THE AFTERMATH OF iCARLY

Freddie: hypothetically maybe

What was he going to say?

He was sure that whatever came out of his mouth in the next five to ten minutes would result in him a) being hurt or b) another kiss.

Freddie desperately clung onto the latter reason.

The truth was, nothing else mattered right now. He was totally focused on Sam, who was avoiding all eye-contact. Why on Earth he asked her to marry him was completely baffling to him. He had skipped a lot of other things... dating, moving in, talking about their potential future... nope. He asked her to MARRY him. Like an idiot he held onto a belief that she'd say "yes" and everything would fall into place. He didn't blame her for not throwing her response out there, much like his proposal was.

The only other option was to sit here, on her bed, and wait for her answer. He knew he'd be waiting quite a while though. He expected the silence to just drag on and on and on...

"Why?" Sam asks. The rest of the question was self-explanatory, really.

"I-" he starts to explain.

"Because you realise that marrying me will make more life a whole lot more "hell-ish", right?"

It was a mistake, he feels like saying. It wasn't meant to be said. It just came out of my mouth, and the timing was kind of brilliant. Not that he'd go that far in proclaiming his stupidity and his intelligence all in the one sentence. That may not have been the smartest thing to do especially since she was now giving him the infamous "death glare". He shuddered.

The silence was deafening. Usually he'd say that it didn't make sense. How could something noiseless be so loud that your ears start ringing? But now he gets it.

"I take it back." He says, breaking the silence finally.

"What?"

"I take the proposal back. It just..."

"...came out of no where?"

"Yeah."

Sam looks at him. Freddie looks at her. He can't really tell what is going on in her mind at that very moment. But the scowl and grinding of the teeth should have been a clear give-away. But then again, Freddie was kind of hopeless when it came to "girl signs" ... you'd think he'd know all this by now.

The two of them shift uncomfortably, and wait for the other to say or do something. Their eyes meet and then dart away again. He's confused right now.

"You can't take it back," mumbles Sam.

"Huh?"

Freddie wasn't sure if he was hearing things. It sounded like she kind of... liked the idea of... but, no! That can't be right, surely. Sam and him? Married? The idea - although not SO far-fetched - but it was a little bizarre sounding. But they both liked... even loved one another... despite taking forever to clear it all up. So, maybe?

"You can't take it back," she repeats, a little louder. After a bit of silence... "Maybe it's not a bad idea."

Freddie looked at her incredulously, as she looks away quickly, unable to look back at him. He knew she was highly uncomfortable with all of this. Yes, he thought, Sam was considering their life... their life together. After he got over the initial shock he managed to say something.

"Are you actually considering..." his voice trails off, and he watches her nodding. She puts down her hair brush and comes to sit with him on her bed.

"Don't get too excited, dork-face. I said MAYBE."

He thought about it for a second.

All these questions he wanted to ask her were gone for the moment. He was just imagining Sam and himself, living together for the rest of their lives. The rest of THEIR lives? That was almost impossible to visualise. And what about Carly? What would she be saying to all of this?

That they were mad. Insane. Completely, totally and utterly bonkers. ...and in love. And that it COULD maybe work...?

Sam lay back on her bed. Freddie copied her. They were both staring up at the ceiling, and not looking at one another. His brain ticked over.

"Hypothetically," he says. "You are saying that maybe we should get married?"

"Hypothetically maybe, yes." Sam replies. "But don't get all mush-"

"You realise that means, hypothetically, that we'd be together for the rest of our days..."

"I know."

"...and you have to start being a little nicer to me..."

"Okay."

"...and breakfast in bed is pretty much compulsory..." So he threw that one in jokingly for good measure.

"Don't push your luck, Benson."

After a moment of seriousness, Freddie cracked up laughing. Sam eventually joined in with him. They were laughing with each other and it felt better than ever. It felt good, thought Freddie. Really, really good. A whole lot better than arguing.

Well that escalated quickly, he thought. One moment of silence and bam! They're hypothetically, maybe engaged to one another. He pushed aside the fact that he'd seen her and Brad in his car. He pushed aside the fact that he'd kissed Angela, twice. Hell, he pushed everything aside to make room for this new development.

He felt some fingers twist into his slowly. It was unlike Sam to get all sentimental, but he took what he could get. Because that's how it always was with her.

"In all seriousness," he says. "I do still love you. I meant to say that much."

"And in all seriousness," she replies. "You are still a dork."

Really? He thought. After everything they've been through, she's going to resort to playing the "dork" card? Some things will never ever change. He shakes his head and looks over at her. They are still laying beside one another and their breathing is slow and steady. Sam's eyes flutter closed, and he doesn't even hesitate on his next move.

Freddie reaches around, moves her face toward him and kisses her, softly at first. And then it intensifies as she kisses back. All the unresolved issues coming into it.

Sam breaks off the kiss for second. "I kissed Brad."

"I know." He saw it with his own eyes. It hurt for a little bit, but then he remembered doing the exact same thing. The hurt passed.

"It didn't mean anything."

Good, he thought. He resumed the kiss for a little bit until breaking it off. He owed her the same explanation. Fair is fair, really.

"I kissed Angela."

"Really?" There wasn't anything showing on her face. No hurt or anything. A good sign? A bad sign?

"It didn't mean anything." He knew he meant it.

"Good."

They went back to making-out with each other on Sam's bed. It lasted a while, because the next thing they knew, it was getting darker outside and the rain had long since stopped. Freddie didn't care about anything right now. He could tell Sam wasn't holding herself back either.

Hands wandered. Tongues explored. Lips pressed against lips. Bodies grinded against bodies. It was firework material. It was also the first time in a long time that they'd been this close to one another. The night went on, and so did they. No clothes came off though. In fact, when he started pulling at her shorts, she slapped his hand, telling him to "not go too fast". He nods and obliges. It wasn't worth ruining what they had - whatever it was considered - for a little fun of one night.

After all, he was a gentleman. He heard his mother yelling her proudness as he restrained himself from tearing all the clothes from Sam's body. It was tough, but he managed.

"Sam," he pants. "I need to ask you..."

"Can it wait?" she replies, panting too.

"Nope."

"Fine."

"Will you go on a date with me?"

"Sure."

A bit backwards, he thought. But they had always done things "backwards". Ask the girl to marry her... and then ask her on a date. Makes sense!

It was too easy, her response. Usually there would be some tormenting and teasing in there before she'd eventually give in and say "yes". It would require a lot of chocolate covered bacon, that's for sure. This time though, there wasn't even a second thought to it. She just agreed.

Oh my God! He thought quickly.

The chocolate covered bacon! He totally forgot amongst all the madness here. And also the kissing. A lot of kissing. Hey, he wasn't complaining. Kissing Sam was ... unlike any other kiss from any other girl. Despite only kissing Angela... Carly... and Sam. Sam was the best kisser. Perhaps because they had that "spark" or passion. Or both.

"Wait one sec."

Sam nods and he quickly stands up and rushes into the living room, to find the slightly soggy bag, grabs it and takes it to her. His gift for being a jerk the past week and a half. Give or take.

"A present?"

"Your favourite."

He watches her eyes light up, like it's Christmas morning and Santa delivered her a truck load of gifts. It was just bacon. But it was coated in chocolate.

Freddie noted that she was slowly but surely letting her guard down around him, and that was nice to see. He also believed that his idea was starting to appeal to the girl but she was too freaked to even say anything. He knew why. She was afraid of it not working out. Just like the dating thing. It hadn't worked out - they reached the conclusion of being "too different" and "forcing their friendship into something more".

If Carly were here, she'd probably thump his forehead for being such an idiot. "You've just had a fight with Sam, now you proposed! Have you completely lost your mind?" to which he'd shrug and pretend that it wasn't weird that he asked Sam to marry him. On a whim. That's what it was.

A whim.

He didn't dare bring it up now though. Not when she was sitting here, with him, in her bed with chocolate covered bacon. His gift of apology to her. Bacon made everything better, supposedly. It certainly made HER behave, thought Freddie.

Could he carry through on his proposal? Could Sam as his wife, for the remainder of his existence, actually make him happy?

Hypothetically maybe.