For the next couple of times we got together when Carly was around, Freddie and I were extremely careful about any physical contact we had with each other. Carly looked at us suspiciously sometimes, because we would avoid each other when she was around, but there were secretive looks, and knowing gazes.
One day when Freddie had left to get something with his mom, Carly confronted me.
"Why are you and Freddie acting so weird?" she asked as she poured herself some of her homemade iced tea.
"What do you mean?" I contradicted.
"You guys like… avoid each other. And you're all like… careful." She said, taking a sip.
"Oh that…" I replied. "Things just… didn't work out."
"What do you mean?" she asked, repeating my previous words.
"We just decided it was… better to not have that kind of relationship."
"But your date went so well!"
"Well yeah, but we just decided to stay friends. I think its best. We've known each other too long… and besides, it's Freddie. And it'll interfere with iCarly and give all those "Seddie" shippers something to get worked up over." I said, coming up with a few random excuses.
Note to self: Remember to tell Freddie those later so that if Carly asks him, we'll have the same story.
Wait… I'll just text him.
"I'll be right back." I said. "Gotta pee."
"Have fun." She chuckled.
I ran off into the bathroom and knocked to make sure Spencer wasn't showering or anything and then went inside and locked the door behind me. I took out my phone and opened up a new text to Freddie.
To: Freddie
warning: carly mite ask u l8er y we r avoiding eachother
From: Freddie
well what did u tell her?
To: Freddie
known eachother 2 long, interfere with icarly, give the seddie freaks something 2 get worked up ovr… oh and that its u
From: Freddie
hey!
To: Freddie
shut up u kno i sed it 2 get her off my back.
From: Freddie
i kno ;) good reasons
To: Freddie
ikr? g2g carls thinx im peein
From: Freddie
deliteful ttyl
To: Freddie
ur such a sap peace out fredison
I shut my phone off and stuck it back in my pants pocket and then went back outside to Carly.
"Sorry, must've drunk a lot of water." I said.
"I don't wanna know." She said with a roll of her eyes. "Let's go come up with ideas for iCarly."
"Ugh," I sighed. "Work."
"Come on," she said, dragging me upstairs to the studio. "Let's go."
Later, as we were coming up with a final idea, Freddie showed up to do some maintenance on the site.
"Hola chicas." He said, coming into the studio.
"Hey Freddie," Carly said.
"Fredward." I said simply.
He gave me a fake angry look and then went to his computer. Carly and him talked for a few minutes and he gave a few discrete looks in my direction, telling me that she wished she would leave.
And then by perfect timing, Carly announced, "You know what this little shindig needs? Lemonade." And then she went out of the room calling, "Be right back!"
Freddie craned his head and waited until he was fully around the corner before going over to me and picking me up in a spinny-hug thing.
"Geez, when did you get so strong?" I said, fake punching his bicep once he put me down.
"You know I work out, right?" he said, flexing his muscles.
I laughed. "But you'll never be as strong as Mama."
"Someday." He said playfully. "Someday I will take you."
I laughed again. "Sure, Freddie. Sure you will."
He smiled and we just stood there, looking at each other, before he took my hand.
"I really wish we didn't have to keep this a secret."
"You know we can't tell Carly. She'll go all obsessive."
"Yeah… I know." He said.
But just then, the door opened. "Sorry guys, I'm out of lemon-," but then she laid eyes on us. "What the heck?"
We ripped our hands apart and jumped to opposite sides of the room.
"What is going on?" Carly asked from the doorway.
"Nothing." Freddie and I both said at the same time.
"Really? Nothing? If it's "nothing" then why are you two… holding hands and gazing lovingly at eachother?" Carly questioned.
Freddie and I looked at each other with the same fear in our eyes.
"You promised no more secrets!" Carly shouted. "Both of you! And now you go behind my back? Again?"
"Looks like you got your wish, Fredison." I said.
Freddie rubbed the back of his neck. "All too soon, I guess."
"What wish?" Carly continued to question. "What is…" she gave some wild hand gestures at the both of us. "What is all of this?"
We stayed silent… uncomfortably silent.
"Carly, it really is nothing." I said, walking forward.
"Yeah," Freddie said, doing the same. "It isn't what you think."
"Oh really?" she said, walking to us. "If nothing is going on, then stare at each other for one whole minute without… without… kissing each other."
I raised my eyebrow. "That's your big challenge? That we don't kiss each other for a whole minute?"
"While staring at each other with direct eye contact." She added. "And just to be sure…" she faced us toward each other and then stood in the middle off to the side like a referee would. "There."
"So what, we just stare at each other without kissing each other for one minute?" Freddie asked.
"Yeah. If you can do that, then I guess nothing is going on." She said simply. "Your minute starts now."
I rolled my eyes. "Carly, this is so-,"
"Your minute is started! Stare at Freddie!"
"Fine." I said simply, turning my gaze to Freddie. "I'm staring at him."
"And I at her." Freddie replied.
And there we stood, staring at each other while Carly timed us, correcting our gaze every now and then so that we were staring at each other with full on directness. I tapped my foot anxiously. Will this minute be over already? Why was this so hard? Looking into his eyes for this long, I wanted to kiss him more and more with each passing second.
"Ten seconds left." She announced.
I inhaled and exhaled a few times, but just as she was announcing the five second mark, I couldn't take it anymore and I grabbed onto his shoulders and kissed him in front of Carly, right there, for the remaining seconds.
As we pulled apart, Carly stepped in.
"I knew it!" she said, pointing to me and then to Freddie. "I knew something was going on! Since when have you cared about the shippers? Or interfering with iCarly? I knew that you two liked each other especially after that date!"
"Would it make you feel better if you slapped our hands?" I asked, extending my hand, and Freddie extending his head.
She darted her gaze back and forth between us and our hands and then slapped them. "There!"
"All good now?" Freddie asked.
"No. Why did you guys keep it a secret for this long?"
"It's only been like a week, Carly." I tried.
"Even still! A whole week!" she fumed.
"A week isn't that much." I explained.
"It's still a week that I didn't know what was going on with my two best friends!" she said. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because we knew you'd have a conniption fit." Freddie said. "We just want to have a relationship where you're not all up in our business."
She crossed her arms. "Okay fine, I won't do that."
"And you're okay with the physical contact?" I asked, taking Freddie's hand and intertwining it with mine and then showing it to Carly.
"I guess." She said. "But I'm still angry with you."
"Really, Carly?" I said, giving her a look.
She paused for a moment before exclaiming, "No! How can I be? My two best friends finally see the light!"