First of all, excuse my delay with this update, I've been away and then very busy with college so I didn't have much time to focus on my fic, but here it is finally. I just want to warn that I wrote it in no more than two days so there may be mistakes, I'm sorry. And second of all, thank you Daniela, cybermals, debbiefriendsfan and 2good2betrue for the lovely reviews. Hope you guys love this next update.

To –b- , I appreciate you taking the time to leave your opinion. but you must bear in mind I'm not English native speaker and I don't plan to be a professional writer in a future either so, If my lowercase letters and mistakes bother you so much I invite you to not read my fic anymore, no hard feelings. Oh, and I haven't read the Twilight saga but the fact that you have compared my writing to that of a best-selling author only flatters me ;)

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CHAPTER 8

Ten sheep…eleven sheep…twelve sheep…thirteen sh…ugh this is not working, stupid sheep are keeping me even more awake! Whoever invented that method, what was he thinking? Sheep? Why not dogs? At least they are cuter…okay, stop thinking nonsense and go to sleep. Or…I wonder if he is sleeping right now, maybe not. I could…go check?

Okay Rachel, you've got to put a stop to those thoughts! You cannot see him whenever you please; although…maybe he doesn't mind…He was so sweet with me today, it almost felt like months ago, but with a confident Ross now. Man! I need to know what Monica told him, she can't have told him about my crush…I need to find out.

I pull away the sheets and leave the bedroom decided and with confidence. However, when I'm right outside his door I get cold feet. He will think I'm obsessed with him…or crazy for showing up at his room this late at night. Just do it Rachel! Your plans never turn out as you think so you may as well try and see what happens. Okay. Deep breath and open the damn door.

"Ross?" I whisper. Why do I whisper? I want him to be awake. I touch the wall with my hand trying to find the switch, since the room is in complete darkness. "Ross?" I say louder this time, but there is no answer. When I finally turn the lights on I'm surprised to see there's none there. Frowning in confusion I walk down the stairs; he may be in the living room…or the kitchen. But every single room in the house is sunk in darkness, almost as if it was an abandoned house. He can't have left me alone in his house, can he? I ask myself, my fear growing by the second. I know it's Monica's house, but the idea of being in a stranger's empty house at night?: no like it!

Trying to keep calm and not freak out I make my way towards the kitchen to get a glass of water. I stop in my tracks when looking through a window I spot him in the yard. I feel how my lips curl up in a authentic smile. God, Am I smitten with him…yeah, and he has a girlfriend now. Damn my luck! My plan to get a glass of water is crossed out right away and my feet guide me to the backyard without my imposition.

I quietly step outside and observe him before muttering a word. He is sitting on a stool, looking through a telescope absent-mindedly. It mesmerizes me how much he loves science and he isn't afraid to show it.

I clear my voice to call his attention and that's when he moves away from the device and turns to me.

"oh Hi…can't sleep?" he asks, surprised to see me there.

"nu-uh" I shake my head as I slowly near him. "I looked for you everywhere; I thought you had abandoned me" I say pouting like a little girl.

"oh, I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was here, I wasn't expecting you to be up this late"

"I was kidding" I say gently placing my hand on his shoulder "what are you doing?"

"just…observing Saturn, it hasn't been this close to the earth in hundred of years, and only tonight it's viewable from the US"

"mm, I thought dinosaurs were your speciality"

"they are, but space is my other passion" interesting.

"Can I take a peek?" he frowns when those words leave my mouth. "What?"

"isn't this a bit too…geeky for you?" he says in a chuckle.

"you've got such misconceived vision of me my friend, for your information I know Saturn is the planet with the rings around" I say all proud of myself. Yes, I sometimes pay attention in my science class.

"wow, impressive" he says exaggerating his shock.

"shut up!" I give him a little push pretending to be offended. The sweet smile he sends me right afterwards confirms he is just playing along, I gladly return the smile.

"okay, come here" he says as he stands up to let me have his seat. "put your right eye in the eyepiece, close the other one and most of all, do not move the telescope" I obey his instructions religiously; I close my left eye and look through the eyepiece with my right eye widely open…I blink several times, but all I can see is deep darkness. "isn't it incredible?" he says few seconds later.

"y-yes…very very beautiful" I lie. I don't want him to believe I'm so stupid that I can't spot a planet. Where the hell is the damn planet anyway? I did not move the telescope, that's for sure.

"so you can see it?"

"yup…simply amazing" amazingly dark. But I keep gazing through the eyepiece to make him believe I'm actually seeing something.

"really? 'cause I covered the lens with the cap" he says before cracking up in loud laughter. I blush furiously as I move away and twist my neck to send him a rather evil stare.

"I hate you" I stand up with anger, but it's my huge embarrassment what forces me to turn my back on him. Thank god it's night and he can't perceive my deeply reddened cheeks.

"oh c'mon, it was funny" he says, walking towards me and still laughing. I turn to look at him, my arms crossed over my chest.

"no, it wasn't! You made me act like a fool"

"what? I didn't push you to lie"

"yeah right, as if you hadn't made fun of me if I hadn't spotted Saturn"

"even if that had been the case and you couldn't find the planet, you shouldn't have lied…that's not you and I want to know the real you, not a fabricated geek Rachel" if possible I feel more embarrassed than before. But he's got a point and there is nothing I could say to that. "it was just a joke, forgive me?" he says looking with those irresistible puppy dog eyes. I shrug my shoulders. "wanna see Saturn now?" he sweetly asks extending his hand to me. I cannot possibly be mad at him when he is being so nice. I slowly nod my head and place my hand on his to let him guide me back to the stool. I observe how he takes the cap off the lens and makes sure I've taken notice of his action. "now you'll see everything" I get closer to the eyepiece with hesitation. My jaw drops when I spot the little planet in the profound darkness of the space.

"oh my goodness! There it is! it's so tiny but I can see the rings!" my excitement makes my voice sound high-pitched. But truly, I wasn't expecting to see Saturn so clearly. "This is fascinating!"

"see? that's a genuine reaction"

"thank you" I mumble as I return my look to him. Could he possibly look more handsome than tonight? He is wearing a simple black T-shirt and sweat shorts but he looks so perfect "so this is the reason why you didn't go on the trip with your family?" I break the silence and my intensive –and inappropriate- scan over his body.

"well…yeah, partly. I'm a big geek" he says in a chuckle, which I find adorable "I also enjoy being by myself from time to time"

"are you trying to tell me I'm not welcome here?" I say in a joking tone and tilting my head.

"of course not, you can stay as long as you want, if you don't die of boredom" he sweetly says.

"you're not as boring as you think you are, Ross" I say with pure honesty. My words put a broad smile on his lips and my stomach makes a weird flip that I can only describe as happiness.

"feel like observing the stars with me?" he suggest as he gently takes my hand. I shrug my shoulders and look down at his hand on mine, so fitting. He takes me to the grass on the other side of the pool where there is a mattress I hadn't noticed before. I lift my eyebrows amused.

"a mattress? Are you sure you meant "observe the stars" in its literal sense?" I say teasingly.

"you caught me, I actually want to get into your pants, but I couldn't find a right way to persuade you" he says in the same teasing way. I know he is just kidding but I blush in spite of myself.

"very smart, but I warn you, regardless of what you may have heard of me, I'm not an easy girl" he breaks into a loud laugh that becomes contagious.

We both lay on our backs over the soft mattress and stare up at the sky, crowded with shiny little stars.

"wow…this is breathtaking"

"isn't it?"

"really beautiful, I can't even remember when was the last time I stopped to stare at the sky at night" that must change.

"here, grab the blanket, you're gonna get cold" he says offering me part of his blanket that I welcome gladly. The night is a bit chilly. If only the blanket was smaller and we had to get closer…and I could feel his human warmth. Rachel, don't start again!

"do you do this a lot?" I ask to avoid a silence that would more likely lead to out of place thoughts.

"only when I'm alone, my mother would kill me if she found out I took the mattress out to the yard"

"you mean your mom or Monica?" I say in a chuckle.

"you're right, both would freak out" he joins my laugher. We return our gazes to the sky and stay in silence for a while; the sky is so beautiful with all the stars and there is not other illumination but the moonlight; this would be such a romantic moment if we were a couple…

"is that the ursa major?" I ask pointing up at the sky.

"mmm nope, that's the ursa minor, the ursa major is over there" he says, grabbing my arm and moving it towards the other side.

"oh…and why do the call it "ursa" major?" I ask with curiosity.

"I don't know, it's supposed to form a great bear"

"a bear? It doesn't resemble a bear at all. It's more like a…like a purse, with a broken strap"

"of course you would see a purse" he chuckles loudly.

"I like fashion. What's the problem?" I say sending him a squinty look.

"None at all, you just made me laugh"

"what do you see there then?"

"mmmmh…a cart?"

"oh yeah…or a golf club!"

"or a saucepan" we burst out laughing and then comfortable silence surrounds us again, until my rumbling stomach makes such a loud noise that even Ross hears it and quickly sits up.

"Is that damn cat back again? oh man, it sure loves haunting me when I'm alone" he says very serious and looking everywhere with haste. I let out loud chuckle.

"that was my empty stomach and…are you scared of cats?" I ask laughing.

"no…I just dislike them" he shyly says.

"but they are so cute"

"not this one, believe me, i-it's pure evil, he likes to catch me off guard and scratch me" he says so convinced that I cannot hold a loud giggle.

"you like dinosaurs but you are scared of cats, you're so funny Ross" I manage to say between giggles.

"that's because dinosaurs are dead and enough of this, wanna something to eat?"

"now? it's like three in the morning"

"so? We're alone, remember?"

"oh okay, then…what do you have?"

"emm…I think there is pizza"

"perfect!"

…

"what?" I feel the need to ask when his eyes fixed on me won't miss any of my movements for a second.

"that's your fourth slice" he states.

"yeah…so?"

"do you…always eat that much?"

"uh?" is he calling me fat?

"don't get me wrong, I meant, how can you eat that much and keep that ho-…figure" I smile at his indirect compliment towards my body.

"I guess I burn a lot of calories with my trainings, but I sure not starve myself"

"I'm surprised, I gotta say, I always pictured you like a healthy food maniac"

"I'm very different from the stereotype they built of me in high school" I say as I take a bite off my fourth slice of pizza.

"I see" he says with a sweet smile. God, this is being the best night ever, I don't get tired of seeing that adorable smile and those chocolate brown eyes.

"so…you're leaving for college pretty soon right? are you excited?" I ask smiling, although the thought of him leaving saddens me more than I want to admit.

"yeah, in exactly two weeks! I am excited, I'm gonna miss the people here though…" is he trying to say he is going to miss me? I want to believe so.

"you're gonna meet awesome people there too"

"I'm sure of that"

"I hope you don't forget us and come visit often" I say, meaning it more than I can express.

"forget you? after that kick in the nuts I received from you? Not possible" he jokes.

"I'm sorry, but you truly deserved it that day"

"I agree with you" he says nodding "but it still hurt" I give him a sympathetic smile.

"jokes aside…I really hope you come visit, I am gonna miss you…believe it or not" I say sincerely.

"I'm gonna miss you too" he says staring into my eyes, which end up making me laugh.

"what are you laughing at?"

"at us, mere weeks ago we couldn't see each other without fighting like cats and dogs and now we're saying we're gonna miss one another, life is odd"

"yeah…but I'm really happy we managed to overcome the hostility and turn it into friendship"

"yeah me too…I'm happy to have you in my friends side now" I would like for you to be so much more than that though…

"shall we carry on with the star gazing?" he suggests when there's no more pizza left.

"yeah okay, but shouldn't we clean this up first?"

"nah, maybe later"

….

"brr, it's getting colder" I say as I curl up under the blanket to keep warm.

"Come here" he murmurs as he lifts his arm and passes it over my shoulders. To say I am surprised by his move would be an understatement, but I don't pull back and instead I get closer to him, until our bodies are practically rubbing. Dangerous, I know. But his arms around me feel too nice to say no to. He pulls me even closer to him as he begins to gently rub my arm up and down, my body heats up almost instantly, while the famous butterflies return to my stomach. Okay, now I regret this.

"Tell me about your girlfriend" I say out of blue. It's not something I want to hear about, but I need to remind myself he is with someone else, especially now that his strong arm is around me and it's getting hard to keep my hormones calm.

"Uh?" he mutters surprised.

"Your girlfriend, I wanna know about her"
"Oh, my girlfriend, yes…well h-her name is Julie" what an ugly name, it doesn't sound as good as 'Ross and Rachel' "she is incredibly beautiful, she has…stunning blue eyes and long dark blonde hair" ha, blonde with blue eyes, how convenient. He is really in love with this girl, I can feel it in the way his eyes are shining…and it hurts.

"Wouldn't your girlfriend get jealous if she saw us…like this?"

"I don't think so, she is very nice, plus you're my friend now" yes, to my misery I'm only that.

"where did you meet her?"

"at science camp"

"oh…so she was the reason of your big makeover?"

"big makeover? I simply got a hair cut, and shaved the moustache" he says in a chuckle.

"well, I gotta say that worked out pretty well for you, I barely recognized you when you returned"

"yeah, I saw your shocked face" and here comes the blushing again. "by the way, I forgot to tell you that I'm really sorry for spreading that unfair rumor about you. I did mean it at first but I feel so bad now"

"oh don't worry, that's forgotten, I don't care anymore"

"I never actually thought people would buy it" he says amused.

"tell me about it, people can be really stupid sometimes"

"yeah…I'm glad you don't hate me for that anymore"

"can I ask you something?" I ask, laying on my side to look at him.

"sure"

"what did Monica exactly tell you?"

"mmm weren't we supposed to avoid that topic?"

"I know, I know…but I just need to know"

"why?"

"because it's hard for me to believe that Monica could have told you what I think she has told you"

"okay…well, she told me that you never meant to make fun of me, that it was your friends who blackmailed you to do so and that you've been trying to apologize to me. …That's why I wanted to start from zero, I feel bad that I yell at you and call you so many things when you actually wanted to fix things up"

"yeah…" so it was not what I thought, should I feel relieved or upset? "although…that's not the real…real truth" I find myself saying. He frowns.

"it isn't?" he says, turning to lay on his side.

"nope, and I'll be embarrassed to death when I say this to you, but you said you wanted to know the real Rachel, right? well open your ears because here it comes truth." I take a deep breath, unbelieving I'm about to finally be sincere and confess it all "Yes, I've always thought you were a big, boring geek"

"thank you" he interrupts.

"shh, let me speak; I thought you were a geek and to be honest you were invisible for me for many years, and yes, the first time I kissed you was my friends' idea as a part of a truth or dare game, BUT, I…kinda got addicted to you, don't ask me how or why but I did and I couldn't stop thinking of you and wanting to see you, and…I ended up using the teasing as an excuse to be close to you, but when Monica saw us kissing I had to tell her I was only playing with you because I couldn't even admit to myself that I had a crush on you, I'm that stupid, And then you heard us and all got screwed up. And whenever I tried to make things better my stubbornness and your hurtful words just led to more and more fights, and I convinced myself that I hated you, but that couldn't have been further from the truth, an-and then you came back looking all hot and sexy a-and I couldn't just tell you the truth because I would have been proving you what you claimed about me being shallow, which is not true, a-and I don't know what I'm saying anymore, so to sum it up, I NEVER meant to hurt, it just started as a innocent game and I somehow ended up trapped within it. There it is! Now you can make fun of me and my stupidity" I plop down on the mattress, relieved by the huge weight that has been lifted from my shoulders. I immediately close my eyes and wait for his response. I've finally said it, I've told him the truth and I hope now that he knows everything he just leans over me and kiss me passionately, that's how it goes in movies anyway, isn't it?. but nothing happens, no words, no movements, although I keep my eyes close just waiting for that eventual kiss that will leave me breathless.

"I don't have a girlfriend" he says out of blue. My eyes fly open.

"eh…what?" I sit up again and look at him in surprise.

"there is no special girl in my life" he says serious.

"B-but you just said you do, h-how about all the things you said about her?"

"all made up"

"what! why would you make up a girlfriend?"

"because I wanted to prove you wrong, that I could have a girlfriend, obviously it was a lie"

"but it seemed as if she was real, you were all…mesmerized while talking about her"

"well, it wasn't as if I didn't have someone in mind while creating my 'girlfriend'"

"so there's in fact someone you like"

"of course, and for a very long time now…" oh my god, is he referring to me?

"do I know her?" I quietly asks. If he says my name I'll die right here.

"more than you think" he says serious, his intense gaze piercing my eyes. oh god, I want to ask, but my body fills with terror, what if I'm wrong? What if it's not me and I'm left as a loser? He had a crush on me but that doesn't mean he still does, he may have met someone else, someone also blonde and blue-eyed.

"I-I can't believe you made all that up" I say clearing my voice.

"hey! you lied too, and a lot, you had a crush on me?" he says in a chuckle.

"maybe…so what? You used to have one on me too"

"you knew?"

"oh honey, you weren't precisely good at hiding it"

"so apparently, tonight is confession night uh? Anything else you may want to confess?" like the "I love you" detail? Yeah…but I don't have the guts.. Although…he doesn't have a girlfriend, the obstacle is inexistent now.

"no, nothing…you?" I'm such a coward.

"nothing either" I fake a smile. I was hopping he would say something; maybe he doesn't feel anything for me anymore and simply sees me as a friend. Disappointed, I turn to look up at the sky again but to my surprise the previous darkness is now covered by a dark blue that announces an eventual dawn "oh my god, the sun is rising already! What time is it?" I ask alarmed.

"almost 6 am" I cannot believe we've been up all night just talking.

"oh my god! I gotta head back home right now" I say quickly standing up from the mattress, the image of my angry dad makes me forget the confessions we just shared "if my dad wakes up and don't see me there god knows when I'll see the light of day again"

"d-do you want to give you a drive?" He offers, standing up after me.

"that's okay, I'll go walking, it would be worse if he saw me arriving by car"

"then let me walk you home" he offers again, and I cannot help but smile at his politeness.

"okay, let's go" I say getting up, ready to leave the house, but then he grabs me arm "wait"

"what?"

"why…why don't you phone home and say you're staying at Monica's?"

"with you?"

"well…like till this very moment"

"but- I don't know…" I do want to stay, but after so many confessions this amazing night can turn awkward. Oh what the hell, I want to stay, even if it's as friends I love being with him.

"okay…give the phone"

"wait right here" he says with a grin. I see him leave the backyard almost in a run and I lay back down on the mattress. I bit my lip as my uneasiness increases.

….

"daddy, wait wait! Let me speak, I'm at Monica's…yes I slept here…no you can't, she is sleeping. Daddy if you don't believe what I'm telling you just come over and check for yourself" oh god don't let him come here "yes…yes…I don't know, I may sleep here tonight too…why? b-because we are having a sleepover t-to…say goodbye to Ashley!...yes she is leaving…why don't we do it at home? Well because my annoying sisters are there daddy…yes…okay, I'll come home for lunch…no…okay stop asking dad! You already used up your twenty questions a day bonus so bye, see you later" I hang up almost out of breath "god that was exhausting" and let my body fall weightless on the mattress and hand him the phone.

"he is not an easy man to deal with, is he?"

"you can't not even imagine" I say with a sigh of exhaustion. I begin to feel the tiredness of being awake all night. "So now what?"

"I don't know, we should get some sleep I guess…it's 7am already" He says as he lays next to me and passes his arm above my shoulder again. I lay on my side and aimlessly rest my hand on his stomach.

"I guess you're right" his arm pulls me even closer to his body till we are almost hugging, but I don't make a big deal of it, maybe he is that sweet with his girl friends. "sweet dreams sweetie" he whispers in my ear, making my body tremble in an almost mystical pleasure.

"you too" It's all my stretched throat let me pronounce. I need to hold my breath when I feel his hand slide down to the small of my back and play with the hem my T-shirt, the tip of his fingers brushing my bare skin and sending chills up and down my spine. I close my eyes and try to block the effects of his touch on me, but it's impossible, my heart is already out of control and I'm pretty sure he can feel its fast beating against his side. I open my eyes again and freeze when I realise I've unconsciously introduced my hand under his T-shirt and I'm caressing his firm stomach in small circles. I slowly stop and gulp the lump in my throat as I raise my eyes to look at him.

My heart skips a beat when I meet his intense look; an intense look that tells me we're not going to sleep just yet.

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Hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are welcomed :)