Wrist

"Hey, Freddie!" Carly said brightly, letting Freddie into her and Sam's shared apartment. "I didn't know you were coming over."

"I thought I'd be spontaneous and surprise Sam with an impromptu date," Freddie chuckled. "Speaking of dates…are you going out? You're all dressed up."

"Nah, I'm going with Spencer to a wedding," Carly explained. "One of our dad's friend's daughter's is getting married."

"Oh, well have fun," Freddie said.

"Thanks," Carly said, grabbing her purse. "Sam's in her room I think."
As Carly left the apartment, Freddie headed back to Sam's bedroom and knocked on her door.

"What?" she called.

"Hey," Freddie said, letting himself in, spotting his girlfriend sitting on her bed.

"Hey," Sam said. "What are you doing here?"

"What? A guy can't spend a Friday night with his girlfriend?" Freddie smirked, sitting down next to her and kissing her. "Come on, let's go out. We can go get dinner."

"Um, actually, I-I don't think I'm really in the mood to go out," Sam said softly.

Freddie frowned. "Why not? In the five years we've been dating, you've never turned down dinner before. Especially when I'm buying."

"I just want to stay in, okay?" Sam told him. "Can we just order in or something?"

"Sure," Freddie said. "But what's the matter, baby?"

"Nothing," Sam mumbled, but Freddie knew better.

"Come on, something's bothering you," Freddie said. "You can tell me, Sam."

"It's nothing, okay?" Sam said firmly.

"Okay," Freddie nodded.

"Sorry," Sam sighed. "I-I'm glad you came. I didn't exactly want to spend tonight alone anyway. But-But could we please just relax and watch a movie or something?"

"Of course," Freddie said. "Whatever you want."

"Thanks," Sam said, giving him a small smile as she leaned up to kiss him again. "You're the best."

"Nah, I think that'd be you," Freddie chuckled, kissing her again.

…..

Later that evening, Sam and Freddie were sitting in the living room, watching a movie. Sam was sitting in Freddie's lap, and Freddie was playing with the ends of her long curls.

He wasn't paying too much attention to the movie, though. He kept looking at Sam's face, and he could tell she was still preoccupied by whatever had been on her mind earlier that she didn't want to talk about. She was biting the corner of her lip and her left eyebrow was slightly raised; things she always did when she was deep in thought.

As much as Freddie wanted to ask Sam what it was that was troubling her, he knew she didn't like to be nagged. It would be much better to wait. It may take her some time, but she always did wind up confiding in him about her problems.

"Hey," she suddenly said softly, grabbing the remote and pausing the movie. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, what's up?" Freddie asked.

"First promise me that you'll answer this question completely unbiased," Sam said. "Just-Just pretend we're not dating for the next minute."

"Sam, what is it?" Freddie questioned, curious.

Sam took a deep breath. "Compared to other girls out there…am I on the attractive or unattractive side?"

Freddie frowned. "Huh?"

"Just pretend I'm some girl you saw on the street," Sam said. "Would you think I'm pretty? Or would you think I'm…icky looking."

"Sam, of course I think you're pretty," Freddie said. "You're beautiful."

"I told you not to answer like my boyfriend," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, if we weren't dating, what would you think?"

"Exactly that," Freddie said seriously. "Baby, even if I wasn't dating you and had no idea who you were…I'd still think you were as beautiful as I do now."

Sam sighed. "I think I've just got you brainwashed really well."

"No," Freddie said. "Sam? Why are you asking this anyway?"

Sam shook her head. "Never mind. Let's get back to the movie."

"Wait, Sam," Freddie said, gently grabbing her wrist to keep her from picking up the remote. "Sam…seriously, please tell me why you're suddenly concerned about this."
Sam looked down at her feet. "It's dumb."

"I don't care."

"Fine," Sam slowly agreed. "I-I went to go visit Carly at work today, you know, over at her magazine studio. And when I was waiting for her at her office, all these other fashion writers and models were just all huddled together…staring at me. And whispering. And then…and then I heard one of them say they couldn't understand how someone like Carly would ever be friends with someone like me; that I don't look like I should even be setting foot in a fashion magazine studio."

"Oh, Sam," Freddie said. "That's crazy."

"I know, it's stupid, I told you," Sam mumbled. "I shouldn't care what other people think and blah, blah, blah."

"It's not stupid for you to feel hurt by that," Freddie told her. "I mean, as untrue as it was, I-I know it couldn't have felt good to hear. Heck, everybody feels hurt when they hear stuff like that being said about them, even if they know it's not true. But you do know those girls weren't right; they were just being morons. I mean if they're just sitting around judging every person who walking into that studio, they clearly don't have anything better to do at work. You do know you're stunning, right?"

Sam shrugged. "Whatever. Like I said, you're brainwashed from hanging around me too much."

"No, Sam!" Freddie said, a little more forcefully than he had intended. "It's not just because I'm your boyfriend that I'm saying that. You really are beautiful. I-I really wish you could see that."

"I mean…I know I'm not ugly," Sam said slowly. "But…come on, Freddie, you've got to notice that there are much prettier girls out there. Look at Carly!"

"Yeah, sure, Carly's pretty," Freddie agreed. "And so are you!"

"I'm average," Sam said, sliding off his lap and getting to her feet. "My hair's not straight and shiny-"

"It's golden and curly," Freddie said, also standing up. "Something I'm sure a lot of girls would kill for."

"I don't have those 'sexy eyes' you see on those mascara commercials," Sam mumbled. "My eyelashes are so dinky and short they might as well not be there."

"You have the bluest eyes anyone could ever imagine," Freddie said. "You wouldn't want to hide them behind six-inch eyelashes."

"I'm not super thin or tall like some girls."

"You have curves," Freddie said. "Which, trust me, is what most guys want. Seriously, Sam, why are you letting what a couple of idiot girls down at Carly's magazine studio get to you so much?"

"I-I don't know," Sam admitted. "It's-I guess it's just a stupid girl thing. Sometimes…sometimes you just have those days when you feel…ugly, okay? I dunno, maybe it's hormones or some chiz like that."

"Oh…yeah, I-I guess that is true," Freddie nodded slowly. "Now that I think about it, I remember my mom freaking out about things like this when I lived with her in high school."

"Wow, thanks for comparing me to your mother," Sam said, rolling her eyes. "I feel so much better now."

"Look, Sam, I-I know you may not always think so, but you really are beautiful," Freddie said. "Breath-taking even. And…I guess I could be considered a little biased, you know, because I'm your boyfriend, but-but just know that's really how I feel."

Sam gave him a small smile as she stepped closer to him, giving him a small kiss. "Thanks. I guess you're really the only one who I actually do care about impressing anyway…"

"You impress me by just being you," Freddie whispered.

He took her hands in his.

"You make me loose my breath just by the way you smile," Freddie told her. "I've never seen anybody smile like you…"

Sam blushed. "Yeah, well…Carly does drag me to the dentist twice a month."

"And your eyes are gorgeous," Freddie continued. "I swear, I wish I could look at them for hours sometimes."

"That sounds pretty boring," Sam chuckled.

"And your laugh sounds like something you'd only hear in your dreams," Freddie said. "I love when I can get you to laugh, just so I can hear it."

Sam smirked. "It's hard not to laugh when you can be so nubby sometimes."

"Sam, you really are perfect," Freddie said, squeezing her hands lightly. "There isn't a thing about you that I'd ever want to change."

Sam didn't reply as she just stared up at him lovingly.

"Although…actually," Freddie said thoughtfully. "Maybe…maybe there is one thing I'd change about you."

"What?" Sam frowned.

Freddie smiled at her, leaning down to kiss her again. "Your finger," he said softly. "Your ring finger…it kind of seems a little…bare."

"Huh?" Sam said, confused. "What do you-Oh my God…"

Freddie had lowered himself on one knee, pulling a small velvet box out of his pocket. He opened it up to reveal a shining diamond ring.

"Samantha Joy Puckett," he said as Sam covered her mouth with her hand. "I've never felt the way I do when I'm with you around anybody else. I wake up thinking about you, I go to work thinking about you, and I go to bed still thinking about you. You've become such an important part of my life that I can't imagine living any of it without you in it. I love you so much…you really are the most beautiful, perfect woman I could even begin to imagine. So Sam? Will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

Sam, who now had tears in her eyes, quickly nodded her head. "Yes," she said. "Yes! Yes, I'll marry you!"

Freddie's face broke into a huge smile as he slid the ring onto her finger. He got back up to his feet and pulled her into his arms, kissing her deeply.