Chapter 196: Friends
It was Saturday.
For once, Ethan slept until he woke naturally.
Sunlight filtered through the curtains, spilling warmly across his bed.
He stretched lazily, feeling lighter than he had in days. The constant urgency that usually drove him had finally given way to a rare sense of relaxation.
He took his time eating lunch, then spent a while playing video games.
He and Phoebe had agreed to meet that afternoon.
Standing in the living room, he glanced at the clock and found himself contemplating the eternal New York dilemma:
Subway... or drive?
Despite its name, Central Perk wasn't actually in Central Park.
It was in Greenwich Village.
About six kilometers from his apartment.
Walking would take over an hour.
Driving, assuming typical Manhattan traffic, would take around forty minutes.
The subway was unquestionably the fastest option.
He thought about it for two seconds.
Then made the perfectly rational decision...
To drive.
"Safer and more convenient," he muttered to himself. "A little traffic is a small price to pay."
---
Outside Central Perk, Phoebe stood by the curb with her guitar, waiting for him.
She glanced down at her phone.
When she looked up again, she spotted a man walking toward her from the nearby parking garage.
A white dress shirt.
A casual jacket slung over one shoulder.
An unhurried stride.
It was Ethan.
He raised a hand with a smile.
"Hi, Phoebe."
"Hi."
Phoebe narrowed her eyes as she studied him.
"You weren't late."
"Of course not," Ethan replied solemnly.
"I'm always punctual for dates."
Phoebe stepped a little closer and looked at him for several seconds, tilting her head slightly.
"You're nervous."
"Mmm..."
Ethan answered honestly.
"...Maybe a little."
"Relax," Phoebe said.
"I'm not the kind of girl who thinks, 'If my friends don't like you, then I won't like you either.'"
"That's reassuring."
A smile spread across Ethan's face.
Phoebe reached out.
Instead of taking his arm, she simply gave it a light tap.
"Come on."
---
The café door swung open.
The bell above it chimed softly.
The orange couch.
The crooked floor lamp.
The aroma of fresh coffee.
Almost instinctively, Ethan's eyes swept across the familiar room—the couch, the counter, the small performance stage, the iconic lamp.
For a brief moment...
He felt strangely nostalgic.
Calm down, he told himself.
You're just meeting a few friends.
You're not traveling back to your college days.
The two of them walked over to the couch.
Three men turned to look at them.
Phoebe smiled naturally.
"Hey, everyone. This is Ethan."
Then she introduced them one by one.
"This is Ross."
"Joey."
"And that's Chandler."
"He'll probably pretend he doesn't like you..."
"...but he actually will."
"Hey!" Chandler protested.
"Hi, everyone."
Ethan greeted them with a smile.
Chandler immediately sat up straighter.
"I like meeting new people," he said.
"Especially attractive ones."
Chandler looked Ethan up and down for a moment.
"Okay, I hate to admit this..." he said, shaking his head. "But if I had your face, I could've cut twenty years off my career."
He paused before quickly adding, "And just so we're clear—I'm not gay."
Ethan chuckled.
"Don't worry. I didn't take it that way."
Joey was already on his feet, offering a handshake.
"Joey. Actor."
He studied Ethan seriously.
"Honestly, you should be an actor."
"Why's that?" Ethan asked as they shook hands.
"'Cause you've got a leading-man face."
"...Uh..."
Ethan blinked.
"Thanks?"
Ross cleared his throat.
"So... you're an M.D.?"
Ethan nodded.
"That's right."
Ross immediately perked up.
"I'm a doctor too. Just in a different field."
"Paleontology."
Chandler didn't miss a beat.
"Yeah. His patients have all been extinct for millions of years."
Ross sighed.
"They're research subjects."
Ethan laughed.
"Phoebe mentioned you work at a museum?"
Ross nodded proudly.
"I've always loved ancient things."
"We could tell from your hairstyle," Chandler deadpanned.
Ethan pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh. Ross hadn't mentioned dinosaurs, but Ethan already knew they were the true love of his academic life.
Just then, Phoebe returned from the counter.
"Sorry, guys. I'm borrowing him for a minute."
"So soon?" Chandler complained.
"We haven't even asked if he has any siblings."
"Or whether he'd be interested in filming commercials," Joey added.
"I'll be right back," Ethan said.
---
At the coffee counter...
Two women were chatting face-to-face.
"Hello..."
Ethan approached with an easy, confident smile.
"Let me guess."
He looked toward the woman behind the espresso machine.
"You're Rachel."
Rachel looked up and smiled.
"Correct."
Then Ethan turned toward the woman standing beside her, whose posture alone radiated control and organization.
"And you're Monica."
"That's right."
Monica nodded with satisfaction.
"You clearly did your homework."
"I like people who come prepared."
Rachel eagerly jumped into the conversation.
"You're a doctor, right? My dad's a doctor too."
"His name is Leonard Green."
Ethan froze for the briefest moment.
"Dr. Green?"
Rachel's eyes lit up.
"You know him?!"
Ethan's expression became... complicated.
Dr. Green.
A staunch traditionalist who had opposed Ethan's innovative treatment methods at several medical conferences.
The same senior physician who had repeatedly tried to recruit him into a major medical group.
And, in no small part, one of the reasons Ethan had ultimately decided to open his own clinic instead.
Not that he hadn't already planned to work independently...
Dr. Green had simply pushed him to make the decision sooner.
What Ethan hadn't expected was that Friends' relatively minor recurring character...
Was Rachel's father.
He hesitated for a second.
"We know each other..."
"...but I wouldn't say we're close."
Monica immediately caught the subtle meaning.
"'Not close' usually means there's a story."
Ethan looked at Rachel, whose expression had already shifted into full gossip mode, and sighed.
"We had... some disagreements."
"On medical theory."
"They were fairly intense."
Rachel waved it off casually.
"Oh, that's normal."
"If it makes you feel any better, I have disagreements with my dad all the time too."
She shrugged.
"These days, he doesn't give me money..."
"...and I don't listen to him."
"We both think we're winning."
"Perfect," Ethan said with a grin.
"Then we're on the same side."
The three of them laughed.
Monica spoke again.
"Dr. Rayne—"
"Please, just call me Ethan," he said quickly.
"All right."
She nodded.
"So, Ethan... how old are you?"
"Twenty-seven."
"Twenty-seven?!"
Monica stared at him in disbelief.
"You opened your own clinic at twenty-seven?"
Rachel's eyes widened too.
"You're one of those people who already has a successful career and a life plan at twenty-seven?"
"I was still trying to figure out whether I wanted to get married or get a job."
Ethan thought for a moment before answering with a perfectly straight face.
"Maybe it's because..."
"...I'm exceptionally talented."
All three women burst into laughter.
Standing beside him, Phoebe nodded solemnly.
"I can confirm that."
"He's genuinely exceptional."
She spoke with complete sincerity.
"He's the kind of doctor who glows."
Rachel and Monica exchanged another look—the familiar There she goes again expression.
Clearly, neither of them took Phoebe literally.
Ethan quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Monica continued with the question that interested her most.
"So what's better financially?"
"Running your own clinic..."
"...or working at a hospital?"
"Owning a clinic is definitely harder," Ethan replied.
"Income depends on the individual."
"But in my case..."
"...I'd earn more running my own practice."
Monica nodded knowingly.
"Dr. Green has three daughters, Rachel included."
"They all grew up..."
She searched for the right word.
"...very comfortably."
Rachel rolled her eyes.
"Thanks for describing my father controlling my entire childhood so elegantly."
Monica turned to Ethan with a meaningful smile.
"Maybe someday..."
"...you'll have three daughters too."
Phoebe immediately raised her hand.
"The three of us can be your daughters."
"If you don't mind."
Monica and Rachel raised their hands at the same time.
"I approve."
"Me too."
Ethan blinked.
That conversation went off the rails surprisingly fast...
Then again...
If his three daughters turned out to be anything like these three...
That wouldn't be such a bad life.
"I wouldn't mind at all," he said with a laugh.
"I just think the family tree might end up looking a little strange."
Phoebe nodded earnestly.
"It won't."
"I'll be the well-behaved daughter."
Rachel protested immediately.
"Wait! Why do you get to be the well-behaved one?"
Monica folded her arms.
"And I refuse to believe I'd be the difficult child."
Watching the three women bicker back and forth, Ethan felt an odd warmth settle over him.
For the first time...
He wasn't simply someone who knew the story.
He wasn't an audience member watching from outside.
He was standing among them.
Part of the group.
And somehow...
That felt pretty good.