The Agreement: Chapter Ten

He was all too aware of the space she occupied. He sat at one end of the couch, his hands twisting anxiously in his lap, hoping to God that this could quickly come to an end.

She was on the other end of the couch, although, not in a similar manner. Her head was resting on her arm, with a bored expression plastered on her (beautiful) face. One moment, her feet were curled up under her, but, in an instant, they slid across the couch causing her feet to brush against the side of his jeans.

Alone time with Sam suddenly had become his worst nightmare.

Not because he was an awkward person by nature — or because he's felt like the worlds largest idiot since their encounter last week — but because when he was around her now, he realized that their agreement was really over. He had no strings attached to her - they weren't connected in any way. Not Sam and Freddie - but two completely separate beings. And being separate from Sam is not what he asked for.

He had put so much anticipation on what would happen when he finally told Sam about his aching love for her, that he never imagined what it would mean for them afterwards.

His attention snapped back to her foot.

It was moving again, the fabric of her sock tracing back and forth along his leg in absentminded stokes. He chocked back a cough, trying to hold in all the emotions this evoked. It didn't take long for Sam to realize exactly what it was she was inflicting upon the boy. Slowly, her feet made the painful journey back to rest along side her, and Freddie couldn't tell if he blessed or cursed their absence. "Popcorn?" the blonde suddenly stated, bringing herself to her feet.

"Sure," Freddie let out, feeling a sweat rise on his neck. "Popcorn sounds good."

Sam wondered off into his kitchen, leaving him abandoned on the sofa for however brief. His head fell to his hands — something that seemed to happen all to much nowadays.

He should have kept his damned mouth shut. That would have been a hell of a lot easier.

He remembers back to the one of that last times they were together before he spilled his metaphorical guts for everyone to see. They were in her room, surprisingly, seeing as no one was ever really invited there. She was on her back, allowing her blonde hair to cascade off the bed in perfect curls, winding down towards her carpeted floor. He was sitting nearby, trying to keep himself at bay. Being around her had become so complicated he almost forgot how to do it. Her question from moments earlier was still ringing in the air, remaining unanswered. Freddie wasn't quite sure as to what he was meant to say to the girls' inquiry. To him, it was obvious.

She wanted to know if he had ever had sex.

This notion surprised him, seeing as the whole point of this agreement was based upon the fact that neither of them could get some. Since then, any and all sexual experiences he's ever had were with Sam herself, and he figured she already knew that. He opened his mouth. "Exactly when in the timeline of my life do you think that would have happened?"

A sharp laugh cut through her room. "Point taken, Benson," she said. "You just never tell me anything so I thought I would ask."

"What about you?" he asked before he could stop himself. "Have you ever had sex?"

She sat up so he could see her face. "Nah," she told him. "I mean I've had some things with some other guys… but it never went there."

He nodded, feeling oddly relieved. There was a feeling in him growing that maybe he'd be lucky enough to be her first.

As if she were reading his mind, she turned to him and set her hand on his knee. "Do you think we'd ever…"

He swallowed, before studying her face. In that moment, he wasn't sure what his response was meant to be. Obviously through the months of their agreement that had made sexual advances together, and he was not quite as innocent of a boy as he once was. But he had never imagined it going to such lengths. "I mean," he began slowly. "I wouldn't be against it…"

She nodded. "Me neither."

For awhile, he just stared at her. Did this mean they had agree to have sex? Was this going to happen now? He didn't know. Luckily, she answered these questions for him. She moved her hand from his knee to grab onto one of his. "One day, then."

A grin spread across his face. "Yeah, one day."

Now, she returned to the couch, a freshly made bowl of popcorn in her hands. She set it down in-between them, never making eye contact. How could they go from that to this, Freddie wondered. One minute they were ready to go all the way with each other, and the next she could barely look at him. How could she agree to all those things and not love him back? He felt his heart swell in his chest, and his eyes began to sting.

That's when Sam decided to pass him a glance. "Are you okay?" she let out.

"No," Freddie breathed.

She tugged at her hair. "I'm sorry…"

When he didn't say anything, she moved to pause the movie. The silence surrounded them, and she set the popcorn on the coffee table making room for herself next to him. Her sudden proximity made everything worse and he felt light headed. He simply shook his head. "Don't be, it's my fault."

He then felt her hand, like it often did, making its way to his knee. She squeezed it slightly, and Freddie felt the air get caught in the back of his throat. "It's not, through. I did this to you… to us."

Her finger began to trace back and forth against his jeans, and he felt like her actions were inappropriate. It's like she was still leading him on.

These suspicions were confirmed when he watched her sit up, and lean into him. At first he thought she was just moving in closer, but then she pressed her lips against his cheek softly. Her turned to her, in question of these actions, causing her to kiss him again, her lips catching his. Her arms snaked around his neck, and her lips moved slowly on his. His eyes stayed wide open, scared of what was happening. This was the first time that they had kissed without the bind of their agreement since they were in the ninth grade and her kissed her out on the fire escape. He didn't know what this meant, but he was pretty damn sure she wasn't kissing him because she loved him back. She pulled away, and looked into his still open eyes. "I hope you're okay with this," she asked. "I missed you."

It was just another game. "I told you." Each word came out sharply. "This agreement is over, Sam."

"But I just thought—"

"Whatever you thought was wrong, okay?" He shook his head.

She pushed her hair behind her ear. "Freddie I… I was just trying to help."

"Well you're not," he told her. "How is you kissing me, and making me feel all these things for you, ever going to help me get over all this?"

She sat back, but didn't say anything. "I think you should go," Freddie told her finally.

He watched as she blinked, before grabbing her coat. "Sorry," she mumbled as she pushed past his legs and headed for the front door. She hesitated to open it, her hand moving slowly for the door knob. Truth be told, Freddie didn't really want this. He knew if she left that would be it, and at the end of the day, he didn't want this to be their bitter end. Not yet.

"Wait," he said before she had even opened the door. "Do you, uh, wanna come finish the movie?"

Relief washed over her. "Yeah," she let out before practically running back over to the couch. She returned to her original position, curled up on the couch with her feet pushing the boundaries to getting too close. As the movie began once again, it was like nothing had happened. Like he hadn't yelled at her, like he hadn't tried to kick her out, and like she hadn't kissed him there on the couch, just moments earlier.

Thanks for reading, new chapter coming!