AN: Fun Fact: When I first wrote this chapter, I accidentally wrote "Open When... You're Coming" and then left it like that for about half the time I was writing. Well... That would be a very different chapter...

Second Fun Fact: I have been to the ice cream parlour in this chapter! I would highly recommend checking out their ice cream as a post-quarantine treat.

I was looking at my stats and realized a bunch of my readers are from Italy. So, hi to all my Italian peeps. I really feel for you guys right now and hope I can bring a little bit of light with these chapters. Also, I think American schools go into May? But I'm not American so idk how that works and therefore, we're doing it the way I know! Anyway, here it is!

Read, Review, and Enjoy! :)

Open When...

You're Coming Home

April

I couldn't believe it, but the year was over.

My final, final exam had gone better than I ever could have imagined. I got a 94% on it. How? I don't really know, but it might have been because Freddie made several PowerPoints and game shows for me to study from. Even Ashley agreed that they helped. That exam brought my GPA up to a point where I was still getting nearly a full ride scholarship. That was, quite possibly, the most unbelievable part of all of this. I still had some expenses, but they were so much more manageable than I ever could have dreamed.

All of this was more than I ever could have dreamed.

I sat in the centre of my nearly empty, boxed up apartment and grinned. How did I get here? But, man am I glad I am.

The prospect of spending a summer back in Seattle wasn't the dream. I was dreading going back and being under my mom's roof again, but I didn't have much of a choice. I already knew that I was going to try my damnedest to get a summer job here next year so I wouldn't have to go back. For now, Freddie had offered his place as sanctuary whenever I needed it. For that, I was eternally grateful, though I wasn't sure how often I'd take him up on that. It took enough out of me to even admit what I'd been through in my life, but I still may be just a bit too proud to accept help. Maybe.

A knock sounded on my door. I got up, brushed off my jeans, and adjusted my tank top. I moved in in this shirt, I'm moving out in it.

"You ready to go?" Freddie asked when I opened the door.

"You gonna help?" I replied.

He entered my soon to be former dwelling and looked around at all the boxes. We hadn't spoke much since our heart-to-heart in Boston. At least, nothing of substance. Just study help, congratulations when we passed our exams, and moving plans. Today was day one of moving day. The 42 hour drive from New York City to Seattle. Freddie had mapped out motels for us to stop along the way and I'd found cool little detours, if we wanted. And I definitely wanted to because 42 hours in a car was torture. We'd rented the U-Haul cab once more to attach to Freddie's car and pack in all our crap. And I was still thankful I didn't have much crap so we could share.

"Okay," Freddie said. "What should I take and what do you want to take?"

"Well, the two suitcases are my clothes and I think we put them in your trunk the last time, so we can do that again."

"I packed as much as I could in the backseat so we had room for your stuff in the trailer. You could put the suitcases there as well. There's probably room. We'll just have to find some place accessible so you can grab some stuff on our pitstops."

"Oh no," I said and gestured to the duffle bag. "I have everything I need in there for the trip."

"Okay, so that can go in the trunk, then. Any other preferences?"

I walked around all the boxes and pointed out the books, bedding, kitchen and bathroom stuff, and miscellanies. He nodded and then came up with our plan. Several trips later, everything was all packed. I grabbed the duffle bag and my purse, then surveyed the empty room. Part of me wanted to carve my name into the doorframe, but I knew I'd be charged for that so I refrained. I smiled, closed the door, then walked down the hall. I left the key in an envelope on the RA's desk. Other key envelopes were there as well.

I'd miss this place, but I was ready for the next adventure.

I stepped into the elevator and pulled out Freddie's final letter. "Open When... You're Coming Home." I'd looked over this envelope a lot in my travels through the Open When letters, always thinking about how far away this day actually was. But here we were now. I ripped into the letter and stuffed the remains of the final envelope into my purse. Keepsake?

The elevator doors opened and I stepped into the lobby. I leaned against a wall and unfolded the letter.

"Dear Sam,

"We did it. We. Did. It.

"You know, they say that the first year is the hardest. Let's discuss that when we graduate. I think it might be true. There's a steep learning curve to this kind of thing. But we can say that we did it. So far, so good.

"I'm proud of both of us for making it through this year. We deserve ice cream sundaes to celebrate.

"Congratulations!

"Freddie."

Stapled to the bottom of the letter was a coupon for The Franklin Fountain, an ice cream shop in Pennsylvania. I guess this would be our first stop. I spotted Freddie's car, hopped in, and threw the coupon at him.

"First stop?" I asked.

Freddie smiled. "I was hoping you'd open this before now."

"Of course I would. These envelopes are my religion now. I worship them and consult them in times of trouble."

He laughed and started the car.

"You better make me a bunch for next year as well!"

"That was exactly my plan."

"Good."

We drove in a comfortable silence on the way to Pennsylvania, with me occasionally interrupting to sing along with the radio. I preferred this silence to our more awkward one post-Christmas. I also preferred Freddie's face this time around. It was looser, less concerned. His eyes were brighter, his smile unburdened and growing each time I sang a bad karaoke version of some song. I wondered if this was because his father wasn't on his mind this time around, or if he felt more comfortable with me now. I wondered this in the silences.

Freddie parked a street over from the ice cream parlour, the first spot we saw that would fit the car, plus the U-Haul trailer. We jumped out, and headed to the parlour, our hands casually brushing as we walked. I wasn't sure how I felt about that and wasn't sure if I should pull away, but I didn't. I let our pinky fingers continue to have their little dance. Freddie didn't seem to mind either. He opened the wooden door of The Franklin Fountain for me and I marvelled at the old time-y feel, ice cream selection, and workers in bow ties and suspenders once I stepped inside. We ordered the giant ice cream sundaes. Sundaes that were as big as my face and as decadent as well, the most decadent thing you could think of, but tripled. These were diabetes-inducing sundaes.

We sat at one of the little cafe tables at the back of the shop. I shovelled the ice cream, brownies, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, nuts, chocolate chips, and cookie dough into my mouth. Ravenous, starving, and in absolute adoration of how fabulous this sundae was.

"We should call Carly, right?" Freddie said. Ice cream dripped from his full spoon.

"Right," I said through a mouthful. "She wanted us to do that before we left. Oops."

"Better late than never."

Freddie put down his spoon and pulled out his phone. He fiddled around and connected to the shop's wifi, then navigated over to FaceTime. He clicked on Carly's contact and we waited. It wasn't long before her face appeared on the screen.

"Hey, guys!" Carly said.

Freddie propped his phone up against the wall so Carly could see both of us.

"Hey, Carls!" I said, chewing on a gob of chocolate.

"Sam," Freddie said. "Swallow first."

"Don't make me throw ice cream at you." I warned.

He smirked and help his hands up in surrender, a gesture that really said, throw ice cream at me and I'll throw it right back.

"It's so good to see you guys together again! I missed your constant bickering!"

Freddie laughed. "You really missed that?"

"I did!" She nodded vigorously. "It's one thing to talk to you guys separately, it's another to see you both at the same time."

I wondered if Carly could sense that the air was different between us. She was an ocean away, but if she was in tune to our bickering, then she might catch on. Things weren't outright awkward, but there was an understanding. An understanding that maybe this summer would be that summer where we'd sleep together one more time, go over the edge, and decide to start dating again. In that order. At least, that was the scenario in my mind. Freddie and I tended to make decisions once we'd been physical, be that kissing or full blown sex.

"I'm so proud of you guys!" Carly said.

"For what?" I asked.

"For making it out of first year. That's fantastic! I can't wait to join you guys over there."

"Any news on that?" Freddie asked.

Carly shrugged. "Well, you guys know I got into NYU and Brown, which is unbelievably exciting. I'm still not sure if I'm going to accept yet, and if I do, if I'll start in September. I'm thinking I might stay here until October and then come home."

I bit my lip, torn between asking and being polite. My eyes met Freddie's and I could see the same question in them.

"Is this because of Trevor?" Freddie asked.

"What do you mean?" Carly said. Her features closed and I was glad that, for once, it wasn't me who'd asked the touchy question.

"Uh," Freddie said. He looked to me for help and I shoved ice cream in my mouth. "I mean, uh, is he staying in Italy longer?"

"He's travelling this summer," she replied, breezily.

"Are you travelling this summer?" I asked.

"I might."

I nodded. Fair enough.

"Summer and into fall?" Freddie asked.

"I don't see a reason not to. School will always be there."

"Yeah," I laughed. "So will a country."

"Look, I just want to travel with him. Is that so hard to understand? My dad and Spencer are already saying I should just go to college. I get my dad saying that. I've been here with him for a long time and he wants me to move to the next phase of my life, but Spencer? He dropped out of college."

"He dropped out of law school," Freddie corrected. "He has at least one degree."

"And some good that's done for him," Carly snapped.

"Actually, I heard he sold one of his sculptures for -"

I flicked Freddie's head to get him to shut up.

"You have to do what you think is best for you, Carls. We all know that's not the same for everyone."

"Thank you," she said. "I see how much fun you guys are having and I feel like you're growing without me, but I also just don't know what I want. I'll go to college someday, for sure, I just don't want to go and waste it because I have no idea what I'm doing."

"I don't think any of the three of us really knows what we're doing," Freddie said.

"You don't know what you're doing?" I asked. This was news to me.

He shrugged and dragged a hand over his face. "I don't."

"You're kidding!"

"No, Sam, I'm not," he said. "What'd you think?"

"You just seem so put together and focused."

"My focus is having a good enough GPA to get me into grad school."

"What grad school?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "That's the confusing part. I don't know what I want to do with the degree I'm pursuing."

"See, that's my issue!" Carly said. "I want to know what I'm going for after I finish. Don't you feel that, Sam?"

I stared at my friends. I always figured that what I needed to do would fall in place. I got into the school, I was getting the education, I was doing well. Did I have to have every detail planned out?

"I guess, I figure I'll get there. My goal was to be here."

Freddie smiled and scooped up some ice cream. "You know, I kind of like that."

He held out his spoon and I clicked mine with his. Carly made a face.

"Gross, guys. Your spit is all over that," Carly said.

I laughed and Freddie joined in.

"I have literally had my tongue in his mouth. Clicking spoons is nothing."

"Well, I don't need to know all the details about that! Besides, that was ages ago!" A pause. "Oh my god! It wasn't ages ago, was it?"

"What?" I said at the same time Freddie said, "Huh?"

"You guys kissed! When did you kiss? Why did you not tell me about this? Are you back together?"

"No," I said at the same time Freddie said, "A while ago."

"When were you guys even together last? Christmas? Is that what you were doing when you snuck away?"

"No!" I said.

"I wouldn't have." said Freddie.

"You wouldn't have?"

"Well, you know. It wasn't the time for that at Christmas."

"But it was when I had a black eye?"

"When did you have a black eye?" Carly asked.

"A while ago."

Carly groaned. "Why do you guys never tell me anything? Why is your relationship such a big secret? You never tell me anything until months later. Neither of you told me when you first kissed or had sex or all the times you've done stuff since then. It's like pulling teeth trying to get you guys to talk about how you feel for each other!"

"To be fair," Freddie said. "I didn't know you knew we'd had sex."

"Because you never told me!"

"Why should I?"

"Well, Sam should."

"Why should I?" I asked.

"Because you're my best friend and we're supposed to tell each other these things!"

"Alright," I said. I scooped up more ice cream and ate it. As I chewed, I decided what I wanted to say to her. "Alright, we had sex."

"I know that."

I met Freddie's eyes and he looked away. He took a bite of his ice cream. I scraped up some whipped cream and brownie and plopped it in my mouth. The sundaes were almost gone now.

"Recently?" Carly screeched.

"What's recently?" Freddie asked.

"Okay," Carly said, pressing her palms to her face, then rubbing them away. Exasperation creased her eyes. "What happened this month?"

"This month?" I asked.

"You guys have both been so busy this month with exams and course selection and packing up that I've barely heard from you. So it must have been this month."

Freddie's eyes met mine again. I shrugged.

"Yeah, it was this month," Freddie said.

"Why didn't you tell me? When did this happen? When were you together?"

I groaned. "Carly, I love you and I'm sorry, but I do not care. If you sleep with Trevor, you can totally tell me, but I do not need to know every time it happens."

"That's different," she insisted. I rolled my eyes and noticed Freddie did too. I knew he'd had the same sort of conversations with her when he mouthed her words with her. "We're dating."

So in a bold moment of annoyance at her and my relationship with Freddie, I blurted, "Well, we're fucking."

Freddie sputtered and choked on his ice cream. He broke down into a fit of giggles. I smirked. It was Carly's turn to roll her eyes.

"I miss you weirdos."

"Miss you too, Carls," I said. Freddie was still dying of laughter.

The call ended shortly after that. I finished my ice cream while Freddie finished chuckling.

"You're such a nub." I laughed.

"What even is a nub?"

"No idea."

Freddie nodded. "Fair." He sucked back the last of his ice cream, then began cleaning up the table. He stacked the two bowls, then piled our napkins and spoons inside the top one.

"So, my turn to drive now?" I asked.

"At least until our next stop," Freddie replied. "Where is that, by the way?"

I smirked. "Oh, you'll see. You'll like it!"