"Hey, Ross", Rachel greeted as he entered the apartment.
"Hey."
"Where were you last night? I called you because we needed help assembling Elley's dresser, but there was no answer."
"Who's Elley?"
"My sister. Yeah, isn't that really cute? I always thought it was really cute when siblings had pet names for each other", she smiled.
"Uh-huh…yeah. Anyway I was out last night.
"Big date?", she giggled.
"Yeah, actually. I was going to tell you the other day but with your sister and everything I forgot."
"Ooooohhhhh", she mocked. What's her name", she sounded intrigued.
"Tori. She's from San Diego."
"So how did you guys meet. And please don't tell me she's a student of yours because you remember what happened last time", she lectured facetiously.
"Very funny", he snapped. "she's actually a psychologist and she's my age, thank-you very much."
"So…how did you guys meet?" Ross and Rachel had a very close friendship now, even after everything that happened between the two of them. They told each other everything. It was nice to know for the both of them that when people say 'I hope we can still be friends' after they break up that it really can happen that way.
"Well, I was at the coffee house and she hit me in the face with the door", he laughed.
"Oh that is so romantic", she teased, dramatically clutching her chest. Ross just shook his head.
"Well, I can't tell you how much I would love to stay and get insulted some more, but I have to go."
"Buh-bye."
"See ya."
He got off the elevator and passed Tori's apartment. He had an impulse to knock, but he didn't. Just as he was about to move on, he heard screaming. "No! Please, no! Don't hurt me! Please!" It was Tori's voice. Her tone was hysterical with fear. Ross started screaming to her. "Tori! What's going on ?!" He twisted the knob. "Tori, the door is locked. Let me in!" Without hesitation he broke the door down and ran toward the screaming in a panic. He ran into the bedroom to find her asleep on the bed, subconsciously shrieking and thrashing. He shook her until she came to. Once her eyes finally opened, she immediately embraced him, her faced tear-stained.
"Tori, what happened, are you alright?"
She gasped for breath and was finally almost calm. "Ross, I have something I have I have been keeping form you and I'm sorry, but I think you have the right to know. I was just so scared of what you would think of me." A tear slowly trickled down her cheek.
"Hey, you can tell me anything", he said soothingly, brushing the hair out of her face.
"About three years ago", she began, "I was driving home from a friend's house along a deserted road in the middle of the woods. I wasn't sure where I was and I saw a light in the woods and I assumed there was a cabin or something so I pulled over to see if I could get directions. There was no cabin." The tears began to stream down her face. "I realized it was headlights from a car and I heard screaming. Horrible screaming. It was so…dark I couldn't see. I wanted to turn around and go home. I knew something was wrong. But she was screaming so, I just couldn't leave her there. I tried to be quiet. I just watched. Watched her get dragged out that car with her hands bound behind her back. Watched her manage to shriek cries of help with his hand over her mouth. Watched him pull out the knife. Watched her eyes widen with terror as the dim moonlight reflected off the blade. I wanted so much to run for help, to save the helpless
woman, but I couldn't move. I was frozen with fear. Then he smiled malevolently as I watched him coldly run the blade along her neck until her shrieks suddenly became silent. I uncontrollably let out a cry of disbelief and horror as her lifeless body dropped to the ground. He whipped around in my direction. He saw me and sprinted after me. I ran as fast as could to my car. I couldn't remember in what direction my car was. I just ran aimlessly. I could hear him panting just yards behind me, gaining ground with every step. I found my car. I nervously fumbled with handle of the door, finally it let me in. Just as I found the key, I felt his arm around my neck, I couldn't breath as the bloody knife neared my throat. I saw headlights in the rear-view mirror. He loosened his grip and I sped away before he knew what was going on. I didn't even look back.
A year later he came after me. First, with simple mind games like leaving me anonymous letters that were impossible to trace, then tearing apart my apartment when I wasn't home. One night, I was eating dinner at the diner after working late. He was there in the bathroom. I don't really remember what happened but apparently someone found me unconscious on the floor. I was in the hospital for two weeks. He didn't stop there. He was everywhere. In the subway, at my work, outside my house, everywhere. No matter what I did, what the cops did, it wouldn't stop. It was some big game to him, messing with me." There was a short pause as she contemplated the experience.
"Then one night I cam home late from work." She was now sobbing and stuttering trying to hold back the tears. "My door was wide open. I had locked it before I left. I walked in, knowing this time he would be there, waiting for me. I don't know why I didn't run, maybe I wanted it all to end, one way or another. A walked from room to room, reluctantly, expecting him to jump out at me at every moment. And there he was. I just looked at him, crying, not knowing what else to do, and he attacked me. Of all my encounters with this monster of a man, this was the most terrifying. He teased and taunted me, made me feel like it was all my fault, made me believe it was, did awful things to me. If it wasn't for my neighbor who heard me crying and screaming, I don't know what he would have done." She paused, almost in a trance.
"He's in prison now, but I am still so scared. He is everywhere and everyone is him. I just can't forget it. Living in San Diego became too stressful so I had to leave." Ross was so horrified at her pain and what she had been through he was speechless. She saw a tear drop from his eye. She broke down into tears so dramatically she couldn't breathe. "Ross I am so sorry I lied to you, but I just thought it wouldn't matter. I thought being so far away from it all would make me forget."
"Hey, it's okay, it's okay, you're fine now." He embraced her tightly, comfortingly, lovingly.
"I know this is difficult to comprehend and I'll understand if you don't want to see me again and…"
"Tori, don't say that. I want to help you get through this, I'm here for you." She looked at him, looked at him strangely. In three years, no one had cared that much, she was afraid to tell anyone until now. He knew what she had been through and still stood by her. "It's going to be okay", he consoled. He looked into her sapphire eyes as he wiped the tears from her face. He slowly leaned in and kissed her passionately, tenderly, as his warm, gentle hand caressed her face.
"Hey."
"Where were you last night? I called you because we needed help assembling Elley's dresser, but there was no answer."
"Who's Elley?"
"My sister. Yeah, isn't that really cute? I always thought it was really cute when siblings had pet names for each other", she smiled.
"Uh-huh…yeah. Anyway I was out last night.
"Big date?", she giggled.
"Yeah, actually. I was going to tell you the other day but with your sister and everything I forgot."
"Ooooohhhhh", she mocked. What's her name", she sounded intrigued.
"Tori. She's from San Diego."
"So how did you guys meet. And please don't tell me she's a student of yours because you remember what happened last time", she lectured facetiously.
"Very funny", he snapped. "she's actually a psychologist and she's my age, thank-you very much."
"So…how did you guys meet?" Ross and Rachel had a very close friendship now, even after everything that happened between the two of them. They told each other everything. It was nice to know for the both of them that when people say 'I hope we can still be friends' after they break up that it really can happen that way.
"Well, I was at the coffee house and she hit me in the face with the door", he laughed.
"Oh that is so romantic", she teased, dramatically clutching her chest. Ross just shook his head.
"Well, I can't tell you how much I would love to stay and get insulted some more, but I have to go."
"Buh-bye."
"See ya."
He got off the elevator and passed Tori's apartment. He had an impulse to knock, but he didn't. Just as he was about to move on, he heard screaming. "No! Please, no! Don't hurt me! Please!" It was Tori's voice. Her tone was hysterical with fear. Ross started screaming to her. "Tori! What's going on ?!" He twisted the knob. "Tori, the door is locked. Let me in!" Without hesitation he broke the door down and ran toward the screaming in a panic. He ran into the bedroom to find her asleep on the bed, subconsciously shrieking and thrashing. He shook her until she came to. Once her eyes finally opened, she immediately embraced him, her faced tear-stained.
"Tori, what happened, are you alright?"
She gasped for breath and was finally almost calm. "Ross, I have something I have I have been keeping form you and I'm sorry, but I think you have the right to know. I was just so scared of what you would think of me." A tear slowly trickled down her cheek.
"Hey, you can tell me anything", he said soothingly, brushing the hair out of her face.
"About three years ago", she began, "I was driving home from a friend's house along a deserted road in the middle of the woods. I wasn't sure where I was and I saw a light in the woods and I assumed there was a cabin or something so I pulled over to see if I could get directions. There was no cabin." The tears began to stream down her face. "I realized it was headlights from a car and I heard screaming. Horrible screaming. It was so…dark I couldn't see. I wanted to turn around and go home. I knew something was wrong. But she was screaming so, I just couldn't leave her there. I tried to be quiet. I just watched. Watched her get dragged out that car with her hands bound behind her back. Watched her manage to shriek cries of help with his hand over her mouth. Watched him pull out the knife. Watched her eyes widen with terror as the dim moonlight reflected off the blade. I wanted so much to run for help, to save the helpless
woman, but I couldn't move. I was frozen with fear. Then he smiled malevolently as I watched him coldly run the blade along her neck until her shrieks suddenly became silent. I uncontrollably let out a cry of disbelief and horror as her lifeless body dropped to the ground. He whipped around in my direction. He saw me and sprinted after me. I ran as fast as could to my car. I couldn't remember in what direction my car was. I just ran aimlessly. I could hear him panting just yards behind me, gaining ground with every step. I found my car. I nervously fumbled with handle of the door, finally it let me in. Just as I found the key, I felt his arm around my neck, I couldn't breath as the bloody knife neared my throat. I saw headlights in the rear-view mirror. He loosened his grip and I sped away before he knew what was going on. I didn't even look back.
A year later he came after me. First, with simple mind games like leaving me anonymous letters that were impossible to trace, then tearing apart my apartment when I wasn't home. One night, I was eating dinner at the diner after working late. He was there in the bathroom. I don't really remember what happened but apparently someone found me unconscious on the floor. I was in the hospital for two weeks. He didn't stop there. He was everywhere. In the subway, at my work, outside my house, everywhere. No matter what I did, what the cops did, it wouldn't stop. It was some big game to him, messing with me." There was a short pause as she contemplated the experience.
"Then one night I cam home late from work." She was now sobbing and stuttering trying to hold back the tears. "My door was wide open. I had locked it before I left. I walked in, knowing this time he would be there, waiting for me. I don't know why I didn't run, maybe I wanted it all to end, one way or another. A walked from room to room, reluctantly, expecting him to jump out at me at every moment. And there he was. I just looked at him, crying, not knowing what else to do, and he attacked me. Of all my encounters with this monster of a man, this was the most terrifying. He teased and taunted me, made me feel like it was all my fault, made me believe it was, did awful things to me. If it wasn't for my neighbor who heard me crying and screaming, I don't know what he would have done." She paused, almost in a trance.
"He's in prison now, but I am still so scared. He is everywhere and everyone is him. I just can't forget it. Living in San Diego became too stressful so I had to leave." Ross was so horrified at her pain and what she had been through he was speechless. She saw a tear drop from his eye. She broke down into tears so dramatically she couldn't breathe. "Ross I am so sorry I lied to you, but I just thought it wouldn't matter. I thought being so far away from it all would make me forget."
"Hey, it's okay, it's okay, you're fine now." He embraced her tightly, comfortingly, lovingly.
"I know this is difficult to comprehend and I'll understand if you don't want to see me again and…"
"Tori, don't say that. I want to help you get through this, I'm here for you." She looked at him, looked at him strangely. In three years, no one had cared that much, she was afraid to tell anyone until now. He knew what she had been through and still stood by her. "It's going to be okay", he consoled. He looked into her sapphire eyes as he wiped the tears from her face. He slowly leaned in and kissed her passionately, tenderly, as his warm, gentle hand caressed her face.
