Disclaimer: The TV Show 'Friends', some original scripts I borrowed, and all the characters inside it don't belong to me. This goes for the entire chapters.
'Celestial'
Chapter One
February 13th, 1997
To say Ross Geller was nervous was an understatement of the year.
Today was the day.
This is it.
He was gonna propose, today, on their first anniversary.
He had been planning the proposal for the last few months, starting when he woke up one fine morning – as he watched her sleeping peacefully next to him, and then he realized… This was it. He wanted to wake up next to her for the rest of his life. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
He wanted to marry her.
He had been doubtful, of course, questioning whether they were ready – whether she was ready for this step. After all, she had been the one who ran away from her own wedding and she had been saying lately, how much she loved being so independent – finally breaking free from her parents' financial support. So, there was a chance she wasn't ready for the marriage yet... And there was also this nagging voice in the back of his mind that kept telling him that he probably should've waited - that they hadn't been together long enough.
But… the more he spent time with his girlfriend, the more he realized that he couldn't wait anymore.
He didn't want to wait anymore.
He wanted to marry Rachel Green. He wanted to become his husband. He wanted her to become his wife. He wanted to move forward and build a family with her. He wanted to wake up and go to sleep every day in her arms, in the warmth of their marital bed.
He couldn't wait to start that chapter of his life – their life, together.
Although behind all that…. there might be another reason why he desperately wanted to make their relationship official, a reason he'd refused to admit out loud…
He was scared of losing her.
Lately, he felt like they were starting to drift apart. They spent less and less time together ever since she landed that new job. He couldn't even remember the last time they went on a proper date. She was very busy, barely making time for them, especially these past few weeks.
He missed her terribly.
Even on weekends, her work usually occupied her time and Ross was starting to feel like he was slowly losing his girlfriend. She'd be working late almost every day and because she said she didn't want to wake him up, she had been spending a lot of her nights in her own apartment. He had told her multiple times that he didn't mind getting his sleep interrupted, but she had insisted that it was better this way.
He was frustrated to say the least, especially when he knew she wasn't alone in those nights she was working late.
It was another thing that kept bothering him.
Rachel had a co-worker, or a boss - he wasn't even that sure about that, but the guy kept getting on his nerves. Ross was almost one hundred percent sure the guy had a crush on his girlfriend, but when he told her that, she looked at him as if he was insane.
He didn't understand how she didn't see it.
The guy, Mark – who happened to be an attractive muscular man, mind you - seemed to have a crush on her and the thought of an attractive man drooling over his girlfriend was making Ross anxious and furious at the same time.
It was not like he didn't trust his girlfriend, because of course he did. He trusted Rachel. She wasn't the problem. The problem was Mark. He didn't trust Mark, not even in the slightest bit.
Ross knew exactly how a man's brain works, especially a guy like Mark.
A guy like Mark would pretend to be this nice friend for a girl he was attracted to, just like Rachel. He offered her a job, helping her at work, taking her to seemingly innocent lunches, listening to her bitching about their boss and maybe even about boyfriend problems… It all looked so innocent on the surface, even Rachel hadn't raised any suspicions about it, but Ross knew better than that. Mark was just pretending to be a great friend for Rachel, lurking in, so that if by any chance Ross messed this up, Mark would be right there, more than ready to swoop her in – saving the day.
Ross scowled as he thought about Mark.
Gosh, he really despised the guy.
He had tried to talk to Rachel about this and she had assured him that he had nothing to be worried about, that she loved him. She had even reminded him that Mark had a girlfriend, but still, it still bothered him even though he didn't say that to her face again. They hadn't talked about it anymore since that day in the coffeehouse and honestly, even though he was still bothered by Mark's existence, he was trying hard not to.
He constantly tried to remind himself that Rachel was not Carol and that he couldn't let his fears ruin the best thing that ever happened to him aside from his son, Ben. He had no other choice but tried to control his jealousy, because he was fully aware that if he didn't control his issue, there was a real possibility that he was going to lose her. And losing her wasn't an option.
He couldn't lose her.
It might sound very cheesy and slightly pathetic, but he couldn't live without Rachel.
So, he really needed to control his fears and maybe get his hand to stop shaking so much because at this rate, Rachel was going to notice something was up and he couldn't let her know his surprise.
He had everything planned perfectly down to the details for tonight. Flowers had been ordered. The venue had been booked. His speech was ready. The ring was safely tucked inside his pocket. This was going to be great.
Now, it would be perfect if his hands would just stop shaking so much.
She'd say yes…
or he desperately hoped so.
He knew she loved him and that she wanted a future with him, but he couldn't help but feel worried and anxious. After all, there was a possibility that she could still say 'no'. They hadn't been perfectly fine these last few months. They had been fighting a lot these days, especially since she landed her new job at Bloomingdales. So, Ross couldn't help but feel anxious.
But it was going to be okay, he tried to be optimistic.
Rachel would love the surprise. She was going to say 'yes' and they'd be engaged by the end of the day.
His heart was pounding loudly inside of his chest and his lips slowly curved into a grin as he thought about the word.
Engaged.
A part of him couldn't believe it.
He was going to propose to the Rachel Green.
A phone interrupted his thought and he was smiling when he picked up the phone and heard his girlfriend's voice on the other line. But his smile died on the lips as soon as he noticed the tone in her voice as she greeted him over the phone.
"Rach…" he swallowed, "Wh-what is it?"
"I'm so, so sorry," he heard her sighed loudly, "I-I uh, I don't think I can make it tonight."
What?!
"What do you mean you can't make it tonight?" Ross tried to keep his emotion in check, but failed miserably to do so. He took a deep breath, calming himself down, "Rach, it's our first anniversary. Y-you can't. You can't cancel on me."
"I'm sorry," he heard her sigh. "It's just there is this thing at work, okay? Somebody messed up a huge order and now the client is furious. Joanna is breathing down my neck, she wants it fixed by the end of the day… and I know, believe me, I know this is a lot to ask. But maybe, we can take a raincheck on that dinner? We'll be going to Vermont this weekend anyway and I promise you, I'll make it up to you then."
Ross sighed, "There's really no one else to cover for you tonight?"
"This is my responsibility, Ross. Mark uh, he offered to help," she confessed and suddenly Ross' body went rigid.
Good thing she couldn't see him, huh?
"-but I can't unload all this on him," she sighed. "Look, for what it's worth, I couldn't wait to spend this day with you. I even bought a new dress, you know."
It was the weariness in her voice, the sincerity in them that made Ross realize that she really had no other choice. She sounded truly upset about this.
"Okay," he finally said. "We'll push the dinner, it's okay."
"Really? You're really okay with this?"
"It's not ideal," he said truthfully. "-but yeah, Rach. It's not like we have another choice."
"I'm sorry, Ross," she murmured remorsefully.
"Hey, it's okay," he assured her.
"Thanks," she sighed.
"See you tonight?"
"Yeah, about that…"
"Rach…"
Rachel cringed, "I'm going to be home really late, Ross…"
"I don't care," he insisted. "I wanna see you, Rach."
"Okay," she finally relented. "My place? I might have to leave early in the morning…"
"Okay, see you tonight," Ross said. "-and good luck with everything."
"Thanks," she murmured softly before adding, "-love you."
Ross finally smiled, "I love you too."
Ross' shoulder hunched and his head was pounding as he put the phone down. He was more than disappointed and frustrated to say the least, mostly because he had to cancel the proposal, he had been planning carefully for months now. But Rachel had sounded genuinely sorry when she called him earlier, so what more could he do other than being a supportive boyfriend?
He let out a loud sigh as he glanced at the velvet box sitting on his desk. Reluctantly, he pulled the box open, watching as the piece of diamond shone under his office's bright light.
He had been waiting for today for as long as he could remember, but it looked like his proposal had to be postponed. So, after swallowing his disappointment, Ross had picked up his phone again and made a few phone calls to cancel his reservation and orders.
There will be another opportunity… Maybe on her birthday, in exactly a couple of months, Ross thought as he shut the tiny jewelry box, feeling a little more determined.
He couldn't let this ruin their anniversary. He refused anything to ruin his mood. So, he tucked the velvet box safely inside his briefcase, making a mental note to put it back in his locked drawer back at home.
He stole a glance toward the clock and noticed he had an hour before lunch break. Now he had to come up with a new way to spend their anniversary because even if she said she was working late, it didn't mean that they should just forget about the anniversary at all. It was their first anniversary after all, he wanted to make it meaningful.
Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind.
If she wasn't going to be able to leave her office, then maybe he could just bring the surprise to her. With a grin on his face, he got off from his seat and took off.
First stop, the florist.
Ross smiled as he looked at the items in his hand - a bouquet of white lilies, lunch, and her favorite cheese cake for desserts. After all… what's a celebration without some cake, right?
Truthfully… he was thinking about bringing her a whole picnic basket – the one he had initially prepared for the proposal, but he knew how much she hated having that kind of a surprise at work, so he quickly dismissed the idea. He cringed inwardly at the memory of last month where he showered her presents and even hired a barbershop quartet to surprise her at work. They had a huge fight over it. Yep, not exactly his proudest moment.
So, yeah. He wasn't going to make the same mistake; he wasn't that stupid.
He also knew she was busy, so he was just gonna ask her to spare a little time, maybe half an hour or so. He hoped she was going to be happy to see him here. He knew how much she stressed about work, so a break would be a great idea for her and they could have a small celebration and maybe resume it later when she got home.
Ross beamed proudly as he stepped inside the elevator, pushing the button to her floor. And as the elevator dinged, Ross was brought back from his muse. With a smile on his face, he made her way toward her desk.
Rachel sighed for the umpteenth time that day.
It was barely mid-day, but she was more than ready to go home and call it a day. She brought her fingers to massage her throbbing temple as she sat at her desk - piles of documents scattered on top of them. She needed to fix this; Joanna was counting on her. She couldn't afford to mess this up.
Oh god, she felt so tired.
Trying to prove herself, it was just so exhausting.
But she couldn't quit. She refused to quit.
She had made it this far; she wouldn't just give up. Not after everything, not after finally getting the job she truly enjoyed. She really loved working here, she really did. She was passionate about fashion, she loved being able to learn more and more about the industry. She felt lucky, really, because she knew not everyone got a chance to do this, to do something they loved for a living.
So, she wasn't going to complain. She was going to suck it up and fix this. The sooner she fixed this, the sooner she'd be home to him.
Oh, Ross…
Her heart clenched with guilt when she thought about her boyfriend. He was so understanding; she knew how much the anniversary meant to him – to them. She felt really bad for bailing on him, but it was not like she had another choice. She was telling the truth; she couldn't just abandon her responsibility. She had a job to do and she was so thankful he understood.
She looked around her office, stealing another glance toward the entrance. She let out a sigh of relief when she noticed no one was coming to deliver something 'special' for her.
It was almost an hour after she hung up the phone on him and since then, she had been worried that he'd do something stupid again this time.
Last month was embarrassing enough as it was. She knew he probably meant well. Although it was pretty obvious that he was trying to mark his territory, she still knew he didn't mean to embarrass her in front of her colleagues.
But she was embarrassed alright, not of him, but by the overwhelming gesture.
It was one thing sending a bouquet of flowers to your girlfriend's office, but hiring a barbershop quartet to serenade her in the middle of a working day? It was so over the line.
She was just glad he wasn't stupid enough to make the same mistake today.
At least she'd hoped so, because suddenly she saw him walking toward her – a grin on his face.
Uh oh.
"What are you doing here?" she didn't mean to sound snarky, but she couldn't help it.
Please, don't tell her he was here to mark his territory again.
She bit the inside of her mouth, trying hard to give him the benefit of the doubts.
Ross frowned at her tone; his heart dropped knowing she didn't seem to be pleased to see him.
"I came to bring you these, lunch and flowers, for you…" he showed her the bouquet of white lilies and the bag of lunch.
She smiled a little at that, internally grateful that he didn't go overboard this time. But still, after the incident last month, she preferred not to have him here. Again, not because she was embarrassed of him or that she didn't want to be seen around him, but because she wanted to be taken seriously around here and she couldn't do that if her boyfriend kept showing up here bearing gifts.
She could already see some of her coworkers snickered, talking about her in whispers, and she clenched her fists.
See, this was exactly why she didn't like him showing up at her work unannounced.
"Ross…" she said through her gritted teeth.
"Don't worry, I won't be long. It's just it's our anniversary and I just want to-"
"Ross!" she hissed, grabbing him by his elbow, bringing him to a quiet corner.
The last thing she wanted was for the whole office to hear about their arguments.
"You can't be here!" she hissed. "This is my office; you can't just keep showing up here unannounced."
"It's just lunch," Ross argued, getting riled up. "It's not like I-"
"What? Hire another barbershop quartet? Or maybe this time, a guy with a guitar?"
Gosh, she didn't mean to sound so mean, but for the love of god, she was exhausted.
Ross' face fell and her stomach churned at that sight, "Well… if you don't wanna see me, you could've just told me so."
Rachel's face softened at his admission.
She hurt him.
What the hell was she doing?
"Ross…" she called his name softly, reaching out to grab his hands. She felt incredibly relieved when he didn't back away from her touch. "It's not like I don't wanna see you. Of course, I want to see you. I can't wait to go home to you…"
"-but?"
Rachel sighed, "-but you can't be here, I-"
He let go of her hands, already backing away.
Ugh, can he just listen?
"R-ross…"
"Look, I heard it loud and clear, okay?" he took another step back. "You don't want me here."
"Ross…"
God, why did it feel like she was pushing him away? She didn't mean it like that.
"No, Rach. Really, I get it."
Rachel panicked and that was when she caught it from the corner of her eyes. People were now stopping, blatantly eavesdropping to their conversation. She closed her eyes; she couldn't have this argument here. She had a reputation to keep.
When she opened her eyes again, she was welcomed with the devastation look on his face and it hurt so much knowing she was the cause of his misery. She wanted nothing but to engulf him in her arms, kissing him, assuring him that she loved him, apologizing to him for breaking his heart…
But people were staring, so as much as it hurt her too, she refrained from doing so.
She clenched her fists on her side, deciding that she'd fix this too once they were home.
He would be there, right?
He was about to walk away when she called his name, stopping him.
"What?" he sighed.
"Will you be there tonight?" she asked quietly, so afraid that he'd say 'no.'
He didn't say anything for the first few seconds, but finally he opened his mouth to say, "I'll be there."
Instantly, relief flooded her entire body.
Good, she didn't completely ruin everything then.
He didn't wait another second though, he just walked away, and Rachel stood there – stricken, watching his back as he left the room.
She felt so guilty over this and then her eyes landed on her desk – on the bouquet of flowers and a bag of lunch he brought her. A small smile appeared on her face, that sweet man.
Oh, what the hell had she done?
It was a little after nine when Rachel finally made it home. She unlocked the door to her apartment, dropping her purse unceremoniously on the floor.
Her body ached and her head was still pounding from the stress both from work and her personal life. She was so tired. She wanted nothing but to crawl to bed, but she knew she couldn't do it because she saw him, sitting there on the couch of her living room, turning off the TV as soon as he noticed her presence.
He waited for her.
"Oh good, you're home," he said rather unenthusiastically, obviously still feeling her rejection earlier today. "I made some dinner, but I guess if you don't have time for that too…"
He was still upset, that was very much clear to her.
Rachel took her coat off, sighing as she hung them on the back of the door. She then made her way toward the refrigerator, grabbing a bottle of juice, taking a few big gulps.
She could already feel the weight of this conversation and she had a feeling that this night was far from over.
He was looking at her with that look in her face and she knew he was still so mad that she turned the lunch he had offered. Honestly, she was coming home tonight, more than ready to apologize to him. But now… he was baiting her?
This was downright childish and it actually pissed her off.
"You cannot show up at my work, unannounced. I can't have people at work to look down on me because my boyfriend keeps showing up at work, Ross," she gritted through her teeth. "I told you I didn't have the time," she sighed, feeling exhaustion creeping inside her bones, her head pounding louder and louder.
"You never have the time," he countered. "I mean, I don't feel like I even have a girlfriend anymore, Rachel."
"Ross, what do you want from me? You want me- You want me to quit my job? So you can feel like you have a girlfriend?"
"No, but it would be nice if you'd realize that it's just a job."
She was fumed.
Oh, she was downright furious.
Just a job?!
Didn't he realize that for the first time in her life, she was doing something. That she was doing something she actually cared about? This was the first time in her whole life that she was doing something she was good at, something she was passionate about.
She honestly thought, out of all other people, he would've known it better. He was just like her after all; he had a job he was passionate about. It was why she was drawn into him, his passion.
And now he was basically saying she couldn't do the same thing?
She was about to open her mouth to retaliate, but he preceded her.
"-It's not like I brought you a picnic basket or anything," he mumbled dejectedly, "-and I certainly didn't ask you to quit your job, I would never do that. I just want to have lunch with you, to spend time with you on our anniversary. Is that really too much to ask?"
For the first time that night, she was left speechless from his words.
His question kept ringing inside of her head.
Is that really too much to ask?
A/N
Hi, everyone! I hope 2023 is treating you all well… To be honest, I've never expected to post another story this year, but here we are anyway…
The story will consist of four to five chapters (including the epilogue). I've written most of them before I decided to post the first chapter, so fear not, this won't ended up unfinished lol And if any of you have read my one of my one-shots before ('Frozen Yogurt'), maybe you're wondering if this is the same story (because the notion is quite similar, I know). But I can assure you, it's not the same. I did, however, take some of the lines from that story (and also from the show), but this story is going to be different than my previous one. I can't reveal too much though, so you gotta stick around to find more about it. *wink
Oh, and last but not least… I want to thank my friend, (rayraygreen04) for helping me with this story. If not because of her, this story wouldn't turn out the way it is. I had the basic idea, but she was the one who came up with most of the storylines. So, I cannot take all the credits for this one.
I hope you're enjoying it, see you soon!
