A/N: It took a while, but here it is.
"Oh, God!" Sam's voice rang out. "You've got to be kidding me!"
"What? That was the best scene in the movie!" We weren't being exactly quiet as we stepped out of the elevator.
"Oh yeah, it was great. Who doesn't love a scene with complete silence between two random ass people." We walked slowly to the Shay's apartment.
"It was a highly emotional scene, damn it! Just because there wasn't any blood or screaming doesn't make it inherently lame."
"Okay," Sam said. I knew, just from that one word, that she was winding me up. "I can see that. It makes complete sense for two people, who aren't the leads by the way, to stare into each other's eyes in complete silence, after a battle for humanity against zombie mutants. I mean, why not? They could have howled at the sky in a primal call of victory; they could have jumped each other right then and there on the battlefield and 'celebrated life' as frequently, and as loudly, as possible. But no, silent staring was the best choice. I totally agree with that." There was that smirk again. I would never understand how a gesture meant to deprecate me could look so damn sexy.
"Sam, just because you don't get that a movie can be more than gore and sex doesn't mean that the rest of the world doesn't appreciate the other parts. As a matter of fact, I've heard of highly successful movies where there is no violence involved, or blood shown, and any intimacy presented is tender and profound." I had started off as mocking, but somewhere near the end my voice went soft.
"Pffft. Lame, dipshit." I shouldn't have been surprised that my argument hadn't worked, but I was. I wasn't going to let it drop that easily though. As Sam reached to open the Shay's front door, I turned her so that she faced me. Our noses were about a foot apart.
"Sam," my voice came out slightly above a whisper. "Think about it. Imagine someone you care for. Let's say it's a guy. Imagine depending on him to keep your spirits up when you'd rather hide from the world. Imagine him supporting you in all your endeavors, trying to ensure you succeed. Imagine him protecting you when you're not strong enough to protect yourself.
"Let's say you care about this guy as much as he cares about you. Imagine yourself cheering him up when he's in distress. Imagine yourself helping him in all of his plans because you can't stand the idea of him going through with them alone. Imagine yourself nursing him back to health after he's gotten hurt. There is no one you trust more than him, and he trusts nobody more than you. Let's say that one day a threat appears; this threat endangers both of your lives. You fear losing him more than you fear dying, and he can't sleep because he's so worried about something happening to you. And then, let's say you get past this threat.
"You win. There he is, this guy you care so deeply for, who cares so much for you, only half a foot away. You look into each other's eyes and the knowledge that you both survived rushes into your heads. You both thank the universe, right then and there, for keeping the other safe.
"Now, imagine everything I just said passing between the two of you. In a single glance, everything that you've been through flashes in your mind and you have a glorious epiphany. This guy has been with you every step of the way, and he will continue to be there for you whenever you need him. And you, you can't even imagine leaving his side. As you realize this, you know that he is thinking the same thing. Now, do you really think that a howl, or sex, is in any way an equal alternative to that profound emotional experience?"
We were only a few scant centimeters apart now. Neither of us was blinking. My eyes were riveted to hers, and she stared into mine. Each breath I took was saturated with her delicious aroma; each breath she took pulled more of my scent into her straight, soft nose. I licked my lips lightly.
I don't honestly know whether I would have kissed Sam because at that moment the door opened. We sprung apart, putting space between us.
"Hey Carls," Sam said with false cheer. It wasn't often that I saw her flustered. The knowledge that I had been the reason for her exasperation nearly caused a smug smirk crawl onto my face, but I managed to tamp it down. I wasn't able to tamp down my own red cheeks though.
"Hey Carly. Are you going to let us in?" I asked. Carly looked at both of us, aggravation plain on her face.
"Where have you two been?" She was suspicious too.
"We went out for breakfast," I tried to appease her. It didn't seem as if she believed me.
"Breakfast? It's four O'clock! How much did you eat?" Something was really bothering her. I wondered what had her so upset.
"Well, we ate and ended up going to that new mutant zombie movie and then I had to eat lunch afterwards. What's going on Carls? It's not like we disappeared off the face of the Earth or something." Sam was trying to calm her down but it didn't seem to work as well as she had hoped.
"You were gone most of the day! I tried calling, but neither of you picked up your phones! What were you doing that was so important that you had to ignore me?"
"What? You didn't call. My phone hasn't…where's my phone?" I checked all of my pockets, but my phone wasn't in any of them. I double checked, but it was still MIA. "Crap, where'd my phone go?"
"Oh, yeah. Your phone just magically disappeared. Give me a break Freddie, I'm not a gullible toddler." Carl
"Carly, I'm telling you the truth I don't know where my phone–" My front door opened with a crash. My mom flew out of the apartment.
"FREDDIE!" As she collided with me, she wrapped her arms around me and proceeded to try and crush the life out of me. "I WAS SO WORRIED, FREDDIEKINS!!"
"Mom! Let go…can't breathe…please…Mom." Her only response was to tighten her hold on me. Okay, I thought, I guess she's not ready to let go of me yet. I would have laughed if I'd had the breath for it. Shit, that's true on so many levels. My mind got back to the not breathing thing and I turned to my friends for help.
"Guys…help," I said over my mother's wild declarations of worry and concern for my wellbeing. It took them a second to act, since they were snickering at my mom's latest display of insanity. Wonderful, I thought as I glared at them.
Carly sighed and stepped up to help. She stood behind me and tried to peel one of my mom's arms off me. It didn't work. My mom had a death grip on me and Carly hadn't ever been too strong. "Sam come on," she said over her shoulder. "Help me out." Sam kept sniggering as she stood next to Carly and added her substantial strength to the task. It still took a minute or so for me to escape.
"Mom," I wheezed out, "I don't have my phone on me." I would have explained further, but I was still catching my breath.
"I know that Freddiekins! I looked up its GPS signal when you didn't answer. It was in your room. Why didn't you take it with you?" It should have surprised me that my mom would use satellites to track me, but no. That was only the latest overprotective act in a lifetime full of them.
"Guess, I just forgot it," I said as I looked at Carly meaningfully. Her eyes narrowed slightly and mouthed, "fine."
"Freddiekins, you know how important it is that you keep your phone with you at all times. How will I know where you are otherwise? What if you were kidnapped when you didn't have it with you? No one would know where you'd been taken; you couldn't be saved if I didn't know where to send the police!" She looked terrified at her own hypothetical situation.
"Mom," I said in a less breathless tone of voice, "I just went to the mall. I ate, I saw a movie, I walked around for a while. That was it. I'm fine. You've got to stop freaking out."
"I don't want you going around the city if you're going to be this careless Freddie," she said fiercely. "I need to be able to find you at a moment's notice."
"You've had plenty of talks with me about keeping myself safe, mom. Don't you trust what you taught me? Don't you trust that you've raised me to be a careful guy?" My tone was inquisitive, not accusing or mocking, which is what threw her off.
"Well…well I…I suppose that – that you… Yes, I guess you're right sweetheart. I raised you well enough, I think, to know how to take care of yourself. I just want to remind you of how dangerous cities can be." She looked at Carly and Sam. "I'll let you get back to your friends then. But don't leave without your cell phone. I taught you better that to worry your mother too much." With that, she went back into the apartment.
"Wow, Freddork," Sam said quietly, "I never thought I'd see the day when your crazy mom would back off. She on medication or something?"
"No," I said, "I just got lucky. It sometimes happens. Like you being full."
"How dare you compare me to that–!" Carly intervened before Sam could finish.
"Both of you stop! I still want to know why you guys were gone for most of the day." She turned to look at me. "Freddie, fine, you really didn't have your phone on you," she looked over at Sam, "But you don't have that excuse missy. Why didn't you answer any of my calls or texts?"
"Geez, Carls. We're gone for a little while and you go off like Fredlumps' nut job mom. No, you're even worse. Marissa got over it faster than you." Carly glared at her best friend. It didn't look very threatening.
"Answer the question Sam." She did look determined to get her answers though. I couldn't understand why she was so upset over Sam and me having a day without her; she had her new boyfriend to hang out with.
"Well Carls, the reason I didn't answer your calls or texts…is because I didn't hear my phone ring." Sam glanced at me and grinned; she looked pretty satisfied with herself…and beautiful, and hilarious, and sensual, and - No. Stop it. Control yourself.
"How could you not hear it?! You just got that new loud ringtone so that you would always know when someone was calling."
"Oh," was Sam's brilliant response. "Right." She pulled her phone from her back pocket. She flipped it open. "Huh. It's off." She looked up as she put her phone away. "Well there you go Carls. Mystery solved. You got any more ham?" With that all too common phrase Sam tried to push past Carly. Except Carly didn't move. She stayed right in front of the door with her arms crossed.
"So what'd you guys do on your day out?"
"Ugh, come on Carly," Sam said. "Why does it matter? It's not like we did anything illegal. You know Freddo's too much of a spineless wuss to do anything like that." She said it with a perfectly straight face, and I wasn't entirely sure if she was joking. I hoped she was, but with Sam…she was too unpredictable sometimes to really know.
"Oh yeah, I'm all kinds of pathetic Sam. I'm a law abiding citizen and that, in and of itself, makes me weak."
"You see? He's just confirmed it!" She turns to face me. "Good job Freddo. The first step is admitting you have a problem. If you keep working at it, soon enough you'll have a healthy disrespect for the law." She patted my shoulder in a fake, supportive way.
"You guys can waste all the time you want; I'm going to wait right here until you're ready to tell me what you did today." I had gotten tired of Carly's interrogation by that point.
"Carly we already told you. Sam and I went out for breakfast, and then we walked around the city. Eventually, we bought tickets for the zombie movie. After-" Sam interrupted me right then.
"Mutant zombie movie, moron. Get it right." She turned back to Carly and continued for me. "So after the mutant zombie movie, I made the dork buy me lunch, and let him get something for his own sorry ass. And now we're here. Talking about it."
"You're just fantastic Sam," I said with disdain. "I swear to God, one day I won't be there to pay for your–"
"Threaten me all you want freak; it's all you ever do," she turned to Carly. "So you gonna let us in or what?"
Carly sighed in defeat and moved aside so we could get through. Sam grinned in victory as she as she passed Carly and asked, "You buy anymore ham?" Carly shook her head in resignation as she answered, "Yeah, honey-glazed." As Sam made her way to the fridge, Carly looked over at me.
"We are going to talk about this later Freddie, and I won't take any evasive answers. I want the truth." She walked to the kitchen without a second glance.
Shit.
A/N: Until next time.