iOwe You My Life

Chapter 6 Alone Together

Later that morning, Carly stood outside the Benson's door holding a white cardboard box. She was about to knock when Mrs. Benson appeared with a smile on her face. "Good morning, Carly. You're right on time. I was just leaving for work."

"Morning, Mrs. Benson," Carly said politely. "I brought Freddie some pie," she said, lifting the box in her hands.

"Oh, okay, dear. Just don't let him eat too much," Mrs. Benson said with concern on her face. "His tummy gets sick when he eats too much sugar."

"MOM!" came Freddie's voice from the hallway.

"Right," Mrs. Benson said. "Well, I have to get going. I'll be working over tonight. I'll be home at exactly 10:47p.m. Ready to synchronize watches?" When she saw that Carly wasn't wearing a watch, she sighed, "Oh, well, there's a clock in Freddie's room and one in the kitchen. All our time pieces are in sync." She looked around the apartment one last time. "The first aid kid is in the hall closet. The phone numbers for the hospital, all our doctors, my office, cell, and pager, and the church are posted by every phone."

"The church?" Carly asked with a lift of her brows.

"Of course, dear. Spiritual health is just as important as physical health." Mrs. Benson said slowly as though she were talking to a six year old.

"Right," Carly said as she stepped farther into the apartment. "Of course."

"Well goodbye, dear. Have a great day. BYE FREDDIE! MOMMY LOVES YOU!" she called as she stepped out and closed the door behind her.

Carly set the pie on the kitchen counter and glanced at the phone on the wall. All the numbers were there, including the one for the church right on top. "Wow, she wasn't kidding," Carly thought. "Where's the one for the psychiatrist? She needs to worry more about her mental health!" She shrugged it off and headed toward Freddie's room. She had taken only a step or two when she heard him.

"Hey Carly?"

"Yeah?" She kept walking.

"Did I hear you say you brought pie?"

"Yeah." By that time, she had reached his door.

"Could I ask you to bring me some, please?" The eager expression he wore instantly won Carly over.

"Sure," she laughed, "but just a small piece. We don't want your tummy to be sick."

"Aw, come on, Carly!" Freddie whined.

Carly disappeared out the door, but her laughter floated back to him. He heard her rummaging through cabinets and clinking dishes. Soon she reappeared in his doorway carrying two plates. She approached and offered him one. His eyes bulged as he saw the enormous slice of pie she had brought him. It nearly covered the plate!

"You call that a small piece?" Freddie asked.

"No," Carly said with a mischievous smile as she sat carefully on the edge of his bed. She leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, "but that will be our little secret."

Freddie smiled at her as he plunged his fork into the pie. Carly watched him, thinking how beautiful his smile was. Perfect. Without braces.

They ate their pie in comfortable silence. Carly watched Freddie out of the corner of her eye. She noticed he was wearing a red silk pajama top. "He looks great in red," she thought. From there, her thoughts went crazy. "Lucky his cast is red since he looks so good in it. What the?" She shook her head to clear it. Freddie noticed, but she covered by tossing her hair back over her shoulder. "I bet it's hard to shower with that cast. Mmm…Freddie in the shower! No, bad Carly!" She looked up to Freddie's face. "His hair is dripping wet. He must have just come from the shower." She noticed a drop of water fall from his hair. She watched it slowly make its way down his temple then over his cheek. She felt a sudden urge to lean down and lick it off. Instead, she scooped another fork full of pie into her mouth while her mind was filled with images of water running all over Freddie's naked body. She pictured him standing underneath the spray, the wet sheen accentuating the contours of his body as the water caressed him from his shoulders down his back to his firm butt and over his broad chest down his flat stomach and beyond.

Freddie saw Carly staring at him with a faraway look in her eyes. He felt a stirring below the waist when the tip of her tongue slipped out and slowly traced her top lip. "Carly?" he said breathlessly.

She was shaken out of her daydream, "Huh? What?" she asked, blinking several times.

"Where were you just now? What were you thinking?" he asked, hoping the answer involved him.

"Oh, n-nothing," Carly stammered, "just thinking about that video we need to shoot." Carly was amazed by how good she was getting at lying.

Freddie could think of a dozen videos he would like to shoot with her, but he knew none of those were on the agenda for today. "Ok, boss, but let's finish the pie first," he said and winked at her.

When they had all but licked the plates, Carly reached out and took Freddie's plate from him. She felt a jolt when his fingers brushed hers, and it scared her a little. "Uhm, I'll just go rinse these," she said, jumping up nervously.

"Before you do that," Freddie said quickly, "could I ask a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

His cheeks turned pink. "I really need to pee."

"Wh-what?"

"Could you help me get to the bathroom?" His face went from pink to red.

"Uhm…"

"I don't need help in the bathroom, Carly," Freddie said with a heavy sigh. "There's plenty of stuff I can use for support in there. I just need a little assistance getting to the bathroom."

"Oh," Carly said, embarrassment coloring her features, "okay. Well what do you need me to do?"

"Come over here," Freddie said as he sat up and scooted to the edge of his bed. "Sit by me and let me put my arm over your shoulders."

Carly did as he said. She sat close by his left side, careful of his injured leg. He slipped his arm around her, and she slid hers around his back. "Okay," he said, "on three. One. Two. Three." They stood together and slowly made their way over to the bathroom. Freddie released Carly's shoulders and took hold of the door frame. "Thanks," he said as he hopped inside and shut the door.

Carly waited by the door. She heard the toilet flush and then the faucet running. "At least he washes his hands," she thought, smiling to herself.

The door opened. "All better?" she asked as she turned to face him. She stepped toward him to take up her role as a human crutch. They took their first awkward step when his shirt somehow caught on the door handle. The next thing Carly knew, they were falling onto the bathroom floor. Freddie was on his back with Carly on top of him, and her right hand was in the toilet. As soon as she realized what that cold, wet feeling was, she started shrieking.

"Carly!" Freddie shouted, "What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"Ew!" she moaned. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut, and she was facing away from the hand she held over the toilet—as far away from her body as possible. "Ew! My hand…toilet! Ew, Freddie! Ew, ew, ew!"

Freddie's laughter caught her off guard. She opened one eye, then the other, and looked at him. "Freddie! It's not funny!" she said indignantly. "What if I get an infection and my arm falls off or something?"

"You're not going to get an infection, Carly," Freddie said, trying to hold back his laughter. "You know what a germ freak my mom is. We have double-strength chlorine tablets in the toilets. The chlorine kills the germs."

That calmed her a little, but she was still upset. Freddie quickly added, "And look, there's antibacterial soap and hand sanitizer on the sink. Wash your hands with hot water. There's also some rubbing alcohol in the medicine cabinet. You can totally disinfect your arm. You'll be fine." He was still shaking with the laughter he was holding back as she climbed off him.

He sat on the floor watching her nearly scrub her skin off. When she was satisfied that she wouldn't get gangrene, she turned back to him. "Okay, so how are we going to get you off that floor?"

It took some effort, but they finally managed to get Freddie back to bed. Carly picked the plates up from the bedside table. "Back in a few," she said, smiling at him as she turned to leave.

When she reappeared in the doorway, he said, "So how has school been this week anyway?"

"Oh, you know, the usual," she said as she took a step into the room. "Except for the buzz about you." He raised his eyebrows in question. She added, "Everyone at school is saying you're a hero."

"I don't feel like a hero," he said as he watched her get closer.

"Why not?" she asked softly as she reclaimed her place on the edge of his bed. "You saved me."

"Maybe," he replied, "but I was just doing what I had to. I couldn't stand by and watch you get hurt—or worse. I couldn't live with myself if I had let you get hurt. I love you too much, Carly. I'm no hero." He watched her eyes while he spoke and saw them start to shine with unshed tears.

"This is it, Carly!" she told herself. "Now or never!" She swallowed hard. "You are one…to me," she said as she slowly leaned toward him.

He couldn't take his eyes off hers as she came closer. She reached across him and placed her left hand beside his head. He could hear her bracelets clink together by his ear, but it sounded a million miles away. He was lost in her eyes. His heart was racing, and he felt like he couldn't breathe. "This is it," he thought, "Carly Shay is going to kiss me!"

He tried to stay calm as she brought her lips down to meet his. He had been waiting for this for so many years! He didn't want to do anything to make her change her mind. She got close enough he could feel her breath on his face. It smelled of coconut cream pie. He instinctively wet his lips as his eyes fluttered and closed.

It felt like an eternity passed before her lips finally touched his. It was just the barest brush of lips, barely a kiss at all. He slowly opened his eyes. She had pulled back slightly and was gazing intently at him. His heart—and the rest of his body—ached for her to continue. "Carly," he breathed. He heard the plea in his voice and knew his face showed it, too, but he didn't care. He was desperate to feel her lips on his again.

Then he did. In an instant she pressed her lips fully against his. His blood roared like the ocean in his ears. He whimpered as she started to run her fingers through his hair. He was embarrassed for a moment, but when Carly answered him with a similar sound, he felt a surge of confidence. He ran the fingers of his left hand through her hair to the back of her neck and pulled her down to him, deepening the kiss.

Carly moaned as Freddie's fingers sent tingles from her scalp all the way down her spine. She let him pull her closer, and then she felt the tip of his tongue brush the center of her upper lip. She knew what he wanted, and she gladly gave it to him. She parted her lips for him. When his tongue swept between them, she caressed it with the tip of hers. Freddie moaned loudly at the unexpected contact, and his right arm suddenly clenched Carly by the waist, pulling her tightly against him. She let her upper body rest on his chest as they continued to explore each other's mouths. She kissed his top then bottom lip, traced them both with her tongue, and softly licked the corners of his mouth. Each new technique elicited gasps and groans from Freddie, and he used all the same tricks on her.

Carly moved her lips to Freddie's jaw and traced the line up to his earlobe. She gently tugged on it with her teeth then soothed it with her tongue. She could feel Freddie's heavy breathing on her neck, and she was amazed by how good it felt. She stretched her neck in invitation.

He hesitated only a moment before pressing his lips to her throat. She moaned in appreciation, and Freddie became more daring. He reached up and pulled her collar aside, exposing the hollow above her collarbone. He traced the bone with his tongue then lightly pressed his teeth into her flesh.

"Ahh, Freddie!" she called out in pleasure. Her hand started to roam his chest. She unbuttoned his shirt and slipped her hand inside. She felt his warm, soft skin and the contours of his muscles. Her mouth made its way slowly down his neck to his chest. He was moaning her name over and over. She daringly flicked her tongue over his right nipple. He jerked and cried out her name, but his tone was clearly one of pleasure. She was consumed by the heat between them. This wasn't just a spark. This was a raging fire! She wanted more.

As her mouth continued its assault on Freddie's nipple, her hand wandered down his stomach. She felt his silk pajama pants as she crossed the line of his waist, but she didn't stop there. She continued down until her hand bumped into his manhood, which was standing erect. Freddie quivered as she brushed her fingertips from the base to the tip and down the other side. Then she closed her fist around him and pumped one time.

"God! Carly!" Freddie screamed. He was thankful she was touching him through his pajamas and boxers just then; otherwise, he was sure he would have embarrassed himself. She paused when he cried out, afraid she had hurt him. "Don't stop," he pleaded. She gave him a wicked smile and slid her fist along his length again.

Just then, a loud knock sounded at the door. "Hey kids," came Spencer's voice.

Carly jumped away from Freddie like she had been burned. "Oh holy chiz!" she said, wide-eyed. "What's he doing here?" She smoothed her hair and straightened her clothes as she ran for the door.

Freddie quickly did up his shirt. He looked down at the monument to Carly still standing in his lap. "That won't do," he thought as he looked around the room.

Carly opened the door to see Spencer standing there with a big plate full of spaghetti tacos. "Hey, Spencer," she said nervously. She was afraid he would see right through her and know what she had just been doing. She figured she might as well have it written on her face.

"Hey kiddo," he grinned, apparently oblivious to the discomfort his sister felt. "I thought you guys might be getting hungry, so I made us all some lunch. Where's Fred-man?" he asked as he headed for the hallway.

"He's in his room, b-but he's…" Carly said as she followed Spencer down the hall trying to divert him from Freddie's door. She failed miserably.

"He's what?" Spencer asked as they both entered Freddie's room. "Hey Freddo!" Spencer greeted.

"He's busy," Carly offered lamely as she observed the pillow in Freddie's lap with his laptop open on it.

"Hey Spence!" Freddie smiled. "What's up?"

"Brought sustenance! You two can't survive on pie alone, even if it is the best in the world," Spencer said as he set the platter down on Freddie's bedside table. "Whatcha workin' on, there, bro?"

"Oh, just reading some of the comments the fans have posted. Carly and I were thinking about making a video to update them all," Freddie replied casually.

"Yeah, sounds good," Spencer agreed. "You wanna come up to the studio, or should I bring you your camera?"

"I'll come up," Freddie said after a moment's pause. "It'll do me some good to get out of this room for a while."

"Okie dokie," Spencer said cheerfully. "Then why don't I just take the tacos back to our place, and we can all eat over there with a real table and everything?" He jumped up, grabbed the platter, and disappeared.

"That was a close one," Carly said after they heard the door slam. Freddie nodded in agreement. "Well, I guess I'll let you get dressed, or do you need help?" Carly suddenly felt butterflies in her stomach at the thought of having to help Freddie change clothes.

"If you'll just hand me that sweatshirt over there and my crutches, I'll be good," he answered.

Carly gave him the sweatshirt and watched as he removed the red silk pajama top. Her mouth went dry when she saw Freddie with no shirt. The show was over much too soon, though, as he pulled the sweatshirt over his head. He took his crutches from her and followed her out of the room.