Author's Note: This is my entry for the New Room, New Romance? August/September FanFic Challenge on the CreddieFans forum. Hope you enjoy! (:

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own iCarly, otherwise this DEFINITELY would've been part of iGot a Hot Room.

Carly's POV

"You got your room back," Freddie announced, smirking at me. It was the thousand-watt smile I loved. I got lost in my thoughts, but Gibby interrupted.

"Except for your old photos and other personal items that can never be replaced," he said matter-of-factly. It should've bothered me, but it really didn't.

"GIBBY!" everyone else chastised anyway. I just chuckled to myself, smiling as I turned to Spencer.

"Who has the best big brother ever?" I asked rhetorically. He pondered it for a moment.

"You do," he replied, pointing to me. I took a few steps forward to hug him, smiling still. It was the best birthday present I had ever gotten.

"Man," I heard Gibby say, "Is there anything money can't do?" I pulled away from Spencer to look at Gibby, but my smile never faded. I let Spencer stand with his arm around me for an extra minute before I walked over to Gibby and hugged him.

"Oh, Gibby," I said, shaking my head jokingly. I moved on to hug Sam.

"You guys are the best," I continued, my smile growing wider by the second.

"Well, Cupcake," Sam said, "It's the least we could do. You deserve it."

"Aww, Sam," I replied weakly. I could feel tears in my eyes, and didn't even try to blink them back.

"Don't cry," she attempted to comfort me, "It's true!"

"I'm not sad," I reassured, "Not at all. Just…happy."

"Hey, what about my hug?" Freddie asked playfully. I broke away from Sam, smiling just to let her know that I really was happy, and ran into Freddie's open arms.

"Thank you," I whispered, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck. He responded by pulling away slightly to wipe my tears with his hand, then pulling me in tighter.

"Anything for you," he whispered back. His breath was warm on my ear, and it sent shivers through my body. I knew I still loved him; I knew I always had. But why hadn't I ever told him?

Right then and there, I decided to take a chance. I pulled away from him slightly, unraveling my arms from around his neck. Before he could take his hands from my waist, I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him. I could tell he was shocked at first, but moved his lips with mine when he realized I was serious. I forgot about everything else. Freddie and I were in our own little world, it was just us. I could feel the sparks, and there were fireworks, and just everything. It was straight out of some cheesy movie, but it didn't feel cheesy at all in that moment. It was…perfect.

Well, perfect until Spencer cleared his throat and Sam audibly gagged, probably on purpose just to annoy us. I reluctantly pulled away, but embraced Freddie again, telling him everything without saying anything.

"Alllllllll right, you two," Spencer said, exaggerating his every word. I got the message and finally removed myself from Freddie's arms, taking his hand instead. I was still smiling.

"Well, this is awkward," Sam announced after a few minutes, "I want some ham."

"I don't think we have ham," I said before I realized who I was talking to.

"What?" Sam fumed. My eyes widened.

"You cannot be out of ham," she continued, "You should never be out of ham!"

"Okay, I'm sorry!" I replied hastily.

"Ahh, I'm kidding," Sam reassured me, "But, seriously, I want ham."

"Let's go eat!" Gibby answered, throwing his arms up before leading the way downstairs. Freddie and I followed last, our hands still intertwined.

"I'm not dreaming?" he whispered quietly to me, squeezing my hand.

"Not at all," I replied just as softly, "Unless I am. Did all this really happen?"

"It did," Freddie squeezed my hand once more, "You have an amazing room, awesome friends, a great boyfriend…"

"Boyfriend?" I asked playfully, "Are you talking about yourself?"

"Wait, Carly…"

"Chill, Freddie," I could tell he was getting slightly worried, so I reassured him, "You're definitely my boyfriend now. Don't worry." I smiled at him, and squeezed his hand.

"Barf," I heard Sam ahead of us, "You two are together again?"

"Sam," I chastised gently, shaking my head.

"Jealous?" Freddie asked confidently with a smug.

"Ha, no way! Not in a million years," Sam replied just as confidently, "Careful there, Cupcake," she directed toward me, "I don't want you to catch the nub-ness."

"Aw, Sam," I rebuked less gently, "Stop!"

"You know I'm messing with you, Carls," she smiled, "I'm just not messing with the nub."

I rolled my eyes as she continued walking ahead of us, attempting to complete her quest for ham. I felt Freddie remove his hand from mine and snake it around my waist. I leaned into him in response, kissing him on the cheek.

"I could get used to this," I said partially to myself. I heard Freddie chuckle, and I playfully tapped him.

"Hey," I scolded, "I was talking to myself. No eavesdropping on my private conversations!"

"With yourself?" he asked, "Maybe you should seek professional help."

At this time, I didn't even realize that we'd already made it to the kitchen.

"Where's the ham?" Sam was badgering Spencer anxiously.

"Calm down, it's in the oven!" Spencer freaked out in return. I just shook my head, wearing the smile that hadn't faded since I saw my new room.

After a lovely ham dinner, we were all hanging out in the living room.

"I think this really was my best birthday ever," I said, my head resting on Freddie's shoulder.

"That was my goal, kiddo," Spencer replied, smiling at me. Or, maybe he was smiling at me and Freddie. I hoped so. I knew that Spencer was never comfortable with me dating, or any of the boys I dated, for that matter. I just prayed that since it was Freddie now, Spencer would be more...accepting.

"Knock knock," I heard Mrs. Benson say, even though she already let herself in the apartment, "Freddie, it's past—oh, um, am I interrupting something?"

I could tell that she spotted the way Freddie and I were sitting on the couch. I hoped that she wouldn't be as traumatized as…the last time.

"No, not at all," I responded politely, sitting up, but keeping my hand in Freddie's.

"Oh, well, erm," she stuttered, making it more awkward than it had to be, "Freddie, it's past ten."

"Mom," Freddie complained, but she cut him off.

"We agreed that was your bedtime, now go!"

Sam was practically in hysterics, and I couldn't help but giggle a little bit. Freddie got up, unraveling his fingers from mine, but kissing me.

"Night," he said before walking out the door. When it shut, I let out a dreamy sigh.

"You got it bad," Sam commented, shaking her head, but smiling nonetheless.

"I gotta go, too," Gibby said, getting up and stretching, "See ya, guys."

"Bye, Gibby," we all chorused, waving.

"Can I sleep here?" Sam asked me.

"Yeah, sure," I shrugged, since it was so routine. We took our usual spots on the couch and flipped on the TV, immediately changing the channel to Girly Cow.

"Man, I love this show," Sam said with tears rolling down her cheeks from how hard she was laughing. We had been watching TV now for a couple hours, and Spencer had already gone to bed.

"Me too," I agreed between giggles. Then, I heard Sam stop laughing, and saw her turn the volume down on the TV.

"So, you and Fredweird," she began, facing me.

"Yeah," I sighed, "It's kinda…" I couldn't really find the words to finish without creating an awkward situation.

"Unexpected," she finished for me, "I honestly didn't realize that you really had feelings for him. I thought that since you guys ended it, you were really over him, but…I was wrong."

"Sam, you sound a little…"

"Jealous? I was…I was so jealous, because I didn't want him to take you away from me. You're my best friend, Carly, I love you like my own sister. I was convincing myself that you didn't love him and that you two couldn't be together…"

I saw a tear roll down her cheek, following the trails of her previous tears that had dried. I felt so bad for making her think this, and I realized that, even though I was dating Freddie now, I couldn't let myself get too distracted away from Sam, because I know she needs me.

"Sam…you are my best friend, the sister I never had. I love you, and I love Freddie too. I won't abandon you at all."

"You better hope you don't, Cupcake," she said, hiccupping, "Our you'll be hearing from me."

I giggled weakly before hugging her tightly.

"I'm happy for you two," Sam continued, fully returning my embrace.

I was getting a fresh start. A new room, a new relationship with Freddie, and a new confidence and strength in my friendship with Sam. I felt incredibly lucky. And I felt all the love being sent to me from all sides.

I woke up the next morning, thinking that it had all been a dream. I needed some tangible proof to make sure this wasn't just some crazy fantasy I had thought up.

Since Sam and I fell asleep on the couch, I sat up and yawned before heading up to my room. I opened the door, and not only saw my amazing new room exactly how I remembered, but Freddie sitting on my bed.

"Freddie?" I asked, still slightly asleep. He just walked over to me and put his arms around me, whispering, "Good morning."

I felt his warm breath tickle my ear, and didn't hesitate to return his warm embrace.

"Whatcha doing here?" I asked softly, pressing my cheek to his.

"I just thought I would stop by to see you, that's all." I felt him remove one of his hands from my back, and then music began playing. It was a familiar song. Freddie moved his hands to my waist, pulling away from me slightly. I placed my arms around his neck, swaying with him on the spot and just looking into his eyes. He leaned in and kissed me, and our lips moved together in perfect rhythm.

I sighed contentedly when our lips parted, keeping my eyes closed and resting my head on his shoulder.

Cause you are meant for me

The final line of the song rang in our ears long after the music ended, but we didn't stop dancing. It was the warmth of our bodies together, the electric waves that rippled through my body every time we touched.

"I love you," I whispered quietly, turning my head to kiss Freddie's neck. I waited calmly for his response.

"Are you sure?" he whispered back just as gently, kissing my hair, "Because I love you."

I just picked up my head and kissed him again, letting my lips do the talking.

"I'm sure," I added, just in case he didn't get the message.

"So, you slept downstairs last night…" he started after a comfortable silence.

"Yeah, Sam and I fell asleep watching TV," I responded casually.

"You never got to test out your new bed," he commented smoothly.

I just looked at him with a smirk, and then unwound myself from his arms, taking his hand and leading him to the bed. I let him sit down before sitting on his lap and kissing him. Our lips moved in perfect harmony, and I ran my fingers through his hair. I decided to take the first move after a few minutes; I traced his bottom lip with my tongue, and he eagerly greeted my tongue with his, deepening the kiss.

Suddenly, I realized that we had fallen back on the bed, and I was now lying on top of Freddie. I pulled myself away from him reluctantly.

"Hey," I began in a whisper, "I don't wanna take this too far."

"Of course not," Freddie replied in a supporting tone, "I won't push you into anything you don't want to do."

"Sam's probably awake by now," I said after a semi-awkward silence, "We should go downstairs."

He took my hand and helped me off the bed while I attempted to smooth my hair with the other.

"Well, well, well," Sam said when we got downstairs, "Where have you two been?"

"In my room," I replied, hastily adding, "Not like anything happened, you know, we just…"

"Made out on your bed, I know," she finished, "I kinda walked upstairs to see where you were and saw…oh, well, let's get some food!"

To fill the awkward silence that Sam created by admitting she walked in on us, we all dug in to the coconut cream pie waiting for us on the counter.

As we split it up proportionally, well…almost proportionally, it was just like old times. We were all just hanging out and talking, and having a good time.

"Hey there, kiddos," Spencer greeted, walking into the kitchen. He had grabbed a spoon and dug into my slice of pie.

"Hey!" I protested, turning to him. When I wasn't looking, I saw Freddie out of the corner of my eye stealing some of my pie as well.

"Hey!" I protested again, facing Freddie. I took some of the whipped cream from his pie on my finger and spread it across his nose.

"Payback," I smirked, watching him wipe off the cream and lick his finger. When he removed his finger from his mouth, I grabbed his hand and kissed it. Freddie proceeded to then grab my face and kiss me.

"Payback," he said smugly to me with his thousand-watt smile.

"Ah, get a room," Sam said, disgusted.

"I'd really they rather not," Spencer added uneasily. I just laughed, shaking my head.

"Don't worry about it," Freddie responded to Spencer reassuringly.

Again, it was just like old times. We all were just chatting and laughing over a coconut cream pie. I just happened to be sitting next to my boyfriend.

Boyfriend. Just a year ago if I thought of "Freddie" and "boyfriend" in the same sentence, I would've laughed. I probably never would've considered it. Now, it's just…amazing how far our relationship has come. Almost like a dream come true.

I realized just how much I loved Freddie. First, he was my friend, and that's how I loved him, but after we shared that dance after our terrible dates, I knew there was something more. I confirmed it by kissing him the first time…that was when I knew I loved him. But, when we broke up, I knew how much it hurt, and it would only hurt that bad if I loved him as much as I do now. I believe that we were truly meant to be.

Later on, we all ended up hanging out in my room. Sam was sprawled out on the loveseat, I had collapsed on my bed, and Freddie was fixing the tech system on my closet. The music was blaring, and we were all just having an awesome time.

"And, done!" Freddie announced, relieved. He turned down the music a little, and decided to jump on the trampoline.

"What's up, Buttercup?" he asked me affectionately when he caught me staring at him.

"Just thinking 'bout you," I responded, stretching out. He jumped again before launching himself onto the bed beside me. I giggled when his impact made me bounce off the bed a little. I turned my head toward him, as he was already facing me. I got lost in his eyes again.

"Sam's asleep," I muttered over the snoring from the other side of the room.

"Yup," Freddie responded with a smirk before closing the gap between us and pressing his lips to mine. My lips molded around his, dancing with them in perfect synch. Soon, our tongues were doing the same thing, and our bodies moved closer, touching now. Freddie rolled on top of me, unaware of how close to the edge of the bed we were. Needless to say, we ended up toppling over the side.

"What are you two doing?" Sam exclaimed, angry that we woke her up from her nap.

"Sorry," Freddie and I said in unison. My apology was directed to Sam, where Freddie's was to me.

"I didn't know you were so close to the edge," he continued to explain, "I just—"

"It's fine," I dismissed it quickly, holding my hand to my head. "Ow," I complained under my breath.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Freddie apologized again, helping me stand up. He kissed my head where I was rubbing it in a weak attempt to ease the pain.

"I think I hit my head on the nightstand," I commented.

"Alright, seriously?" Sam interrupted, sounding slightly annoyed, "I was having a nice nap, and enjoyed it, but now I'm starting to think you two were gonna go at it while I was still in the room! Call me crazy, but that makes my nap a little less enjoyable!"

"We weren't gonna go at it," I reassured uneasily, "We were just kissing, that's all." I shot a nervous glance Freddie's way, and he just shrugged.

"What you said," was his response. I shook my head and playfully punched him.

"What was that for?" he asked, rubbing his arm.

"Payback," I replied simply, before walking over to the trampoline and jumping on it. I saw him roll his eyes and sigh, but I also saw the look in his eyes after that. It must be the way I look at him, too, which would explain why Sam get so annoyed; we were a little…mushy around her.

"Well, while you two make google eyes at each other," Sam said in an attempt to distract us, "I'm gonna go get some leftover ham."

It was probably a bad idea for her to leave us alone in my new room.

Even though Freddie and I didn't go any further than just kissing, Sam was still very vocal about her disgust when she returned to the room with her ham.

"Seriously, I'm gonna puke on both of you," she commented, but I knew she was joking now.

"Aw, come on, Sam," I replied cheerfully, walking over to her and stealing a small piece of ham.

"Usually I don't allow that, but since it's you, Carls, it's fine," Sam said after she almost exploded over someone else eating her ham.

"This is so awesome," I said to myself a few minutes later, just wandering around my room, "It feels like a dream. A really awesome dream!"

"Well, if it is a dream, I don't wanna wake up," I answered myself, still in awe over my awesome new room. I accidentally bumped into Freddie when I was looking up at my gummy bear chandler. I giggled and snaked my arms around him.

"Am I dreaming?" I asked him.

"I've been asking myself that all day," he replied softly, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"I can see where this is going," Sam cut in, "I'll be downstairs, sleeping on the couch."

By the time Sam shut the door, Freddie's lips were already on mine, again in perfect synch with my movements. Our bodies touched as the kiss deepened once more. We were in our own world, and whether it was a dream or not, it was awesome.

A/N: Hope you liked it (: The one centered line in italics was from "Meant For Me" by Chrissy Chase...but you probably already knew that.