So I'm super sorry I neglected this for so long. Lots of shite goin down lately and I got a little stuck. I will be finishing this however so as always, thanks for all your lovely comments and this is still unbeta'd so all mistakes are my own. :]

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Sam had not been in school all day and when Carly texted her, she'd received no reply. It was not as though it was completely unlike Sam to not show up every once in a while but the brunette couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with the way they'd left things. The way she'd left things.

Freddie had seemed exceptionally cheerful that day, finding Carly immediately and rehashing Saturday's party and putting emphasis on how awesome that song they'd danced to had been. Carly had done her best to put on a happy face but Sam's absence was unsettling and there wasn't much heart behind it. Freddie had remained blissfully unaware of her disquietude and by the end of the day, Carly had gone as far as avoiding Freddie because she could no longer take the pockets of awkward silence where her input was expected and she couldn't think of a word to say.

Still, Carly was only mildly surprised to find Sam on her couch eating a sandwich and watching a Buffy rerun when she got home. The blonde's feet were propped up on the coffee table and she looked as at home as always and Carly breathed a quiet sigh of relief at the familiarity of the sight.

"What up peaches?" Sam asked around a mouthful of sandwich.

"Your absence record?" Carly suggested sitting down next to Sam leaving only a few inches of space between them.

"Took a mental health day," Sam replied smirking. "I figured even high school teachers could use some peace of mind every once in a while."

Carly shook her head and smiled fondly while simultaneously kicking off her shoes and crossing her legs over Sam's.

"You know, there are more gratifying things to do in school than cause mental anguish." Carly teased nudging Sam's foot with her own.

"Like making out in empty classrooms?" Sam's fingers had begun a tantalizing dance on Carly's forearm tracing indistinguishable patterns onto warming skin.

"Or learning something new.." Carly tried, her voice sounding quiet to her own ears as her mind flashed images of Sam pressing her up against an empty classroom door, glossy lips claiming her own as her fingers tangle in golden curls in case Sam should think to ever leave that position.

Carly's breathing hitched at the thought. Sam's fingertips continued to draw secrets into Carly's skin and Carly was used to Sam touching her affectionately but she wasn't used to how it made her feel in this seemingly significant moment.

Was she falling for her best friend or was she mistaking something for what it wasn't? Sam had always been playful and even flirtatious but the look in her eyes the previous morning had been anything but. It had been serious and Carly felt like her brain was on loop because she couldn't stop thinking about it.

Carly looked down to where Sam's fingers had stopped moving and were now resting on the brunette's elbow and she seemed to have forgotten altogether what she'd been watching because her eyes were now focused on Carly.

Carly could feel her gaze everywhere.

"Sam?" It came out softly and it was a question, a request and a plea all at once.

"Please don't hate me…" Sam whispered before leaning forward and pressing her lips into Carly's.

Carly went rigid for a moment, the tentative pressure of Sam's lips a shock to her system but not unwelcome. It was not long before Carly's lips melded to the blonde's as Sam's hand found purchase in burgundy hair and Carly's world shifted and she felt like she could finally see. Sam was her other half in almost every way and kissing someone had never felt so right and she was kissing Sam and Sam kissed the same way she held herself, confidant and a little domineering but with the tenderness that she seemed to reserve for Carly alone.

Carly pulled away, chest heaving and her eyes screwed shut. Her heart felt like it was pulsating through her entire body and she was positive Sam could hear the dull roar. Sam's hand had moved from Carly's hair to her cheek and she refused to move it until Carly indicated she did not want it there but thus far, all Carly could do was breathe.

"You kissed me." Carly breathed finally after she recovered at least some of her wits.

"I do believe you kissed me back." Sam replied, unable to wipe the satisfied look from her face; her fingers retreating from Carly's jawbone to catch Carly's hand which had begun to uncurl from around Sam's waist.

"What does this mean?" Carly implored, her eyes boring into Sam's and it was almost too much to take but Sam did not waver.

"I want you to be my girl." Sam said simply, throwing all of her doubts to the side and bating her breath for Carly's reaction.

Carly's chest tightened at the admission, her hand squeezing Sam's as her mind scattered into a million different places at once. Her voice was caught in her throat and she was forced to respond physically, her hands taking hold of Sam's face as she pulled her halfway to meet for a heated kiss.

Sam surged forward guiding Carly's body down on the couch while their legs tangled instinctually. Carly's lips fell open and Sam didn't hesitate on the invitation, her tongue sliding past glossed lips into a heated cavern and meeting with the object of its desire. Carly made a sound in the back of her throat that caused the hairs on the back of Sam's neck to rise and she felt a jolt and her body responded by pushing itself further into Carly as though her skin was trying to meld through their clothes.

Carly's fingertips felt like they were on fire as they brushed an open patch of pale skin between Sam's lowriders and a very, suddenly distractingly thin cotton tee. Her other arm was wrapped around the middle of Sam's back holding the blonde's body in place. That was how Spencer and Freddie found them moments later when they walked through the door, their previous words and Spencer's keys utterly forgotten at the door.