A Place We Once Knew

The Promise You Can Keep

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Almost Home - Alex & Sierra

Lost in innocence
Take this fragile heart, we know where we've been
All these miles together
Fall into my skin, crash into these arms
We know how this ends, fade into forever
Lost inside your eyes, as brilliant as the stars
Show me every side - the good, the bad, the better
Promise you I'll be the promise you can keep
Till the end of time and on the other side
The road is wild, we're holding on for life
Like a child who's not afraid to cry
We're escaping to a place they'll never know
Just you and me, love
We are almost home

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Many weeks had passed and life had seemed to return back to normal. She had taken the necessary time and steps to grieve her relationship with Elliot and move past it, and had begun to prepare her heart for a future with Ross. He had made it really easy for her. He was there when she needed to talk, or laugh, or cry, and he also knew when she needed her space, which was a very welcomed change from a few years back. Quite honestly, he had been everything she needed him to be, and it made her love him even more. They had been a little affectionate at times, whether that be a lingering hug or a brief touch of the hand, but he kept a respectable distance, always seemingly aware of not pushing the boundary until she was ready. Regardless, he never failed to make her smile. And those smiles got her through every single day.

Over the past week or so, there had definitely been a shift that had occurred between them though. Things felt less cautious and much more natural. She wasn't sure if it was the fact that her heart was fully there now or if it was something else, but it had gotten to the point where being in the same room with him was torture - and not at all the same kind of torture it had been a few months back. As the weeks passed, she became more and more desperate to feel his body against hers... to taste his lips again. She was feeling such a deep seeded attraction to him now. He was hot. He was sexy - it was the same kind of attraction that made her want to be with him 24 hours a day when they'd first started dating. But that was met with a maturity and an awareness and an unmistakable need to care for this relationship and do it the right way. She had never been so drawn to a man before.

The six of them sat in Central Perk one evening after work, sharing laughs and small talk about nothing - the way they usually did. Ross and Rachel sat in the chairs on each side of the coffee table, facing each other. As the group talked, he would periodically catch her eye and linger for just a split second, flashing her a boyish grin. Her stomach filled with butterflies to know that he was thinking about her. She would look up at him, giving him the most flirty, sexy smile she could muster in only a split second, and then shift her gaze back to her friends while crossing her legs and purposely showing a little skin where her skirt slit up the side. She knew she was driving him wild and she loved it. It was fun watching him squirm in his seat. And it was even more fun sharing this secret between just the two of them.

He was being so patient, and she knew it must be hard for him, but it meant so much to her that he was waiting for her. To be honest, at this point, she couldn't really find any reasons why it wasn't the right time for them anymore. They had spent hours sorting through their past. And now every time she saw Ross, she saw happiness and trust and love - with him was the only place she wanted to be. She was ready to tell him - she just needed to figure out the right way. She wished everyone else would leave so they could be alone together. All she wanted to do was jump in his lap and kiss him. Due to the audience of 4 around them, she hoped she could rely on her eyes to tell him what she wanted to say.

"Hey, does anyone want any coffee?" he asked the group.

"Sure...I'll take a latte'" she answered. "Do you need help?"

"No, don't worry about it - I'll get it!" he said with a smile as he turned to go to the counter. She was a bit disappointed since she thought he was looking for an excuse for them to get a moment alone together, but apparently she was mistaken.

A few moments later, he returned with two coffees, handing one of them to her, along with a napkin. She could see by the steam that it was still pretty hot, so she set the cup on the coffee table to let it cool down.

As the group became lost in a conversation about God knows what, she absentmindedly reached for her mug to take a drink. As she brought the mug to her lips, the napkin let lying on the coffee table caught her eye. There was something written on it. She quickly picked it up, wondering if anyone else noticed.

What are you doing Friday night?

It was impossible to mask the huge smile that was now plastered across her face. That right there...things like that - that was the reason she knew he was the one. She looked up at him, seeing that his cheeks had reddened. He was pursing his lips and so obviously trying to fight a smile in the most adorable way that made her nearly melt into a puddle right there on the floor. Their eyes finally met in a moment that was as innocent and playful as two sixteen year olds making eyes at each other from across the lunch room.

She knew one thing - Friday night couldn't get here soon enough.