Central Apartment Café.
Adam was stunned by Rachel's request.
Countless thoughts raced through his mind.
Did they have a fight?
Did Ross cheat right after their argument?
And now Rachel wanted revenge, using Adam as a pawn?
Or was this just a prank, with Monica and the others hiding nearby, waiting to laugh at him?
Adam glanced around but saw no one lurking in the shadows.
That meant the most likely scenario was that Rachel was using him for revenge.
To agree or not to agree—that was the question.
Sigh, too bad this isn't an era where knights must honor their promises, Adam thought to himself, deciding to refuse Rachel.
Things were good as they were, proving that his past decisions had been wise. He had no reason to disrupt the balance—especially since there wasn't a compelling reason to do so.
"I'm sorry, Rachel. You and Ross are both my good friends. I can't do this."
"Why not?"
Rachel's voice was urgent. "I already talked to Ross. He wasn't happy, but he agreed."
"He agreed?"
Adam was dumbfounded.
What was going on?
Did Ross feel guilty and want to continue the relationship? Did he agree to let Rachel have her turn so things would be even and they could move on?
If this were in the East, Adam wouldn't think this way.
But here, he had to consider the possibility—because it seemed highly likely.
Unbelievable.
This corrupt, degenerate sitcom world!
Adam struggled to respond. "Sorry. Even if Ross agreed, I still can't do it."
"Why? Why? Why?"
Rachel was desperate. "I'm just asking you to pretend to be my boyfriend! Even Ross is fine with it. Why won't you do it? Are you even my friend?"
"Huh?"
Adam froze. "You want me to pretend to be your boyfriend? For what?"
If it was just pretending, then it wasn't the kind of commitment he had initially imagined.
He felt relieved, yet at the same time, slightly disappointed. As someone who had studied psychology, he cursed himself internally—Damn human nature!
"It's for Barry and Mindy's wedding."
Rachel didn't notice Adam's thoughts and explained, "I accepted Mindy's invitation to be her bridesmaid."
"Oh, that."
Adam suddenly understood and couldn't help but laugh. "What were you thinking?"
In the original timeline, this ridiculous situation had happened, but Adam had already warned Rachel that Barry might spread rumors about her. He was surprised that despite his warning, Rachel had still agreed.
Story inertia was really strong.
"I don't know."
Rachel smacked her forehead in frustration. "Mindy said a few nice things, and I couldn't resist. But now, when I think about going to their wedding and being mocked by Barry's friends and family, I just want to kill myself."
Thanks to Adam's warning, Rachel had done some digging and discovered how Barry had badmouthed her after she left him at the altar. That made her regret her decision even more.
"Then just don't go."
Adam pointed out, "You shouldn't be going in the first place."
"But I already said yes to Mindy."
Rachel looked conflicted.
"So what?"
Adam was unconcerned. "Just make up an excuse. Say you had an allergic reaction to lobster and got sick."
"What if Mindy comes to check on me?"
Rachel shook her head. "Besides, lobster is my favorite food. She'd never believe it."
"You really forgave Mindy? You still want to be friends with her?"
Adam was surprised.
This was the same woman who had an affair with her fiancé. How could Rachel let that slide?
"Mindy is different."
Rachel hesitated. "She used to be my best friend. Even if she's not anymore, I still want to be friends with her."
Adam gave her a strange look.
He vaguely recalled that Mindy had taught Rachel a lot of techniques in the past—including kissing.
"And she already sent me the bridesmaid dress."
Rachel added.
"It doesn't have the word 'bridesmaid' printed across it in huge letters, does it?"
Adam instinctively joked.
"Huh?"
Rachel looked at him, confused.
"Never mind."
Adam snapped out of it and laughed. "It just reminded me of a friend from the East who had a similar experience. He missed his own wedding, and by the time he arrived, the bride had already left with her ex-boyfriend."
Rachel listened intently.
"Years later, he ran into them again and found out they were getting married. The bride even invited him to the wedding. He refused, but one of his friends accepted the invitation on his behalf. When the bride sent him a bridesmaid dress, it had the word 'bridesmaid' printed in huge letters."
"Wait."
Rachel interrupted. "Wasn't he a guy? How could he be a bridesmaid?"
"Because the bride saw him as one of her girlfriends."
Adam laughed.
"He was gay?"
Rachel looked like she had an epiphany.
"No!"
Adam chuckled. "He was very much a man. In fact, he had a reputation for being quite the ladies' man."
"What?!"
Rachel covered her mouth in shock. "Then why did he go along with it?"
"It's simple."
Adam teased, "Like you, he agreed without thinking and didn't want to go back on his word. For the sake of his pride, he went along with it—he even tried on the ridiculous bridesmaid dress."
"And then?"
Rachel asked eagerly.
"In the end, to get out of it, he deliberately ate lobster—despite being severely allergic."
Adam grinned. "But he miscalculated the date, suffered for nothing, and had already recovered by the time the wedding came around. Still, he didn't go.
Because no matter what history they shared, they were no longer close. They barely saw each other anymore, so why embarrass himself just to save face?"
"I see..."
Rachel fell deep into thought.
Adam's friend's experience felt eerily similar to her own.
Maybe she should do the same and just tell Mindy she wasn't going.
Before, to give herself confidence, she had planned to bring Adam as her fake boyfriend. She had even argued with Ross about it multiple times.
In her eyes, Ross's PhD wasn't as impressive as Barry's career as a dentist. If she had never learned about Barry's lies, she would have asked her actual boyfriend, Ross, to come along.
But now that she knew the truth, she had two options: either not go at all or bring someone who could completely overshadow Barry.
Among her friends, Adam had the looks, the physique, and the status as the youngest millionaire—he was the perfect choice.
"Adam, will you come with me?"
Rachel asked hesitantly.
"Are you sure?"
Adam didn't reject her this time.
She was Leonard's beloved daughter and his good friend. If he could help, he would.
"Yes."
Rachel nodded firmly.
As awkward as it would be to be Mindy's bridesmaid, it was also an opportunity.
If she brought Adam, she could finally put an end to Barry's slander.
"No matter what you decide, I'm fine with it."
Adam smiled. "But first, you need to convince someone else."
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