13. Before the housewarming
A/N:- I have no idea what Parisians think of the month of June in general. So them disliking it is just something that I made up by browsing the temperature trends of the city. I know that most of you won't really be affected by this, but I'm putting it up just in case. :)
June. It was a month that was detested by majority of the Parisians. For it had a notorious habit of being a harbringer of temperatures exceeding 70 degree Fahrenheit. It wasn't necessarily stuffy, but it made you sweat all the same.
Not everyone disliked the month though. In fact there were a few who were really looking forward for the month. Although their reasons for doing so were entirely unrelated to the weather. In the case of this particular couple, it was due to the cessation of a certain excavation taking place near a small town named Charente.
Ross Geller was a happy man now. For the excavation had concluded a fortnight before his grant period expired. Which also meant that he would get to spend the rest of the time with his daughter Emma and her mother Rachel, both of whom couldn't have been more excited about it. For two weeks was an amount greater than even the sum of the days they had been together since Ross first came to France back in January.
Plus, it also meant that it was about time he visited Rachel's new house, which was exactly what Ross was doing right now.
"I finally see why you are so excited about this place. It's really beautiful." he said, his eyes taking in the expanse of the living room, which was certainly more spacious than what it seemed from the outside.
"See? I had told you so!" Rachel replied, delighted to hear him say that.
"Yeah! I mean, it's not just the house. There's a school nearby, a park, quite a few supermarkets and it's what like just half an hour from your workplace?" he asked, sounding impressed.
"Twenty five minutes in regular traffic." Rachel replied, nodding assertively.
"Oh! And the Louvre's not too far either. It will take you three quarters of an hour, max." she continued, looking at him as though searching for a sign of some sort.
"That's great!" Ross said, although the excitement did not quite reach his eyes. It was something that didn't go unnoticed by Rachel.
Few moments passed by as they were lost in their own thoughts, not knowing quite what to say.
"But do you know what's the best part?" Rachel said, turning to face him again.
Ross simply looked on, waiting for her to continue.
"In just a week, this place is going to be ours, Ross! Ours! Can you believe it?" she asked, her voice revealing the joy underneath.
It took Ross quite a while to respond this time.
"Actually, it's going to be yours, Rach." he said, in a put out note.
Rachel looked at him as though she couldn't believe what he had just said.
"I.. I mean, like, finance wise. It's all yours." Ross said, trying to cover for the blunt message his words had unintentionally conveyed.
"Yeah... about that." Rachel said, looking at him skeptically.
"Can't you like... I don't know... extend your grant or something?" she asked, with a hint of desperation in her voice.
"I'm really sorry, Rach. I can't. Grants don't work like that. My research there is done. I'll be going back with the gang next Sunday. I still have a job there which I can't just quit." Ross said, trying to explain her.
"But? What then, Ross? I mean you'll have to quit your job sometime in the future, right?" Rachel asked, her voice sounding more tensed with every word she said.
"How... how long will that take? A couple months? An entire semester? And we... we'll work out the finance, you don't have to worry about that. It'll be a joint ownership. I read it somewhere, it can be done. I..." she trailed, her whole body beginning to tremble with unease.
"Hey... hey... look at me, Rach. Look at me." Ross said, taking her in his arms.
Rachel, who had turned as white as a sheet, looked up at Ross with tears in her eyes.
"We'll figure something out, okay? It's us. We've always figured it out." he said, whilst patting her back to comfort her.
As she loosened herself in his embrace though, she couldn't help but feel that Ross had already figured something out after all.
* * *
"Oh, squish inside! Will ya?" a heavily pregnant woman exclaimed to her friends who were already well 'squished' on the backseat.
"Pheebs. We have kept the shotgun seat empty just for you!" her friend offered.
"We have kept the shotgun seat empty just for you!" the woman retorted, making a crude imitation as she headed to the front and opened the door.
"What's up with her?" Rachel asked, hurt by the rude response from the other end.
"She got the middle seat in the plane even while she had specifically asked for a seat beside the aisle." Joey explained.
Then, lowering his voice to a mere whisper, he added
"So she has been pissed about it the whole time."
"She's damn right! If I were that pregnant and didn't get what I had asked for, I would be pissed too." Rachel replied, righteousness coursing through her veins.
"What are you two girls whispering about?" Phoebe exclaimed from the front seat.
"We were just discussing that how you had been wronged, Pheebs. You should have got the seat beside the aisle." Rachel said.
To her surprise Phoebe's face brightened on hearing that.
"Joey didn't tell you the whole story, did he? I did get the seat beside the aisle." she said, sounding smug.
"How?" Rachel asked, confused.
"Well... apparently the guy with a ticket right next to her had received a tip that the plane would crash midway in it's journey because it did not have enough..." Chandler said, launching into an explanation.
"Phalange?" Rachel asked, her eyebrows rising in amusement.
"No. It was..." Monica began, but then trailed as she realised that she didn't recollect.
"What was it again?" she asked, looking ahead towards the Phoebe.
After rattling her mind for sometime, Phoebe replied,
"God, even I don't remember what it was this time!" she said, laughing out heartily.
"Pheebe?! Why didn't you simply request your co passenger instead? I'm positive that any decent person would have obliged!" Ross asked, while everyone else rolled their eyes in exasperation.
Phoebe seemed to consider Ross's question for a while before she dismissed it, saying,
"Ehh... That would have been so much messier."
Everyone exchanged looks with each other, smiling at their friend's logic which, as usual, made no sense to anyone except for her.
"I've missed you Pheebs." Rachel finally replied, looking fondly towards her.
"Aww... I've missed you too, honey." Phoebe replied, touched by Rachel's words.
The weekend had finally arrived. The two days which they all had struggled to plan since the past few months. What with Joey coming all the way from LA and Phoebe dangerously close to her 3rd trimester, chances had been looking pretty slim. Not to mention the fact that Monica and Chandler had to find someone to look after their kids as well.
Thankfully though, things had somehow fallen in place. Today would be the day to settle in and have a look at the highlights of the fashion capital of the world, ending up with a home-cooked meal at Rachel's new house. And tomorrow would be the official housewarming party. The day when Rachel actually gained the ownership of the place.
"So where are we going now?" Phoebe asked, turning backwards so as to face the rest.
"I am going to work. And Ross.." Rachel began, but before she could continue any further, all hell broke lose.
"You are going to work?! Today?!" Monica exclaimed, outraged.
"Don't we matter to you anymore?" Joey said, sounding very hurt.
"What is wrong with you?!" Phoebe said, back to her grumpy self.
"Lord, please take us back home." said Chandler, joining hands in prayer.
But since all of this was spoken almost simultaneously, nothing was actually deciphered.
"Guys. Please. It's not like that." Ross said, trying to make them understand.
Now everyone turned their eyes at him, waiting for an explanation.
"Oh yeah? Then what is it? What is so important that she can't take just ONE day off to meet her friends who have literally traveled across an ocean for that very purpose?!" Monica fumed as she received assertive nods and cheers from others.
"Rach has this meeting with a guy who has also crossed an ocean for this contract. It's a multi million dollar deal and Rachel has to be there to ensure that the designs are exactly the ones she had sketched." Ross said, while Rachel looked at him gratefully.
"You make a million dollars now?" Joey asked, in awe.
"No Joe, my company does." Rachel said, smiling at his misconception.
"How much do you make then?" asked Monica.
Rachel shifted uncomfortably at the sudden attention to her income.
"Well... right now it's just below seven figures a year. But it's only probational. They have promised me the full amount from the next year on." she said, saying the amount as though it was something you came across everyday.
"And how much is that?" Monica asked, her eyebrows arched as high as they possibly could.
"A hundred thousand euros a month." Rachel said, feeling like she wanted to melt away right now.
It was Phoebe who voiced all of their thoughts this time.
"You bitch." she said, although in a way which was suggestive of envy rather than frustration.
"So it does look like Paris has made your dreams come true after all." Chandler said.
To their surprise, it took Rachel quite a while to respond to this.
"Yeah... It has." Rachel said, looking directly at Ross this time.
Everyone directed their eyes towards Ross who simply gave them all a courteous smile.
Intrigued, Monica was about to say something when the car stopped across a big glass walled structure across the street.
"Oh, that's me. Gotta go. See you at the house, everyone!" Rachel said, as she hurried out of the car and waved them all goodbye.
They barely had time to wave back before the driver set off again, owing to the honks of the cars right behind them.
"So. Where do we go now? You guys can either freshen up at the apartment or we can directly tour the city, seeing that we only have today." Ross said, completely ignoring the questioning look in everyone's eyes.
The rest exchanged glances, wondering whether they should push him for answers. In the end though, everyone concluded that it wouldn't be smart of them to waste the only day they had together since months. And hence, it was Chandler who broke the silence, saying
"I've heard that the Eiffel tower's quite a sight. Why don't we go there first?"
* * *
"So how are things back in New York?" Rachel asked, as they all drained their glass of champagne. Except for Phoebe, who was sucking at a carton of grape juice, making noises just as a five year old would.
After a quick tour to some of the prime attractions and a much needed nap at the apartment, they had finally headed to the place which was the reason why they had all travelled so far for. The cozy, three bedroom cottage located about an half an hour's drive from the apartment.
The New Yorkers developed an immediate liking to the place and couldn't help but envy Rachel for establishing such a perfect life for herself in so short a time. Moments later, the blaring of a horn announced her arrival as she brought along a huge bottle of champagne, and of course few cartons of grape juice.
After discussing the details of the surroundings as well as the interior of house, their talk finally turned to more general things. Like 'catching up' on each other's lives as they made themselves comfortable on the couches in the living room.
"Couldn't have been better. Mike and I have decided that it was about time we had a place of our own. In fact he might already be talking with a realtor as we are speaking right now." Phoebe said, in between her sips.
"Good for you, Pheebs!" Ross replied, pleased to hear it.
"That's great news! Congratulations!" Rachel said, excited.
"Yeah, I mean with everyone starting to move in to big places, we decided it was about time that we had our own." Phoebe said.
"At first it was Monica and Chandler. Then Joey went on and got his own place in LA. And now with you guys starting a family together... We felt like we were the only ones remaining!" she exclaimed, jovially. Her expressions however changed rapidly when she looked at Ross and Rachel, both of whom were not really meeting her eyes.
Well. It was now or never, Rachel realised as the unwelcome spotlight flashed right on to them.
"Yeah... about that. Ross and I... We... we still haven't..." Rachel began, unsure as to how to express herself.
There was an uncomfortable silence in the room which grew into one full of anticipation as Ross met Rachel's eyes, which were pleading him to say something.
It was then that Ross knew that he had to do it. Slowly, as though in a trance, he slowly took Rachel's hands in his and said,
"You know what? Let's do this, Rach. Let's start a family together."
Rachel couldn't believe what had just happened.
Had he just proposed to her?
Elated, she tightened the grip on his hands and said,
"Yeah. Let's" and nodded assertively.
"Aww... Look at you guys finally being on the same page!" said Phoebe, her eyes brimming with joy for her friends. Everyone couldn't agree more as they watched the couple unite in the centre of the room.
"A fresh new start ..." Ross pronounced, as the rest listened with bated breath.
"Back in New York." he concluded, taking everyone by surprise.
The smile on Rachel's face dropped soon as it had appeared
"What?!" she exclaimed, looking both hurt and confused by his statement.
The temperature of the room might have dropped by atleast ten degrees. For no onone could believe what had passed between them just now. They had been so close to being the family that they had wanted to be. Reeling in shock, Rachel slowly untwined her fingers from his. Even then, her eyes stayed latched on to his, searching desperately for an answer.
"Oh boy." said Chandler, while looking at the pair apprehensively. He was not the only one though. Everyone in the room was tensed, expecting a heated argument to be on it's way.
But what actually happened next was something that took them all by surprise.
"We need to talk." they both said, almost simultaneously.
"Guys, can you give us some privacy?" Ross asked, turning to face them.
"Yyyeah. Sure!" Chandler replied, still surprised by the way they were handling such a major disagreement. With a calm demeanor which was so unlike the Ross and Rachel that he knew.
"I am calling the kitchen!" Joey exclaimed, grabbing everyone's attention.
"Yeah, that's right. Lesson learned." he said, reminding them all of the first time Ross and Rachel had broken up. It had indeed been a 'memorable' night, what with them reduced to consuming Monica's 'organic wax' as dinner for four.
"Oh. Then I am calling the bathroom! For I'll need it much more than any of you." Phoebe said, chiming in.
"No Pheebs, wait. We really don't want to cause inconvenience to any of you. Right, Ross?" Rachel said, turning to face Ross again.
"Yeah. Absolutely." he replied, nodding in agreement.
"What say you and I take a walk in the neighborhood? That way nobody has to go anywhere except for us." he continued.
"That's a good idea." she replied, beginning to head towards the door, followed shortly by Ross.
The rest could only look at each other, completely taken aback by the series of events.
'Since when did my brother and my best friend become so mature?' thought Monica, positive that she wasn't the only one thinking this. Her chain of thought however was broken by Ross, who had just popped in to say,
"We'll be back soon."
As the door shut behind him, one thing became absolutely clear in her mind.
Whatever decision they would come up with today would most likely remain the same for the rest of their lives.
* * *
"But Ross, I thought you said you loved it here!"
Ross and Rachel had just strolled in into a small garden about a few hundred meters away from the house. After spending a few minutes in silence, it was Rachel who began talking about the elephant in the room.
"I mean, you certainly have made a name for yourself, that much was very clear from your appraisal by the university. And also, this city is home to the museum of your dreams. I mean, there's a lot of potential for you." she said, the words coming out as though she had been holding them back for quite some time. For a part of her had already sensed that this was coming.
"And Ross, this is the city of my dreams. It... it has everything I could have ever expected from life. Everything... except you." she said, her eyes turning tearful towards the end.
Ross let out a sigh as he paused in the middle of his step, coming to standstill as he faced Rachel. Now would finally be the moment that he got to explain the conclusion which he had gradually built up over the past couple of months.
"I do love Paris, Rach. I really do. But... It's... it's like my Emily, Rach. You know what I mean?" he asked.
"No." she said, nodding her head in denial.
'What did Paris have to do with his ex-wife?' she thought, confused.
The nonplussed look on Rachel's face made Ross smile. Apparently, she hadn't understood the fact that it was a metaphor. Starting to walk again, he pointed her towards a bench and they began making their way towards it.
"When I refer to Paris as Emily, I mean that though it's something that brought a whole new experience in my life, in reality that's all there is to it." he said, trying to make her understand.
"And I shouldn't live in this city because of the same reason that I shouldn't have married Emily in the first place."
Reaching the bench, they seated themselves comfortably on it before Rachel spoke,
"And what is that reason?" she asked, intrigued by his analogy.
"The reason is very simple. For I still love my Rachel. More than I could ever love any Emily, no matter however happy she made me feel." he replied, his feelings revealing at long last why had he let slip her name at the altar.
Though touched, Rachel was now more confused than ever.
'I am right here. So what is he talking about?'
His next words made it clearer, though.
"And my Rachel. ... is my family, Rach. And though you and Emma are definitely the biggest pieces of the puzzle, you are not all. There's Ben. Mon and Chandler and their kids. My Mom and Dad. Joey, Pheebs, Carol and whether I like it or not... even Susan." he said, saying her name as though there was something bitter in his mouth.
"And that is something that you realise only when you have stayed away from them for long enough." Ross said, his lips partially crooked into a smile.
Rachel allowed that to sink in, as she understood the gravity of his words. Then, slowly nodding, she said
"Well... if it does mean so much to you, then we'll do it, Ross. For us. I'll come back to New York."
Ross's eyes brightened momentarily before she continued, saying,
"I mean the city's no stranger for me. After all, it's been my home for ten long years. And I still know a few people there in the fashion industry. Getting a job won't be a problem. And... I won't have to learn a new language! So that's a relief!" she said, laughing.
Though she had chuckled, her eyes had slowly lost their lustre as she had continued her speech. And Ross hadn't missed it. In fact, he had known it all along.
"No, Rach. Coming back to New York would be like you giving up on your Rachel." Ross said, his lips spreading into a sad smile.
"What?! Will you please stop speaking in metaphors?" Rachel said, utterly perplexed now.
"What I mean is that you will be giving up on your deepest dreams and ambitions. Though New York has a lot of scope for fashion, it's not Paris, Rach. You'll never get a job as good as the one you have here. Paris... It's your Rachel, Rach." he said, in explaination.
"But you are right, Ross. Family is more important. Family is all that matters in the end. It's something that I should have realised a long time ago." she said, tears running down her cheek. It was only now that she realised what Ross had been trying to say all along. He had never really intended her to move back to New York. For his statement earlier had been nothing more than a mere ruse.
On seeing her cry, Ross took her in a one armed hug which she gratefully accepted, with her head lying comfortably on his chest.
"No Rach, listen to me very carefully. Because this is not something that I am simply making up right now. In fact, this has been something that has bothered me ever since I first fell in love with you, way back in highschool." Ross said, rubbing her shoulder as he did so.
"Has it ever occurred to you that we are two very different people? With completely different dreams and ambitions?" he said, his voice growing heavier with each word.
"So what, Ross?" Rachel replied, lifting her head to face him.
"Does that really matter? We love each other and we finally have had the sense of realising it together, at the same time. Shouldn't that be enough?" she asked, her speech interrupted with sobs.
"Yes we do love each other, Rach. Very much. But love can be expressed in ways more than one. One does not have to be with the other all the time to revel in it." Ross replied.
"But we can stay with each other all the time, Ross. And we should stay with each other. I mean, what reason do we have to not do so?" asked Rachel, unwilling to relent.
"Because, Rach, we both want different things in life. Maybe today, you do come with me to New York. Or I might come and stay with you in Paris. But we both know what will happen next. May be not tomorrow, but a month from now, or if we are really lucky then an entire year from now, we'll start bashing our heads with each other. We'll constantly fight for the smallest of the things, the silliest of the reasons. Trying to make sense of it all when we really had made sense of it a long time ago. And then, we'll only have ourselves to blame for not living to our fullest potential. Then be it you not having the best job of your life or be it me not having everyone around. It will be a very dark and frustrating life, Rach." Ross replied, with a fervour in his eyes which was rare to see. It was obvious that what he had said was true. He had indeed thought it all out.
A gentle breeze blew through the park, trying to provide whatever respite it could to the broken hearted couple seated on the bench. Needless to say, it failed miserably.
"It's all my fault. I should never have left New York." Rachel said, remorsefully.
"No Rach. It's not just your fault. It's mine too. For I was the one who let you go." Ross replied, rubbing her shoulder in comfort.
Rachel had only just opened her mouth in protest when Ross continued,
"Actually, I really don't think it's anyone's fault, Rach." he said.
"What do you mean?" Rachel asked, confused.
"You know, how I used to hate those cheap books they keep on those stalls at the airport?" Ross said, sounding out of context. Then, not waiting for an answer, he continued,
"That changed almost a year ago, when I came across this book named 'Choices and Consequences'. It made for a very interesting read, to say the least. And the prologue of the book has a quote which, for some reason, struck a chord with me. It goes like this,
Sometimes things don't happen the way you want them to because you just haven't tried hard enough. Unbeknownst to you, a last push may be all that you need.
Sometimes it's because you keep making the wrong choices, yet choose to blame the circumstances over and over again.
While sometimes... it is life's way of making you realise that it's simply not meant to be." he said.
To his surprise, it was Rachel who finished the quote for him.
"Not now and not ever."
"Wow. I didn't know that you had read it too." Ross said, sounding impressed.
Rachel simply nodded, unable to say anything else.
"I don't know why, but I constantly got this feeling that the quote was about us. And for months I kept on thinking that maybe it was simply because we hadn't tried hard enough. Or had made many bad choices. But I... I don't think so, Rach. Not anymore. Maybe it's the final statement after all." he said.
"Maybe." she replied, sighing as she lay her head back on to it's comfortable position on Ross's shoulder.
The sun was slowly making it's way behind the woods far ahead of them as they simply sat there, their hands intertwined wondering what the future had in store for them, now that they had made such an important decision. Rachel turned her head to look him in the eye to voice her that very fear.
"So what do we do now?"
Letting out a deep sigh, Ross said,
"It's us, Rach. We'll figure it out."
With their gaze locked on to each other, a sad smile escaped their lips just as the sun reached the horizon, literally calling it a day.
As the twilight set in, they just knew in their hearts, that everything would be alright. For the sun always rose after a cold dark night.
A/N:- Well... I really don't know what you guys will make of this conclusion. But know that this was how I had planned it all along.
This story was intended to bring about growth and maturity in both the characters. And to make them understand each other in a way which they never did back in canon. For had the way things ended like they did (in the show), there was a good chance that Ross and Rachel would have broken up yet again. Because the way they 'united' highlights a very basic flaw... Acting first and thinking later.
The epilogue would be up in a week. And I promise that it won't be all negative at all. (Dear Guest reviewer, I hope you do read it. It may not be the ending you had imagined, but your wish has been respected... :)
And if you have any questions/debate/disagreements, feel free to review/PM me. After all, it's fan-fiction! We are all here to express our versions of the characters who are close to our hearts.
Wish you all a very happy New year's Eve and a bright 2019! :)