I'm sorry it took me so long to come back with this last chapter, I've had very busy weeks but here it is finally! I'm not very happy with the outcome, I haven't been very inspired lately but I needed to finish it before I go on my trip. I hope it doesn't disappoint you. Thank you so much for the lovely reviews and to the negative ones…well I'm sorry, I can't please everybody. This is my story and how I pictured it. Thank you all for reading and taking the time to review. I really appreciate it.
Enjoy it!
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CHAPTER 17
The cab disappears from my view and I suddenly feel weak, drained by all the conflicting emotions I've felt in the last twenty-four hours. But most of all I feel lost, confused, because the closure I was hopeful to find in that meeting turned out to be a wall of guilt and regret that most likely will follow me the rest of my time.
I sigh deeply and turn over my heels, wanting to reach my bed, have some needed sleep and perhaps push this day to the back of my mind.
"Where the hell did I put my keys!" I ask myself aloud as I revolve, again and again, my hand inside my purse, but I give up after a few seconds. "fuck!" I sit on the curb and check it one more time, already certain that I left them in my other purse and failed to change them before leaving. "Stupid me!" I exclaim dropping the purse heavily. What am I supposed to do now! I stare at the pavement before me, trying to find a solution to a sleepless night out in the cold street. For a brief moment I consider going to my parents', but I rule out the idea right away, since it would probably mean giving them a heart attack if I showed up at 2am.
I gaze in despair at the high building behind me. Ugh. It used to be so much easier when this happened at home, at least back them I could climb up to a window and get in. My body shivers, feeling the chilliness getting deeper into my bones. Just then a cab pulls up in front of me and as if a sign, he instantly enters my mind. I could…go back to him. I bite my bottom lip, wondering if seeing him again will be a good or bad decision. Pushed by the cold temperature, I stand up and ran towards the cab.
(…)
I knock on his hotel room door with trembling hands. How should I explain this? What will he say when he says me there? What if he has left? I get the answer to my last question when he opens the door, still fully dressed in that sexy black suit. Thank god.
"Rachel" he says surprised.
"Hi again" I give a shy smile.
"wh-what a-re you doing here? Did something happen?" he asks with a frown of concern.
"Nothing serious, I…well I sort of locked myself out of my apartment" I shrug embarrassed.
"Oh"
"I didn't have anywhere else to go…I'm afraid you're stuck with me for the rest of the night"
"that sure is not a bad thing, come in" he says with a huge smile that makes my stomach jump in uncalled for excitement.
"Thank you" I whisper as I walk past him. I hear him close the door and I suddenly become a bundle of nerves; knowing that I've returned to a trap I'm likely to fall into sooner or later. This is not good, you're weak when you're around him; this won't end well. I clench my fists to regain some strength and turn around to find him standing still right behind me.
"I hope I didn't disrupt your sleep" I say tilting my head in apology.
"You didn't, I was in the balcony…thinking" he quietly says; he looks at me as if wanting to add something, nonetheless he stays mum. I nod my head, not brave enough to ask more.
"So" I awkwardly say.
"So" he repeats.
"If you want to go to bed…go ahead, I don't want to be a bother"
"I'm not sleepy, are you?"
"me neither…"
"Then…" he trails off as he scans the room for a moment. "How about we finish that bottle of wine?" he says clapping his hands once. I smile amused.
"You're very keen on finishing that bottle tonight, ain't you?"
"It was expensive" he says with a cute shrug. I can't help a soft chuckle.
"Okay, bring it in" he smiles and moves towards the balcony. He returns carrying the bottle in one hand and the two glasses in the other. "Just a little okay? I don't want to have a headache tomorrow" I ask as he hands me a glass.
"Yes Miss" his soft voice calling me 'miss' and his quirky smile makes me blush more than it should. "I'm happy you're here"
"I'm happy too" maybe too much happy.
"Cheers" he says as he gently clinks his glass with mine and takes a sip with his eyes fixed on me. I bring the glass to my lips and move my eyes to the liquid while I feel heat gathering in my cheeks. Please, give me strength! I lick my lips, giving myself some time to gather enough courage to look up again.
"Some things never change" I raise my eyes and I find his smiley face.
"What do you mean?" I ask with a frown of confusion.
"You still blush when I gaze at you" he adds in a murmur while my heart races with his unexpected comment.
"no I don't" I nervously respond.
"Yes you do" he teases me, making me blush even more. Damn it!
"okay, you intimidate me when you look at me like that so please stop" I beg, moving my eyes away from his intense stare.
"Then stop looking that beautiful" my knees go weak, and I have a hard time trying to hide my irrational excitement. I get captivated by his gorgeous smile and it takes me some good seconds to realize I'm smiling like a smitten teenager. Then his smile fades and I see how his eyes travel down to my lips, setting off a dozen alarms in my head. For a moment a want to ignore them, let him go on with whatever he has in mind, but I freak out the moment he begins to lean forwards. Why on earth is he doing this?
I loudly clear my throat and walk past him before I fall defenceless upon his feet. I head towards the sitting area, away from that dangerous spot near him.
"So…I told you about my work life, what about you, what's your occupation at the moment?" I change topics, not giving him time to speak. I sit on one of the chairs and keep my eyes on my glass, waiting for me reddened cheeks to return to its normal color. He stays silent and unmoving for a moment, probably taken aback by my abrupt getaway. Ugh, I should have let him kiss me, why am I all of a sudden feeling insecure?
"I…" he begins as he follows my steps and takes seat in the chair next to me. "I currently work at the museum of natural history" he tries to speak as nonchalantly as possible.
"That's…nice! You used to love that museum…especially the dino section" I imitate his casual tone.
"yup, that's my favorite part" he says in a chuckle. "it's fun to watch kid's reaction to the huge T-Rex we have there"
"I bet it is" I say before taking another sip from my glass and setting it on the coffee table.
"I'm also finishing my Ph.D soon" he adds after a brief silence.
"oh, you want to be a professor?" I immediately roll my eyes at my unnecessary question. Think smarter questions silly!
"Yeah, I think that's always been my vocation"
"Great then, I'm happy for you"
"So am I" he smiles at me and I immediately get mesmerized by the cute pimples on his cheeks, those I loved to dip my fingers into.
"And your wife, what does she do?" I quickly ask, jumping out from his spell. His facial expression changes radically and his answer leaves me rather dumbfounded.
"Why do you bring her up again?" he asks with seriousness, almost as if mad at me for mentioning her.
"wh-why shouldn't I?" I ask rather disconcerted by his sudden mood alteration.
"Because you couldn't care less about her" I frown surprised.
"I-I'm being polite" I excuse myself, keeping my voice low.
"no, you're asking random questions to avoid talking about us" he raises his voice.
"ha!" I exclaim as I stand up from my seat enraged and partly scared, because despite the pass of time he still knows me pretty well. "That is not true!" I say standing in front of him with my hands on my hips. "Besides we've talked long enough about what happened, if you want to make me feel culpable again then I should go, I'm not in the mood for that" he quickly stands up from his seat and faces me.
"You know that's not what I want" he says grabbing my hand, which I immediately release.
"What do you want then?" I ask, shaking my head from side to side.
"I want to get back what we lost years ago" he slowly says, sorrow present in his voice. My lips part but no words exit my mouth. I'm confused, astonished to say the least by his confession. Why is he saying that? Isn't he supposed to be happily married?
"But we can't, or have you forgotten this?" I sharply say as I grab his wrist and lift it to show him his own wedding band which he seems to have dismissed from his mind. I stare at him trying not to break into tears. He sighs and looks back at me with pleading eyes.
"please calm down, I don't want to argue with you" I obey him and take a deep breath to cool off. "let's pretend those rings don't exist…for tonight at least…please Rach" he begs as he gets a little bit closer. I swallow the increasing lump in my throat and try to keep my head cool, at least cooler than my body.
"What do we win with that? Ignoring them won't make it any less true Ross, we can't just throw everything and everybody away and be together"
"why not?" he helplessly says, grabbing my hands and looking deep into my eyes.
"why not? Don't you care about your wife?" I ask in disbelief.
"I don't have a wife" he suddenly says, leaving me stunned.
"y-you what?" I exclaim incredulous, my eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets.
"I-I mean, I do have a wife but…we're separated"
"y-you are-"
"we're separated" he interrupts my stutter. "I filled the divorce papers two days ago" he says with surprising calmness.
"…are you serious?" I mutter, unable to blink my eyes.
"I am very serious…we broke up five months ago" he says with a sad half-smile.
"But…h-how…wha-what happened? You seemed so happy talking about her" I shake my head, trying to take in his words but the whole situation seems rather surreal, specially after the way he had bragged about his happy life earlier in the evening.
"We…well, she is…I mean...she, she is a lesbian" he says tilting his head in shame. I arch my eyebrows, not giving credit to what my ears were hearing.
"Did you just say lesbian? Is this a joke?" I ask, still in disbelief.
"I wish I could say yes to that, but it's completely true" his shyness saying those words erases all doubts off my head. "my wife likes women…probably as much as I do" I press my lips tightly, trying to keep a straight face.
"wow…that must've been a big shock for you"
"yeah…I didn't take it very well" he says chuckling.
"Why didn't you tell me that before?" I wonder, and why is he telling me now?
"What did you want me to do, say 'nice to see you again Rachel, by the way I'm married to a lesbian woman" he says with pretended sarcasm, I send him a sympathetic smile. "jokes aside…it's just that…I didn't want to look like a looser before you, it's kind of embarrassing telling people your wife prefers women over you" he timidly says and an involuntary chuckle leaves my mouth. I bring my hand to cover it.
"sorry" I apologize. "this is just so surreal"
"No worries, you can laugh it out, I've overcome my deep embarrassment by now" I let out another chuckle and he joins me. But when laughter fades confusion takes over me again.
"If this is true then…why do you still wear that ring?" he looks down at his hand, silent. His sadness lets me know he truly loved that woman, and despite that feeling of jealousy raising within me my heart aches for him, but more than anything I feel sad, because if it wasn't for my marriage I would be kissing this man this very moment.
"Because I hadn't found a reason to" he lifts his eyes and gives me an honest smile. "…until yesterday" he whispers, surprising me with the back of his hand caressing my left cheek. I close my eyes, paralyzed by his soft touch. I feel my stomach fill with dozens of lively butterflies.
When I open my eyes again he is standing in a dangerous closeness to me, which makes my entire common-sense jump off the window and I have to resist a strong urge to kiss him.
"that's…nice to hear" I mumble unable to look anywhere else but his gorgeous eyes. He gives me the cutest smile and then I observe how he moves his hand from my face to his other hand. He slowly slides the wedding band off his finger and places it over and the chest of drawers on his right. My heart begins to race when he grabs my hands and looks at me in the most loving way.
"let's give us another chance" he whispers, stroking the back of my hands with his thumbs. I bit my bottom lip as I get lost in his eyes, wanting to yell a loud and clear yes. However, Barry enters my mind, and even though I don't love him as one should love a husband I cannot help but feel bad, guilty for considering any possibility of Ross and I while we're still together.
"I am married…" I quietly say, wishing my own words weren't true. His smile disappears as reality hits him again.
"right…right" he mumbles, lowering his head in sorrow. "Do you love him?" he asks, his voice almost inaudible.
"I…I guess I do" I say in a helpless shrug. He grabs my hands with more strength as if urging me to say the truth.
"you don't love him…otherwise you wouldn't doubt, tell me the truth Rach" he asks and I know he can read the truth in my eyes, but for some reason I can't admit it out loud.
I don't love Barry, but what can I do? He is my husband, a good one in fact. How can I just leave him for something I don't even know if it's going to work?
"I may not love him as I'm supposed to…" I quietly admit "but he is my husband"
"so what? You can get a divorce" I feel him tight his grip on my hands and beg me through his eyes but despite wanting to leave everything and run to his arms I feel scared, scared to fail again.
"I can't do that to Barry…" I mumble, feeling tears forming in my eyes.
"c'mon Rach, fate is clearly giving us another change, don't let it pass by, you don't love Barry, Are you really willing to spend the rest of your life with him?"
"ugh I don't know Ross! Don't pressure me! I've had a very overwhelming day and I'm sleep-deprived, I don't want to think about that now" I snap as I abruptly release my hands from his. I immediately regret the tone of voice I used when he lowers his face in shame.
"alright, alright I'm sorry…I just…I don't want to loose you again" he murmurs the last words and my heart melts. If only I was single, everything would be much simpler.
"Neither do I…but I don't want to screw everything up again either, I want to make things right this time, I don't want to base my future on a spur of the moment decision…I hope you can understand that"
"I do, I understand and forget what I said okay?; I don't mean to push you into anything, the least I want is to bug you" he says in an apologetic tone that makes me fall for his kindness even more.
"Thank you" I mumble.
"I'd do whatever you ask me" he says, bringing a smile to my face.
"Then can we pretend this conversation didn't happen? At least while I get my mind straight?"
"sure…what was it that we were talking before?" he says faking confusion.
"Thank you" I repeat as I send him a smile of gratitude.
"You're welcome" he says, stroking my arm for a blissful moment. "wanna dance?" he asks out of the blue. I frown confused.
"what, where, Here?"
"yeah, there's a hi-fi system over there" he says pointing behind me. "I haven't dance in a long while"
"it's almost 4 in the morning Ross, there are asleep people in the rooms nearby" I say, laughing at his crazy idea.
"to hell with them, I paid a fortune for this room, I'm allowed to do whatever a please" he says as he walks determine towards the hi-fi system. I observe from my spot how he turns on the radio and my blood drops to my feet when the first notes of "with or without you", our song, begins to play.
"Did you set this up?" I ask. However, his face tells me he is as stunned as me.
"I swear I didn't…I put the radio" I look down inundated by the memories that said song brings to my mind. "hey" he murmurs as he grabs my chin and lifts my face. "I can turn it off if you want" I blink back forming tears and smile.
"no it's okay, it's just that…so many good memories are linked to this song"
"I know" he whispers, enveloping me in an unexpected hug, nonetheless I don't pull back and embrace this moment with all my heart.
I bury my face in his chest and hold back tears of nostalgia while I feel him begin to sway our bodies to the soft notes of the song. My arms find their way around his neck and I gently bring him closer, not feeling scared in his arms anymore but safe. I close my eyes and as if viewing an old movie I see us, a younger version of us, dancing to this same song that day he bought the cd for me and I played it over and over again. But it's now when the lyrics have gotten a real meaning, unfortunately.
"through the storm we reach the shore, you give it all but I want more, and I'm waiting for you…with or without you…with or without you, I can't live…with or without you" he begins to sing along very lowly, yet I can hear him, which makes me heart shrink since I know he is not just singing, but meaning every single word of them. My guilt grows more and more until I cannot hold my tears. I cry silently, but I feel the need to let him know how sorry I am for everything. I swallow my tears and lift my gaze, our eyes meet.
"I'm so sorry Ross, if I could turn back time I would've nev-"
"shh, forget about the past" he murmurs, placing a small kiss on my forehead. "just pretend there is nobody outside these four walls, it's you and I, only" he says, stroking my back reassuringly, never stopping his soft movements. I listen to his words and sweep away from my mind every worry, every person until it's just me and my feelings. I embrace him closer, finally feeling a peace I hadn't felt in years.
"with or without you, with or without you, I can't live…with or without you"I rest my chin on his shoulder and release more tears, wondering how I've gone through all these years without his hugs, his smell, his warmth against my body.
"I can't live without Rach" he suddenly whispers in my ear, his voice quivering a little. "I didn't know that till this very moment, but I can't" A chill runs down my spine and I pull back a little to look at him, feeling brave enough to say it back.
"I can't live without you either; I just need to think this through …will you wait for me?" I ask with dread.
"As long as you need, be sure of that" he whispers back, and his words manage to calm me down, knowing he'll be there no matter what.
He plants another kiss in my forehead and I close my eyes to enjoy the amazing effect that his lips have triggered in my body. I look up at him and smile, and then, dragged by my own instincts I lean on my toes and kiss him, just like that.
His body flickers at my unexpected kiss but soon enough he responds with equal desire, making my knees go weak instantly. I grab on his shirt and kiss him with the urgency and need I've been holding all day.
His mouth invades mine and I'm overwhelmed by the many sensations he causes on me with such simple act.
"We should stop, I don't want you to regret this later" he says breathless against my lips. I stop for a second, already sure that I'm not willing to stop this any time soon. Tonight nobody exists except us…
"I won't" I state, looking deep into his eyes. I kiss him deep again and before I know it his arms slip to my thighs, lift me in the air and carry me to bed. We both fall over, me on to top of him. I straddle him as well as my dress allows me and my head begins to spin when his mouth welcomes my tongue with hunger.
His hands travel to the top of my zip; my body trembles when my dress begins to open, exposing my bare back. However, he doesn't attempt to pull it off and he surprises me rolling us over until he is lying over me; all throughout wet, steamy kisses. The temperature of my body rises with every kiss, every new touch, sending chills I hadn't felt in years running through my body and making me moan involuntarily.
I unbutton his shirt with eagerness, wanting to touch, to explore his skin and remember every corner of his body as I used to. His lips leave my mouth to draw a trail of light kisses down my neck and shoulder; meanwhile his hands slip under my dress and begin to caress my buttocks with torturing slowness. Each time he touches me I feel my hormones waking up from their long slumber one by one, making me feel sensations I had lost in time. I gasp when he gently pushes his hips into mine and moans in my ear.
He then begins to pull down my dress; my heart races in anticipation.
"do you have condoms?" I hear myself asking under my breath. He stops in his tracks and I see how his face goes instantly pale. Uh-oh
"no…" he helplessly says "do you?"
"no…" I say biting my lip, and the mood is instantly killed. Fuck! Our eyes meet and I can see in his eyes he is recalling the same memory as me. We burst out laughing. "This was bound to happen to us, wasn't it?"
"We're pathetic" he says in a sad chuckle. He heavily exhales as he reluctantly moves to a side and collapses next to me, emitting a groan of frustration. I look up at the ceiling while I try to regain my breath, unsure of whether it's anger or relief what I'm feeling. "man, why does this keep happening to me! I should've learnt from experience" I direct my eyes to him and smile; endeared by his adorable whining. I lie on my side and stroke his cheek softly, wishing I had that crazy teenage spirit that made me take all the risks without worrying about the consequences.
"This is probably for the best" I tell him and myself.
"Wish I could say the same" he says, wrinkling his nose in a cute way. I reach for his lips and kiss him gently and for some seconds we're lip-locked in a slow, but rather arousing kiss.
"I think we should have some sleep, it's late" I say as I slowly move away from his arms.
"are you gonna be here when I wake up?" he says, fear showing in his voice.
"yes" and this time I'm not lying.
"okay" he murmurs as he half-heartedly stands up from the bed to turn off the radio. "what?" he asks worried by my quietness.
"I just realised I don't have anything to sleep in"
"do you want my shirt?"
"then what are you gonna wear?"
"don't worry, I normally sleep in my underwear" including today? Oh gosh, he is doing this on purpose, isn't he? I'd better fall asleep soon.
"okay, thank you" I accept, not having any other option. He takes off the shirt I had unbuttoned before and expose his bare fit torso, which I try to ignore to avoid further temptations.
"here you have"
"thanks I'll…use the bathroom"
"sure"
I close the door behind me and allow myself to exhale the air trapped within my throat. I soon get rid of my half opened scarlet dress and my bra before covering my body with his white shirt. His scent invades me and seeing my reflection wearing his shirt inexplicably turns me on again. I take a few breaths to calm myself and leave the room to find him already under the covers. Phew.
"hi" why do I say that?
"hi" he says in a funny chuckle. "you look sexy" he teasingly say, making my blush rather noticeable.
"shut up" I climb onto the bed and safely lie on the other end of it, leaving a reasonable distance between us. We look at each other and yet again I'm taken to another memory from seven years ago.
"it seems everything we do tonight reminds me of a past memory, look at us now, sleeping on the same bed and I'm wearing your shirt" his smile tells me he had thought of the same thing.
"…that was one of the best nights of my life" he says, his voice acquiring a sweet tone.
"yeah…although I gotta say, as fancy as this room is, it can't be compared to the gorgeous blanket of stars of that night"
"of that night and many others"
"I miss those nights" we share a look of knowledge that also expresses nostalgia. I would give anything to relive those nights…Then all of a sudden he gets up from the bed and walks towards the desk. I frown confused.
"w-what are you doing?" I ask, but he doesn't give me an answer, making my curiosity grow more. He returns with a pierced paper in his hands, which he places on the upper hole of the bedside lamp, which projects a bunch of little circles on the ceiling that simulate stars. I giggle at his out of the blue invention.
"Better now?" he says with a childlike smile.
"You're so silly" I say in a helpless chuckle. "But yeah, much better" I mumble as I get closer and wrap my arms around his torso, pushing aside awkwardness and fear. He soon embraces my body and I fall in love with this feeling of security that I only get in his arms. And it's here where I wonder how I could have hesitated wanting to spend the rest of my life with him.
"do you mind if I sleep like this?" I quietly ask, nestling into his arms.
"not at all" he whispers. I rest my head on his chest and I feel how he kisses my hair.
"Ross"
"yeah?"
"don't put in doubt my feelings…it's just that…I need to talk things through with Barry first"
"I know, and as I told you I will wait for you, as long as you need"
"thank you" I whisper through a genuine smile "good night Ross"
"good night princess" he murmurs that familiar sentence while kissing my forehead once again. I smile to myself as I close my eyes, happy to fall asleep in his arms.
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I arrive at the Geller's household with the biggest smile across my face. The day I was waiting for arrived. One month passed since that night at the hotel plaza and I kept the promise I made to him. I think everything through, for weeks, and I took a decision that will make a u-turn in my life, one I'm utterly excited about.
"oh my god Rachel? Is it you?" Judy exclaims the moment she opens the door.
"Hi Mrs Geller"
"hi sweetheart, I hadn't seen you in years! come here, give me a hug" she says opening her arms, I gladly hug her in return. "I had no idea you were coming to the wedding"
"well, neither did I"
"Come in, the ceremony will start in a few minutes, do you want to see Monica before the wedding starts? She is in her room"
"sure, thank you Mrs Geller"
I walk up the stairway and crack her door open quietly. I find her looking at herself in front of the mirror, glowing of happiness.
"you look breathtaking in that wedding dress" She immediately turns around, stunned by the sound of my voice.
"oh my god Rachel! You came!" she exclaims as she runs towards me and gives me the biggest hug. "wow, you look gorgeous"
"no more than you, you're beautiful"
"thanks" she says with a broad smile. "I'm so happy you're here"
"really? I was expecting a slap on the face to be honest" I jokingly say, although I truly deserve it. "you should be mad at me" She smiles at me and I cannot handle what a nice person Monica is.
"I used to be, but I can't stay mad at you forever…let alone on my wedding day. I'm getting married Rach!" she yells in a high pitched voice. I chuckled amused.
"I can't believe it, it seems like yesterday we were lying on this bed, talking about your first time with your lovebird" I tease and I can really tell she is still as in love as when that conversation took place.
"I know! I wish you had called me though, I would have loved for you to be my maid of honor" she says pouting. I hold her hand and apologise the best I can.
"I'm so sorry honey, for everything. I'm such a bad friend; I shouldn't have left you the way I did"
"don't torture yourself with that, what matters is that you're here now, and I won't let you disappear again"
"but I owe you an explanation"
"Ross already told me what happened"
"oh"
"by the way, Does Ross know you're here?"
"no"
"then I assume you're here to tell him…" I nod my head, unable to hide my happiness. "that's awesome!" she exclaims as she hugs me again. "You made the right decision"
"I know I did"
"When are you gonna tell him?"
"as soon as I see him. I'm freaking out Mon!"
"aw everything will be fine, he's still head over heels for you, he hasn't stopped talking about you since he saw you"
"really?"
"yeah, you brought light back to his life, I hadn't seen him this happy in years" her words does nothing but put a bigger smile on my face.
A knock on the door disrupt our conversation.
"Monica, are you ready?" Judy asks from the doorway.
"almost, just one more minute"
"I'll let you finish" I say, stroking her hand. "we'll have tons of time to catch up"
"okay, I'll see you after the ceremony and good luck honey"
"thanks sweetie"
"I hope to see you there when I throw my bouquet" I wink my eye at her before leaving the room.
I enter the yard as unnoticeably as possible. The place is decorated in the most beautiful exquisite way, as it couldn't be any other way being Monica the person getting married. I take seat in the last row of chair and say hi to the unknown person next to me. I observe my surrounds with nervousness; my legs shake uncontrollably while I search for him. I soon find him ahead in the provisional altar; standing next to that guy he introduced me to in that coffee place. I can't help the wide smile that seeing him puts in my face. And then finally he notices me. His eyes widen in shock and I send him a relaxed smile. However he moves his eyes away several times and then returns to me as if wanting to make sure I am really there. We lock gazes through most of the ceremony, and I already knew my life has changed since this very moment.
(…)
"now I pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride" the priest says. Every person in the yard stands up from their seat and clap energetically as Monica and Chandler melt in their first kiss as a married couple. Then Everybody gathers around the couple to congratulate them, except me. I stay in my spot, eager to find him and tell him the news. That's when he appears among the crowded aisle, looking all handsome in his best man suit. He stops some feet away and gives me an enquiring look. I lift my hand and smile as I show him in the distance my ring less finger. He returns my smile and it takes him a second to cover the distance between us and lift me in the air in a tight hug that sends me to cloud nine.
"is this real? Are you here?" he asks, still shocked to see me there.
"very real" I murmur, looking up at him fully in love.
"what happened with…?" he trails off.
"long story short, I went back to Chicago…realised I've been missing you all my life and that I couldn't go on with this lie of a marriage, so I gathered all my courage and told Barry, we broke up and I ended up here…jobless, houseless, but with you" I say as adjunct the knot of his tie.
"that is…incredible" he says kissing my cheek. "and How did he take it?"
"Surprisingly well actually, he told me he had been feeling things for another woman and he didn't know how to tell me, I guess we both knew our marriage wasn't the real thing"
"I'm sorry?"
"don't be, it was a big relief for me. I didn't want to hurt him after how nice he had treated me…I'm scared to tell my father though, he was very in love with him" I say biting my bottom lip.
"I'll help you with that" he says giving a reassuring kiss to my forehead. "so you're all mine now?"
"all yours, I'm here to stay this time"
"that's…the best news I've ever been given" he murmurs as he leans forward with the intention to kiss my lips, nonetheless I back off, inhibited by the amount of people around us.
"hey, why would you pull back?" he complains.
"I don't want to kiss you in front of everybody" I shyly say.
"why?"
"because it's too soon, nobody knows we're back together"
"kiss me!"
"no"
"I won't breathe until you kiss me" he says before filling his cheeks with air and sealing his lips.
"oh c'mon, Ross don't be childish, Ross quit it! okay whatever" I say crossing my arms and waiting for him to stop this nonsense, but he seems determine not to. "Ross stop! You're turning red, ugh alright" I roll my eyes and finally lean on my tiptoes and kiss his lips briefly. However he manages to encircle my waist and traps me within his arms to catch my lips in a fervent kiss. I surrender to his amazing kiss right away and forget there are over a hundred people around us. "that was a hell of a kiss" I sensually say near his mouth as we part. "But reserve something for tonight"
"oh don't worry about that" he says adding a wink that makes me giggle.
"I've got a question to ask you mister" I whisper as I give him a small peck.
"ask away"
"…Are you willing to start anew…with me?"
"more than anything" he murmurs with a smile as he grabs my face and places a kiss on my lips. "I love you" I smile like a newly fallen in love teenage.
"I love you too" I tell him right from the bottom of my heart.
"wait right here, I want to introduce you to somebody" he says before walking away.
"okay" I frown confused and nervous at the same time. My heart skips a beat the moment I see him return carrying a toddler in his arms. That must be his son.
"Ben, say hi to Rachel" he sweetly says to his child, and I immediately fall in love with this paternal side of him.
"Hi wachel" the fair-haired child quietly says, and to my own surprise I don't feel terrified to be around a kid.
"Hi Ben" I caress his smooth cheek and he lets out a loud giggle that warms my heart. "He is adorable…like his father"
"I know" he says with a proud smile. "Should I assume you're not scared of him?"
"how could I, he seems so sweet"
"I love hearing that"
"In fact…Do you think we could give Ben a little sister, in a future I mean?"
"I'd love that" he murmurs with a beaming smile. I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him. Watching us, Ben does the same and wraps his arms around our necks as well as he can, making us burst out laughing.
We exchange I love you's before we kiss again; in that yard where it all started seven years ago, where today I've just gotten my life and happiness back.
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thank you so much all of you for reading. I'd love to read your last thoughts on this ending. Hope you enjoyed it.