Author's Note: Wow. An update to this story has been long overdue. I'm sorry! I just haven't been sure how to proceed because there was enough buildup to this part of the story to make it seem like this conversation should be perfect. But honestly, it will probably suck. I'll try my best, but I'm not making any promises. There are so many ways to go from here, and I hope I choose the right way. And people have told me to make the chapters longer, so I will do that. I know they're short and I'm sorry. But, to compensate for that and the fact that I've waited far too long to update, this will be the longest chapter so far. Maybe the last one. I have to see. Anyway, wish me luck! :D

Disclaimer: I don't own iCarly. If I did, I would buy one of Spencer's sculptures. Probably the squirrel camera because the rest are too big to fit in my room. :D

iLove a Lot of Things (Part Four)

It was pitch black in the first hallway in Freddie's house. Bushwell wasn't a normal apartment building. Each, as Spencer would call it, dwelling, in the complex was laid out differently. I have only been in his apartment a handful of times, so I couldn't navigate it very well in the dark like I could Carly's. In fact, it only took me a few footsteps before I tripped and fell, landing smack on the ground with a loud grunt. I guess Carly's lessons on how to be girlier had no effect on my reflexes. We both froze and held our breaths, terrified that Mrs. Benson would hear us. We had an unspoken understanding that if Freddie's mother were to know that I was in his house in the middle of the night, I probably wouldn't make it out of here unscathed even if I fought back. There was nothing more dangerous than an angry Mrs. Benson, which we learned a couple of years ago when she fenced Toader and his minions alone and had them running home in fear. But after a minute passed, we relaxed, assured that Freddie's mother hadn't awoken. Freddie crouched down beside me, concerned.

"Sam! Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," I replied at a normal volume.

"Shhh!" he warned me sternly, standing himself back up.

"Sorry," I apologized softly, and he nodded in approval, "What did I trip over?" I questioned, feeling around on the floor. My hands brushed by something rough and cold and I yanked it towards me, thinking that it was the culprit. I heard Freddie gasp and his hands hit the wall for support as he lost his balance.

"Sam! That's my foot!" he whispered exasperatedly.

"Sorry," I apologized once again before gingerly placing it back near the rest of his body.

"You probably tripped over the doorstop. Now get up before you grab any more of my appendages." He urged, obviously annoyed. I sighed in aggravation. Why couldn't I be civil toward him? I can be nice to people like Carly without even attempting to. Yet in this case, I was trying my hardest to be gentle, yet I still accidentally harmed him. I think I was hurting him more now than when I aimed to do so.

I looked up at him, expecting to see an irritated expression on his face. But instead, I saw a small smile and a hand reaching down, offering to help me up. I knit my eyebrows together, confused, while carefully taking his hand. I couldn't help but notice my heart rate speed up and my palms begin to sweat as soon as his skin came in contact with mine. I also found it hard to forget that this was the first sign I noticed that helped me to realize how I truly felt about him. And it was difficult not to wonder if he was feeling the same emotions I was at the moment.

The part of my brain that wasn't flooded with contentment from touching him, or in other words, the logical part, doubted it. Along with the fact that it was unlikely that Freddie would have feelings for someone who treated him terribly, there was also that huge signal that stared me right in the face just a few hours ago. When I kissed him, he didn't kiss me back. Sure, it was a surprise to him, but if he actually liked me, he would have started kissing me back after a few seconds. And when I knocked on the door a few minutes ago, he certainly didn't seem happy to see me. This part of my brain was also against me coming here in the first place. But, as usual, the other side of my brain, which is also the side that often craves food, overpowered the logical part. And the result was my presence in Freddie's house in the middle of the night.

However, when I got back on my feet, Freddie did something that contradicted his earlier actions. He didn't let go of my hand. He continued to hold it as he led me through his house. I desperately hoped that I wasn't sweating enough for him to notice, or that he didn't hear my heartbeat, or at least, not as much as I could. But I was mostly wishing that this was an indication that he possibly didn't hate me.

"Where are you taking me?" I interrogated, slightly suspicious.

"Fire escape. So my mom can't hear us." he answered impassively.

"Isn't that cliché?" I blurted out my first thought.

"What do you mean?"

"Talking about our second kiss in the same place where we had our first?" I tried to treat the subject as if it was no big deal, but we both knew that it wasn't so. He still chuckled, keeping up the act.

"Maybe a little."

To say that this journey to the fire escape was romantic would be a complete lie. The silence was awkward rather than comfortable and the darkness unsettling, not exciting. So I took the first chance I got to break the quietness.

"Totally Terri?" I asked, raising my eyebrows and noticing the episode playing on the TV in the living room, "Why am I not surprised?"

"Ummm…" he stammered, blushing, "That wasn't on when I was watching. The show I was watching must have ended."

"Well why were you watching the Dingo Channel in the first place?" I questioned.

"While I was trying unsuccessfully to get some sleep, I occupied myself with the TV. And as I flipped through the channels, I came across this and decided to make sure that none of the writers were still copying ideas from iCarly." he tried, probably hoping that I was too tired to realize how sorry that excuse was.

"Sure you were, Fredifer." I agreed sarcastically. Well there I go again. It seems that I can never miss an opportunity to make fun of him. I was so much better at acting almost pleasant toward him earlier this week. But I guess the kiss and the time of night are messing with my head, and not in the way that Freddie wished they were. It's funny how I'm finally attempting to treat him the way I want to, yet I can't seem to stop acting like I normally do. I guess when you play a game long enough, it starts to become your reality. Whether you like it or not.

Finally, we reached the door to the fire escape. He opened the door for me, which I took note of, and I stepped outside into the cold night air. The first thing I noticed was the sky, which was clear enough that you could actually see a few stars through Seattle's smog. I laughed inwardly. How predictable. I wouldn't have been surprised if a slow love song began to play. But Freddie's Pear-Home wasn't sitting on the ledge this time. However, Freddie was, and he patted the space next to him. I sat down cautiously, unsure if he was actually okay with me being so close to him. I wondered if he was letting me inside and talking to me simply because he wished to stay friends. I vaguely remember Carly informing me that Freddie actually considered me as a friend one time when we had a sleepover. Maybe he didn't like me the way I wanted him to, but still wanted our friendship to remain. The idea was discouraging, so I pushed it to the back of my head and tried to forget about it.

"So…" Freddie started, trying to fill the silence.

"So…"

"The stars are out." He commented.

"Yeah, it's…Oh, what are we doing? We've been putting this off too long!" I could barely stand the apprehension anymore and refused to delay this possible torture any longer than I have already.

"Okay…well why don't we start with a simple question?" I nodded in agreement, silently loving how he said 'we', "Why did you kiss me?" I took a deep breath before answering, this being the first time I've ever said this aloud.

"Because…I like you, Freddie. And I have for a while." I admitted.

"I know." He replied tentatively.

"Then why did you ask?"

"Because it makes no sense! What about Brad? Recently, you've wanted to hang out with us all the time!" He looked just as confused as he would be if I told him that gravity was just a myth. And we all know how he worships science as if it were his God.

"I've already told you that I'm not into Brad like that. Sure, he's cute, and he makes the second best fudge I've ever tasted, but I don't like him that way. So the only other person left is…?" I trailed off, allowing him to finish the rest of that sentence.

"…Me…but before then, you've always harassed me and said that you hated me."

"Freddie. You're not stupid. And you've been thinking about this all night. I'm pretty sure you know why." I couldn't help but smile. I'd do a double fist dance on the face of anyone who spoke of this out loud, but I secretly thought it was cute when he figured things out himself. He always looked so content when he was found out that he was right. And he was often correct about things. Which is why I wanted him to say it.

"To hide your feelings?" he guessed.

"Yup. Don't ask me to tell you what you already know." I saw him grin, and my heart fluttered. What a stupid girlish organ. I mean, sure I don't want it to break, but I wish it wasn't so…fragile and expressive.

"But…why?" I laughed to myself. He looked absolutely lost as to why someone like me would ever like him.

"Take a guess." I wasn't about to let him know that easily.

"Because…I'm smart?"

"Nope. I don't care about intelligence. Especially not your kind."

"My kind?" he asked, raising his eyebrows, offended just a little bit.

"The kind that schools care about. Book smarts." I explained. He understood how much I detested the establishment.

"Oh…So is it because I'm funny?" he tried.

"I wasn't lying when I told you that you weren't." Actually, I was. His nerdiness was quite laughable.

"Right…" I could tell that he was slightly disappointed about that, "Is it…" he paused, a mischievous smile forming on his face, "because I'm smoking hot?"

"You wish!" I pushed him lightly on the shoulder. He laughed, so I didn't feel as badly about it as I did when I grabbed his foot. But saying that he wasn't hot was a bit of a lie as well. He wasn't the same scrawny little boy that he was just two years ago. I wouldn't go as far as calling him hot, but he certainly wasn't unattractive.

"Okay…I give up. Why?"

"Honestly…I'm not exactly sure why. Which is one of the reasons why I waited so long to tell you that I like you."

"Which brings me to my next question…how long have you liked me?"

"I'm not sure of that, either. I think I started noticing signs after our first kiss. I know, just another cliché to add to tonight's list of them. But I think I actually realized it when you started dating Carly. I was jealous. And not of you for spending so much time with my best friend. I was jealous of Carly for being able to kiss you instead of me." I felt pathetic just saying that.

"And what other reasons do you have for waiting until now to tell me?"

"The same reason why you thought I wasn't making a move on Brad. I was afraid that you wouldn't like me back. Especially because of the way I treat you and the way you respond. But oddly enough, you helped me get over that fear. And there was also the fact that I thought I hated you most of my life. It made no sense for me to pull a complete one eighty. But I did anyway. So I needed time to come to terms with that." I was beginning to regret asking to have this conversation in the first place. I sounded like a pitiable nub.

"I see…" I sensed that he still wasn't used to my speaking with him without trying to insult him.

"So now it's my turn to ask some questions." I began, attempting to save myself from any more embarrassment.

"Okay…" Freddie was trying to remain calm, but I could tell that he tensed. I didn't blame him. It's not like he had all the months that I did to think about this. But I continued as if I didn't notice it.

"Do you like me?"

Author's Note: Hehehe! How evil am I? Leaving you off like that is so mean! But who said I was a nice person? Exactly. No one. I hope that wasn't too bad of a fail. But in my defense, half of it was written at 3 AM. I'll try to post the next chapter sooner. I'm glad that this was the longest chapter. I tried to keep a balance between tough and romantic Sam. It's actually quite difficult to do well. I tried my best, but I'm pretty sure that I sucked at it. Sorry if I mangled this story beyond recognition. Anyway, the more reviews I get, the faster I post the next chapter. That is, if you still want one after that mess. So, until next time, always make sure to help strangers find their puppies and accept any candy that they offer you! :D