The beeper sounded again as Chandler left the restaurant
he was at with Rachel. They were there with the two couples at the reception to Greta and Joeys, and Welsey and Alisons wedding. The beeper had already sounded once while he was there, but he chose to ignore it since it was a work related call. It was his day off, so he had decided to wait on it. He looked at it again.
It was his work number. He started to search for a
phone booth when he ran into Wesley.
"Hey, where do you get off leaving the reception before the bouquet toss? I had a good feeling you might get lucky this time." Wesley poked him.
"I'm sorry but this pager is a pain in the ass. Its been beeping since mid-reception." Chandler explained. "Do you have your phone on you?"
"Yeah sure." Wesley gave him his motorola. "Think its important?"
"It'd better not be." Chandler said. "I'll be back in a few. I'm sure its nothing."
"All right." Wesley said. He went back into the restaurant.
Chandler dialed the number that was in the window display of his beeper.
"Hi, I got your page?" He said.
"Yeah." The voice said on the other end. "We need you to come in first thing tomorrow morning. We need to talk about something."
"Okay." Chandler said. "I'll see you when?"
"Eight." The voice said. "This could be important towards your career Bing."
Chandler hung the phone up. He paused for a second.
"What the heck was all that about?" He marveled before he went back in.
"All right now we can do this!" Wesley said. "All you single girls, and I do mean single and I do mean girls ...sit back down Joey... nice try. The bride is gonna throw her bouquet. All the single girls come up over here."
Rachel, Monica and Rachel, among some other single women in the restaurant gathered where Wesley pointed.
"Okay, honey turn around and throw it. Be careful, and make sure the hibachi grill doesnt catch it. I'm not in the mood for grilled carnation."
Alison turned and heaved the bouquet over her head. It didnt take long for the bundle of flowers to find a home. They seemed to land effortlessly in Rachels hands. She held them up.
"Wow, how about that? That was lucky!" Rachel chortled for a second. "I thought so."
Wesley pulled a chair over for Alison, he reached up and pulled her garter belt from around her upper thigh. He held it up in the air like a lacy trophy.
"I assume we all know this part? All the single guys come on up. Try to catch this."
Chandler looked at Ross as they approached the spot the girls were in.
"Its all right if you catch it." Ross said quietly as some other men joined them. "I'm fine with it I mean."
"Okay." Chandler said. "But let's say you get it?"
"Then I get it." Ross shrugged.
"All right, same rules as before." Wesley said turning. "Whoever catches it has to put it on the lovely Rachel." He said. "No ifs, ands or buts."
Chandler gulped. Ross, despite his supposed cool, shuffled his feet.
Wesley threw back the garter belt. It flipped in the air a couple of seconds before it landed on Chandlers head.
He froze for a second.
"Where did it go?" He asked before reaching up and grabbing the garter belt off his head.
"Hey, good catching job." Joey said from his seat.
"It wasnt me, my head was just in the right place." Chandler looked over to the chair that Alison had just vacated. Rachel slowly took her place with her bouquet. Chandler swallowed hard and walked over. He got down on one knee.
"Hey." He said.
"Hi there. New in town?" She asked with a smile.
"Yeah." He said. He looked at the crowd around them. His hand shook. "We don't have to do this you know. I can just put it on your hand."
"No." She whispered to him, her voice so low it was almost inaudible. I want you to do it."
"Okay." He said, now feeling the balls of sweat on his forehead. He reached down and put the white garter belt over heel slipper. Then he slowly rose it with one hand up to her knee. He stopped and looked around. Ross was gone, but Chandler didn't notice. At least not right away.
"Why did you stop?" She asked.
"I don't think we should go any further." He said.
"It's ok." She said. "Finish the job."
"Ok." He said and continued to raise the garter belt to its rightful place. He looked up as he took his hand off. Rachels eyes were closed.
"I'm done."
"I know."
He quickly stood. "I gotta go." He said and walked fast out of the restuarant. Rachel stood up and almost went after him, but he was already gone when she reached the front door.
Morning
Rachel was at Gretas apartment. Or her old apartment as it was now that she married Joey. She had given the landlord a "half hours" notice that she was leaving. She was glad to get out of there. Nothing worked in her apartment anymore, no matter how many times Joey had tried to fix it. Joey, bless his heart, at times only made a bad problem worse.
"I'm glad I can help." Rachel said as she lugged a box down the stairs. "I'm so happy you and Joey are moving into a better place."
"Since he got the new soap job, he can afford rent a suite at Trump Plaza!" Greta rejoiced.
"But only for a half hour, that place is expensive." Rachel said.
"Yes but its the thought that counts. And who says we need more than a half hour? Am I right deary?" Greta said as they dropped the boxes off it Pheobes limo. "This is so nice for moving!"
"I know. And space to spare." Rachel said. They walked back up the stairs. She thoughtfully paused next to Chandlers door. He was gone to work early for some thing, but Rachel couldn't help but stop and stare.
"A watched door doesn't open." Greta said breaking into her thoughts.
"I know." Rachel said. "It's just..."
"The wedding?" Greta asked. "Since you and Ross decided not to get married, there has been a new aurora around you and Chandler. And Ross to tell you the truth."
"You really think so?" Rachel asked. "But I'd have to ask, why would you feel this new aurora around Ross?"
"I didn't want to bring it up, honey, but have you ever thought for a minute about why he changed his mind so quickly about the remarriage?"
"No." Rachel said. "He was slightly uncomfortable yesterday at the reception." She noted.
"True. And he vanished." Greta said. "I don't want to butt in..." She paused. "thats not the truth. I WANT to butt in but I think there is something to Ross we are all missing. Just keep an eye out ok?" Greta patted her on the shoulder.
"Thanks." Rachel said. "That should be about it."
Greta grabbed some drycleaning. She locked the door.
"See ya!" She said doing a personalized salute to the door. Rachels head turned when she heard something.
"Is that the limo?" Rachel said. Greta looked at her and followed her down the stairs. Someone was stealing the limo! The limo pulled away fast and sped down the street.
"Aw crud." Greta said. "Thats the ninth time this week my stuff is stolen." She muttered something in a foreign language. "Ok, I'm fine. Will you come with me to file the report?"
Chandlers Workplace
Chandler was called into the bosses office. Chandler had a pretty high position at his workplace but there were people he answered to. He waited outside until he was called in.
"Hello Mr Bing." The boss said. "I won't keep you long. I have to tell you this. In a week or so we need to send someone to Chicago to do some important things for us. You've been elected."
Chandlers jaw dropped to the floor. He had never been sent to the main office in Chicago. It could be a great working opportunity for him.
But one problem. What about Rachel, what will he do now that they were so close?
