THURSDAY NIGHT
Carly invited Logan to watch the show and then stay afterwards for a very small dance party, just the 4 of them. There was some ballroom dancing going on but mostly it was more modern dance. They were celebrating the end dancing in gym. The next day was the final day of dancing at school and Sam and Freddie were confident in their ballroom dancing skills. Sam was trying to enjoy the dancing but it was a bittersweet evening. She was enjoying the dancing part but inside she knew she was really going to miss dancing with Freddie. How could she tell him she liked him and wanted to date him and go to dances with him without embarrassing herself? Sam and Freddie showed off their ballroom dance moves and then much to everyone's surprise, Logan showed off his break dancing skills. People still did break dancing? Logan was really good at it. A good time was had by all but it was getting late. Carly walked Logan down to the bus stop and left Sam and Freddie alone in the studio. Freddie turned the soft music back on. "Care to have one more dance?" he asked.
Sam and Freddie glided around the room. They were really learning to dance well and read each others moves. She didn't want this dance to end. It would be their last slow dance ever. Tomorrow in class they'd have to dance each ballroom dance for their final test but they wouldn't be like this dance. This was sweet and slow and gentle and quietly private, just the two of them in a world of their own. It was so natural and seemed to be a part of the dance that Sam wasn't even sure how it happened. One second they were swaying with the music and the next second they swayed towards each other and their lips met. They both froze for a second, then their lips started to move and nibble and taste. They both tilted their heads to deepen the kiss and tightened the holds they had on each other. Sam experienced heaven on earth, nothing had ever felt this good, this right. Freddie's soft lips caressed hers again and again. When the song ended the couple broke apart, dazed. Just then Carly came back into the studio.
"You two still dancing?" she asked.
"Uh, no, we were just, uh, resetting the sound levels on his lap top." Sam stammered out. She was totally confused. What just happened? Did she kiss Freddie or did he kiss her? Ok, after the initial contact they were kissing each other but did he kiss her first? Did he have those sorts of feelings for her too?
Friday night, as promised, Carly threw Sam a bacon and ham dinner. Spencer and Freddie were also invited. Carly had been throwing herself into this little dinner party and went all out on the bacon and ham theme. Bacon and ham tartlet appetizers made with crescent roll dough, cheddar cheese, bacon and ham. Then a chef salad, heavy on the ham. The main course was a huge honey glazed ham and baked potatoes with sour cream and loads of bacon bits. A lovely walnut bacon vegetable combo with parmesan cheese for a side dish completed the main course. For dessert Carly had really outdone herself. She found a recipe for bacon pumpkin pie and served it with candied bacon ice cream! They all rolled away from the table feeling like pigs, pun intended, and even Sam had had enough pork in one meal. Her taste buds were very happy but at the moment her stomach was a bit too full to be happy. Her heart was the most unhappy though. She had been hoping something would come of kissing Freddie again last night. It had been a long time since they shared their first kiss out on his fire escape and both had grown and matured. Last nights kiss had been nothing like their first kiss. That first kiss was strange and uncomfortable and really nothing more than pressing their lips together without really even moving them. The way you'd kiss your grandmother, only longer. Last nights kiss had changed Sam's world, apparently it hadn't done the same for Freddie. He seemed unaffected. They'd aced the dance test, hung out with Carly at her place, bickered a bit, threw out ideas for iCarly while helping Carly prepare dinner and made plans for Saturday afternoon together. All very normal, nothing unusual or romantic there.
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
"I just can't quite get it to look right. Carly, you don't look natural there." Freddie said.
"Of course I don't look natural here, I'm upside down!" she exclaimed. They had spent a few hours trying to rig up something to make it look like Carly was swinging on a swing that was 'hanging' from the floor up towards the ceiling – an upside down swing. But they were having trouble getting Carly to look like gravity was reversed while hanging on the underside of the swings seat. They were in no hurry, they still had plenty of time to make it look right before the next webcast. "Let's wrap up, guys. I've got to get ready for my date. Logan and I are going to a beach party with his family."
"Do you mind if I hang around and watch tv here?" begged Sam. "My mom didn't pay the cable bill and we've got like 3 fuzzy channels right now."
"It's fine with me, just don't record over Spencer's Celebrities Underwater again or he'll put itching powder in your shoes. Trust me, you do not want to have itching powder in your shoes!" Carly warned her. "Spencer ordered it from the back of a magazine not only does it really work but it's hard to wash off!"
"I think I'll do a bit more 'Frediting' on the new short film we've started. And Carly's right about that itching powder. Spencer put some in my shampoo and now my mom is convinced I have lice because I keep scratching my head. I'm going to have to pay Spencer back for this one!" he added as he left.
Sam helped Carly get ready for her date but mostly helped by just keeping her company, what did Sam know about girly clothes and make up? She did let Carly play beauty parlor a bit with Sam and let her put some blush and lip gloss on Sam. They felt weird and noticing herself in the mirror she thought they looked even weirder, she wasn't a make up wearing girly sort of girl, she was Sam. Logan picked up Carly and Sam stretched out on the couch to watch some television. After so many nights of dancing it seemed strange and lonely to be just watching tv, basically doing nothing. She could do without the dancing in school and she could even do without the dancing in the studio but she was missing Freddie. Why hadn't he said anything about kissing? It had been two days now. Sam figured to him it was just any old kiss, nothing special. That hurt. Sam wanted to be special to him. She shut the tv off, she wasn't really watching it any way. She wandered around the apartment looking at Spencer's things; the bottle bot, his monster sized plastic monkeys, the bowling ball sculpture, the huge Gummi bear and old radios. She didn't want to be alone. Maybe she'd feel less alone up in the studio, it was time for dance practice. They were done with dance but Sam felt compelled to go to the studio. She was wishing it was time to practice with Freddie instead of doing nothing all by herself. As she started up the steps she heard a faint sound. As she walked into the studio she couldn't believe her eyes, every surface in the studio was covered with flickering votive candles and the walls and ceiling were covered in twinkling white lights. The sound she had heard was the gentle strain of music filling the studio. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Freddie standing in the middle of the room in his handsome iCarly awards tuxdeo. When she stepped into the room he held out his hand, silently asking for a dance. Sam was in shock.
"How long have you been waiting for me?" she asked.
Freddie looked a bit sheepish as he answered "About two years."
Wait, what? she thought. He hasn't been standing there in a tuxedo for two years. He's been waiting for me for two years? It took her a confused moment to figure out he meant that he's been waiting for her to realize her feelings for him for two years. He's felt like this about me for two years and knew I felt the same and has just been waiting and waiting for me? No one had ever done anything so selfless for her before, she was amazed at the depth of his patience and resolve to let her realize her feelings without pushing. The gray sad evening suddenly sparkled ahead of her, and not just that evening but beyond. If Freddie was willing to wait two whole years to make things right for Sam to recognize her feelings then she had to admit to herself that he wasn't likely to do anything to hurt her. Maybe, just maybe there was another person in this world that Sam could trust.
"Are we going to dance?" Freddie asked, his hand still held out to Sam.
"Eventually" she said with a smile and she stepped up to Freddie and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for the sweetest and longest kiss of his life, so far any way.
Hours later Carly came home from her beach party. She'd had a great time with Logan and his family. Sitting around the bonfire with Logan wrapped around her to keep her warm was wonderful. She felt bad leaving Sam here alone, she had seemed depressed most of the day. Carly didn't know what was wrong. Now that she was home from her date she was looking to see if Sam was still there so she could press her friend for details. Maybe Carly could help her with whatever the problem was. She heard music coming from the studio. Was Sam up there listening to music? She went up the steps to check on her friend. She stopped in her tracks as she came around the corner. Sam was not alone and was not looking depressed in the least. She and Freddie were dancing again. And not just dancing, they would take a few dance steps, give a quick kiss, take a few more steps, kiss again. The song ended and her two best friends started to kiss with some passion. They came up for air when the next song started up and they started to dance again. Carly slowly backed out of the room. She smiled and headed to bed knowing her best friend had learned to trust another person in her life. Freddie was the perfect boyfriend for her. He was a caring guy that would understand many of her odd behaviors and not be repelled by them, maybe even help her face some of her demons.
Up in the studio as they danced, just holding each other and swaying with the music, Sam had to ask, she needed to hear it. "Freddie, what now?"
"If it's ok with you I'd like to date you. Be your boyfriend." he answered.
Sam was startled by his answer. "Why? After all I have done to you why would you want to have me for your girlfriend?" she was confused.
"Because I love you." he said.
"I don't deserve you." she admitted. "I, uh.. I'm scared, Freddie. I don't want to get hurt."
He stopped dancing and took both her hands in his and looked her right in the eye. "I would never, ever hurt you, Sam. And I'm scared too. We can go as slow as you want. I'd feel less scared if we went slow too. I'm willing to give us a chance, I think we're worth the risk. I know you are worth it. While we are really getting to know each other, slowly, we can go out and have fun too. Or even stay in and have fun! Care to join me for dinner and a movie at my place tomorrow evening? My mom won't be home from work until nearly 8pm, we'll have the place to ourselves. We could have breakfast for dinner, pancakes and lots and lots of bacon." he offered, tempting her.
"Ok, I'd like that, all of that. Slow sounds good, so does breakfast for dinner tomorrow, just the two of us. And maybe a few slow dances for dessert?" she asked.
"Maybe a few more slow dances right now." Freddie suggested as he slid his hands around Sam's waist to pull her in close for more dancing, and more kissing, of course!