Chapter 2: The Confession
Rachel woke up at seven thirty in the morning. She had an hour to get ready for exams, and she wanted to get in the shower before Todd did. She crept out of bed and took her clothes into the bathroom. She stripped out of her pajamas and started the shower. She stood before the mirror and brushed her hair out before she got into the shower. She saw the door open and Todd walked in.
"Baby, can I join you?" Todd asked. The thought now disgusted Rachel.
"No."
"What's wrong?"
"You."
"What?" Todd asked. "Is it that time of the month or something?"
"Shut up," Rachel said through clenched teeth. She pulled a towel around her body.
"You're shy all of a sudden? You weren't shy the other night." Just thinking about having sex with Todd made her skin crawl after what she had discovered at the club the night before.
"Yeah, well, I'm not in the mood."
"What the hell is your problem, Rach?" He then saw a few dark marks on Rachel's neck. "Are those hickeys?" Rachel looked up defiantly into Todd's eyes.
"So what if they are?"
"Who the hell gave them to you? What the hell's going on?!"
"If you're allowed to screw other girls, the why the hell can't I have a little fling?"
"Fling?!" Todd asked, his face growing red with anger. "You cheated on me?"
"Yes I did!" Rachel yelled in his face.
"How could you?!"
"I saw you with that girl at the club last night, you asshole!"
"You . . . you saw me?"
"Yeah. So I figured, what the hell! This relationship obviously means nothing to you! Get out of my damned apartment!"
"This is my apartment," Todd said, shaking with fury.
"I paid for it," Rachel replied. "Get out you jerk!" With that, Todd slapped Rachel hard across the face, sending her down onto the couch. White and red marks stained her cheek where his hand had met her skin. She put her hand to her jaw and felt his strong hands grab onto her arms. He jerked her up and got into her face.
"Listen to me, you little bitch, if you ever cheat on me again, I'll make you wish you had never seen me in that club."
"Let go of me!" Rachel screamed. Todd shook her violently and threw her down on the couch again. He punched her in the face, leaving a fresh stream of blood flowing from a cut in her lip. He smacked her again and again. Rachel felt the energy draining her body. She couldn't get up. He was too strong. She couldn't fight back. With every struggle, he hit her harder, until she was left in a bloody, naked heap on the floor of the apartment. Rachel could hear him shuffling around the apartment. The next thing she saw was him standing before her with a packed suitcase.
"I'm going to be back someday, Rachel. When I come back, you had better be alone. Don't call the police. If you call the police, I'll make everybody you love suffer." Todd left and Rachel burst into tears. She was sore, bruised, and bleeding. She felt like the life had been taken from her. She hurt each time she moved. She had exams to take. She couldn't take them like this. She just wanted to hide. She had to get help, but she couldn't tell the cops what happened. If she did, she knew Todd would hurt her loved ones. That was one promise she knew he wouldn't break.
Somehow she managed to pull herself up and drag herself into the shower. The hot water stung her bruises and the cut above her eyebrow and on her lip. She needed the shower though. The hot beads of water seemed to pierce her skin like little knives. She couldn't escape them. She suddenly felt like she was suffocating. She had to get out. She got out of the shower and pulled on some clothes. She fixed her hair and put on some makeup to cover the bruises.
"Please God, just let me get through today," she whispered. She grabbed her book bag and slung it over her shoulder. She winced in pain, realizing that she had bruises further down into her muscles. She was so stiff and sore. She just wanted to crawl under her bed and not come out.
She walked to her car, looking every which way, afraid that Todd was going to come around for round two. She didn't want to see that look in his eyes. She was terrified of him now. The look in his eyes as he was beating her was one she had never seen before.
She locked her car as soon as she got in. She found a note taped to her dashboard, and her heart immediately began to race. She picked it up and opened the envelope. She pulled out the note and breathed a sigh of relief when she found that it was from Ross. It read:
Dear Rachel,
I know we spoke last night about "us," but I figured I would let you know where I stand. I love you so much. I will always love you, I know that. I'm willing to give you the world, Rachel, if you'll give me the chance. I understand if you never want to be more than friends, but if you ever want to start something up, just come to me. Let me take care of you. Let me love you the way I want to love you. I don't want to lose you, so if friendship is all you want from me, then I'll be honored to be your friend for the rest of our lives.
Ross
Rachel found herself smiling at the letter. Tears were in her eyes again. She realized that the cut on her lip was bleeding again. She dabbed at it with a tissue and sighed heavily. Ross was amazing. But what would happen if she even considered the possibility of her and Ross. Ross and Rachel. The concept sounded amazing. But Todd warned Rachel to not be with anyone else. What would he do if he found her with someone? She didn't want to know. She didn't want to live in fear either. She wouldn't call the police. She didn't want to see Todd again, and she knew that if she called the police, she'd have to see him to identify him in a line up. She'd have to testify against him in court with his eyes on her. She didn't want to go through the trouble.
She closed her eyes for a moment, tucking the note from Ross in her purse. She had to think, but she had to get through her exams and hope to God that she wouldn't fail after the events of the morning.
Luckily, Rachel managed to get through her exams with ease. She knew the stuff and it wasn't that hard to remember any of it. After she was finished, she walked out to sit in the shaded area beside the fine art building. She sat on a bench and watched everybody pass by. She had gotten some stares, and she knew that it was because of the small cuts on her face. But, she had managed to pretend to ignore the looks. She was sore as hell, but she was afraid to go home. She was afraid Todd would be waiting for her.
"Rach!" came a voice from afar. Rachel looked over to see Ross walking over. Rachel felt a sense of relief wash over her, quickly followed by sheer panic. What if Todd was watching? She looked around nervously and decided that it was safe. She put sunglasses on to cover the cut above her eye.
"Hey Ross," Rachel said softly as she walked over to him. He immediately noticed the cut on her lip.
"What happened? I didn't do that did I?" he asked. Rachel managed to choke out a small laugh.
"No Ross. I cracked it this morning. I slipped in the shower and hit it on the towel rack."
"Okay . . ." Ross replied. He wasn't exactly sure if he should believe her or not.
"I got your note," Rachel said, quickly changing the subject.
"Oh?" Ross asked, shifting uncomfortably. "What did you . . . um . . . I mean . . ."
"Do you want to get some coffee?" Rachel asked.
"Sure. Where?"
"In coffee, Ross, I mean sex."
"What?" Ross asked. "You want to . . ."
"I want to forget about everything right now. Just come home with me. I don't want to be alone."
"What about Todd?"
"He's not home."
"Oh . . . are you sure?"
"I'm very sure," she answered. Rachel took Ross' hand. He could feel that she was sweating immensely. Her hands were also a bit clammy. She led him to her car and they both got in. She drove off and Ross looked at her. She was biting her lip nervously as they drove.
When they made it back to the apartment, Rachel locked the door behind them. She walked over to Ross and kissed him, loving the feeling of being in his arms.
"I could really get used to this," he whispered.
"I was just thinking the same thing," she replied with a slight smile. At that point, an overwhelming sense of awareness flooded over Rachel, and her bruises began to throb. She choked back a gasp. Ross noticed.
"Rach?"
"I need to show you something."
"What's wrong?"
Rachel slowly removed her shirt and Ross saw the bruises on her arms and her chest and back.
"Oh my God!" He noticed, as she took off her sunglasses, that she had a cut above her eye. He became angry immediately.
"That bastard did this to you didn't he?!" Ross asked.
"Ross . . . he's so . . . he's . . ."
"Rachel, I'm going to kill him."
"No! Ross! Just let it go. He threatened to hurt the people I love if I go to the police."
"So this is who you're screwing?" Todd asked from behind. Rachel gasped and Ross immediately turned.
"You asshole!" Ross yelled.
"Hey buddy, you need to shut up right now. You've done enough."
"I think you've done enough," Ross replied. "You hurt her! You are a coward, you know that?"
"I'm a coward?" Todd asked with a laugh. He shook his head and lunged at Ross. Ross lunged at Todd and knocked him to the ground.
"Ross!" Rachel screamed. Ross punched Todd hard in the head and Todd passed out. Ross stood and looked at Rachel.
"Call the police."
"No. He'll hurt you and everybody else I care about! I can't let him!"
"He can't hurt us if he's in jail."
"He'll find a way, Ross. They can't hold him forever."
"Rachel, I want to be there for you. Just let me. We'll deal with this together. Just call the police . . ." Rachel slowly walked over to the phone and dialed 911. Ross stayed with an unconscious Todd until the police arrived. Ross saw them pull up outside of the apartment building.
"They're here, Rachel. It's over."
"Ross, I'm so sorry I dragged you into this."
"I'm not. I want to be here for you."
"I'm glad you're here. Ross, I want to . . . I don't want to be alone. I was wrong. I need you. I need you with me." Ross couldn't believe his ears. "I care about you and I want to be with you. Just . . . just promise me that you'll never hurt me."
"I swear to you, Rachel, I'll never hurt you."
"I never wanna hurt you either." Ross held Rachel tight and she clung to him. A knock came to the door and Rachel went over to open it. An officer stepped in and Ross came over to comfort Rachel as she told her version of what happened. They got a statement from Ross as well. As soon as Todd had been revived, he was carted off to jail. The officer couldn't promise Rachel that he would be held long, but he suggested that she change her locks and order a restraining order.
When the officer left, Rachel looked into Ross' eyes and she began to cry.
"I don't want to bring you . . ."
"Don't go there, Rachel. I'm in this now. I want to be here. I'll stay with you. You don't have to ask. I'll always be here for you. I love you so much. You don't have to say it back."
"Ross . . . you are my friend and you . . . you're my lover too. I've realized that it doesn't matter how long you've known a person. When you go from being friends to lovers, it's easier to fall in love with the person if it's your good friend. I don't need time to think. You've been wonderful to me lately. I do love you." Ross pulled Rachel close and he kissed her tenderly on the lips.
"I love you," he whispered. "I'll never hurt you."
"I know you won't," Rachel replied, pulling away and looking into her love's eyes. She knew that she wasn't rushing this. She only wished she had realized the connection they had sooner. She felt like she had wasted so much time. Looking into Ross' eyes, she felt more love that she had ever felt before. She wanted him to hold her, kiss her, make love to her, and make promises that he would keep. She knew that Ross was a good man. She knew he'd never let her down the way Todd had.
"Just tell me what you want me to do."
"I want you to hold me," Rachel cried. Ross scooped Rachel up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom. He put her down on the bed and laid down beside her. She leaned against him and closed her eyes, listening to the calming rhythm of his beating heart.
Ross looked at the tears that were flowing out of Rachel's closed eyes. He couldn't believe that in a matter of a night and day, his dreams had come true. But he realized that those dreams didn't matter anymore. What mattered now was taking care of Rachel and making sure that she never got hurt again. He was no focused on Rachel's dreams, and making all of them come true.
"You don't think we're moving too fast, do you?" Rachel asked gently. Ross leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek.
"No sweetie. I think . . . I think that we're meant to be together. That's why we got so close so fast."
"Thank you for knowing exactly what to say."
"Now there's only one problem." Rachel sat up.
"What's that?" she asked curiously.
"What in the world are we going to tell Monica?" Rachel managed to let a small laugh escape before she closed her eyes again and fell asleep in the comfort of Ross' embrace.
Rachel woke up at seven thirty in the morning. She had an hour to get ready for exams, and she wanted to get in the shower before Todd did. She crept out of bed and took her clothes into the bathroom. She stripped out of her pajamas and started the shower. She stood before the mirror and brushed her hair out before she got into the shower. She saw the door open and Todd walked in.
"Baby, can I join you?" Todd asked. The thought now disgusted Rachel.
"No."
"What's wrong?"
"You."
"What?" Todd asked. "Is it that time of the month or something?"
"Shut up," Rachel said through clenched teeth. She pulled a towel around her body.
"You're shy all of a sudden? You weren't shy the other night." Just thinking about having sex with Todd made her skin crawl after what she had discovered at the club the night before.
"Yeah, well, I'm not in the mood."
"What the hell is your problem, Rach?" He then saw a few dark marks on Rachel's neck. "Are those hickeys?" Rachel looked up defiantly into Todd's eyes.
"So what if they are?"
"Who the hell gave them to you? What the hell's going on?!"
"If you're allowed to screw other girls, the why the hell can't I have a little fling?"
"Fling?!" Todd asked, his face growing red with anger. "You cheated on me?"
"Yes I did!" Rachel yelled in his face.
"How could you?!"
"I saw you with that girl at the club last night, you asshole!"
"You . . . you saw me?"
"Yeah. So I figured, what the hell! This relationship obviously means nothing to you! Get out of my damned apartment!"
"This is my apartment," Todd said, shaking with fury.
"I paid for it," Rachel replied. "Get out you jerk!" With that, Todd slapped Rachel hard across the face, sending her down onto the couch. White and red marks stained her cheek where his hand had met her skin. She put her hand to her jaw and felt his strong hands grab onto her arms. He jerked her up and got into her face.
"Listen to me, you little bitch, if you ever cheat on me again, I'll make you wish you had never seen me in that club."
"Let go of me!" Rachel screamed. Todd shook her violently and threw her down on the couch again. He punched her in the face, leaving a fresh stream of blood flowing from a cut in her lip. He smacked her again and again. Rachel felt the energy draining her body. She couldn't get up. He was too strong. She couldn't fight back. With every struggle, he hit her harder, until she was left in a bloody, naked heap on the floor of the apartment. Rachel could hear him shuffling around the apartment. The next thing she saw was him standing before her with a packed suitcase.
"I'm going to be back someday, Rachel. When I come back, you had better be alone. Don't call the police. If you call the police, I'll make everybody you love suffer." Todd left and Rachel burst into tears. She was sore, bruised, and bleeding. She felt like the life had been taken from her. She hurt each time she moved. She had exams to take. She couldn't take them like this. She just wanted to hide. She had to get help, but she couldn't tell the cops what happened. If she did, she knew Todd would hurt her loved ones. That was one promise she knew he wouldn't break.
Somehow she managed to pull herself up and drag herself into the shower. The hot water stung her bruises and the cut above her eyebrow and on her lip. She needed the shower though. The hot beads of water seemed to pierce her skin like little knives. She couldn't escape them. She suddenly felt like she was suffocating. She had to get out. She got out of the shower and pulled on some clothes. She fixed her hair and put on some makeup to cover the bruises.
"Please God, just let me get through today," she whispered. She grabbed her book bag and slung it over her shoulder. She winced in pain, realizing that she had bruises further down into her muscles. She was so stiff and sore. She just wanted to crawl under her bed and not come out.
She walked to her car, looking every which way, afraid that Todd was going to come around for round two. She didn't want to see that look in his eyes. She was terrified of him now. The look in his eyes as he was beating her was one she had never seen before.
She locked her car as soon as she got in. She found a note taped to her dashboard, and her heart immediately began to race. She picked it up and opened the envelope. She pulled out the note and breathed a sigh of relief when she found that it was from Ross. It read:
Dear Rachel,
I know we spoke last night about "us," but I figured I would let you know where I stand. I love you so much. I will always love you, I know that. I'm willing to give you the world, Rachel, if you'll give me the chance. I understand if you never want to be more than friends, but if you ever want to start something up, just come to me. Let me take care of you. Let me love you the way I want to love you. I don't want to lose you, so if friendship is all you want from me, then I'll be honored to be your friend for the rest of our lives.
Ross
Rachel found herself smiling at the letter. Tears were in her eyes again. She realized that the cut on her lip was bleeding again. She dabbed at it with a tissue and sighed heavily. Ross was amazing. But what would happen if she even considered the possibility of her and Ross. Ross and Rachel. The concept sounded amazing. But Todd warned Rachel to not be with anyone else. What would he do if he found her with someone? She didn't want to know. She didn't want to live in fear either. She wouldn't call the police. She didn't want to see Todd again, and she knew that if she called the police, she'd have to see him to identify him in a line up. She'd have to testify against him in court with his eyes on her. She didn't want to go through the trouble.
She closed her eyes for a moment, tucking the note from Ross in her purse. She had to think, but she had to get through her exams and hope to God that she wouldn't fail after the events of the morning.
Luckily, Rachel managed to get through her exams with ease. She knew the stuff and it wasn't that hard to remember any of it. After she was finished, she walked out to sit in the shaded area beside the fine art building. She sat on a bench and watched everybody pass by. She had gotten some stares, and she knew that it was because of the small cuts on her face. But, she had managed to pretend to ignore the looks. She was sore as hell, but she was afraid to go home. She was afraid Todd would be waiting for her.
"Rach!" came a voice from afar. Rachel looked over to see Ross walking over. Rachel felt a sense of relief wash over her, quickly followed by sheer panic. What if Todd was watching? She looked around nervously and decided that it was safe. She put sunglasses on to cover the cut above her eye.
"Hey Ross," Rachel said softly as she walked over to him. He immediately noticed the cut on her lip.
"What happened? I didn't do that did I?" he asked. Rachel managed to choke out a small laugh.
"No Ross. I cracked it this morning. I slipped in the shower and hit it on the towel rack."
"Okay . . ." Ross replied. He wasn't exactly sure if he should believe her or not.
"I got your note," Rachel said, quickly changing the subject.
"Oh?" Ross asked, shifting uncomfortably. "What did you . . . um . . . I mean . . ."
"Do you want to get some coffee?" Rachel asked.
"Sure. Where?"
"In coffee, Ross, I mean sex."
"What?" Ross asked. "You want to . . ."
"I want to forget about everything right now. Just come home with me. I don't want to be alone."
"What about Todd?"
"He's not home."
"Oh . . . are you sure?"
"I'm very sure," she answered. Rachel took Ross' hand. He could feel that she was sweating immensely. Her hands were also a bit clammy. She led him to her car and they both got in. She drove off and Ross looked at her. She was biting her lip nervously as they drove.
When they made it back to the apartment, Rachel locked the door behind them. She walked over to Ross and kissed him, loving the feeling of being in his arms.
"I could really get used to this," he whispered.
"I was just thinking the same thing," she replied with a slight smile. At that point, an overwhelming sense of awareness flooded over Rachel, and her bruises began to throb. She choked back a gasp. Ross noticed.
"Rach?"
"I need to show you something."
"What's wrong?"
Rachel slowly removed her shirt and Ross saw the bruises on her arms and her chest and back.
"Oh my God!" He noticed, as she took off her sunglasses, that she had a cut above her eye. He became angry immediately.
"That bastard did this to you didn't he?!" Ross asked.
"Ross . . . he's so . . . he's . . ."
"Rachel, I'm going to kill him."
"No! Ross! Just let it go. He threatened to hurt the people I love if I go to the police."
"So this is who you're screwing?" Todd asked from behind. Rachel gasped and Ross immediately turned.
"You asshole!" Ross yelled.
"Hey buddy, you need to shut up right now. You've done enough."
"I think you've done enough," Ross replied. "You hurt her! You are a coward, you know that?"
"I'm a coward?" Todd asked with a laugh. He shook his head and lunged at Ross. Ross lunged at Todd and knocked him to the ground.
"Ross!" Rachel screamed. Ross punched Todd hard in the head and Todd passed out. Ross stood and looked at Rachel.
"Call the police."
"No. He'll hurt you and everybody else I care about! I can't let him!"
"He can't hurt us if he's in jail."
"He'll find a way, Ross. They can't hold him forever."
"Rachel, I want to be there for you. Just let me. We'll deal with this together. Just call the police . . ." Rachel slowly walked over to the phone and dialed 911. Ross stayed with an unconscious Todd until the police arrived. Ross saw them pull up outside of the apartment building.
"They're here, Rachel. It's over."
"Ross, I'm so sorry I dragged you into this."
"I'm not. I want to be here for you."
"I'm glad you're here. Ross, I want to . . . I don't want to be alone. I was wrong. I need you. I need you with me." Ross couldn't believe his ears. "I care about you and I want to be with you. Just . . . just promise me that you'll never hurt me."
"I swear to you, Rachel, I'll never hurt you."
"I never wanna hurt you either." Ross held Rachel tight and she clung to him. A knock came to the door and Rachel went over to open it. An officer stepped in and Ross came over to comfort Rachel as she told her version of what happened. They got a statement from Ross as well. As soon as Todd had been revived, he was carted off to jail. The officer couldn't promise Rachel that he would be held long, but he suggested that she change her locks and order a restraining order.
When the officer left, Rachel looked into Ross' eyes and she began to cry.
"I don't want to bring you . . ."
"Don't go there, Rachel. I'm in this now. I want to be here. I'll stay with you. You don't have to ask. I'll always be here for you. I love you so much. You don't have to say it back."
"Ross . . . you are my friend and you . . . you're my lover too. I've realized that it doesn't matter how long you've known a person. When you go from being friends to lovers, it's easier to fall in love with the person if it's your good friend. I don't need time to think. You've been wonderful to me lately. I do love you." Ross pulled Rachel close and he kissed her tenderly on the lips.
"I love you," he whispered. "I'll never hurt you."
"I know you won't," Rachel replied, pulling away and looking into her love's eyes. She knew that she wasn't rushing this. She only wished she had realized the connection they had sooner. She felt like she had wasted so much time. Looking into Ross' eyes, she felt more love that she had ever felt before. She wanted him to hold her, kiss her, make love to her, and make promises that he would keep. She knew that Ross was a good man. She knew he'd never let her down the way Todd had.
"Just tell me what you want me to do."
"I want you to hold me," Rachel cried. Ross scooped Rachel up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom. He put her down on the bed and laid down beside her. She leaned against him and closed her eyes, listening to the calming rhythm of his beating heart.
Ross looked at the tears that were flowing out of Rachel's closed eyes. He couldn't believe that in a matter of a night and day, his dreams had come true. But he realized that those dreams didn't matter anymore. What mattered now was taking care of Rachel and making sure that she never got hurt again. He was no focused on Rachel's dreams, and making all of them come true.
"You don't think we're moving too fast, do you?" Rachel asked gently. Ross leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek.
"No sweetie. I think . . . I think that we're meant to be together. That's why we got so close so fast."
"Thank you for knowing exactly what to say."
"Now there's only one problem." Rachel sat up.
"What's that?" she asked curiously.
"What in the world are we going to tell Monica?" Rachel managed to let a small laugh escape before she closed her eyes again and fell asleep in the comfort of Ross' embrace.