by Tina
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Rachel sat in the family room for about an hour just listening. She couldn't believe her ears. She could almost swear she had entered a different house, this couldn't be happening to her. Part of her was thrilled with excitment. Part of her was scared. Little bits of other feelings sprinkled at the surface.
She looked at her parents and at the woman. Linda Johnson was her name.
Their lips had not stopped moving since she'd walked in. Their tone was so cheary, their smiles so inviting. They introduced images into her head, made her mind drift. Part of her felt guilty for it... But it was all so glamorous and so... her!
She smiled.
"...honey, and now that you and that boy broke up..." her mother reached out for her hand. "it just seems like the perfect opportunity. You've been so down lately and we thought you'd like to get away for a while."
"Thing is..." Rachel began. "we sort of got back together"
"Oh" her mother dropped her hand. "So what are you... Do you wanna go?"
Rachel took a while to think. As she did so, she looked at her father and the look on his face. She knew if she let an oppurtinity like that go because of a boy her dad would be too disapointed at her.
And to be quite honest... so would she.
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Rachel entered her bedroom and leaned back against the door. She sighed. What a long day...
She moved to her bed and looked at her picture frames. The one with Ross had been take away from its frame just the previous day. But it was still set on the bedside table. She'd stared at it all night.
'Back to where you belong' she mentally told the picture as she framed it again. She sadly smiled at it.
10:30 it was... He was probably ready to bed already. She never seemed to get over how cute his sleeping habits were. She loved those nerdy things about him. His strict rules to himself, the curfew he still followed, the air purifier, his sinuses...
'Never mind, must call him now'
She picked up the phone and dialed the number she knew by heart.
"Hello?" sure enough his voice was sleepy.
"Hey..." hey voice was almost a whisper, a soft and sweet whisper.
"Hey..." he answered just as sweetly.
"I know we're not really... supposed to call each other like that, but... something came up, Ross"
She heard him sit up in bed, worried.
"What is it? Are you okay?"
"I am, but..." she sighed. "I got home and... my parents were here with this woman and..." she didn't want to stall "to make things short, they wanna send me away to Paris for a while so I can study fashion and daddy managed to get me an innership at Prada"
"Wow"
"I know..."
A long silence followed.
"That's just what you want, isn't it?"
"But I... what about us, Ross?"
"I told you not to hold things back because of me, Rach. I'd never forgive myself if you stayed because of me." He closed his eyes and took all his strengh to say the next words "What if... what if it doesn't work out with us, huh?"
"We'll never know..."
"I just want the best for you, Rach. Believe me. I don't wanna lose you either. I don't think anyone out there cares about you as much as I do..." she cluthed the phone tighter. "Besides, I- I think we could use the time apart. And this will be so great for you, sweetie... Not just for your career, but for you as a person. Leaving your parents' house is a big deal and you're gonna learn so much"
"I guess..."
"You will"
Short silence followed.
"I love you.."
"I love you too. And I'm gonna miss you so much"
Rachel finally let a tear drop.
"I'm gonna miss you too"
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Tears rolled down Rachel's cheeks as she looked out the window. The clouds out there were so immaculate white, she could almost feel like she was five again and believed they were made of cotton. No, not a good time to feel like a child again. It was time to hold her head up and face her future. Grow up. Chase her dreams. Accomplish, nail them.
The plane was rather steady. She still had five hours to go. Five long hours which would probably be filled with the same thoughts that had been ruling her mind since she left.
Their goodbye - better yet, as they still insisted on calling it, the beginning of their "break" - was draining. She closed her eyes and relived it.
-
They hugged as tighter as they'd ever hugged before. She never wanted to let him go...
But she knew she had to.
Rachel sobbed.
But they decided to face this as something positive for them. They could use some time apart anyway. Both on their own, far away, dealing with their lives on the way to become adults. Ross would soon finish college and start working on his PhD. After she was done, she could come back and they could talk again, maybe?
She feared their paths would drift on the mean time. But it seemed like a risk they had to take. She didn't usually believe in destiny, but she'd left it all to the Gods of fate by then. 'If it's meant to be, it will be'.
They broke the hug with tears in their eyes. He brushed hers away and she smiled. He was so sweet. She'd definitely miss his touch the minute she turned around to board the plane.
"You take care" he mumbled.
"Right back at ya" she smiled after her soft words.
They kissed.
She'd usually feel embarassed to kiss like that in front of her family, but this time she had much more to care about. She'd said goodbye to everyone else who showed up at the airport already - her parents, his parents, her sisters, Monica and Chandler. Now it was Ross' time and she was not about to go easy, reprehend and supress her feelings just because of their presense.
They parted and looked at each other. Rachel leaned closer and rested her face tenderly to his neck.
"I'm gonna miss this"
"I know... me too"
"I love you" she whispered.
He stroked her back and held her tighter.
"I love you too"
He kissed her hair and the last announcement to her flight came on.
She relutanctly let go of him and sighed.
"So... See ya" she chuckled through the tears.
"See ya" he faintly said it back.
They kissed softly one more time and she left.
Rachel kept her stare down. She didn't dare to look back. The minute she saw his big brown eyes again she'd cave and decide to stay. She couldn't. She owed this to herself, to her family and... to him too. Yes, this was going to work. They had to go through this. They just... had to.
No matter what the future held for them, down the road.
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Will you guys hunt me down and kick my ass if I say this is the last chapter? lol. We got an epilogue though...! So chill ;) But still. Oh well... Reviews?
And stupid ffnet didn't let me post my LiveJournal screename right. I AM NOT cristina. My login name there is (underline)(underline)cris(underline)tina. It just won't let me post the underline character here!
And btw, LiveJournal ) is a blogging site, sort of. Anyway..!