Chapter 13
A week before the engagement party, after numerous interesting, but puzzling, conversations with her friends, Monica decided to ask Eric to escort her to the party. They were sitting at an outdoor café, eating lunch on a humid Saturday afternoon, when she broached the subject.
"Next Saturday is Ross and Rachel's engagement party," she began, "and I was wondering whether you would be interested in going with me?"
"I'd love to, Monica. It would be my pleasure. The party is upstate, right?"
"Yes. I know it's a long drive. Rachel reserved a block of hotel rooms for those who don't want to drive back the same night. We...we could spend the night at the hotel."
"Is the party going to be at this hotel?"
"No. It's going to be at a country club, but I understand the hotel isn't that far away."
Eric wanted to ask Monica if they would be sharing a room, but he decided there was time to find that out. For now, it was enough that she had asked him to an important event where most, if not all, of her family would be attendance. Maybe things were progressing better between them than he thought.
For a fleeing moment he wondered if Chandler would be a guest and then he quickly erased that thought from his mind. He would be the one with Monica. It didn't matter if Chandler were there or not.
*~*
Friday night, as Chandler prepared to leave his office, Riley walked in to finalize the weekend plans. They had all been working ten to twelve hour days for the past two weeks. Chandler had only talked to Monica once during that time, and the conversation was not nearly as satisfying as the first one had been. He chalked it up to both of them being busy and distracted.
"Everyone has my cell phone number, right?" Chandler asked.
"Yes. We've decided to go home early tonight. We'll be here by seven tomorrow morning, and we'll work as long as need be to make certain the data is right on Monday morning."
"I appreciate all your hard work," Chandler said sincerely. "You guys have really pulled together to make this happen. I intend to properly recognize the entire team once this milestone is realized."
"I know they'd appreciate it."
"I looked at the last set of numbers you sent me this afternoon, and I think we're in good shape. Just make sure the data is backed up and that we can access it any way we need to. Make sure the contingency plan we talked about is in place, okay?"
"That's my number one priority this weekend. Brian will check all the figures one more time. Sharon is standing by to make any changes necessary. We should be fine. You just go and have a good time."
"Thanks. At some point, I'll check in with you just to make sure everything is going smoothly."
"Do it when the toasts are being made," Riley suggested. "Man, those things are so long and boring."
"Hey, as the best man, I'm making one of those. And believe me, no one will want to miss mine. It won't be long or boring." Chandler thought for a moment and then amended his words. "Well, it won't be boring. For Rachel and Ross to have made it this far, I think they deserve their toasts to be long. There's a lot of history to toast about, believe me."
*~*
"Monica, what time is Eric picking you up tomorrow?" Rachel asked from her bedroom where she was packing for a two-night stay.
She and Ross had decided to drive to the hotel Friday night, so she could be at the country club early to make sure everything was going according to her specifications.
"He's picking me up around ten," Monica said, standing in the doorway. "Why?"
"Just wondering. I want to make sure you're there early in case I need any help. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all. Joey and Phoebe are coming with us, so we'll arrive together in case you need anything. What about your mom and your sisters?"
"My mom is going to meet us at the hotel. My sisters, who knows? I wonder if they'll even bother to show up."
"Rach, they'll be there."
"How do you know?"
"I don't," she admitted. "I'm just trying to keep good thoughts."
"It'll be great if they attend, but you know, I can't worry about them. I'm just glad my best friends are going to share this night with Ross and me."
Rachel and Monica embraced in a heartfelt hug. They ended it when Ross entered the apartment and called out their names.
"In here," Rachel said.
"Anytime you're ready," Ross said, after greeting her with a kiss, "we can go."
"I just have a few more things to pack. I won't be long, I promise."
"Want some iced tea?" Monica asked her brother, as they left Rachel's room and walked to the kitchen table.
"Sure."
Monica placed the pitcher and two tall glasses on the table. Ross poured an even amount into each glass and handed one to his sister, who had taken a seat.
"I talked to Mom today," Monica said. "She couldn't be happier for you."
"I talked to her, too. I hope she didn't say anything to upset you."
"No more than usual. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but...I'm not. Even if it was done in a weird way, I'm glad you guys helped me decide to ask Eric. At least Mom can't say anything about me standing around without a date."
"How are things going with Eric?"
Monica shrugged. "About the same. I wish I could say that I long for him when he's not around or that my heart beats faster when I'm with him, but I don't feel that way. I like him, we have a good time, he's easy to talk to, but he's not..."
"Chandler," Ross finished for her.
"How pathetic am I?" Monica complained to her older brother.
"You're not pathetic," Ross said. "You just care about someone who may not feel the same way. Look how long it took for Rachel and me to get together, but we did. Love's a tricky thing, Mon. Trust me. I know."
*~*
Later that night in the hotel room, lying in bed with their hands clasped together, Ross asked Rachel if she'd given any thought as to where she might like to honeymoon.
"Well, as hard as it is to imagine right now, it will be winter when we get married, and you know how much I love to ski."
"Hmmm...you want to honeymoon at a place where you can ski."
"Well," she said, turning to face him, her eyes twinkling, "that's only if we decide to partake in any outdoor sports."
Ross laughed and then brought his lips to cover hers. They shared a lingering wet kiss.
"We probably shouldn't go any place too expensive," Rachel said, a bit breathless after Ross pulled away, "because it would probably just be a waste of money."
"I would like to go some place special," he said. "And now that you've mentioned skiing, I thought of the perfect place. How would you like to honeymoon in Switzerland?"
Rachel squealed with delight. "I would absolutely love it, but can we afford it?"
"We can look into it."
"Spending New Year's in Switzerland with the man of my dreams," Rachel said, her voice wistful. "What more could a woman ask for?"
"How about this?" Ross asked, sliding closer to Rachel.
"Oh, yeah," she said, all ready for another round of lovemaking. "It doesn't get any better than this."
A week before the engagement party, after numerous interesting, but puzzling, conversations with her friends, Monica decided to ask Eric to escort her to the party. They were sitting at an outdoor café, eating lunch on a humid Saturday afternoon, when she broached the subject.
"Next Saturday is Ross and Rachel's engagement party," she began, "and I was wondering whether you would be interested in going with me?"
"I'd love to, Monica. It would be my pleasure. The party is upstate, right?"
"Yes. I know it's a long drive. Rachel reserved a block of hotel rooms for those who don't want to drive back the same night. We...we could spend the night at the hotel."
"Is the party going to be at this hotel?"
"No. It's going to be at a country club, but I understand the hotel isn't that far away."
Eric wanted to ask Monica if they would be sharing a room, but he decided there was time to find that out. For now, it was enough that she had asked him to an important event where most, if not all, of her family would be attendance. Maybe things were progressing better between them than he thought.
For a fleeing moment he wondered if Chandler would be a guest and then he quickly erased that thought from his mind. He would be the one with Monica. It didn't matter if Chandler were there or not.
*~*
Friday night, as Chandler prepared to leave his office, Riley walked in to finalize the weekend plans. They had all been working ten to twelve hour days for the past two weeks. Chandler had only talked to Monica once during that time, and the conversation was not nearly as satisfying as the first one had been. He chalked it up to both of them being busy and distracted.
"Everyone has my cell phone number, right?" Chandler asked.
"Yes. We've decided to go home early tonight. We'll be here by seven tomorrow morning, and we'll work as long as need be to make certain the data is right on Monday morning."
"I appreciate all your hard work," Chandler said sincerely. "You guys have really pulled together to make this happen. I intend to properly recognize the entire team once this milestone is realized."
"I know they'd appreciate it."
"I looked at the last set of numbers you sent me this afternoon, and I think we're in good shape. Just make sure the data is backed up and that we can access it any way we need to. Make sure the contingency plan we talked about is in place, okay?"
"That's my number one priority this weekend. Brian will check all the figures one more time. Sharon is standing by to make any changes necessary. We should be fine. You just go and have a good time."
"Thanks. At some point, I'll check in with you just to make sure everything is going smoothly."
"Do it when the toasts are being made," Riley suggested. "Man, those things are so long and boring."
"Hey, as the best man, I'm making one of those. And believe me, no one will want to miss mine. It won't be long or boring." Chandler thought for a moment and then amended his words. "Well, it won't be boring. For Rachel and Ross to have made it this far, I think they deserve their toasts to be long. There's a lot of history to toast about, believe me."
*~*
"Monica, what time is Eric picking you up tomorrow?" Rachel asked from her bedroom where she was packing for a two-night stay.
She and Ross had decided to drive to the hotel Friday night, so she could be at the country club early to make sure everything was going according to her specifications.
"He's picking me up around ten," Monica said, standing in the doorway. "Why?"
"Just wondering. I want to make sure you're there early in case I need any help. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all. Joey and Phoebe are coming with us, so we'll arrive together in case you need anything. What about your mom and your sisters?"
"My mom is going to meet us at the hotel. My sisters, who knows? I wonder if they'll even bother to show up."
"Rach, they'll be there."
"How do you know?"
"I don't," she admitted. "I'm just trying to keep good thoughts."
"It'll be great if they attend, but you know, I can't worry about them. I'm just glad my best friends are going to share this night with Ross and me."
Rachel and Monica embraced in a heartfelt hug. They ended it when Ross entered the apartment and called out their names.
"In here," Rachel said.
"Anytime you're ready," Ross said, after greeting her with a kiss, "we can go."
"I just have a few more things to pack. I won't be long, I promise."
"Want some iced tea?" Monica asked her brother, as they left Rachel's room and walked to the kitchen table.
"Sure."
Monica placed the pitcher and two tall glasses on the table. Ross poured an even amount into each glass and handed one to his sister, who had taken a seat.
"I talked to Mom today," Monica said. "She couldn't be happier for you."
"I talked to her, too. I hope she didn't say anything to upset you."
"No more than usual. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but...I'm not. Even if it was done in a weird way, I'm glad you guys helped me decide to ask Eric. At least Mom can't say anything about me standing around without a date."
"How are things going with Eric?"
Monica shrugged. "About the same. I wish I could say that I long for him when he's not around or that my heart beats faster when I'm with him, but I don't feel that way. I like him, we have a good time, he's easy to talk to, but he's not..."
"Chandler," Ross finished for her.
"How pathetic am I?" Monica complained to her older brother.
"You're not pathetic," Ross said. "You just care about someone who may not feel the same way. Look how long it took for Rachel and me to get together, but we did. Love's a tricky thing, Mon. Trust me. I know."
*~*
Later that night in the hotel room, lying in bed with their hands clasped together, Ross asked Rachel if she'd given any thought as to where she might like to honeymoon.
"Well, as hard as it is to imagine right now, it will be winter when we get married, and you know how much I love to ski."
"Hmmm...you want to honeymoon at a place where you can ski."
"Well," she said, turning to face him, her eyes twinkling, "that's only if we decide to partake in any outdoor sports."
Ross laughed and then brought his lips to cover hers. They shared a lingering wet kiss.
"We probably shouldn't go any place too expensive," Rachel said, a bit breathless after Ross pulled away, "because it would probably just be a waste of money."
"I would like to go some place special," he said. "And now that you've mentioned skiing, I thought of the perfect place. How would you like to honeymoon in Switzerland?"
Rachel squealed with delight. "I would absolutely love it, but can we afford it?"
"We can look into it."
"Spending New Year's in Switzerland with the man of my dreams," Rachel said, her voice wistful. "What more could a woman ask for?"
"How about this?" Ross asked, sliding closer to Rachel.
"Oh, yeah," she said, all ready for another round of lovemaking. "It doesn't get any better than this."