Chapter 12

"How's your hand? Does it still hurt?" Rachel frowned, grabbing his right hand and stroked it gently as she noticed how it was still slightly red and swollen. She then quickly released his hand when she noticed his wince. "Sorry." She murmured quietly. "Maybe we should've ice it a little bit longer yesterday."

"It doesn't hurt that much anymore."

Okay, he just lied.

It hurts like hell, alright? But was he going to let her know that he couldn't handle a little pain? Definitely not.

He just needed to suck it up and pretended that he didn't cry last night because his hand was throbbing in pain so much, he couldn't sleep.

"Are you sure?" Rachel eyed him skeptically. "You just winced when I touched it."

"It's just a little sensitive, that's all." Ross assured her, not wanting her to worry. "It's okay, Rach. I promise... besides, it's worth it. I've been wanting to punch him for the longest time."

"He did deserve it, but I still can't believe you punched Chip." She sighed, shaking her head slightly. "-and here we are..."

The couple stood in front of their school building, bracing themselves for whatever was going to happen at school today. Today would be the first day back at school after their incident at the cheer's competition and Ross was dreading this day to say the least.

"Are you ready to do this?" He asked her, his voice filled with worries knowing this wasn't going to be easy for her too.

"No." She smiled sadly. "-but we can't run away from it forever, right? We just have to face it, together..."

"Together." Ross confirmed, taking her hand and intertwining it with his to show her that he wasn't going anywhere even though deep down, he could only imagine what Chip would do to him as revenge today.

Rachel smiled, glancing at their intertwined hands and then back to his face. Even during this circumstance, Rachel had never felt happier before.

Professing her feelings for Ross had been somewhat liberating.

Her heart felt so much lighter, at peace.

As the couple walked down the school's hallway, they could easily hear whispers and a dozen pairs of eyes were staring at them. Rachel felt how Ross' body tensed beside her and she gave his hand a little kiss, smiling at him when his eyes met hers – silently letting him know that she was in this too. A few people eventually approached them to congratulate Rachel for bringing the cheer's team into another win this year and whilst Rachel was there, receiving all the congratulatory, Ross stood beside her – beaming with pride.

Ross happily stood back as Rachel engaged in a few conversations with her cheer mates, their hands still intertwined the whole time.

"Anyway… I have to ask." A friend of Rachel whose name Ross believed rhymed with Stacy... or was it Katie? - eyeing him briefly from head-to-toe before smirking at Rachel again. "Is the rumor true? You and Chip broke up and now you're with…" Nancy eyed Ross once more, though this time the way she looked at him was making him feel uncomfortable and slightly offended to be completely honest. "Uhm, Russ is it?"

"Nancy." Rachel said through her gritted teeth, not liking a bit where this conversation was going. "Chip and I, we broke up a while ago. I think everyone at school already knows about that."

Right, of course.

Nancy. Nancy Branson also known as Rachel's long-time nemesis.

Ross had no idea what exactly happened between the two of them, but if the rumor was true, it had to do with how Rachel was chosen as the cheer captain instead of Nancy. Apparently the two of them had been competing for that spot from high school day one, so obviously things between them only got worse after Rachel was chosen as the cheer captain instead of Nancy.

The tension between the two girls was so thick, Ross was pretty sure he could cut it with a knife.

"-and he's Ross, not Russ." Rachel clenched her other fist, fighting the urge to punch the bitch in her face. "We're together, although I'm pretty sure it's not your damn business."

Noticing the redness in Rachel's face, Ross immediately stepped up – not wanting his girlfriend to get suspended for punching a girl in the middle of the school's hallway. Ross squeezed Rachel's hand a little tighter, looking down and smiling at her as he finally caught her attention. Her body instantly relaxed a bit knowing Ross was here.

"Hi, I'm Ross Geller." Ross extended his hand for Nancy and she accepted it, although she gave Ross a fake smile on her face. "I'm not sure if you remember me, but we're in the same class together with Rachel during ninth grade. Typing class?"

Typing class was the first time Ross Geller realized that these strange feelings he had over her sister's best friend was stronger than he had ever anticipated before. As he sat right beside her for the whole semester, he realized that he was indeed in love with Lincoln High's most popular girl, Rachel Green. At that time, he'd consider himself lucky if Rachel ever talked to him for more than two sentences. But a couple years later, here he was, walking hand-in-hand to school with her.

His heart swelled as he noticed how Rachel was not shy to show her affection toward him publicly or even deny their newfound relationship for that matter.

"Of course." Nancy smiled awkwardly and Ross was pretty sure the girl just lied to him. "Geller…" Nancy pondered a bit. "You're Monica's sister, right? What happened to your hair? You were so geeky back then, I almost didn't recognize you without the afro and mustache. Well, but I guess it's for the better. You look easier on the eyes now."

"Nancy!" Rachel gasped.

Rachel's patience was running low at this point, she couldn't stand people talking badly about Ross, especially in front of his face even though it was in the past tense. How dare she? What a bitch!

God, she really wanted to punch her.

"What?" Nancy frowned. "It's the truth." She shrugged innocently. "I mean... He really looked ridiculous with the afro and mustache. One day, I'm pretty sure I almost mistook him for Mr. Anderson from biology."

"Nancy, I swear to god." Rachel groaned, more than ready to punch her, but luckily, Ross stopped her.

He grabbed her hand and shook his head. As much as Ross' feelings were hurt from Nancy's words, Ross knew better than to make things worse. He hated Nancy though and not for insulting him, but for making Rachel so upset.

"You know what, Nancy. It's nice to chat with you, but class starts soon, so we better hurry."

"Fine." Nancy shrugged, but then slowly, her lips curved into what Rachel could only describe as an evil smirk. "So, Rachel... Does this mean I can finally ask Chip on a date?"

"Do whatever you want with Chip. I don't care about him anymore." Rachel said and this time she meant every word she said. She then looked at Ross, couldn't help but smile genuinely as their gazes met. "I'm with Ross now and he's all I ever want and need."

Ross blushed.

"Well, alright. I'm going to leave you two alone now." Nancy eyed the couple and then smirked. She had been waiting for this day to happen ever since Chip chose Rachel instead of her. "See you at the party, Rach?"

"Oh, about that..." Rachel eyed Ross warily. When she agreed to go on a date with Ross, she totally forgot about the party at Nancy's house this weekend. "I don't think I can make it."

"Why?" Nancy asked, trying to keep her excitement inside at the thought of not having Rachel at the party. Nancy definitely shone better when Rachel wasn't around. Everything seemed to work in her favor lately and Nancy couldn't help but feel ecstatic about it.

"I have a date with Ross." A smile crept out from Rachel's lips as she uttered those words out loud.

"Well, alright." Nancy said, distracted as her friend called her name. She then waved and smiled back at her friend's direction before turning her attention back to Ross and Rachel. "Look, I gotta go. See you at practice then?"

"Yeah."

Nancy didn't even wait another second and suddenly she was gone.

Rachel breathed in relief as the couple made a quick pitstop to her locker, letting Rachel grab a few books she needed for the class.

"You know, Rach. We can postpone the date if you want to go to the party." Ross prompted, not wanting her to feel like she had to give up anything to be with him. "It's a party to celebrate your win and you as the cheer captain. I completely understand if you want to postpone."

Rachel stopped what she was doing and stared at Ross.

"Can I be completely honest with you?"

Ross nodded.

"I don't care about the party, Ross." Rachel smiled genuinely, stepping closer to him and completely ignored their surroundings as their gazes met. "I'm not lying to Nancy, you know. All I want and all I need is you. I'd rather go on a date with you than to a party where I have to pretend to be someone else the entire time."

Ross smiled, feeling contempt with her answer.

"You can always be yourself around me." He murmured.

"I know." Rachel murmured. "That's why I already can't wait for our first date."

"Our first date." Ross' cheeks blushed slightly, albeit a smile still presented in his lips. "I promise to make it special just for you."

"Aw, you don't have to, honey. Every second I spend with you is already special."

Ross was extremely nervous about today. His palms were sweating as he stood in front of The Green's resident, holding a bouquet of white lilies in his hand.

Today was the day.

Ross' first date with Rachel, and well… his very first date ever.

Taking a deep breath, he finally raised his right hand and knocked on the white wooden door. He shifted his legs to one another, getting more and more anxious as the clock ticked by and suddenly the door opened and it wasn't who Ross was expecting it to be.

"M-mr. Green." Ross' eyes went wide as he sputtered his words. "I-I mean, uh, Dr. Green." Ross swallowed, feeling like his soul just left his body as Leonard's brown eyes pierced through him. "I-I didn't know that you'll be here."

"What are you implying, Geller?" Leonard asked, sounding a little offended. "Of course, I'm here. This is still my house."

If it even possible, Ross' eyes went wider than they already were. But luckily, even before Ross could open his mouth, Rachel emerged from the top of the stairs.

"Daddy!" Rachel gasped, hurrying down as she noticed Ross' pale complexion. "What did you say to Ross? Why is he shaking, daddy?!"

"Oh, relax. I didn't say anything bad to him. Right, Geller?" Leonard eyed Ross, daring him to say otherwise.

Ross gulped, shaking his head rather vigorously. "Of course not, sir."

"Are you sure?" Rachel sighed, asking Ross one more time and this time he cracked a genuine smile.

"I'm sure and uh." He trailed off, showing her the flowers and handed it to her. "This is for you. I hope you like it."

"This is my favorite kind of flower, it's so beautiful." Rachel smiled, inhaling the scent of flowers. "Thank you." Rachel leaned in to place a quick kiss on Ross' cheeks.

Ross froze, his eyes wide as he realized she just kissed him in front of her father.

"I'll put these in some water. Give me a minute, okay?" Ross nodded and then Rachel turned to her dad, giving him a look. "-and daddy, try to be nice to Ross, alright?"

With Rachel now gone, once again Ross' body was stiffened as he stood here in front of his date's dad.

"Relax a bit, will you? I won't kill you, I promise." Leonard said, this time his voice didn't drip with anger. "-well at least as long as you didn't give me a reason to." He added in a whisper, but being so close, Ross could hear him loud and clear.

Ross' eyes went wide again, and he quickly nodded.

"I won't, sir."

"Rachel is..." Leonard looked back, making sure that his daughter was out on their ear-shot before he continued. "She's my daughter, my everything... and I noticed that lately, she's happier than she ever was. I have a feeling that it has something to do with you."

Ross couldn't hold his own lips from forming into a smile.

"She makes me very happy too."

"That's good." Leonard nodded. "However, I have a few concerns I need to address. You're taking her on a date, correct?"

Ross nodded.

"Alright, make sure she's home safely before eight and no funny business, understand?" Leonard warned Ross sternly. "I'm a doctor and I made an oath to do no harm, but I will make your life a living hell if you ever hurt my little girl."

"Yes, sir." Ross gulped again. "I will take care and protect Rachel. No funny business, I promise."

"Good." Leonard patted Ross' shoulder a few times before giving it a squeezed, slightly harder one than Ross had anticipated.

Ross bit his tongue to prevent him from gasping in pain.

"I heard only good things about you, Geller. Your parents are also dear friends of our family, so I expect you to keep that promise to me."

"You have my word, sir." Ross promised.

"Hey!" Rachel emerged, watching Ross closely to see if her dad had scared him away or something. "Sorry it took me so long."

Ross smiled, secretly letting her know that he was okay.

"It's alright." He then offered Rachel his hand. "Ready to go?"

"Let's go." Rachel grinned, taking his hand and intertwining it with hers. "Bye daddy, see you next Saturday."

"Bye sweetpea, have fun." Leonard Green smiled, hugging his daughter back and gave her a kiss on her cheeks before turning his attention to Ross. "-and you, Geller. Take care of her and stop calling me sir. It's Dr. Green for you.."

"Don't worry, si-" Ross quickly corrected himself. "I mean, Dr. Green. I will take care of Rachel."

After saying goodbye to Rachel's dad, Ross helped Rachel to settle at his dad's car he had borrowed for the day before jumping into the driver seat. As the door closed, he finally was able to admire her with ease and immediately his breath caught in his throat when he realized how beautiful she looked today.

Rachel was stunningly beautiful in her blue dress. His jaw almost dropped to the floor as he sat at the driver seat, finally taking his time to admire her beauty. He was too nervous with Leonard's present the first time he had seen her today as he picked her up in front of her door and somehow he failed to notice it. She was wearing light makeup and she had her hair styled as it cascaded perfectly down her shoulder.

She was always beautiful in his eyes, but today, he almost couldn't breath as he saw her in that dress.

"Y-you look beautiful." Ross finally managed to say after staring at her for a minute too long.

"Thank you." Rachel blushed, fiddling with the fabric of her dress, suddenly feeling shy.

Unbeknownst to him, Rachel was feeling the exact same thing as he did. She was really nervous about the date, she even begged Monica to come over this morning. Together, they rummaged through Rachel's entire wardrobe, spending hours picking the right dress for her first date with Ross.

"You don't look so bad yourself."

"Thanks." Ross murmured shyly. "Ready?"

Rachel leaned in, placing a quick kiss to her blushing date's cheeks.

"Now we're ready." She grinned.

Ross and Rachel were walking hand-in-hand through Long Island's downtown area after they had their lunch at a small diner he had taken her for their first date.

It was nothing fancy like restaurants in the city, but according to some of Ross' friends, it was apparently a popular place for a date amongst teenagers like they were. They ended up ordering a couple main dishes, milkshakes, and even shared a bowl of sundaes for desserts. Ross was extremely grateful that he had been working all throughout Summer, so that he could splurge some money for their date without having to worry about it.

Their date had gone smoothly as they continued to chat like they used to, only this time they were both becoming somewhat bashful and careful in front of each other. But of course, it was all normal. After all, they were changing their friendship into a romantic one, the nerve-wrecking feeling was bound to happen.

She didn't know when, but at some point, they started to become comfortable around each other once more. She told him everything about what was happening in her life and also her plan for college.

"I really think you should do it." Ross had said to her when she confessed to him that she wasn't sure whether or not she'd apply to fashion school. "You clearly have both the talent and passion in the fashion industry, it'd be such a shame if you didn't even try to apply."

"You really think so?" Rachel asked again, and couldn't help but question herself.

"I do." Ross reached her hand across the table and squeezed them. "It sounds like it is something you want to do for life and if I learned something from my dad, you would want to work in an industry you're passionate about. You don't want to spend most of your day stuck in a job that you hate and end up resenting your whole life."

"Working in the fashion industry has always been my dream since I was a little girl." Rachel confessed something that oddly she had never shared with anyone before. "Even as a kid, I loved to mix-match my clothes I wore to school. I found shopping somewhat therapeutic and I just enjoy catching up with the newest fashion trends. Does that make sense to you?"

"It does, actually." Ross' lips curved into a smile, knowing exactly what she was feeling. "That's exactly why I'd love to study Paleontology in college. I just found it very fascinating, you know, that something as small as a fossil could tell us so much about the past."

"Well…" Rachel smiled, linking both her hands with his above the table. "We do have something in common after all."

"We do." Ross smiled back.

He then told her everything about his previous trip to Berkeley, about the program and also about what he liked and disliked from there. He also said that he'd also apply to NYU just like he had planned for years and see which one was going to accept him. As they talked more and more about college, Rachel couldn't help but feeling sad that they had to part ways next year, but at the same time, she somehow knew that whatever the future might hold for them, they'd be together in the end.

Rachel glanced sideways toward the boy walking beside her and she cracked a smile before leaning her head into his shoulder. The sun was just beginning to set as the couple continued to walk aimlessly throughout downtown Long Island.

"Are you cold?"

"A little bit." Rachel smiled, albeit somewhat shyly.

"Here, wear this." Ross took off his jacket and put it on her.

Rachel smiled, her eyes beamed with an overwhelming sense of happiness. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." He smiled back.

Today was not Rachel's first date and Ross was not her first boyfriend. She had a lot of experience before compared to other girls her age, but as she spent her time together with Ross today, she realized that nothing could've compared to what she was feeling right now.

Her date with Ross was perfect even though the diner was nowhere near as fancy as the restaurants her dad used to take her family to.

It wasn't about the place or the food.

It was all about who she spent her time with, it was all about him…

To be completely honest, before today, Rachel was worried that the shift between friends to romantic relationships was going to be awkward for them, but it turned out that she had nothing to worry about. She almost couldn't believe how right it was as he kissed her on her lips, how their hands fit perfectly together like a puzzle, and how she loved spending every second of today with him.

She didn't want this day to end.

"You know what, actually…" Rachel suddenly prompted as an idea popped into her mind. "Do you wanna get some hot chocolate? I know a place that serves the best hot chocolate in town."

"Sure." Ross' lips curved into a smile, loving the idea of having to spend more time with her. Just like Rachel, he wasn't ready for the day to end just yet. "Lead the way."

The couple then headed to a small café and ordered their drink to-go. Ross then took her to this small hill nearby that he had found by accident a year before. Ross remembered how breathtakingly stunning the view of Long Island was during the sunset and he had been wanting to take her here since Summer, but sadly never got a chance until today.

"We're here." Ross announced as he held her hand, leading her to this very spot he fell in love with.

"Wow, Ross." Rachel was truly mesmerized by the sight that was welcoming her. "This is amazing."

From where they were standing, they could see the whole Long Island right beneath them. The sky was starting to turn orange and Rachel's eyes started to tear up as she stared at the beautiful sight before her and especially the very person she got to share it with.

"Come here, sit with me." Ross led her to a bench, taking her hand. "This is the best part."

Rachel did what he suggested, cuddling closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder as they watched the sun begin to set over the horizon together.

"T-that was beautiful." Rachel managed to choke up as the last bit of the sun disappeared from their eyes and the sky finally darkened. "Thank you." She murmured, shifting slightly so that he could see the smile on her face. "Thanks for today and for taking me here. This is the best date ever and it's all thanks to you."

"I can't tell you how many times I wanted to take you here and share this with you. I'm really glad you like it." Ross murmured, leaning closer so that their lips touched and then they kissed.

Rachel sighed in contempt as their lips finally reunited in a sweet kiss. Her skin covered in goosebumps as she felt his hand slowly moving from her waist to her face as he deepened the kiss. With a smile on her lips, she brought a hand that previously circled his neck down to his chest – feeling how his heart was beating uncontrollably against the palm of her hand.

… and for the first time ever in her life, Rachel found herself falling in love.

A/N

I have zero clues to what teenagers did on a date back in the 80s, so I have to use my imagination lol I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless!

Anyway… I read every single one of your reviews/comments (even the anonymous one) in the last chapter and I have to say that I'm thankful for all the feedback you guys gave me. So, I made a rough storyline and so far, it already contains 20 chapters. In reality, it could be longer or shorter than that, but it will definitely cover their story throughout college, so don't worry about that.

I can't tell you much about anything else since I don't want to spoil the rest of the story for you, but believe me when I say I consider every suggestion seriously. So again, thank you for that and I hope you like how their date went on.

As usual, tell me what you think about this chapter :)