Chapter 47
Last time, Sam and Freddie were in the midst of a heated make-out session on the couch when they were interrupted by his daughter.
As she handed the kid the water bottle, Sam couldn't help but notice that her man had turned a deep red and was now holding a couch pillow on his lap. The smirked at his attempt to hide his arousal, more for the effect she had on him than his embarrassment, but that part was entertaining, too.
Once the child was out of sight, Freddie breathed a sigh of relief. Sam laughed.
"It's not funny, Sam." He scolded. "I was, like, ten seconds away from having your bra unhooked."
"You know what kissing does to me. I can't help myself." She shrugged. "So it's your fault."
He shot back. "Nu-uh. It's your fault for being so hot. And irresistible."
"You know, we could pick up where we left off if we just went back to your room. Your door does have a lock. I distinctly remember using it a few times when we went out in high school."
"Mmm-hmm. Especially after junior prom."
"Your mom's at work, right?" Sam asked. "All night?"
"Yeah, she never gets home before six in the morning. You could stay, I suppose, I mean if you wanted."
Sam was tempted, but was thinking about the implications and what Carly would say. Temptation was getting the best of her, her BFF would just have to live with it.
"Sounds good to me."
"Wait, what about Carly?" He asked as though he read her mind. "If you don't go home, she'll have a coronary."
"For God's sake, we're seeing each other Freddie! She's got to expect me to spend the night once in a while." Sam cracked. "Let me text her, just so she doesn't worry. And you'd better make sure I wake up and clear out before Alex gets up. Or Marissa gets home."
Over the next month, the couple had several nights together. They managed to keep their 'activities' hidden in front of Marissa until the weekend Alex was staying with her mom and Marissa was supposed to be visiting her sister out of town. It was a Saturday, Sam and Freddie had already went to bed thinking they had the apartment to themselves until the next afternoon.
Unknown to them, Marissa had a very serious argument with her sister over the proper method to clean the dishwasher and decided to come home early. It was just after midnight when Sam made her way to the kitchen, wearing only Freddie's sweatshirt. With Freddie resting his spent body, Sam decided it was time for the last 2 pieces of fried chicken that were left from their dinner and a nice big glass of orange juice to replenish some bodily fluids.
She had a feeling that something wasn't quite right when she noticed the kitchen light was on as was on as she opened his bedroom door, but thought nothing more of it than they just forgot to turn it off. After all, their couple's time started in the kitchen after cleaning up the dishes, progressed to Sam's perching on the kitchen counter while they made out and ended with their first session on the living room couch before going to his room for rounds 2 and 3. From the hallway she saw the couch pillows back on the furniture. How did he manage that, he was in bed with her since about 8.
The blonde was humming a happy little tune to herself as she walked barefoot toward the living room. Another half dozen steps and she waltzed right into the kitchen to find her boyfriend's mother sitting at the table, looking very soulful, with a cup of herbal tea.
"M-Marissa!" Sam jumped at the sight of the nurse.
"Hello, Sam." Marissa forced a smile, obviously not surprised at the young woman's presence or state of dress.
"Look, uh, this isn't what it looks like. I, um . . . " Sam stammered as she suddenly remembered how she was dressed and looked with disheveled hair and that certain, unmistakable, freshly worked over appearance.
Marissa simply scoffed back a laugh at the attempted excuse. "Sit down, Sam." She pointed to a chair across the table from herself.
The young lady knew she couldn't lie to her boyfriend's mother successfully about what she was doing there. She had been caught red-handed and rosy cheeked. She just hoped there wasn't an obvious scent to her.
"You mind if I grab a drink? I'm kinda parched."
The older woman nodded and soon Sam joined her at the table with a water bottle.
"So, how was your trip?" Sam asked to break the ice.
Marissa simply shook her head. "Horrible, to be honest."
"Sorry." Sam replied quietly. "And sorry about all this. We, uh, really weren't expecting you till tomorrow."
"Well that's rather obvious." She replied. "Or at least I'd hope you wouldn't be parading around my apartment in such a state of undress if you thought I was going to be home."
"Soooo, what brings you back a day ahead of plans?" Sam asked as she sipped at her drink.
"My sister and I had an argument and I decided to come home early. I just didn't realize what I was coming home to."
"Listen, I really didn't expect you'd find out this way. About me and Freddie. I mean, you know we're dating but, about spending the night."
"Sam. If you were trying to keep it a secret that you and Freddie have been having your little sleepovers for the last month or so, you've done a piss poor job."
The young lady was taken aback by this statement as well as the language. Marissa rarely used such foul language. "Pardon?"
"I've known for weeks now. You don't realize how many times I come home from work ahead of schedule. Thank you for letting your shoes by the door, by the way. I've also found your clothes in Freddie's room. I certainly don't think the bra was his, or at least I hope not." Marissa smirked herself at Sam. "Unless he's started cross dressing in his spare time."
"Was it the purple one? I was wondering where it got to. I mean, it's not exactly like Carly can wear them. Not without a lot of padding. I thought maybe I got it mixed up in the laundry room or Mel borrowed it or something."
"And while I'm not exactly happy about you both being sneaky, I realize there is absolutely nothing I can do about the two of you being engaged in a physical relationship."
"Uhhh . . ." Poor Sam had no idea what to do or say and she was beyond shocked that Marissa wasn't a basket case at this point.
"You're adults, you love each other, you're seriously dating and to be perfectly honest, he could do much worse. In fact, I really don't know how he could do any better."
"Wow. Um, thanks?" She wasn't sure what else to say. "So, does this mean, I can stay when you're not at work?"
Marissa simply nodded. "The absolute truth is I admire how you act with Alexandra and how you and my Freddie bear patched up your differences. That alone shows me how much you've changed since you were in high school. Because to be perfectly honest, I couldn't stand the sight of you back then. And I've told you how much I appreciate the way you took care of me last winter. You're a fantastic, caring person. Not to mention the fact that Fredward needs someone in his life. He needs you in his life, Samantha. He's needed you for a long time."
Sam was speechless as Marissa talked and finished off her cup of tea.
Marissa managed to change the subject. "Tell me Sam, how did you and Melanie manage to patch up your differences? I know there was a point when you would have strangled her given the chance. Especially when you and Freddie were together before. After they dated and broke up, before he found out about having a child you hated the sound of her name. He's told me how much you loathed her, but now you two seem so close almost like friends. Or is it just an act for your niece."
"I remember." Sam replied dryly. "And it's no act, me and Mel, we get on pretty decent. To be honest, if it weren't for Alex and Freddie, I doubt we'd have ever worked out our problems though. Of course, if it weren't for Freddie we probably wouldn't have been fighting in the first place. At least not so bad. Honestly, I never was that fond of her. Well, you know how she is. Melanie can be a real pain in the ass without trying hard."
Marissa just looked dumbfounded as much to say 'look who's talking'.
"Yeah, I know I'm one to talk about fighting but is whatever brought you home early really worth fighting with your sister over?"
Marissa scoffed. To her it wasn't but then again she was never one to pass up a fight, or giving her opinion if someone wasn't cleaning properly, or be bossy, or try to intimidate family.
"The whole reason I was so wazzed off at Melanie was because of the way she chewed Freddie up and spit him out. I really don't think even I could have been so mad at her for much less, even as big of a bitch as I can be. The only reason I hated her was for his sake."
"Sam, you're not that bad."
"Heh! I can be pretty unreasonable."
Marissa just looked at her. She wanted to agree, but there was a greater part of the middle aged woman that did love Sam like her own daughter.
Sam nodded, ready to go back to bed.
"Did you want ham for breakfast? Or bacon? I know you and Freddie cook bacon fairly often."
"Meh, maybe thaw out some ham." She replied. "Say, you mind if I go back to bed? It's kind of late and I'm not used to being awake at this time anymore. Besides if Freddie wakes up and I'm gone he's gonna worry about what happened to me. You know how he is."
Sam thought a second before continuing. "You don't mind do you? I mean, if you don't want me to stay I'll leave him a note and go up to my own apartment."
"I suppose it's OK, Sam. Just do me one favor and don't make a habit out of all this when that child is home, alright?"
Sam grinned in agreement.
"And for the love of God, please make sure you wear a little more clothing if you do happen to stay the night when Alexandra is around."
Suddenly, Sam looked down her body and blushed with the thought of how little she was wearing.
In the spring, Freddie and Melanie both received invitations to their ten year high school class reunion. He had taken his laptop to Sam and Carly's apartment to keep up with some work projects while he hung out with them and Alex was with her mom. The weather was getting warmer and they had went along with Pam to all pick out new swimwear for the simmer.
"Whatcha have there, Fredlumps?" Sam asked, looking over his shoulder as he looked at the email on his screen.
"Class reunion info, babe." He replied. "Didn't you get one."
"Online high school, remember?" She took a sip of her drink. "Technically I didn't graduate with you guys."
"Right. I suppose Carly didn't get one either then. Since she graduated in Europe." He replied.
"You going?"
"Yeah. Why not?" He said like it should have been obvious.
"Senior year wasn't the highlight of my life." Sam shrugged and found a way to squeeze in between him and the coffee table to sit on his lap. "Sure, there's a few of the people we went to school with I wouldn't mind seeing, but the majority of them I could care less about."
"Well, since I have an extremely hot girlfriend, a beautiful daughter and a great job, not to mention a masters degree, I'd kind of like to go and rub it in all those jocks' faces who made fun of what a geek I was in school."
"Why am I just now hearing about people making fun of you? You realize I would have kicked some major ass if I had known about it ten years ago?"
"You made fun of me more than anyone." He threw his hands in the air.
"Yeah. Because I liked you." She exclaimed, wiggling herself around on him. "I was just flirting."
"Oh my God!" Carly shouted from the kitchen. "Will you two stop that and just go somewhere and do it? Preferably NOT in this apartment!"
"Ooh, someone's a little backed up." Sam teased her friend. "What's the matter, regretting you broke up with 'what's his face' and then refused to go back out with the other brainless moron?"
"First off me and 'what's his face' never did that." Carly quoted. "Second, Beau broke up with me and broke my heart a long time ago, so why would I ever go out with him again? And third, I'd just like to spend some time with my two best friends without you either a, sucking face, b, referencing your private activities, or c, hearing you half the night." Carly counted on fingers.
Freddie flushed. "You heard us?"
"Uh, yeah. You woke me! Do you have any idea how soundly I sleep with that C-PAP machine on?"
"Sorry." Sam begged. "Marissa was home and since Alex was with Mels, I invited Fredspank here to stay the night."
"Obviously." Carly huffed. "I was hoping I couldn't hear you from 2 floors away. And since our rooms have that common closet, it was kind of hard to miss."
"Thank God you don't share a wall with my mom, Carls. Especially the way she feels about Lewbert."
Sam had still made no attempt to move off Freddie's lap.
"Do I need to get the spray bottle?" Carly asked, glaring at them.
"Fine." Sam slid off him and onto the couch. "Prude." She whispered to Freddie.
"I heard that." Carly turned and tried to look menacing. "And what was the part about the class reunion?"
"Ten years, Carls." Freddie told her. "Can you believe it?"
"Aw, man!" Sam exclaimed. "We have to get Carly in. If we're going, that is. We can't go without her."
"I suppose she could go as my plus one." Freddie shrugged.
"Dude!" Sam swatted at him. "I'm your fiancee. And I didn't get an invite of my own. BY default, I am automatically your plus one."
"Hmm, I guess you're right. Sorry Carls. Hey maybe I can email Taureen and Chuckie since they're apparently organizing it and get you on the guest list." He suggested.
"Mel could take you as her plus one." Sam countered. "Since she doesn't have a boyfriend or anything."
"You want me to pretend to be Melanie's date? Won't that be kind of awkward?" Carly asked.
"It's the 21st century Carls." Freddie told her.
