Chapter 7
Later that afternoon.........
Rachel [entering the apartment with roughly 10 shopping bags and a wide grin on her face]: I'm ba-ack!
Joey [turning around in his recliner chair]: Wow, looks like you had a really good time!
Rachel: Yep! I feel so great right now, in fact, I've completely forgotten about work...and lunch!
She reached into the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water, unscrewing the cap and taking a long sip.
Joey: Hey, I have an idea, why don't we go out to dinner tonight, you and me a restaurant of your choice.
Rachel: Really? That sounds great; I can wear one of my new outfits!
Joey: Alright, well, what restaurant, I can call and make us a reservation. Around seven?
Rachel: Yea, seven sounds wonderful. How about...Serendipity, it's a great little restaurant that's just opened up, someone mentioned it about two months ago at work and was raving about the food.
Joey: Sounds great, I'll just call and make the reservation...this leaves you with a couple of hours to get ready since we're making it at seven, that ok?
Rachel nearly laughed; it made her think of all the times that Ross had made reservations an hour before, leaving her with little time to get ready. He would always start yelling at her to hurry up in fear that they would be late. Joey, however, was more considerate in this area; he knew how long it took her to get ready. She couldn't even imagine Ross asking her if the reservation time was okay, he just used to make the presumption that it was.
Rachel [smiling]: Yep, that's fantastic. I'm just going to go hop in the shower, unless you want to go first?
Joey: Na, that's fine you go ahead, I'll shower when you're done.
Rachel: Okay
She walked into her bedroom, set down the shopping bags, and kicked off her shoes. Then Rachel came back out into the apartment, and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. As he heard the hum of the shower running, he also heard the sound of a woman's voice, seemingly singing. He crept towards the bathroom door and lightly pressed his ear against it.
"What you want, baby I got it, what you need, you know I got it....Just a little respect.....R-E-S-P-E-C-T find out what it means to me...."
Joey stepped away from the bathroom door and headed into the kitchen to get a glass of water. While turning on the faucet Joey remembered something Ross had told him a while ago....
A couple years earlier...
Ross: It sort of hurts me, you know. I mean, when her dad was trying to convince me to break up with Rachel by telling me about all these habits she has, and whether I was willing to deal with them, he mentioned this thing about her singing in the shower. He said that every time she sings in the shower, it's a sure sign that she's happy, and in a good place in her life. And not once has she ever sung in the shower in the duration of our relationship...
Back to the Present...
Joey [thinking]: Wow, I'm glad she's feeling happy, and this is a sure-fire way to know that.
Just then, the shower shut off, and he heard the creak of the door opening. Rachel emerged, pink bathrobe around her body and her freshly washed hair sticking to her neck.
Rachel: Joe, bathrooms free.
With that, she walked into her bedroom, leaving the scent of her coconut shampoo trailing behind her. Joey took a deep breath inwards, and prepared himself for a long shower full of having to stop himself thinking about Rachel, since her scent would be surrounding him.
Later that afternoon.........
Rachel [entering the apartment with roughly 10 shopping bags and a wide grin on her face]: I'm ba-ack!
Joey [turning around in his recliner chair]: Wow, looks like you had a really good time!
Rachel: Yep! I feel so great right now, in fact, I've completely forgotten about work...and lunch!
She reached into the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water, unscrewing the cap and taking a long sip.
Joey: Hey, I have an idea, why don't we go out to dinner tonight, you and me a restaurant of your choice.
Rachel: Really? That sounds great; I can wear one of my new outfits!
Joey: Alright, well, what restaurant, I can call and make us a reservation. Around seven?
Rachel: Yea, seven sounds wonderful. How about...Serendipity, it's a great little restaurant that's just opened up, someone mentioned it about two months ago at work and was raving about the food.
Joey: Sounds great, I'll just call and make the reservation...this leaves you with a couple of hours to get ready since we're making it at seven, that ok?
Rachel nearly laughed; it made her think of all the times that Ross had made reservations an hour before, leaving her with little time to get ready. He would always start yelling at her to hurry up in fear that they would be late. Joey, however, was more considerate in this area; he knew how long it took her to get ready. She couldn't even imagine Ross asking her if the reservation time was okay, he just used to make the presumption that it was.
Rachel [smiling]: Yep, that's fantastic. I'm just going to go hop in the shower, unless you want to go first?
Joey: Na, that's fine you go ahead, I'll shower when you're done.
Rachel: Okay
She walked into her bedroom, set down the shopping bags, and kicked off her shoes. Then Rachel came back out into the apartment, and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. As he heard the hum of the shower running, he also heard the sound of a woman's voice, seemingly singing. He crept towards the bathroom door and lightly pressed his ear against it.
"What you want, baby I got it, what you need, you know I got it....Just a little respect.....R-E-S-P-E-C-T find out what it means to me...."
Joey stepped away from the bathroom door and headed into the kitchen to get a glass of water. While turning on the faucet Joey remembered something Ross had told him a while ago....
A couple years earlier...
Ross: It sort of hurts me, you know. I mean, when her dad was trying to convince me to break up with Rachel by telling me about all these habits she has, and whether I was willing to deal with them, he mentioned this thing about her singing in the shower. He said that every time she sings in the shower, it's a sure sign that she's happy, and in a good place in her life. And not once has she ever sung in the shower in the duration of our relationship...
Back to the Present...
Joey [thinking]: Wow, I'm glad she's feeling happy, and this is a sure-fire way to know that.
Just then, the shower shut off, and he heard the creak of the door opening. Rachel emerged, pink bathrobe around her body and her freshly washed hair sticking to her neck.
Rachel: Joe, bathrooms free.
With that, she walked into her bedroom, leaving the scent of her coconut shampoo trailing behind her. Joey took a deep breath inwards, and prepared himself for a long shower full of having to stop himself thinking about Rachel, since her scent would be surrounding him.