As his lips were pressed against his ex wife's , it finally dawned on him what he was doing. This was Emily, and yes deep down there were some feelings left. More than that though, he was making the same mistake that he had made six years ago on that fateful night.
"Ross, I can sense it. You feel it too. This is just perfect , fate has brought us back together. You'll be in England and we can pick up where we left off." Emily sighed and wrapped her arms around Ross.
"Emily I can't . I made a terrible mistake and cheated on Rachel one night and I just had a little too much Boddingtons tonight. We can stay civil, we can be friends, but we can't be anything else. I have come too far to lose everything I ever wanted." he said as he walked away from her.
"Ross, we were husband and wife. You loved me once." she cooed
"We were husband and wife , in name, We never lived together , why we didn't even have any pictures taken at our reception. Why can't you accept the fact that it is over and I am in love with Rachel." Ross said impatiently.
"Because it's her, that's why. The woman whose name you said in front of my whole family . You will never have any idea how much that hurt. I was giving myself to you and you slap me in the face with the name of your ex girlfriend." Emily sat down and began to cry. Ross went over to her chair and put his arm around her.
"Ems, I know what I did wasn't fair to you. We had only been dating six weeks and then I propose and then you want the place where your parents are married for our wedding Everything was rushed and then I realize I am still in love with her. Seeing her made me realize that. I have been in love with this woman since I was 15, and just very recently we find our way back to each other. I can't let it happen again and I am sorry." he tenderly said.
Emily stood up. "I know, my darling. I was just hoping that maybe one day someone would love me again." she cried. "Colin left me for another man."
Ross knew exactly how that felt. He had Emily come to his shoulder where he gave her an enormous hug. "You are beautiful and desirable and Colin is a fool." he sighed remembering how his friends cheered him up after Carol left him for Susan. "You will find love again."
"I thought I did, twice." she said softly.
"Emily I will be your friend. But that's where it will end. We have our memories." Ross said. "Now if you will excuse me, I left my fiancee and my future boss, " he said as he walked to the door. "I am staying at the Marriott, call me okay?" he said as he walked out the door.
Emily looked at his figure as he left. "Rachel, you don't know how truly lucky you are." she said.
Emily watched from the window his dark retreating figure. She could see him getting into the cab. She remembered running her fingers through that hair and as it drove away, a tear came to her eyes.
Rachel looked at the travel clock and then looked over at the empty side of the bed. She stroked the blankets as if to feel his presence and kept looking at the door. She then looked down at her hand and the diamond that sparkled so brightly. She said a silent prayer, please don't let him fall.
Ross watched as London fell into night. The mist was rising over the Thames and he could hear Big Ben's chimes. He felt like as he was crossing over the Bridge , he was coming to a crossroad. He lifted his coat to his nose, damn you could still smell Emily. He knew what Rachel would think.Yet there were some unresolved feelings there as well toward Emily. Could there be anything left? he wondered.
As she started to drift off, the phone rang,. Thinking it was Ross , she picked it up and answered. "Why the hell aren't you here yet?" Monica was aghast when she heard that.
"Well maybe because I am still in New York." Monica said sarcastically. "
Rachel breathed a sigh of relief, "Mon, he's with Emily." she said as she reduced herself to tears.
Monica didn't know how to take this bit of news. She could tell that Rachel was hurting. She wished she could reach right through that phone and give her a hug. She didn't know the full story , but right now she could strangle that dumb brother of hers.
"Emily, where the hell did he find Emily?" she asked concerned.
"We were at the pub having a drink with Professor Wakefield when she turns up next to us. In an effort to avoid a scene, I put on the greatest acting job in history. Then she gets sick and Ross escorts her back to her flat. I saw the look in that Chippy's eyes. He is probably in bed with her right now." Rachel raged.
Monica put her hand to her stomach. "Oh, oh." she yelled with glee. "Honey, the baby just kicked ." she screamed from the bedroom Chandler ran to her side and placed his hand over her still flat stomach. "Wow." he simply said.
"And I am going to kill Ross." she seethed.
Rachel sat on the bed as Monica described everything she was feeling. She went back in her own mind to when Emma first kicked. She missed her little angel , but Chandler assured her she was fast asleep. As Rachel chattered away, the door slowly opened.
"Well Mon, speak of the devil, so to speak ." Rachel said as Ross came in the door.
"Rachel we need to talk." he said seriously.
She stared blankly at him, unsure whether he was joking or serious.
"I'll talk to you later, Monica. Yeah I'll tell him." Rachel said as she hung up the phone.
"Your little sister told me to tell you that if she was in England right now she would kick your ass." smiled Rachel. "Now talk lover boy." she yelled.
"Do you have so little trust for me that all you could do is throw accusations around? God Rachel I didn't sleep with the woman." Ross screamed.
"Well you were gone a hell of a long time." Rachel yelled. "What were you two doing taking a stroll down memory lane?"
"For your information , her husband left her for one of his rugby buddies and I was sympathizing with her." Ross said. "I gave her comfort when she needed it."
Rachel still wasn't satisfied. "Is that all? " Rachel looked into his deceiving eyes. "Ross answer me, is that all?" she questioned.
Ross looked down with his eyes on the ground, "I kissed her." he said softly. "But she was vulnerable and I had a little too much Boddingtons." he said.
"Get out." Rachel said. "You are no better than the night you fucked that whore from the copy shop. I can't even believe I ever thought you would change. God a little flattery and you are just like Joey."she said as tears came to her eyes.
"I am not like Joey, I care about , no I love you. Rachel" he said. "My problem is maybe I still care about Emily too."
"That is just perfect , well you take your damn job in England and then you get back with Emily and you leave me the hell alone." Rachel screamed. She reached for the ring on her finger and threw it at him. "Here give this to Emily." then she sobbed into her pillow.
"Rachel." he said with the same tears in his eyes. "You are the mother of my child and you have been the love of life . I can't bear to lose you again."
"Hurt me once , I wipe a tear. Hurt me twice, I get angry. Hurt me again, I say goodbye." Rachel said. "Now please go."
Ross grabbed his bag and slumped toward the door. He looked back to see the tear stained sheets and the woman sobbing on them. He couldn't believe he did it again.
