Chapter 15

"Uh...what's going on?" Freddie stepped into the apartment to find his mother and Sam sitting together on the couch. The two females sharing company would've been surprising on its own, but their sudden silence when he opened the front door made him feel awkward and suspicious.

"Just some girl talk." Marissa shifted in her seat and straightened her skirt.

"I came by to see if we could work on some iCarly bits. Your mom was telling me about MIT."

"You need to put a list together of things you're going to need for the dorm, Freddie." Marissa looked pointedly at Sam. The teen looked away. She found herself uncomfortable with the charade. It didn't bother her that Freddie was keeping the truth about his future living situation from his mother, for the time being; teenagers are expected to keep things from their parents. But it did bother her that Mrs. Benson was pretending to Freddie that she didn't know what was really going on. Do good moms do that? That was something with which she had no experience. Sam would never admit it to anyone, not even Carly, but she knew Marissa Benson loved Freddie, and all of the smothering and coddling was her expression of that love. It wasn't the most healthy parent-child relationship, but at least his mom was present and involved. Sam let her fingers trace over the remote in her pocket. Might they still be lost in Japan had Mrs. Benson not taken precautionary measures with her son's care?

Freddie approached Sam from behind and tapped her on the shoulder. Sam stood at his nudging and he directed her to his room. The two teens shuffled hurriedly from the living room while Marissa called after them about leaving the bedroom door open at least three inches, and reminding them about the protective shoe booties Sam needed to slip on.

Sam stayed near the door while Freddie picked a few stray items off the floor and tossed them into the closet. He hadn't been expecting company, and even though it was Sam, his first instincts were to tidy up. Sam had been in his room at least a thousand times, but felt an awkwardness being there now. She'd originally come by to apologize, but Marissa being home and receiving her first threw everything off. In an effort to extricate them from the company of his mother, Freddie seemed to have forgotten that his last encounter with Sam didn't end like he would have hoped. He'd been pretty angry and hurt, left alone in the hallway after Sam went back into the Shays' apartment. He'd even texted Sam moments later, but she'd ignored him. Now, to Sam's discomfort, he was acting normal. She should have gone along with it, but she knew eventually he'd remember what she'd done.

Freddie looked up from the laptop on his desk at Sam awkwardly leaning against the doorjamb. "Why are you just standing there? I thought you wanted to work on iCarly." Sam's lips parted, but no sound or breath escaped her mouth. She brought them back together and sheepishly stepped into the room. "You're being weird," Freddie said. He looked back at the laptop screen annoyed and whispered, "If it's about last night, it's fine. I shouldn't have expected anything." He remembered.

Sam stepped closer to the foot of the bed. She leaned her knees against it, grateful for the support it provided. Her back felt weak. She was weak. She watched the back of Freddie's head and shoulders move almost imperceptibly while he typed. Sam wanted to put her hands on his shoulders and still them. She wanted him to stop moving, for them both to just stop. To wait. "Don't rush," his mom had said. Why couldn't they just stay still? She wanted to apologize, but the occasion was so rare that she had to rack her brain trying to recall the proper way to begin. Freddie did stop typing then. He turned toward her in irritation.

"What?" he asked, voice laced with hostility.

Yes, Sam, what indeed? "I...I was," Sam swallowed deeply, words stuck in her throat. "I was thinking we could do a bit with gummy worms for the website. Just us."

"Oh-kaaay. That's it?"

"Well...that was the pitch. You can flesh it out more and figure out the details."

Freddie rolled his eyes and turned back to the laptop. Sam stopped the hand reaching for the mouse in mid-air with her words. "I'm sorry."

"F-for what?" hesitation halted his words.

"You know for what." Her posture slumped and she rolled her eyes. "Don't make me say the whole thing."

Freddie turned to look at Sam. He knew this girl. He knew her face. Her hair. The way her body leaned, her legs up against the mattress. Freddie stood and slowly made his way to her. His eyes wouldn't leave hers. She broke the connection and released a nervous laugh. Sam threw her head back, eyes stopping on the ceiling. She laughed again, embarrassed. Or was she hyperventilating? She wasn't certain. He moved into her personal space, slipping his hand into hers. Freddie leaned into her ear to whisper, "I want you to go to the prom with me. I won't take no for an answer."

Her breath caught in her chest. She was surprised by the boldness of his words, and aroused by the hot feeling of his breath on her neck and the slight tickle of a few of her own hairs grazing her cheek. She didn't know what to make of the feeling. Holy chizz, this is Freddie! All she could think of to whisper back was, "Yes."

Her eyes flitted around the desk unable to settle on any specific item there. She took mental inventory of her bodily functions: Are my palms sweating? Do I have to pee? Am I still standing? Freddie smiled at her answer. His thumb gently rubbed the back of Sam's hand. The sound of her breath was thin, as though she was only taking in and letting out the barest minimum of what she needed to function. Freddie savored this closeness to her. He didn't dare move or speak to spoil it. Eyes still looking straight ahead trying to focus on something on Freddie's desk, The webcam, yeah, I'm okay, Sam steadied her breathing. She felt Freddie's eyes on her. They traced the outline of her ear, the small hairs along her cheek. Sam heard his lips part and his tongue slowly moisten them. She couldn't stop the involuntary motion - her face turning slightly towards him so her eyes could watch his mouth. Her body felt heavy then, like she needed to sit, but she continued to stand next to him, her right side almost touching the front of him. They were close enough that Sam could feel the heat radiating off his body. Is that me? Am I hot? Is it hot in here? She dared a glance at his eyes. She found Freddie softly smiling. His face came closer, his chin and mouth leaning in towards her chin and her mouth.

Freddie's tongue darted out to lick his lips, and a moment later they were pressed to hers. His hand let go of hers and traveled up her forearm, past her elbow and stopped at her bicep. He held the muscle gently in his palm and pulled Sam closer. He felt Sam softly surrender. Her lips parted and puckered, parted and puckered. He moved his hand from her arm to the left side of her face. She turned fully towards him at that, both their bodies pressed lightly against each other.

The weight of her body became too much for her, and Sam slowly felt herself moving to sit on the foot of the bed. Freddie felt the shift in her weight and followed her down. Both hands now cradling her head, fingers sifting her hair. Lips still connected; parting, puckering, parting, puckering. He came to kneel in front of her, his hips between her open thighs. His tongue reached out to taste her lips. His ears were rewarded with the sound of her sighing. Freddie'd never felt so warm. He wanted to melt into her. Freddie hugged Sam's body closer, wanting to practically pass through her. He was lost.

Sam could feel Freddie's arousal. It was empowering. There was a part of her that wanted very much to writhe against him, feel his hands possess her, feel him press himself further into the space between her legs. But there was also a part of her that was afraid. Inexperience made her hesitant. Freddie made no assertions. He held her close, and Sam could feel the passion in his kisses, but he wasn't forceful. God, I could stay like this forever.

A/N: Back again. :-/ Sorry for the painfully long delay. Really. (Especially painful for me as I've forgotten how to update.) Please kindly review.