TOW someone proposes
Rachel wondered if she'd ever do anything else but looking at the face of her sleeping daughter. Who needed to read books or watch TV, when there was an indescribably cute little face to look at? The biggest surprise for her was that the tiny features were never restless or passive in sleep. There were myriads of expressions appearing and disappearing in quick succession. From the deepest frown, to an angelic smile so sweet, it made her smile widely too.
A knock on her door interrupted her intense study of her child's face and she turned to tell the visitor to come in.
It was Ross, carrying a gigantic bouquet of flowers. He had congratulated her before, but obviously he needed time to talk to her alone. She shared the sentiment.
"Hi Rachel," he greeted her awkwardly, lingering at the door.
Things had been weird between since she and Joey had reconciled. Ross had still tried to keep out of Joey's way most of the time without making it seem too obvious. She had tried to treat him as nothing more than one of her friends but had ended up ignoring him. Their struggle to appear 'normal' must have been so painfully obvious, that Joey had one day said to her, 'You are allowed to talk to him, you know.' She had just nodded and questioned herself why it was so hard for her to treat him like – for instance – Chandler.
Now that he was standing there with his flowers, a sheepish grin on his face, she knew why. Because she had never been in love with Chandler.
"Hi Ross," she greeted back with a warm smile. "Are those for me or are you visiting someone else in this hospital?"
Ross chuckled and the awkwardness lifted a bit.
"No, they're for you."
He managed to get hold of an empty vase, filled it with water and arranged the flowers in it.
"They're beautiful," she said, observing him. "Thank you."
"Glad you like'em."
He took a deep breath and she braced herself for whatever he had been coming here to tell her.
"I am so happy for the three of you. That everything went well and that you have this beautiful little girl. I wish you all the best, really."
It was a rehearsed speech, undoubtedly, but the open and calm expression on his face told her that it was sincere and heartfelt. Emotions bubbled up inside her, spilling over into her eyes.
"Come here," she whispered, choking on her emotions. When he did, she let herself be enveloped in a comforting embrace. In this second she understood, that she not only wanted, but needed this man in her life. As a friend, of course, and as the man she had experienced her first adult loving relationship with. Though they now had learned where to draw the line, they could not – would not – forget what had once been between them.
"Oh Ross," she whispered, "What would I do without you?"
"You'll never have to worry about that," he whispered back and at the realization that he felt about that just like she did, her tears started to flow freely.
After a few more moments of sniffling into his shirt she said, "Oh, hon can you grab me my other box of tissues? They're right on that chair under Joey's jacket.
Ross broke the embrace and walked over to the chair. He put away Joey's jacket and was about to reach for the box of tissues, when something Rachel didn't see tumbled with a soft thud to the floor. He got down on one knee to pick it up, but then halted mid-motion, apparently when he saw what it was. Her curiosity picked, she tried to see what he was holding and in this moment he turned around, still half-kneeling on the floor and in his hand he held… a little jewelry box with a glittering ring inside.
Rachel gaped and then quickly slapped her hand over her eyes.
"Put that away Ross! Quick! I'm sure none of us was supposed to see this!"
There was some more shuffling and when she decided it was safe to open her eyes again, Ross was by her beside again, handing her a tissue.
"So, he's gonna propose," he mused with a smile, but Rachel didn't feel like smiling. She felt like crying again.
"You don't know that. He could've bought the ring for thousands of reasons. It might not even be his. Maybe he's just taking it to… someone, or…"
"Rachel," Ross interrupted her, chuckling. "Do you really believe that?"
She looked at him for a moment and saw Ross's smile vanish when he met her gaze. Finally he seemed to understand that this was no joke for her, nothing to talk lightly about.
"I just don't want to…," she started and then proceeded with a sigh.
"… get your hopes up?" Ross finished the sentence she'd left hanging.
"Yeah, something like that I suppose."
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then suddenly smiled brightly and surprised her by saying, "So, how's life as a mom treating you?"
Understanding the reason for his sudden change of topic - the need to stay out of what was only her and Joey's business - and thankful for that, she began to answer his question. And just like that, they finally found their places in each other's life.
………
Rachel hurried along the hospital hall towards her room. She'd left the baby with Joey to see the doctor and get the confirmation that she could leave the next day. Now she worried what had happened while she was away. Her anxiety wasn't about not trusting him with her child, but in her mind's eye she saw a screaming baby and a helpless father, desperately waiting for her to come back and save the day. It almost seemed odd when she arrived in front of the door to her room and was greeted with silence.
The door stood slightly ajar and she pushed it open just a bit so she could peer inside.
Joey was sitting in a chair, looking intently down to his arms which almost completely hid the baby securely nestled within. He was rocking a little back and forth and saying something to Julia in such a low voice that Rachel, though she only stood a few feet away, couldn't hear it.
A moment later she realized that he wasn't talking, he was singing. Voice toned down only for the child to hear, quiet and soothing enough so Julia would fall asleep. Rachel's knees threatened to give way when a warm current of emotion washed through her in an intense rush.
It was the tenderness in him that hit her so forcibly – the sight of him loving his child without anyone knowing. She felt suddenly overwhelmed by a raw, physical – if not exactly sexual – desire for him that compelled her to quietly step into the room and to slide her arms around his shoulders from behind. Propping her chin lightly on his shoulder, she too looked down at her daughter who was on the verge of falling asleep.
"Missed me?" she asked while rubbing her cheek against Joey's, still somehow mystified at this completely new burst of feelings, drawing her to him like magnetism. Like there was a new intimacy between them, as if they belonged together in some new way, as if their love was now solidified, deeper, more purely felt.
His lips found hers for a quick kiss when he turned his head to her.
"Of course we did," he whispered and then turned back to look at Julia. She was asleep, one tiny hand tightly wrapped around Joey's right index finger.
Seeing her daughter sleepmade Rachel remember her own exhaustion. She shuffled to the bed and climbed under the covers, propping herself up against the pillow so she could continueto watchJoey with Julia. 'My family' she thought happily.
Her gaze wandered around the room and she spotted a little bottle, half filled with tea. 'So there had been screaming, after all' she thought, smiling to herself. But the way it looked, Joey was able to handle little problems like that just fine.
"I think I might be addicted to holding her," Joey said under his breath, still watching Julia sleep.
"Might be a good thing, because there will be a lot of holding and carrying around to do in the future," Rachel quipped, her smile widening when he looked up and beamed back at her, the thought obviously not disturbing him at all.
A quiet "Rach?" and the touch of gentle fingers on her face made her open her eyes again moments later, though it took her a while to realize that she had fallen asleep while watching her little family.
"You should lie down if you want to sleep."
"I don't want to sleep," she yawned which earned her a chuckle.
"Liar."
"Not as long as long as you're here," she whispered.
"I'll be back first thing tomorrow morning."
"I know. Still, it so… so nice to have you both here with me."
"When you come home tomorrow, you're gonna have us all the time."
For some reason, his lightly spoken words choked her and she remembered the little box Ross had found.All the time. Did that mean…
Before she could swallow the lump in her throat, Joey had vanished from her side and come back a moment later, holding the opened jewelry box.
Tears sprung to her eyes and started flowing when he told her how he could never imagine to want to spend the rest of his life with just one woman. How she had changed his mind about that and how he couldn't even wait until she was home again - although he had something special planned - to ask her this question.
"Rachel Green, will you marry me?"
Her tears were blinding her by the time she was supposed to answer his question but she still could see that there were tears in his eyes as well.
And of course - of course - she would say yes. Yes to his loving expression and the tender touch of his hand upon hers. Yes to raising their daughter together, yes to a family with maybe more than one child.
Yes to his boisterous, deep belly laugh and his beaming smile. Yes to silliness and wet paper towels. Yes to peanut butter smoothie, yes to nights with popcorn and beer in front of the TV. Yes to Hugsy, taking up space in their bed (though he might have to compete for that withJulia one of these days).
Yes to comforting him after an audition gone bad and yes to going to premier parties, yes to admiring him on the small and big screen, regardless of how successful the outcome.
Yes to his handsome face and his raven hair that fell into his face – and into hers – when he leaned over her, kissing her. Yes to his soft lips and knowing hands, to his firm male body and the way he could make her feel. Yes to his passion and desire for her. Yes to the boundlessness of his love, yes to the way he had loved their child ever since the moment he knew about her.
Yes to their past, their present and to their future. Yes to being Mrs. Joey Tribbiani.
………
The tears had subsided eventually, as had the urge to scream her happiness out of the window or at least out into the hall. There still was an undeniable regret about not being able to share more than a few chaste kisses and close embraces, but that was dwarfed by an all encompassing feeling of happiness.
While she looked at the ring an odd thought came to her, more like a memory. When Barry had proposed to her, she had been looking forward to the wedding. To gifts and beautiful dresses. Right now, even looking at the beautiful ring, the thing she most looked forward to was the life they were going to have together.
"This is such a beautiful ring, Joey," she said dreamily. "I couldn't have found a more beautiful one if I had picked it myself."
Joey smiled, he knew how high praise that was, coming from her.
"I bought it the day before we wanted to tell the others," he said and then hesitated when he obviously felt she wasn't catching which day he meant. "You know… that day."
She sucked in a sharp breath when she understood. That day. There are good days and bad days. Days that - if you had the choice - you would want to relive on a daily basis for the rest of your life and days you shouldn't even bother to get out of bed for. And then there are days like that day. Days you can't even think about without flinching.
She didn't particular feel like talking about that day right now and from the way Joey had put it – and he usually didn't dance around the subject like that – neither did he.
"You wanted to propose that day?" she asked, cutting short what had threatened to become an awkward silence.
"No, I didn't," Joey said, chuckling a bit and shaking his head at the idea. Even as impulsive as he still was, he hadn't proposed after just seven weeks into a relationship. "But I was thinking since it was such an important day for us, I should get you something nice. Like a necklace or a pair of earrings. Something to remember that day by."
"Little did you know that you had already gotten me something to remember that day by," Rachel smiled, pointedly looking at the baby sleeping in its bassinet by her bedside.
Joey's eyes widened a little and then he snorted with suppressed laughter, trying his hardest not to wake the baby.
"Well, I haven't even seen it like that, but I guess you're right," he then said, still chuckling. "Anyway, while I was looking at all that jewelry, I saw this ring and I thought that it would be perfect for you, that when I asked you to be my wife, I would want to give you this ring."
The thought that even back then, even after only seven weeks, he had been thinking about things like that almost frightened her. Made her question if she had felt that way about him, too. If she had been so sure.
Then again, it probably didn't matter because if she knew one thing, then it was that she was sure now. Come what may.
She lifted her hand and admired the reflection of the light in the flawless stone.
"It is perfect," she said and then, looking intently at him, she said, "It's a perfect fit."
Never knew I could feel like this,
like I've never seen the sky before.
Want to vanish inside your kiss.
Every day I'm loving you more and more
Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing,
Come back to me and forgive everything.
Seasons may change, winter to spring,
but I'll love you until the end of time.
Come what may, come what may
I will love you
until my dying day.
part of the song "Come what may" from the movie'Moulin Rouge'
A/N2:
Now that it's finally done, I'm a little sad to part with this story, because it means parting with a bunch of incredibly loyal readers, who inspired me and always gave me the motivation to write and to bring this to an end. Again, I want to thank all of you.
I'll post the first chapter of a new story today and would be delighted if you'd give that one a chance as well.
Special thanks and greetings to all of you I have so shamefully neglected lately. Especially my dear Oliver. I haven't forgotten about you, even if it seems that way.