Thanks everyone for reviewing esp. those who included what they liked in their reviews…it means a lot to me to hear what you liked.

Reran, I tried making the fight as realistic for the both of them as I could, so thanks for saying you liked it.

( note: In this story Rachel use to know Matthew as a teenager, being that he was her mothers friends son.)

Chapter 4

Getting over him?

"What is it Rach?" Questioned Monica who had been waiting for Rachel's news for about five minutes now.

Rachel sighed and looked down pulling an invisible piece of lint from her jeans, just looking for anything to distract her from the things she was made to face tonight. She had no idea what to do, say, or where to start.

Everything was crazy, yesterday morning everything was fine. He was Ross and she was just Rachel, hell she was busting him the other day for what he did to her with Chloe. But now...now it was different, and Rachel couldn't even began to explain what she was feeling, she didn't know.

One thing she did know was that she wanted what Ross wanted. She wanted to just be able to make up once and for all...but she couldn't do that they already had there chance and it wasn't meant to be. Or was it? Maybe Ross really had acted out of love, with the jealousy. She had considered how badly she hurt him if he really did think she wanted to break up. That was never what she wanted. She just needed time. Time to cool down., she needed it then as well as down. It was this like 'Well maybe hes right' and 'Hell Rach get a hold of yourself he slept with someone else' that plagued her mind. She had gone back and forth with these thoughts a million times.

Rachel looked down and let to a small laugh. "What is it? Everything. Its Me. It's Ross. Its the fact that I have to go out with this guy tomorrow and I don't even want to" Rachel rambled on holding her head in her hands.

"Honey slow down" Monica said while placing a hand on her friends shoulder. "Okay now what is it with you and Ross?"

"I Don't know Mon." Rachel said while playing with a ring on her finger. "I don't know and that's just it...its just that lately...since last night, after what he did for me Ive sort of been feeling these things."

"What Kinds of things Rach?" Monica asked slowly afraid that she already knew the answer. It wasn't that she didn't want Ross and Rachel together, she wanted that so badly for them. She just didn't want anyone to hurt anymore...and she feared that they would make another mistake.

"Well Im pretty sure I still have feelings for Ross." Pretty sure? She was positive but couldn't let herself admit that just yet. "Mon, let me ask you something...do you still have feelings for Richard." Rachel hated to bring it up...but she felt that maybe in some way Monica could relate.

"Uh, sometimes. Its not so much that I still love him or anything, I just- I guess I just miss what we had, and the sense of being loved" Monica replied now feeling bad for Rachel.

" God I was afraid of that." Rachel paused. "That's so not what this is. This is, longing and passion. This is the fact that I cant get my mind off of him, and what would have happened had he not slept with Chloe...I wonder how much things would be different...you know? If we would be engaged if we could be happy. I don't just miss being loved." She then quickly grabbed a pictured from the side table next to them, inside it displayed a picture of the gang together this past Christmas, with Rachel sitting on Ross' lap, and the two of them just smiling at each other. She seemed to sit there and study it for a while before finishing. " I think its that...I miss being loved by him."

Monica studied her friend who was still twisting a silver ring around her middle finger which Monica realized Ross had given her just a few months ago. If things weren't so serious right now she would make a joke asking when she was going to return it for credit...but it seemed uncalled for. She hadn't realized just how much her friend was hurting right now.

Monica spoke up in a quiet manner. " So what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know we kind of had a fight-"

"What "Monica exclaimed. "How do two people kind of fight?"

"He decided that we should talk about 'us' and me trying to get out of it because of the impending fight just made a joke out of it and I told him that I couldn't talk about it right now...but then he insisted we talk." She let out a breath " Anyway it turned into this big fight about the whole break issue, until I started to cry, and then...he came over to me, and just held me...and he told me something that just, uh, Monica it broke my heart"

"Well what did he say?"

" He said- He said that we fight and then we make up. That it was what we did...and he wanted to know why we couldn't just fix things."

"Then what happened?" Monica asked concerned

"I couldn't answer him, because honestly I don't know how we can fix things...when I cant even get past the fact that he cheated on me." Rachel wanted to fix this more than anything in the world. "Anyway then he left because Matthew called-"

"Whose Matthew?" Monica questioned

"Some guy my Mom set me up with. Im sorry I ever agreed to it. I clearly cant go out with some guy when I don't know how I feel about Ross. Maybe I should just call and cancel."

"I think you should go." Monica said flatly

"What?" Rachel asked. Had she heard correctly?

"I said I think you should go. Rachel you need to, you need to attempt to move on. Look that's the only way you could ever find out how you feel about Ross...I say you go and see this Matthew and make the best of it." The truth was Monica was hoping on the fact that Rachel would have a horrible date and realize how much Ross meant to her, and just let go of her pride and give him another chance.

"Your right Monica...I cant keep stressing over this. Ill give him a shot...he could be just what I need." Rachel said putting on a smile. "Thanks Mon."

"Well good...glad I helped...Now Im going to get to bed." Monica said while standing up.

"Wait! What about Pete? How did that go?" Rachel asked.

"Ill tell you about it some other time, we went out for Italian..." Monica said before turning into her room leaving Rachel to sit on the couch alone with her thoughts.

'Ugh this so isn't what I need' Rachel thought about Matthew. Looking down at the picture one last time she stared at her and Ross. "I need you" she said just about a whisper.

Placing it on the table in front of her she stood up and began to head towards her room. Stopping halfway she turned around again and walked back over to the table, and picked up the same picture, before walking away and carrying it into her room.

XXX

Rachel looked at her watch again growing more and more aggravated by the minute. Matthew had agreed to meet at six o'clock sharp…and it was now nearing six thirty.

"Cant even get here on time." Rachel said rolling her eyes…'well if he cant get here on time, than Im not going to wait for him' she thought to herself as she prepared to leave blooming dales, as she excited the doors she passed by a handsome blonde man about 6' 2".

"Not bad…" Rachel said not realizing she had spoken out loud

"Excuse me?" The man said turning around giving her a small grin.

'Well hes cute' Embarrassed "Oh…" she let out an uneasy laugh "I said Um, My bag…yeah there was this woman over there…with this same bag"

"Uh Huh" The man said slowly.

"Yeah…Um…I just get a little excited." Rachel said smiling. Good going Rach embarrass yourself in front of the cute stranger.

"Hm. You look really familiar…" the man said lifting his finger up to scratch his forehead.

"Yeah?" Rachel said while smiling.

"Wait a minute..of course, Bloomingdale's…your Rachel Green aren't you?" he questioned "Its me, Matthew"

"Oh My God! Hey!" Rachel yelled as he gave her a hug. She hadn't expected herself to be this excited to seem him after all that was going on in her mind…but the change was welcome. After all she hadn't expected him to look quiet like this.

"Wow…I mean you just look so different now." he said smiling "I mean your nos-Ill stop you just look really great" he said while placing a hand on her shoulder giving her a warm smile.

"Thanks, and you don't look so bad yourself Matt" she replied flirtatiously

They stood there smiling at each other for a while until Matt placed his arm on her lower back.

"Shall we?" He asked with a smile leading Rachel out of the store.

Well hes forward thought Rachel. "Of course" as they walked down the street for a while she looked up at him and smiled "Uh, I know Im supposed to be the one showing you around…but if you don't mind me asking…where are we going." she said with a laugh.

Matthew stopped to face her "Okay you want the truth?" He asked. Rachel just smiled and nodded looking confused. "I lied…this isn't my first time in the village."

"Its not?" Rachel asked "Then why did you need me?"

Matthew looked down and smiled "Okay listen, I only told your Mother that so I could meet you again. I always thought you were pretty cute growing up but never got to see you all that much…so then when she had mentioned that you had just gotten out of a relationship and lived in the village I took that as my chance." Matthew paused and reached out to grab her hand, Rachel went to pull away at first, but then felt more relaxed when she looked into his crystal blue eyes.

"Wow. Look Matthew, I am so unbelievably flattered…its just that your right I did just get out of a pretty serious relationship, and Im not really looking to get involved with anyone right now" Rachel replied thinking of Ross

"Look, all Im asking is that you just go out to dinner with me tonight and we could take it from there." He said giving her a grin.

With her free hand she readjusted the purse on her shoulder, after thinking for a bit she finally spoke up " Well…alright " Rachel said with a laugh. He did seem like a nice guy after all. And he was cute.

XXX

"Wow, I cant believe you won that case" Rachel said with the laugh. The two were now walking up the stairs to the hall where Monica and Rachel's apartment was "I mean not that I thought you were a bad lawyer…its just so…so…"

"Out there?" Matt asked with a smile while Rachel nodded. "Yeah I know, but hey you don't exactly get to pick your clients if you know what I mean."

"Yeah I could only imagine." Rachel then stopped in front of her apartment and leaned up against the door facing Matthew. "Well this is my place" she said with a small smile.

Matthew grabbed her hand and grinned back at her "Listen Rach, I had a really wonderful time with you tonight."

"Yeah me too" she replied sincerely

"Great, so you wouldn't mind if we, I don't know went out again sometime soon?" He said lifting up her hand to his mouth kissing it twice.

"Id like that a lot"

"Good." He said as he enveloped her in a hug. He looked into her eyes while placing his hand on the back of her neck while he slowly leaned into her, Rachel knew what was coming next.

Surprising herself by not pulling away she deepened the kiss by allowing him to enter her mouth, as they broke away Rachel was left breathless.; Never had she allowed herself to be kissed like that since Ross, it was a scary feeling but something in Rachel's mind told her it was right.

"Well.." Rachel said quietly clearing her throat.

"Yeah" Matthew said while stroking her shoulder "Did you mind if, I don't know, I come in?" He asked while leaning in to kiss Rachel on the top of her head.

Something about that sent chills through her spine, it was just like Ross use to do." I have to be up early for work tomorrow so-" Rachel replied trailing off.

"Yeah I understand" Matthew looked down. "So um, Ill call you later this week, alright?"

"Yeah sounds great."

"Alright, see you Rach." He said as he vanished down the stairs.

Rachel let out a deep breath as she entered the darkened apartment, she leaned up against the door and sighed. Eyeing a clock on the wall she realized how late it was, Had they really been out till' 11:30?

Rachel had surprised herself at what a good time she actually had with Matthew. With all this Ross stuff lately she really didn't think she was going to, but it turned out to be good for her.

She was started by the kitchen light turning on, glancing over she sat that Monica was standing there getting herself a glass of water.

"Hey how was the date" Monica asked setting her glass down.

"Amazing. I actually had a really great time. Yeah, we decided to go out for dinner and just talked for forever." As Rachel took off her coat, and began walking towards her room she turned around "Thanks Mon, for convincing me to move on"

Monica was left in shock in the kitchen. What had she done?

As Rachel changed and got ready for bed, she noticed the picture she had been looking at the night before. Suddenly her smile went away, as she ran her finger over the picture of her and Ross together not even a year ago. Something in her heart broke every time she looked at that picture…it was like a piece of her was missing.

Getting over Ross was going to be harder than she thought.

XX

Ah, and thus enters the complication…

Okay, so what do you think? Leave a review…I love getting them lol. Sorry no RnR interaction but Ross will be in the next chapter don't worry. As for the ending to think story, I have no idea where its going to go, what was Biology class is for- thinking of ideas for this story…so far its been working.

Next update should be up sometime this weekend…Ill be working on it this week…but these next 3 days are going to be really busy for me.