"Hampton's?" Ross asked, a little too loud for Chandler's ears. He explained his dilemma to his best friend who had come from his date with Monica.
"My ears won't be able to hear anymore. Thank you very much" He said sarcastically. Ross shot him a look. "Yes.. Mom has a cottage over there, you can totally use it"
"Are you sure?" Ross asked.
"Of course Dude. I was gonna take Monica for our 10 months anniversary. But it seems you guys need it more than we do" Chandler said.
"What about you guys then?" He asked, liking the idea but the good guy he was, didn't want to ruin their plan.
"I'll take her to a dinner. It's not like she knew about it. I'll take her there on the next one" Chandler said like it was the most obvious solution.
"Okay. Thanks, Man. You saved me. She's gonna love it" Ross said knowingly. Chandler patted on his back and switched the lights off. "Good night, Ross"
"Hey Phoebe" Ross called her up in the morning just before leaving his room to attend his classes.
"I knew you would call me today. I had dinosaurs in my dreams" Phoebe was her usual quirky self.
He chuckled, not so sure. "Uhh.. Listen.. I need a favor"
"Wait a second.. I'm getting a deja vu" Phoebe said. "Oh.. no I'm not"
"I need a favor-"
"There it is" Phoebe cut him.
"Yeah.. so for our 4 month anniversary, I'm gonna take Rachel to Hampton's.. but.. I wanna surprise her. So I need you to pick Rachel's clothes for three days and pack it in a bag so that I can pick them up the next time I'm there"
"Wow.. is this to make up for the Cairo thing?" Phoebe asked.
"You can say that" Ross said unsure. "Umm.. how did she sound when she told you about that?"
"Ross.. I'm not gonna lie to you. She was really sad, but she was so happy that you didn't step back when she suggested the break"
"Oh.. okay" Ross faintly smiled. "So will you do that for me?"
"Wha-ohh.. yeah.. of course" Phoebe agreed.
"Thanks Phoebe. Just don't let her know" Ross made it clear.
"You can trust me. And you can call me Pheebs. You're my friend now, Ross" Phoebe explained.
"Thanks Pheebs. I owe you big" Ross said smiling.
"Wh-Ross.. that is so mean of you" Rachel sat up with the phone, sounding mad at him. It was in the night when the couple was having there usual late night conversations. Ross told her that two girls were going to Cairo from Northwestern, Boston and today the six students had met with the Museum people for a briefing. When Rachel said to do no funny business, he jokingly said he had a full on flirting session with one of them after their meeting. Ross could not stop laughing on the other side.
"Sweetie.. can you really see me do that to you?" Ross asked sweetly.
"No but.." Rachel started. "Even thinking about you with someone else makes me crazy"
"Aww.. You're so jealous about this imaginary girl" Ross teased her.
"Yeah well.." She smirked. "I'm your girlfriend.. I'm allowed to!" She could not think of anything else to say. Ross smiled, feeling loved. He liked to see Rachel being possessive for him. He felt needed.
"You remember when I went to the Atlantic City?" He asked, changing the topic, keeping his hand between the headboard and his head.
"Yeah?" She replied not knowing why all of a sudden he remembered that.
"You couldn't even say anything to me cos we had just started going out. You thought it was too soon to express what you felt" Ross said. Rachel smiled faintly.
"Yea.. time flies" Rachel said. "A lot has changed since then"
"Hmm..." He waited for a moment and continued. "I'm gonna miss you, Rach. So much"
"I know" She said softly. Then she again thought of what she will do knowing she wasn't going to see him for 3 months straight. She shook her head of these thoughts and asked. "Anyway.. tell me what we're going to do on our anniversary?"
"Well.." Ross started, in a slow tone.
"You have something planned already, don't you, Geller?" She said excitedly.
"You'll just have to wait for the next weekend, Sweetie" He simply said. "..which reminds me.. what about this weekend? Are you going to be in New Jersey?" Rachel frowned.
"Yeah.. I guess we'll see each other the next weekend only" She said upset.
Ross noticed her tone. "Hey" She didn't answer. "Hey.. Don't worry. I promise I'll make it up to you on our anniversary" He said knowing she will love the privacy for a whole weekend. She smiled at his words.
Rachel entered her home in the afternoon. She felt good to be home. She made a note in her mind that she'll come back more often when Ross goes to Cairo. And again, that thought saddened her. She was brought back to reality by a shriek. "Raaaaachelllll... You're back" It was Jill.
Oh.. today she's very welcoming, she thought. They hugged. Obviously, Jill needed Rachel to design a dress for her friend's birthday. She wanted her dress to be something unique.
"Did you bring it?" She asked expectantly. Rachel had to stiffle a chuckle at the look her sister gave her. It was like she would have a stroke if Rachel said no. "It's in my bag, Jill" Rachel answered pointing towards the one small suitcase she had brought. "Where's everyone?"
"Oh.. Mom and Amy are out with Dad for a brunch" Jill said.
"And you didn't go because...?" Rachel asked.
"I had gone to that diner already. And I was sleeping so..." Jill answered. Rachel rolled her eyes. "Okay.. lemme know when they are back. I'll be in my room"
She made her way upstairs to her room. As soon as she entered it, she spotted Ross' and her picture from Leonard Greene's birthday party. Almost instantly, a smile made its way to her face.
She freshened up and was coming out of the bathroom when she heard a knock. She opened the door to find her Mom and Dad smiling at her. She became too happy to see them. She hugged both of them together.
"Sweetpea, how are you?" Leonard asked pulling away.
"I'm good, Daddy" she answered.
"Rachel Darling, how is everything with Ross?" Sandra asked. She was always very keen to discuss her reltionship, the reason was unknown to Rachel.
"Yea.. about that" Rachel started, looking down. "I wanted to tell you guys something"
"What.. what did he do to you?" Leonard said in an angered tone.
"Wha- No.. Nothing serious, Daddy" She calmed him down. "It's just that.. he is going to Cairo on an excavation with the museum. He's one of the six students in the US who are selected"
"Thats great to hear, Dear" Sandra said smiling. Rachel looked at Leonard for his reaction which came after a few seconds, just what she expected it to be. "So he's going to a different continent to dig up stuff.. big deal"
"For 3 months" Rachel simply said.
"Oh sweetie.. come here" Sandra stepped forward to hug her again.
"So what does this mean?" She asked pulling away. Leonard just listened.
"He's going in 3 weeks" Rachel said simply. Leonard and Sandra exchanged looks with each other at her tone.
"What about you?" Sandra asked Rachel.
Rachel chuckled nervously playing with her hair. "What about me? I'll be here.. I mean, at Yale"
Sandra narrowed her eyes at her daughter. She seemed comfortable on the outside but she was her mother, she knew her better than that. "Rachel, sweetheart.. are you okay with all this?"
"Yeah.. Yes I am. I mean.. Sure at first I thought it would be difficult but.." She shifted her eyes to her father who was standing there listening to the conversation. "Knowing that Ross does not want this trip to be a hurdle in our relationship makes me think that it will work. And.." She looked down, to find the right words. "We'll just carry on with our relationship when he's back"
"Are you sure, pumpkin?" Leonard finally broke his silence.
"Yea Daddy.. I might not have been sure if it was some other guy but it's Ross.." She trailed off.
Sandra understood her daughter and added "We know sweetie.. He's a good guy. He won't mess this up"
"Exactly.. he's not like others" Rachel said with a faint smile.
"If you say so" Leonard opened his arms for her daughter and Rachel stepped forward.
"Whoa, dude.. you have gotta be kidding me!" Joey said to Ross, banging his beer bottle on the slab when they were hanging out at a club. Joey didn't have a date (strangely) and Chandler was out with Monica. Rachel was in New Jersey so Ross had nothing great to do. Ross had just told him about Cairo. Joey had been in Queens, visiting his parents, in the last week.
Ross rolled his eyes at him. "Jo.. at least some times.. try and be supportive of me"
"But what about our basketball practice? And our band?" Joey asked. "Do these things mean nothing to you when it comes to your dinosaurs?"
Ross laughed. "You know Jo.. if I find even a tiny bone of a dinosaur when I'm in Cairo, I'll become world famous"
Joey kept looking at his friend. Then he chuckled. "For a minute there you had me" He playfully punched Ross' shoulder. Ross shook his head in disbelief at Joey.
It was already friday. Rachel had just come back to her room after her classes and sat on her bed, rubbing her temple. She was waiting for the next day when she would finally meet Ross after two weeks. These two weeks were so hard for her. How will she live not seeing him for three months?
She sighed. 'Better not think about that. Let's just see the bright side. It's mine and Ross' 4 month anniversary on monday' She smiled at this thought. She wondered what Ross was going to do for her in the weekend. She laid on her bed with her legs still hanging down and closed her eyes. After about half an hour, she heard a knock on her door. "Pheebs, it's open. Come on in" She yelled, still her eyes closed. She heard her door open and close. She was too tired to open her eyes. She felt two hands massaging her head. She felt relaxed now and enjoyed it. "God Pheebs.. You should totally think about being a part time masseuse in the future"
"Sure" That was not the voice she expected. Rachel's eyes shot open to see Ross sitting behind her on her bed and massaging her head with a goofy smile on his face. She smiled at him. "Hey, you" Now she was used to the surprises Ross loved to give to her, like right now.. he came a day before they originally decided on.
He bent down and kissed her softly. "Hi Sweetie"
"I missed you" She said soflty staring directly into his eyes.
"I know. Me too" His hands stopped. The room fell into a comfortable silence with the both of them looking into each other's eyes. Rachel extended her arms to pull Ross towards her and they kissed. Ross pulled away but still kept his face mere inches apart from hers. "Are you ready?"
"For what?" Rachel asked perplexed.
"To start our anniversary" He said simply planting a kiss on her nose.
"Already?" She asked.
"Why not?" Ross asked smiling. "Come on now, get up" He helped her sit straight.
She got up and turned around to look at him, now standing near the foot of the bed. "At least tell me where we are going" She also gave him the best puppy dog eyes she could master.
"No no" Ross chuckled. "I'm not falling for that look this time" He rested his hands between his hand and the headboard of her bed, looking at her with a mischievous smile.
She picked up the pillow from Phoebe's bed and threw at him. He caught it and started laughing. "Jerk" She smirked and surrendered herself to the bathroom to get ready, smiling to herself.
(...)
Rachel could not believe it. She was on her way to Hampton's. After being so secretive during the whole drive, Ross let it out that they were going to Hampton's, just to shut her up. God she was starting to bug him with that question. They were gonna reach the cabin anyway, not like I ruined the surprise, he thought.
"Oh, my God" She turned to Ross. "And how long are we gonna stay there?"
"For the whole weekend" Ross looked at her briefly while keeping his eyes on the road. Whoa.. Rachel thought. She was going to celebrate her 4 month anniversary weekend at Hampton's all alone with her boyfriend, her Ross. She was shocked and surprised and anxious and nervous and excited and happy and curious, all at the same time. Her mind was asking her too many questions, she couldn't decide which one to ask first. She was brought back to reality when she felt Ross' lips on her bare arm. "Here we are"
Wow, I didn't even get to know when did he pull over. "Ross?" He looked up at her leaving a trail of soft kisses down her arm. "What about my clothes?"
"Well.. I might have called Phoebe to solve that problem" Rachel was amazed by his efficiency in planning. He quickly added. "Not that you would be needing them anyway" This earned him a playful slap on the cheek.
"Wow, Ross" Rachel walked towards the french window and admired the view while Ross kept both of their suitcases on the floor. "This is breathtaking "
Ross hugged her from behind and kissed her hair. "You like it?"
She quickly turned around and kept her hands around his neck. "Are you kidding me? This is amazing" She kissed him softly on the lips before continuing. "How did you manage all this?"
"Well.. you should thank Chandler for this, actually" He said keeping his hands on her wrists. Rachel chuckled a "what?"
"Yeah.. really.. he tossed me up the idea to bring you here for the whole weekend.. and.. I instantly liked it" He kissed her nose. "You're actually standing in the holiday cottage of Mrs Nora Bing"
"Really?" Rachel asked all excited now.
"Yes.. yes" Ross answered amazed by her giddiness at Mrs Bing's name.
"Whoa.. ho ho.. you owe Chandler a big one, Geller"
"Sure.." He nuzzled her neck "If I get everything I want in these two days then really.. I owe him big" He punctuated his sentence with a soft bite at her ear which made her giggle.
Rachel came out of the bathroom after freshening up. Ross was setting them up a treat downstairs. She opened her suitcase to see what did Phoebe put in there. She spotted a white sheet of paper. She opened to read it.
'Happy 4 month Anniversary, Rach. I hope this time you don't mind me going through your closet, huh? Anyways.. enjoy and have fun. You deserve it!
Love, Pheebs
P.S. Your boyfriend is amazing, right? Keep him or I'll snatch him ;)'
Rachel laughed at the last sentence. Typical Phoebe.
She came downstairs to a delicious smell. Monica taught him well, she thought. She didn't know he could cook. On her way to the kitchen, she spotted something from the corner of her eye. A book. Her book. One of Nora Bing's book. She picked it up and went straight to Ross.
Ross noticed her presence started in Chef style "Are you ready for Pasta à la Ross?"
When she saw him, she couldn't help but laugh. He was wearing a chef hat with a heart on its center. The apron was red too. At the back of it was written 'Your wish is my command, Princess Rachel'
She felt overwhelmed by all these things Ross was doing for her. "You amaze me" She said softly. Hearing this he simmered down the stove and walked the few steps towards her. He kept his hands on both sides of her face. "I just want to treat you the way you deserve to be treated, Sweetie"
She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. It was already 11. Ross took her to the table he had set for them. Rachel saw it and gasped. A candle lit dinner. At the center in the vase, he made sure to keep 4 lilies as a symbol of their relationship. Her heart melted at his small gestures.
They sat there and started to have their dinner. "Here.. you taste it first" Ross served her the pasta.
She was apprehensive at first, because she never heard about his cooking but when she finally put it into her mouth. "Wow" escaped immediately.
"And you thought Monica was the only chef in the family?" He said referring to the words she said when he told her to get freshen up while he cooks something for them.
While having a sip of his coke, Ross noticed the book next to Rachel's plate. "So you found it already?"
Rachel followed his gaze. "Oh ya.. where did you get this from?"
"Open it" He simply said. She was about to say something but his smile told her not to. She opened it to see something was written on the first blank page.
'Dear Rachel,
I heard from Monica that Ross' girlfriend loves my novels. Well thank you for appreciating my work. When Ross asked me to sign this, I was more than happy to do that. Hope to see you in person soon. Till then, good luck!
- Nora Bing'
"Oh my God, Ross" She looked up at him."Thank you so much for this" She said, excitement visible in her tone.
"You're most welcome. When you left this book in my dorm last time you were visiting, I figured this would be a nice way to return it to you" He said smiling. She nodded.
Next morning, Ross woke up to the feeling of soft lips on his shoulder blades. He let out a moan.
"Wake up, you" She said softly in his ears, spooning him from behind. He turned around and positioned both of them so that her head rested on his chest.
"Good Morning" He kissed her softly. She tightened her grasp around his waist. "Great Morning"
"The best days are when I wake up to this beautiful face" She smiled at his words and leaned in for another kiss, this time a passionate one. As much as he was enjoying his girlfriend's attention, he knew he had to get up to prepare breakfast for them. So he reluctantly pulled away "What would the princess like for her breakfast?" He asked putting a strand of hair behind her ear.
"God Ross.. I can very well get used to all this pampering" She said playfully.
"No problems there" He replied smiling before getting a serious look on his face. "Just.. only let ME be the one to pamper you"
"Always" She agreed. She knew what he meant.
(...)
"You know there are little kiosks not too far, if you're in the mood for shopping" Ross suggested. They had just had their lunch and now were thinking of what to do next.
"You don't even have to ask Ross" Rachel's face had lit up like a child's does when their parents take them to Disneyland.
And just 15 minutes later, they were out of the door. They decided to walk the small distance and witness the beauty of the place. It was so quite there. Beautiful houses, though. Rachel stopped at an accessories shop first. She got a bracelet for herself and earrings for Phoebe. Ross paid for her bracelet. Then they stopped at a shades shop. She made Ross wear a number of sunglasses before finally settling on the cool dude aviators. When she asked Ross to get something for Chandler as a thank you, he said he already has his sister at which Rachel laughed hard.
After 3-4 hours of the outing, they got back to the cottage. Ross and Rachel plopped down the bags on the floor. Ross went to freshen up while she went straight to the couch. She closed her eyes and relaxed, reminiscing about the last 24 hours she spent with Ross.
She realized she loved the feeling of Ross by her side, without any disturbances. It was good he decided to take her away from the hustle-bustle of the city. She even made a note in her mind to thank Chandler whenever she sees him next. She opened her eyes and noticed a plain white box on the table. She looked left and right to see where Ross was but she didn't find him. Curiosity took over and she opened the box to find a cute little baby pink teddy bear. It held a heart in its hands, when she pressed it, the machine voice said 'I love you' She smiled and pressed it again. It said again 'I love you'
But this time she also heard it in her ears. It was Ross. She looked up to see him leaning behind the couch, smiling down at her. "Another one of Chandler's ideas?" Ross' smile changed into a not so amused look. She loved teasing him. He stood straight "FYI.. apart from the cottage, rest all the ideas are from in here" he said pointing to his heart, making his way to sit next to her.
"I was kidding" She kept her hand on his knee. "Now.. the reason for this?" She asked expectantly, because everything Ross did for her had a meaning.
He looked down at her hands which were holding the soft toy. "Its for when I'm in Cairo and you're missing me" He looked up at her, prepared to see a frown or sad face but was relieved to see her still smiling.
"Is it?" He nodded. "Then I guess I should name it Rossy" This earned her a chuckle from him. "I love you, Ross" She said softly.
"Wow.. I didn't even have to press the heart" They both laughed.
(...)
"Here's an S and that makes my Brontosaurus. I WON!" Ross exclaimed while placing the block on the scrabble board. They were in their PJ's on the bed, waiting for sleep to take over.
"This is so not fair Ross. You can't use your weird dinosaur names in the game. What if I use something related to fashion, huh? Something like.." She stopped mid sentence to find a word. Ross leaned towards her.
"Like Jurassic Parker?" He cocked an eyebrow. Rachel rolled her eyes. She kept looking him in the eyes, meanwhile grabbing the pillow from her side to hit him.
"Okay.. okay.. sorry. Forgive me, Rach" He said holding her hands.
"Alright now. It's time for your gift" Rachel said getting up from the bed to bring her purse. She fiddled with it and got a handmade card out which said 'Happy Anniversary'
She handed it to Ross who got really happy to see their photo from Dr Greene's birthday party on the cover. He opened it and started reading.
'Ross,
I still remember the first time I met you. It was fun when we played that silly little 'guess my name' game'
He chuckled at this.
'That one month in Long Island was pure bliss. Our first I LOVE YOUs.. do you remember the yacht?'
He smiled to himself.
'And today after four months, I love you 4 times more. And I know it will only increase with time. You know why.. because what we have is magical.. as you always say.. it is Eternal. It does not fade away like that, does it?'
"It doesn't" He said softly to himself but Rachel heard it and was surprised to see a hint of tear in his eyes.
'And Ross.. I have noticed you get all worked up when I tell you about my previous boyfriends or Mark. Sweetie.. please don't.. There's nobody out there who makes my heart skip a beat except for you. Only you can take my breath away. Baby.. you light up my world like nobody else.
Lots of love,
Always Yours - Rachel
P.S. We are Lobsters, Ross. And lobsters mate for life!'
This last part confused Ross and it was visible on his face. "Oh that is Phoebe's weird theory for us" She explained rolling her eyes. He nodded, knowing Phoebe a little.
"Now close your eyes" Rachel said.
"Why?"
"Do as I say, Ross" She ordered. He closed his eyes. Rachel got a wristband out of her purse and tied around his hand. She smiled when she saw he still wore the previous black one she gifted to him on his concert day. He opened his eyes to see a royal blue band with 3 black beads - which ha engraved on them.
"Do you like it? I made it myself" Rachel told him.
"Of course I do" Ross said. "This means so much to me Rach, you have no idea"
Rachel held his hand to let him know she got him. He quickly kissed her hands. When he looked at her again, he had a mischievous smile plastered on his face.
"What?" Rachel chuckled.
"Lobsters mate for life, huh? Let's get a head start on that one" With that he leaned to kiss her and backed her on the bed, the whole room filled with her giggles. Together they started a long night of passionate love making.