by Tina
Brand new chapter, even though I didn't get as many reviews as I expected last chapter...! lol! I guess I better spice things up with R&R or I'll lose you guys, eh? I'll try! That'll make the fanfic get shorter, but that's fine...! I have plans for upcoming fics anyway! Anyway, here we go...
Rachel laid still, wide awake on the unfamiliar bed. The even breathing beside her was soothing at first, but soon it became almost agonising to her ears. Things had got too carried away on her fourth date with Daniel. But she didn't think. It felt right at the moment. Only now, doubts and consequences filled her mind. The blur was fading fast and the awareness of what had happened was beginning to show.
For the first time, she looked around the room. It was modern, really well designed. The grey walls had black and white pictures with a great variety of subjects. Other fine object of arts filled the shelves, among with many thick books. A large and wide plasma t.v. was set in front of the bed, surrounded by many other eletronic devices. Daniel was clearily not one to think twice before spending money, Rachel thought as she turned her head on the goose feather pillow.
He was deep asleep and she just watched him for a while. Without even realising, a single tear dropped from each of her eyes. She pulled the sheets closer to herself and sighed. She'd never imagine it could be so weird not being with Ross anymore. Being with someone else after she'd vowed him a million times he was the only one she'd ever want to be with just didn't feel right anymore.
She turned to the other side and sighed. At moments like this, she had to admit how much she missed him. Not only her lover, but, most of all, her friend. He'd been her best friend all along. And now things were always weird when they were around each other. Life was just not the same, she didn't share everything with him anymore. She missed him so much.
After putting on Daniel's large button up shirt and her underwear, Rachel left the room to the kitchen. She looked around for a glass and then filled it on the sink. Pacing around the living room, gazing at the amazing view of Central Park, she sipped it ocasionally. Only thirst was not the reason why.
The fancy old fashioned clock marked two a.m.. Rachel wondered what Ross was doing at that time. It was a saturday night, maybe he'd be up watching Jurassic Park on t.v.. On the previous week, she'd seen the promo and almost called him to let him know, out of habit.
Then a crazy idea popped into her head. She should call him! Yes, she had to talk to him. For some reason she knew he'd be up and she loved after hour phone conversations. The whispering, the lack of inhibition due the sleepy mood... Sure it was a little innapropriated given they were no longer together and she actually happened to be in another man's house, but that detail failed to occur to Rachel. Or she simply decided to ignore it.
She needed to talk to him, to hear his voice again.
So, smiling at the memory of a thousand other past midnight talks with him over the phone, she dialed his number and anxiously waited.
"Hello?", the other side spoke first.
Rachel froze. It was a woman's voice.
"Hello? Who's that?" the voice spoke again.
Rachel's insides crumbled. There was a woman at his apartment, answering his phone at two a.m. on a saturday night? How foolish she had been to think he'd be by himself...
"I don't know, Ross, there's no one there"
And after that, Rachel could hear the still and cold phone sign.
Still. Mocking her.
Her eyes filled with tears and she cried so loudly she feared Daniel would wake up. Only he didn't. She was merely left alone, crying by herself. Her grief, her loss. She'd never felt so lonely before. It was as if the ground beneath her had disappeared.
"Well, this is Central Perk" Ross announced as he pushed the door open with one hand, the other one holding Melissa.
"It's charming!" Lara said with a smile on her face.
"Well, it's home"
"Really, you come here often?"
"Very much. It's funny my friends are not here right now, they're always around"
"Uh, meeting the friends after the second date, aren't we going too fast, Dr. Geller?" Lara joked and Ross chuckled.
"I don't know, are we Dr. Connor?"
"Ah, okay, after Jurassic Park last night I don't think there's much else I can't take!"
Ross chuckled even more and they reached the balcon, where a platinum haired waiter was making a capuccino.
"Hey Gunther, could you get us a cup of coffee, a small cold chocolate and two blueberry muffins and" he turned to Lara "what will you have?"
"Another coffee and blueberry muffin sound good"
"You heard the lady"
As they walked towards the big orange couch, Ross was trying to understand the genuine look of satisfaction on the waiter's face. Letting it go, he set Melissa down and she kept herself standing up, messing around with the magazines and other itens scattered around the coffee table. Lara was seated close to Ross and soon enough they striked up a conversation, one very likely only to be risen in the presence of the physician and paleontologist they were.
"Monica, let it go, I'm not gonna tell you anything!"
The so familiar voice quickly held Ross' atention.
"C'mon Rach, you don't just leave me a message saying you'll spend the night at your new boyfriend's and not expect me to-"
Monica quickly trailed off when she noticed Ross' presence at the coffee house she'd just entered. Rachel's eyes quickly analised the whole scene before her, but soon enough they found retreat on a particular spot on the floor, somewhere near the foot of the table.
"Hey Ross", Monica said after clearing her throat.
Ross gave them a smile, though Monica judged it fake.
"Hey", Rachel's voice was low.
"Goodmorning" Ross looked over at Lara. "Hm, I'd like you to meet Lara. Lara, this is Monica, my sister and Rachel, my uh, my friend"
It was like sharp steal piercing her heart.
"Nice meeting you", Monica and Rachel said in choi. Lara nodded, lovely. "You too"
Silence filled the air. Rachel's mood was not improving, having just put a pretty face to the voice she'd heard the night before. Meanwhile, Ross could not stop thinking about Monica's words... Rachel had spent the night with Daniel?
It hurt.
The one to break the silence and the icy tension was Melissa, who squealed in delight when she finally let go of the magazine she was acting like she could read and noticed the new company.
"Wachel!!" she practicly screamed as she waved her little arms on the air.
Rachel couldn't help but smile. Not thinking, she turned to Ross, amazed by how warm that made her feel.
"When did she...?" she trailled off.
Knowing what Rachel meant - when had Melissa learned how to say her name, even erroniously - Ross answered "Hm, you know, a few days after we uh.."
"Right, right" she broke him.
Melissa keps waving her arms, getting unpatient. Knowing what she wanted, Rachel approached her and knelt down. Melissa ran to her encounter and hugged her affectionately. Ross' heart melted, but he avoided looking at the scene. He wouldn't allow himself to be happy and hopeful about Rachel anymore. Both of them were aparently moving on, he wouldn't want to spoil that. But were they really?
Two months went by and Daniel and Lara were still present figures in their lives. With time, they started fitting into the group in any way they could. However, still feeling as outsiders, their interaction with the rest of the gang only happened ocasionally, usually at the coffee house. As for the relationships, both were developing in a normal pace. Ross and Rachel had been given the chance to talk more freely, though still not nearly close to how they used to, even when they were just friends.
Things were just civil.
And to prove that, to show the others and themselves that things were progressing, they had set up a double date that saturday night. Going through outfits on her closet, however, Rachel couldn't remember those reasons. Perhaps because they were shallow or a lie. Perhaps both.
She had to look stunning. She had to turn heads around. She had to look happy.
A little far from there, in Ross' apartment, similiar thoughts filled his head.
He had to look decent. He had to act smart, to impress. He had to look happy.
Entering the large room with her arm safely around Daniel's, Rachel let her eyes run freely looking for the second couple, while Daniel asked about their whereabouts. Spotting them, Rachel frowned. She should had gone with the pale blue dress. What was she thinking? Why black? Why did she have to pick the black Prada? Now Lara would steal focus! Lara and her beautiful pale green top which beautifully brought up her eyes.
"Hi, sorry we're late, Miss Fashion Police here had to change her outfit six times!"
"Excuse me!" there was resentment on her voice "It was just four, and we wouldn't have to if you hadn't been making jokes about them!"
"Exactly, jokes! Come on, Rachel, you know you looked beautiful in all of them!"
The sweetness on his voice reminded Ross of the way he used to talk to her. Lara wasn't the kind of girl into the lovey dovey deal, but Rachel needed to be spoiled sometimes. And Ross missed spoiling her, babying her. Picking on her and shutting her up with sweet words and kisses. Much like Daniel was doing now.
Sighing softly, just to himself, he had to admit he was still jealous.
But the evening turned out to be quite lovely after all, given the expectations. Despite Rachel's boredom ocasionally due some conversations she didn't seem too interested in joining, everyone got along well. Rachel even traded fashion tips with Lara for exercise advices, while Ross and Daniel entertained themselves with topics Rachel had previously labeled as boring.
Just lovely.
Untill, of course, things happened.
Beep-beep!
"Oh, shoot!" Lara looked down at her beeper. "I'll be right back"
She excused herself from the table, grabbing her cellphone. The rest of them watched her leave. While still following Lara with his eyes, however, Daniel took notice of something else.
"Harry!"
Rachel looked at him, confused. "What?"
"Harry, an old friend! See that brown haired guy, a little bald, with a beard in that table with the other two men?" upon Rachel's nod, he went on "That man went to law school with me, we were such good friends. God!" he sighed, aparently delighted. "Would you mind if I go and say hello?"
"Oh, no, of course not."
Daniel smiled at her, showing all the teeth she could possibly see from where she was standing. He kissed her forehead and excused himself.
Ross and Rachel looked at each other and didn't know what to say. Before they could, however, Lara rejoined them.
"I'm so-so-so sorry, but I'm gonna have to cut the evening short. One of my patients is not feeling well and, well, you gotta do what you gotta do"
"Hey, do you want a ride or anything?" Ross offered.
"Ross, you don't have a car, we took a cab" Lara smiled
"Just trying to be nice!"
Lara chuckled and said goodbyes, kissing Ross on the cheek.
Again, Ross and Rachel stood there alone. Rachel looked over at the guys' table and saw Daniel happily seated.
"Hm, I guess I should get going anyway. I mean, you two probably will want to be together, I don't wanna be a third wheel"
Rachel quickly turned her gaze to Ross.
"What?" her heart skipped a beat as she saw him sitting across from her, as if this was a date. Their date. "Oh no, Ross, stay. Daniel will probably be there for a while and I sort of... well, I sort of want to talk to you." he looked curious "Nothing in particular, I just..." she got the guts to say it "I miss you, I miss this" he half smiled and she smiled back. "So, please?"
"Sure"
She'd missed that smile so much.
And from then on, their evening wasn't really lovely anymore.
It was so much more than that.
Okay, fine, I wasn't planning on getting this so far ahead like this, but... :) I kind of liked it!! So drop me a review this time, please :) I did it specially to you! Sure we'll still have bumpy stuff before we get the real thing we're looking for, but you must admit we're warming up, eh? :) Well, alright, I'll see you guys soon!!