CHAPTER 7 AND LAST.

"Rachel, I forgot to tell you, Ross is coming home in a few hours" Monica said as she entered Rachel's bedroom and spotted her reading in her bed.

"what!" she exclaimed in a jump. "I thought he wasn't coming in another 4 months" she said bewildered.

"well yes, he is just coming to take Ben, he'll leave tomorrow but he wanted to have dinner with us first"

"that's great" she said trying not to give away how extremely excited and nervous she was about it. She had missed him terribly much; it had been two months without his presence, although to her it seemed he had been away for a whole year.

She got dressed and waited in the living room while Monica prepared the meal. Her eyes were staring at the bright screen of the Tv but actually seeing nothing, since her mind was concentrated in the purple door of their apartment, waiting for any possible sound that could confirm he was there. When that moment came, her heart skipped a beat in anticipation.

"come in!" Monica shouted from the kitchen. Rachel immediately stood up and held her air as she watched the door open slowly.

"Hi!" Ross greeted with a wide smile as he got into the apartment and walked towards his sister. Rachel's happy smile instantly faded away from her lips and her face went pale as if she had seen a ghost.

"hello" a woman's voice sounded with shyness behind him. Said woman was holding Ross' hand and seemed to be really close to him. Rachel could feel her heart sinking at the sight in front of her. who was that woman and what was she doing holding his hand!

"oh hi! You are…?" Monica said politely.

"she is my girlfriend, Sarah" Ross told her with a proud smile on his face. His words petrified Rachel's body completely. His girlfriend? Her mind repeated in spite of herself, she could feel her eyes burning with tears and a sharp pain breaking into her chest. "Ross" she called his name, but he didn't seem to have noticed her presence nor heard her voice. "Ross" she called him louder, but it was useless, it was as if she had become invisible to him. Tears began to pour off her eyes as she tried to breath deeply; the anxiety provoked by the view in front of her was suffocating her and no one seemed to notice. She then closed her eyes and tried to evade from that painful moment…

Her eyes opened widely; complete darkness surrounded her, which made her realize everything had been a dream. She sighed deeply as she pulled herself up on the bed; her body was covered in sweat and was trembling quite noticeably. She brought her hands to her face as she recalled the awful dream, the same dream that had been bothering her for a long time now, since he left and she had not received a single call from him.
"damn you Geller!" she said aloud in frustration. She couldn't comprehend why he hadn't called her as he had promised two months ago before leaving. She felt angry, mad towards him, but more than anything she felt sad; thinking he might have forgotten her or even worse: he could have found a new woman to give his love to. The only thought made her heart sink in pain.
Not having news from him was like having no air to breathe; she needed to talk to him, hear his voice, know how he was, what he was doing…everything! in order to be happy again. But she couldn't; she had no way to contact with him even if she wanted to, since when he left, he only mentioned Boston, and no address or phone number was given, which got her really angry the first weeks, then she got used to it, as she didn't have any other choice but resign herself and wait for his call, which hadn't had come yet.
Leaving her worries behind she decided to get up and have a long bath to try calm herself, since she had only an hour left before work.

When she got back home all her friends were gathered in the living room.
"hey guys" she said as she hung her coat in the hanger and walked towards them. Phoebe, Joey and Chandler directed a rather nervous look towards her. Rachel frowned estranged.

"what's up?"

"emm nothing! We were heading to the coffee place, right Joe?" Chandler clumsily said as he stood up and smacked Joey's shoulder.

"what?" he asked confused "oh yeah…wanna come Rach?" Joey asked as he stood up too, but Rachel didn't seem to have heard his question since all her attention went to Monica, who was murmuring something into the phone.

"Alright, love you, bye" she said before hanging up.

"who was that?" Rachel asked nervously, understanding now the weirdness in her friends' behaviour.

"that was…Ross" Monica said carefully as she placed the telephone back in its place.

"oh…" she let out, trying to hide the happiness and disappoint she was feeling altogether. It had been the first call since he had been away and she hadn't had the chance to talk to him. "What did he say?" She asked trying to sound casual.

"no much…he said that everything is going very well and that he wants me to bring him Ben next week…oh, and he sends everyone his regards" Monica said with a smile.

"that's all?" she said with an artificial smile. Hadn't he asked for her?

"pretty much"

"great!" she said giving a small smile and heading towards her room. Everyone in the room fell in silence and shared looks, knowing perfectly what each other was thinking.

"so…coffee place?" Joey said after some seconds.

"yes! I have to play my songs in about half an hour!" Phoebe exclaimed.

"I'll go ask Rach if she wants to come, I'll be right back" Monica said walking towards Rachel's bedroom. She knocked softly and entered.

"hey, are you okay?" Monica asked her.

"yes, I'm perfectly fine, why?" she asked sloppily as she pretended to be busy straightening up her closet.

"nothing…just wondering…hey, do you want to come with us to the coffee place?"

"thanks, but I'll pass…I'm kind of tired…it's been a really tiring day in the office"

"you've been saying that pretty much every day now…"

"well, we've had a busy month Mon, it's not my fault"

"honey, I know you, that's not the real reason" she carefully said as she placed her hands over her shoulders. Rachel turned around and smile.

"I don't know what you are talking about"

"you haven't placed a foot in the coffee place in two months…"

"so? I've been working a lot and I'm too exhausted when I get home, I just don't feel like hanging out…"

"are you telling me the truth?"

"of course Monica, why would I lie in such thing anyway?"

"right…but honey you need to get your mind out of work from time to time…"

"I know and I promise you I'll go with you guys as soon as I have a break, okay?"

"okay…" she said finally giving up, knowing she wasn't going to open up as much as she tried to push her. "have a good rest then…see you later"

"see ya" Rachel replied as she turned back to her closet. When she finally heard the main door of the apartment closing she let herself plop on her bed and sighed. She had lied; it wasn't true that she had loads of work that didn't leave her time for anything else. That was an excuse, an excuse she had made up to avoid going to a place that was full of memories; good, bad and wonderful memories that always involved him, Reason why she hadn't felt brave enough to go back there yet.

The sound of the telephone blocked her thoughts and her heart instinctively began to beat fast inside her chest thinking it could be him calling. Before the third ring could sound she had picked up the phone.

Meanwhile Monica, Chandler and Joey observed from their seat a focussed Phoebe, who was at the moment singing her characteristic song "smelly cat". However, no one of them was actually paying attention to the song; Joey was hungrily looking back and forth towards the counter, waiting for his delicious muffin to come and give it the biggest bite. Chandler, on his side, was laughing by himself at some jokes he had made earlier that day, while Monica's mind was occupied with Rachel and her big change in the latest weeks.

"hey, you okay?" Chandler asked, noticing how quiet she was.

"I'm fine; I'm just worried about Rachel…"

"what's up with her?"

"that's the thing, I don't know what's up with her, she doesn't tell me anything anymore, but I KNOW there's something bothering her!"

"Have you asked her?"

"duh? Of course I have, but she always tells me she is fine, and when I try to insist she makes up an excuse and shuts herself in her bedroom"

"maybe Ross has something to do with this…"

"I guess…she isn't the same since he left but…she hardly ever mentions him… It's like she doesn't care-" some clapping was heard as Phoebe ended her performance and went back to her friends.

"that was really great Pheebs" said Joey.

"I know, I know" she said as she took a seat "what were you talking about?"

"Ross" said Chandler

"oh! Let's make a road trip and visit him!" she said all excited.

"yeah!" Joey soon joined her.

"guys I don't think it's a good idea, he is very busy, he can't even come to take Ben"

"he'll have time for his lovely friend Phoebe! Who is coming with me? Joey, Chandler?"

"okay" they both said at the same time.

"alright, we'll make a road trip…" Monica said rolling her eyes "but first I need to ask him, okay?" everyone agreed.

"should we tell Rachel?" Joey asked.

"of course! We are gonna have so much fun!" said Phoebe clapping her hands several times.

"well, now you have a way to figure out if this is about Ross" Chandler told her.

…..

"yes?" Rachel quickly said, dying to hear his voice in the other end.

"oh, Hi Rachel! How are you dear?"

"hi Judy…" she replied rather disappointed as she sat on the couch "I'm fine thanks, were you looking for Monica?"

"yes, is she around?"

"I'm afraid no, but I can take the message for her if you want"

"it's okay…I'll call tomorrow, thank you dear"

"wait Judy!"

"yes?"

"Ross called today, I thought you'd like to know"

"He called us too, Isn't it great that he's getting promoted? I'm so proud of him"

"he is?" she said shocked "Monica didn't mention that…"

"oh well, he probably didn't want to share it until it was official…but he is going to be the head of the department soon"

"wow! That is really great!" she said, meaning her words, she felt really happy for him, but she hated that she wasn't able to congratulate him in person.

"it is! Though a whole year without my son it's gonna be really hard, I hate that" Judy said saddened.

"what?" she said breathlessly, had she said a year? Before she was able to speak again Judy excused herself.

"dear, I have to go, tell Monica I called okay?, bye" and with that she hung up, leaving her completely frozen. A year. The telephone slid off her hand and dropped to the floor, that couldn't be happening, she must be in another dream of her, how was he going to stay away from them for a whole year? had he forgotten them, moreover, had he forgotten her? this was supposed to be a provisional thing, why was he extending his stay? Now more than ever her theory of him having another woman started to weigh in her head and that brought painful tears to her eyes.

Full of anger she stormed towards her bedroom, closing the door with a loud slam. She walked towards her closet and took out her "Ross box" and directly threw it onto the bed; the box opened and all the things in it spread out, some even dropped to the floor due to the force she had used. Out of her mind, she took the first picture she found and ripped it completely in two parts as an irate groan escaped her mouth. Another three photos followed the same end as the first one before she realized what she had done.
As regretful tears began to escape her eyes she slowly knelt down on the floor and picked up the pieces. A sharp pinch hit her stomach when she looked at the pictures she had shattered; one of them belonged to their first and only valentine's day together. Ross had taken her to a beautiful cabin in The Hamptons to spend the weekend, but they never got to see the place since they practically never left the room in those 48 hours. A sad smile crossed her face as a tear dropped onto the photo; she dried it off with her thumb as she placed the two pieces together. In the picture they were both on the bed, Rachel was only wearing his baggy t-shirt, her hair pulled up in a messy pony tail and she was leaning on Ross' chest, while Ross, who was only wearing his boxers, had his arms protectively around her body and his chin resting on her shoulder as they both smiled happily to the camera. She bit her lip and closed her eyes as memories of that weekend collapsed her mind. She aimlessly crawled onto the bed and laid there, pressing the pictures against her chest as she began to sob; many of the best moments of her life had been thanks to him, how was she going to be able to live without him?

The next morning when she woke up her head was pounding as if she was suffering from the worst hangover. She slowly got up and frowned observing her surroundings. A knock on her door woke her up completely.

"Rach, are you there?" said Monica from the other side. Rachel's eyes widened seeing Ross' stuff spread all over.

"yes, wait a sec!" she yelled as she quickly put everything in the box and hid it back in her closet. Taking a last glance at her bedroom she hurried to the door. "yes?"

"good morning sleepyhead, or should I say good afternoon?" Rachel frowned and looked at her watch, it was almost midday. "you really were tired, weren't you?"

"I was, yes" she said nodding along "did you want anything?"

"I just wanted to know… Did someone call last night? Because the phone was on the floor and I hadn't left it there" she said with her hands on her waist.

"yup, your mom called, she wanted to talk to you but she didn't leave a message"

"thanks, and please! Next time put the phone in its place, otherwise I'll get into your bedroom and mess it all up! Okay, I couldn't do that, but I'll find something to make you pay for it!" she said raising her finger.

"O-kay" said Rachel as she passed through her and took the milk cartoon out of the fridge and grabbed a glass. Seeing she had sat at the table Monica decided it was the perfect moment to bring the Ross topic.

"so Rach…" she began as she walked towards the kitchen "Phoebe got an idea yesterday and…we are planning to go on a trip, to visit Ross…do you wanna come?" she quickly asked. The question took Rachel by surprise and couldn't pronounce a word "it'd be just a few days…"

"I-…I don't think I can" she said and quickly drank the glass and stood up to carry it to the sink.

"it'll be next month…you still have time to ask your boss for some days off" Monica followed her closely, so that she couldn't get away from the conversation this time.

"still…we have a lot of work these months Mon…I can't just leave it" she lied, getting nervous knowing the conversation wouldn't end there.

"what's the matter with you? don't you want to see Ross?" Monica finally exploded. Rachel closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Of couse she wanted to see him, more than anything in the world.

"I do! But I have more important things to do" she said, not really aware of her words.

"oh, so my brother doesn't mean anything to you anymore?" Monica said, getting angry.

"well, he doesn't care about me either!" she finally said it.

"what are you talking about? You know he loves you!"

"right! that's why he is extending his stay to a whole year, because he loves me!" she snapped, not hiding her resentment towards him.

"how do you know that" Monica asked beyond perplexed. Rachel looked straight into her eyes.

"your mom told me…"

"it's not official yet…" Monica said softly, knowing the news had caused a deep sadness in Rachel.

"why didn't you tell me?" Rachel's voice cracked, finally getting rid of the hard shield she had been using and showing her real emotions. Monica moved by the sight wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry you found out this way…he told me not to tell you anything…"

"why is he doing this Mon? I didn't want this, I didn't want him to leave!"

"honey…I hate to say this" she said grabbing her face stained with tears "but you two are not together anymore…you have to go on with your lives, separately"

"I still love him Mon…I can't forgive him but I want him in my life! I can't live seeing him once or twice a year…" Monica had to bite her lip, moved by her friend's words.

"then come and tell him that…"

"I can't do that…he doesn't want to see me"

"don't be crazy! How could he not want to see you!"

"he told me"

"yeah right…" Rachel took a deep breath.

"Mon, when we were at the cabin we had an open heart conversation about our situation…and he told me he had taken the job because he couldn't stand seeing me as a friend"

"I can understand that…but it doesn't mean he has cut you off his life honey, I'm sure you'll make him the happiest man in the planet if you came too"

"I don't know…"

"don't make a decision now and consider coming, please"

...
The month passed faster than she had thought. Work kept her pretty busy throughout the days, which helped her to get him out of her mind during the day. But nights were different. In her lonely bedroom she silently cried her eyes out almost every day, wishing he was there with her, holding her, kissing her, being the Ross she knew, the Ross she had fallen in love with. But he wasn't there nor had he called even once to check how she was, and that fact was tearing her heart apart little by little. It was hurting her so much that thoughts of giving him up had begun to round her mind.

Tired of being shut in her room she took her coat and left her room. Monica was in the living room preparing the last things for the trip, since they were leaving early in the morning. She directed a sad look towards Rachel; they had had a conversation earlier that day where Rachel had made clear her decision of not going. Monica had tried to change her mind along the day but stubborn Rachel hadn't given in.

"going somewhere?"

"I'm going for a walk. I'll be back soon" she said with a small smile as she immediately disappears behind the door.

"Hey Rach!" Joey's voice sounded when she was downing the stairs. She turned around and smiled.

"Joey! Where are you going?"

"to buy some pizzas"

"how is that?" she asked estranged. "why don't you order it by phone?"

"I would, but I made a bet with Chandler"

"which bet?"

"that I was able to go a whole week not eating pizza"

"oh…I see, you are SO gonna win it, aren't you?" she said in a smirk.

"you haven't seen me okay?" he said serious.

"okay" she said smiling.

"where were you going?" he asked as they both reached the portal.

"nowhere actually…just, walk around…"

"by yourself?" joey asked confused.

"yup…"

"care if I go with you?"

"are you giving up your pizzas for me?" she said with an amused look.

"no! I'm going afterwards" he answered with his eyes widened as if she had said some crazy thing.

They began to walk in silence across the streets of the village. It was near 9 pm so the streets were almost deserted.

"are you okay? You are quiet"

"I've been better…"

"Ross again?" Rachel tilted her head, gesture that let him he was right. "let's sit down" he said as he placed his hand on her shoulder and guided her to a near bench at the entrance of a park.

"why don't you just come Rach? Talk things with him" she lowered her head and sighed, tired of being asked the same question.

"it's not that simple"

"and why not?"

"I'm scared…what if I go there and I find out he has another woman…or he doesn't want to know about me…or-"

"Rach, Rach! did you loose your mind or something?" Joey interrupted her. Rachel looked at him and slowly shrugged. "let me remind you something…Ross LOVES you" Rachel lowered her face again, getting tears in her eyes as she remembered the last night in the cabin, he told her those same words, but he also said he would call and what? nothing. "and you love him too. Don't try to deny that"

"I do…but things are not the same anymore…"

"why? Because he cheated on you?" Joey snapped leaving her beyond dumbfounded.
"some of us consider that a betrayal you know?" she said sending him a hurtful stare.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way…but you should know something" he softly said "most guys DO cheat on purpose, Ross didn't"

"still…he did it"

"I know, but are you willing to let the love of your life go for that? Because I'll tell you something; if you are expecting to find a better guy than Ross…you are lost" his words left her stunned. She had never put it that way; the idea of being with someone else had never crossed her mind, practically because she hadn't given him up completely. "you'll never find a man who will love you as much as Ross does, that guy has been in love with you since forever! And that night he was completely broken, he wasn't Ross, he was…a soulless body! He is himself when he is with you and I haven't seen you happier that when you are with him…think about every day you have spent with him and compare it with somebody you have gone out with too…Do you really want to throw all that away?" Rachel closed her eyes and did what he had told her. And sure enough she hadn't been nearly as happy with someone else as she had been with Ross.

"No…" she said after a silence.

"then it's your turn. Forgive him, do something. But don't wait, if you do it may get too late…" her body trembled with his words and It felt as if they had woken up from a deep sleep. He was right; she had to do something before it was too late. But what?

"thank you" she whispered with a smile as she wrapped her arms around him.

"you're welcome" he said as he hugged her back. "are you coming then?"

Joey's question echoed in her head as she paced up and down in her bedroom. Should she go? They would be leaving in 3 hours and she didn't have anything packed. It was practically impossible to do so in such short time. Do something. But don't wait, if you do it may get too late… Joey's words haunted her again. She began to pace faster as her mind tried to think of the right decision when her foot stepped on something.
"ouch!" she exclaimed as low as possible, not wanting to wake up Monica. She knelt down and grabbed the little object. Air got caught in her throat as she observed the pin in her hands; the one Ross had presented her in her first birthday in the city.

"It was like months ago. We were walking by this antique store, and I saw this pin in the window, and I told him it was just like one my grandmother had when I was a little girl. Oh! I can't believe he remembered!" a younger Rachel said surprised

"Oh, it's so pretty. This must have cost him a fortune." Phoebe said.

"I can't believe he did this." Monica added.

"Come on, Ross? Remember back in college, when he fell in love with Carol and bought her that ridiculously expensive crystal duck?" said Chandler, revelling this way Ross' secret love towards Rachel.

She remembered that day perfectly. How would she forget it! It had changed her life in every way. A sweet smiled appeared in her lips, remembering his shock after having found out she knew about his feelings. He had been so shy and sweet. Their first kiss also popped into her head, making her shiver from head to toes. It had been one of those kisses you frequently see in movies but that you never think it's going to happen to you, but it happened to her and it was beyond amazing. She let herself fall onto the bed as she brought the pin to her lips. More and more memories loaded her mind as the desire of seeing him grew inside of her. She took a deep breath and jumped off her bed and quickly began to put some clothes into a bag: She had made up her mind, she was going to Boston. She had to talk to him and alone.
She put some more things into the bag and silently crept out of her room. Thankfully, Monica had left all the papers for the travel perfectly in order on the kitchen table so it didn't take her long to find the paper where his address was written. She put it into her jeans pocket and quickly wrote something else in another piece of paper before finally leaving to the airport, scared but determined to do it.

….
"Pheebs, are we in Boston yet?" a sleepy Joey asked her from the back seat for the third time in less than an hour.

"we have another hour left"

"god! Is Boston in another country or what? We've been on the road for five hours!"

"and you've been sleeping for four and a half! Will you shut up?" Chandler said irritated. Joey sent him an hateful stare.

"I can't believe Rachel hasn't come with us" said Phoebe.

"I know, I actually thought she would…" said Monica.

"we have to do something" Phoebe said.

"no, we have done enough, if they want to get things right they'll have to do it by themselves" Monica stated.

"I'm hungry!" Joey whined again.

"ugh! Let's stop somewhere, the baby needs to eat!" chandler said rolling her eyes.

…
"Hi" Rachel said as she got into the taxi.

"hello ma'am, where to?" the cab driver asked.

"here" she said as she handed him the paper with trembling hands. The taxi immediately pulled off as a wave of panic ran through her body. She was in Boston and there was not turning back. Only some minutes kept her from being face to face with him after nearly 4 months.
She stood still in front of that wooden door for over ten minutes; completely frozen and scared. What if he didn't want to see her? or, what if he was with somebody?. She breathed profoundly in order to collect herself. What was she thinking? It was Saturday early in the morning; it would be unlikely for him to be with someone, At least she hoped so.
Her right hand curled up into a fist and knocked on the door before she could back down. Her body tensed and heart beat increased so much she could hear it pounding in her ears. She had done it. She had knocked and he would appear behind that door any moment.
The door opened few seconds later and there he was, looking as handsome as ever, wearing a black T-shirt and jeans. His eyes were widened due to the shock it had caused him to see her there.

"Ra-Rachel…what are you doing here?" he managed to say when he registered she was actually standing before him. All her fears left her when his sweet voice sounded.

"Well, you didn't call…and I was getting worried" She said with a small smile as she bit her bottom lip.

"I-…" before he could explain himself she gave a step forwards and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she brought him down for a missed hug. The gesture took him by surprised but soon enough he did the same and wrapped her into a tight hug. He buried his nose in her hair, filling his lungs with that coconut smell that characterized her, after four months away from her it all made him feel like in a dream. He squeezed her a little more, making sure she wasn't a vision and that she really was there.

"Can we talk?" Rachel asked as she slowly pulled away.

"sure, come in" he said, still dazed by her presence, as he moved away from the entrance and let her walked in. Rachel left the bag on the floor and looked at the foreign surrounds.

"Do you want something to drink?"

"no, I'm fine, thanks"

"okay…let's sit down then" he awkwardly said. He hadn't been expecting her visit and he didn't know exactly how to act or how to explain why he hadn't called mainly because he didn't even know himself.

Rachel sat down in the white couch as she cleared her throat, she had prepared a whole speech while in the cab but now it seemed the words had mixed up in her head. "So this is your apartment? It looks nice!" she said, trying to win herself some time.

"yup, it's nice…less noisy than in NY that's for sure"

"are you happy here?" she asked, knowing that if he said yes she wouldn't be able to hide her sadness.

"…I like the job, and the people here are very nice..."

"uh-um…"

"but it's not home" he said with a sad smile.

"We miss you there…it's not the same without you" she said in a murmur, referring more to her own feelings than to the rest's.

"I miss you too…" he murmured as he grabbed her hand "so much" Rachel bit her lips, shied away by his intense look.

"why didn't you call? I've missed you so much" she asked almost voiceless, she was starting to lose it and she knew tears were going to make appearance in her eyes sooner or later. Ross looked down.

"I don't know…I guess I was…trying to proof myself that I can live without you…"

"oh…" she said lowering her face, those words had hit her harder than the strongest pouch. "and…Can you?" she asked looking at him and pretending to be fine. He slowly nodded.

"I can…but I'm so miserable" he confessed, he saw how her eyes watered but she quickly brushed them off with her fingers. He grabbed her hand again and stroked it with his thumb, just to be able to do that after so long brightened his mood. "God, I can't believe you are here, I- I'm really sorry that I didn't call…it's just-"

"don't apologize" she said as she placed a finger on his lips. "Can we go someplace? I need fresh air…and I need to tell you something" her last sentence worried him a little, was it good or bad what she had to tell him?

"I can't leave Rach…they guys are coming today"

"I don't think they are…" she said biting her lip guiltily "unless they are smart enough to figure out your real address"

"what are you talking about?" he asked confused.

"I kinda…stole your address from Mon and wrote something else in another paper" his eyes widened in surprise.

"why?"

"because I needed to talk to you, alone"

"so…they don't know you are here?" she shook her head. "and they are going to somebody else's house" she nodded with an amused smile.

"you're crazy!" he said, letting out a chuckle.

"Can we go now? I've come to tell you something and if I don't do it now I'll probably won't be able later"

They strolled next to each other in silence as they made their way to a nearby park. Despite being spring the day was fairly cold, but the sun shining upon their heads gave the day a beautiful light. The trees of the park had recovered their leaves and looked greener than ever. Rachel walked ahead of him, observing the beautiful nature of that park but at the same time replying in her head the words that she was going to tell him. She finally stopped in the middle of the bridge that communicated one shore of the big pond with the other. She rested her hands on the balustrade and gazed at the glittering water, few people were around, which let her know that wasn't New York City, but it felt right, because the one person she loved was there, just behind her waiting to hear whatever she had to say.

"Rach…what is it?" Ross asked after some minutes, her quietness was making him really nervous. She sighed and slowly turned around.

"okay, I'm gonna say it, but please, please…don't interrupt me" she begged with her hands together. Ross arched an eyebrow, more confused than before.

"okay…" Rachel pressed her lips together and then looked at him, a small smile formed in her lips.

"mainly…what I wanted to tell you is that…if you are going to stay here, I will too!" she blurt out. "but I don't want you away from me anymore, I don't, I miss you so damn much I can't even think and-"

"what are you saying, Rach?" he asked getting closer, leaving only a few inches between them. Rachel looked up at him, straight into his hazel eyes.

"I'm saying that…I love you, and I want to be with you, always" she said from the bottom of her heart. Ross bit his lip, unbelieving what he had just heard.

"can you say it again?" he requested with a smile on his lips, Rachel smiled back.

"I love yo-" her words were interrupted by his lips being pressed strongly against her mouth as his hands, placed on both sides of her face, dragged her closer. His unexpected kiss left her stunned and made her knees go weak instantly as a wave of pleasure ran through her body. Her lips began to play in sync with his while her arms went to his face as well, craving to feel him closer. After so long, that kiss felt beyond amazing for both of them. When the kiss finally slowed down they smiled against each other's mouth, amazed by what had just happened.
When he moved away from her she couldn't help but bring her fingertips to her swell lips which were forming a shy smile in her face. Her eyes locked with his and she could read her same feelings right through them.

"is this for real?" he asked shaking his head in disbelief.

"it is" she said entwining her fingers through his.

"but how, why?"

"Because…everybody makes mistakes…and if I lose you because of my stupid insecurities I would never be able to forgive myself. I love you, and that's all that matters. I don't want to be with anybody else if it's not you" Moved by her words he brought her for another kiss, this time being so passionate that she had to grab on his jacket in order to stay on her feet. Breathless, he took her face between his hands and looked at her beautiful blue eyes, which were sparkling with pure happiness.

"I love you so so so much! Please, tell me you are not joking" he said desperate.

"I'm not joking"

"but…what about what I di-"

"that's all forgotten" she quickly said "It's in the past and this is a new beginning, okay? We BOTH made some really awful mistakes that kept us apart, but I realized I was making another big mistake by not forgiving you…I was being the reason of my own misery and I couldn't go on like that…"
"you mean you are forgiving me?" He repeated incredulous. It was too much information to take in such short time. He had never expected to see her there in Boston, and even less saying all those things he had been wishing to hear from her mouth for half a year now. Rachel slowly nodded with a smile, seeing how his eyes covered with little tears of happiness.

"I love you Rach, I promise nothing like that will ever happen again…I don't want to screw this up again."

"neither do I, I love you too much to let you go again" she said.

"you are amazing" he whispered with a goofy smile as he slowly leaned in and placed a little peck on her lips. Her arms immediately went around her neck as she kissed him harder.

"do you want to go somewhere?" he asked out of breath.

"how about your apartment? You haven't showed me the rest of the rooms yet" she said arching her eyebrow sensually.

"that's sounds perfect" he replied grinning as he held her hand.

…
"we are here!" Phoebe exclaimed excited as she stopped her grandma's cab.

"at last!" Joey said as he hopped out of the car. They all got out of the cab as well.

"This is his neighbourhood? Fancy!" Phoebe said looking at the luxury houses around.

"wow! I thought he was living in an apartment" Chandler said.

"so did I" Monica added confused.

"let's go already! I'm peeing!" Joey exclaimed. Together, the four walked the little path till reach the main door of "his" house. Monica pressed the ring bell and smiled at the rest as they waited for him to open it. But instead, an old man appeared behind the door.

"Hello, may I help you?" the old man said politely. The friends looked at each other surprised.

"Ross? what happened to you!" Phoebe said pulling a face.

"sorry but…I'm not Ross"

"oh thank goodness!" she exaggeratedly said bringing her hand to her chest. Monica just stared at her.

"I'm sorry Sir, we may have confused the address" Monica said.

"do you know if Ross Geller lives around here?" Chandler asked. The old man thought for a moment and then shook his head.

"I don't, sorry"

"it's alright, thanks anyway" he said with an smile as they began to walk back to the car.

"Phoebe, are you sure this is the right address?" Monica asked looking at the paper.

"yes, you can see it right there, Central Park street" she said pointing at a sign.

"then he gave us the wrong address? What do we do now?"

"let's go to a bar and call him from there" Joey said shrugging. Having no other option they got into the cab again in search for a bar.

….

Back in the apartment they both walked in feeling a little bit shy.

"so, do you wanna see the apartment?" he asked as he closed the door. Rachel turned around with a naughty grin in her face.

"maybe later" she murmured as she pulled him into a kiss and began to get rid of his jacket. His response came right away as he introduced his hands under her coat and pressed her against his body, wanting to feel as much of her as possible. They both moaned into each other's mouth, feeling overwhelmed by the many feelings that one simple kiss awake in them. They got so into the kiss that they didn't hear the ringing of his phone the first time. Rachel sighed frustrated when she felt his lips move away from hers when the phone rang again.

"let it ring" she begged pouting as she grabbed on his T-shirt. He smiled sweetly and kissed the tip of her nose.

"it might be important…"

"let me get it then, I'll let them know you are all mine today!" she said winking her eye. Ross let out a chuckle and encircled her waist from behind as they walked towards the phone.

"HI, this is Ross Geller's secretary, may I help you?" she said "professionally" while Ross tried not to laugh behind her. He tightened the grip on her and began to kiss her neck sensually.

"hi, Can I speak to Ross?" a familiar voice said from the other side.

"I'm sorry, but he is not home, May I take the message?" she said with her eyes closed as she tried not to succumb at his amazing work on her neck.

"RACHEL? It's that you?" Rachel's eyes widened suddenly and quickly covered the receiver with her hand.

"it's Monica!" she said with panic as she turned around to look at him "what do I tell her?"

"let me get that" he said, stealing the phone from her hand. "hey Mon! how are you"

"Ross? Is Rachel there with you?"

"No…listen Mon, I'm so sorry, I won't be able to be with you guys this weekend, I've a very important meeting with someone" he said looking at Rachel and smiling from ear to ear. "can you come another weekend?"

"but Ross we are already here! What do we do now?"

"there are plenty of hotels in Boston you know?"

"really? I didn't know, thank you brother" she said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry Mon, I wasn't expecting this turn out of events. It's a very important meeting, I can't get away…"

"Liar! That's all I'm going to say" Monica said, knowing perfectly what he was trying to hide "you BOTH are gonna pay for this…but…I'm happy you are having this "meeting'" she added with a softer tone.

"thank you" he said, glowing of happiness.

"it's alright…talk to you two later, okay?"

"okay. Sorry again. I love you"

"love you too, bye" Monica said before hanging up.

"done" Ross said grinning and throwing the phone to the couch.

"I can't believe you did that" she said shaking her head and smiling at the same time. "they are gonna be soooo mad"

"they'll get over it…now where were we?" he said with a mischievous smile as he lifted her up in his arms.

"I think you were going to show me your bedroom…" she sensually said as her fingers played with the collar of his T-shirt.

"right!" he said as he headed towards the bedroom carrying her in his arms and not able to break eye contact with her "you're gonna love the curtains" he added, making Rachel let out a loud chuckle.

"you're so silly" she said sweetly before melting with him into another passionate kiss.

The next morning he woke up still on a high, it had been a day full of events, wonderful events that he knew it'd stay in his mind forever.
He turned on his side and observed her small figure sleeping beside him; a big smile broke into his lips as he recalled the day before, which mostly had been spent in that bed they were laying now. They made love so many times he couldn't even count them. it had been magical…reassuring…and simply amazing to finally be able to hug her, kiss her and love her again, and not just in his dreams.
He got closer to her and placed a kiss on her forehead while pushing some blocks of hair off her face.

"you are so beautiful" he whispered, stoking her cheek carefully.

"you are too" she whispered as she slowly opened her eyes and sent him a smile, the most beautiful one he had ever seen.

"good morning princess" He smiled back and leaned down to kiss her lips as at the same time he pinched her arm.

"ouch! what's that for?" she exclaimed sending him a stare.

"I was checking I wasn't dreaming" he said with a smile.

"well, you are doing it the wrong way, you have to pinch yourself"

"but I like touching you…" he murmured as he caught her lips between his and turned them over so she was laying upon him. She then rested her elbows on his chest and looked at him endeared.

"you are not dreaming sweetie, this is real"

"and you don't know how happy it makes me that it is"

"I do know" she said with the widest smile. She moved her hands to his hair and played with it as they melt into another kiss.

"what are you gonna do now?" she asked a little later.

"what do you mean?"

"about your promotion…"

"oh…I didn't know you knew…"

"if you want to take it, I'm fine with it" she quickly said.

"you are?" he said, a bit saddened.

"yes, because I'll stay too"

"what?" he said dumbfounded.

"I'll quit my job if it's necessary. I want to be with you no matter the way…I won't let a job be an obstacle in our relationship again. So if you wanna stay I'll stay too" he smiled and grabbed her face with his hands to show her his deep love with another kiss. She licked her lips and smiled.

"I can't believe you…you'd really do that?"

"without blinking, you have always been the one giving things up for me, now it's my turn…if you decide to go on with it, fine. I'll be here supporting you, and giving you all my love" she said sweetly.

"I love you so much" he murmured, touched by her words. "well, it won't be necessary because we are returning to Nyc tomorrow"

"you sure?" she said, not able to hide her happiness.

"yeah…I like this job…but I've been miserable without you…I want to go back to NYC and get a new life together started" he said stroking her smooth back.

"I love you, you know that right?" she said leaning to kiss his lips.

"I do" he murmured, welcoming her mouth. The kiss turned into a hotter one as their hands began to wander around each other's body. His tongue invaded her mouth while her legs slid to his sides and straddled him. Her hips unconsciously began to brush against his body, making him moan with pleasure. A noise that turned her on beyond know. She closed her eyes and breathless murmured into his ear.

"do you think we can stay in Boston for some days? I want to see the city.." she said with a grin.

"of course…you'll like it as much as The Hamptons" Rachel let out a loud chuckle.

"I bet I will" she said as she returned to kiss him.

They made love again, not wasting the moment to whisper "I love you's" to each other over and over again. They felt renewed, more in love with each other if it was possible, but moreover, they knew this time there wouldn't be anything or anybody that could break them apart, they were in the same place, they both wanted to make it work and that left all their insecurities behind. They wanted to be happy forever, and together, simply because there didn't exist someone as perfect for them as each other.

The end.
...