Chapter 5

Shay Apartment

"Well that was embarrassing," Carly commented as she was first to enter the apartment while still holding her daisy in one hand and dropping her book bag beside the front door.

Sam followed right behind her and sighed with a smirk on her face. "It's not that bad kiddo."

Freddie was right behind the blonde in entering followed behind by the three Shay men and Mrs. Benson.

Carly turned to her sharply. "Yes it is. I don't want to know what they're calling me now. We got dragged out of study hall."

Sam gave her a sympathetic smile. "It's just little gossip and it's going to all blow over in a few days. Just talk to Wendy and she'll make sure the truth gets out."

Shay spoke up, "Sweetie, you can't care what others think about your relationship and you'll be happier when you realize that. I'm speaking from personal experience."

"That's certainly true," Granddad Shay echoed.

Carly looked surprised as she watched her father just turned his head and glare at her Granddad. For a moment to her, it look like they were about to get into a staring contest. She was about to question them when she caught Freddie apprehensive look towards her. A sickening feeling suddenly formed in her stomach. She interrupted their visual dueling when she spoke up, "I think I'll head up to my room." She looked to Freddie and slightly motioned her head to upstairs. She hoped he caught the message as she turned and headed up to her room.

A moment later, Freddie followed right behind her. Sam shook her head and head for the kitchen. Shay saw both teenagers heading in different directions as a curious development. His thoughts were interrupted with Granddad Shay, "Do you think that's such a good idea now?"

"What?"

"Carly and Freddie in her room together—alone?"

Shay just rolled his eyes and shook his head. "What is he going to do?"

"Same thing you did."

"That's what married people do," Shay snapped back and pointed to Spencer. "How do you think we got him?"

Shay noticed the look of surprise from Spencer at the question. "Got me how?"

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Benson asked in a nervous tone.

Shay shook his head and rolled his eyes. "I'll be forty-nine in December, Spencer turns thirty in November. Do the math and subtract nine months. It isn't hard to figure out how old I was when Spencer was conceived. He was our happy accident."

Shay held back a grin as he watched Marissa do the math in her head. The look of horror at the realization of finally realizing the significations of the short age difference between father and son brought on a laugh from Shay.

"That's not funny son," Granddad replied sternly.

"It was pretty funny when and where she told me she was pregnant. It wasn't the ideal place, but…" He stopped as he remembered back to it with a smile on his face.

Sam raised a hand. "Do we really want to know?"

Spencer raised his hand too, "Yeah dad, do we?"

Shay waved them off, "Never mind."

"I think I should go up there," Mrs. Benson stated nervously.

Shay looked to Mrs. Benson and stated firmly, "Oh no, you will not. You are not going to start that. You either trust your son or you don't."

In a dry tone, Mrs. Benson replied, "It wasn't him I was worried about. I caught them last time."

Shay chuckled, "Yeah, two fifteen year old teenagers with half an hour alone and him in just a bathrobe and they didn't go past kissing—I think our kids are saints, Marissa."

Marissa held up a finger and was about to speak, but apparently realized what he had said, "I think you're right."

Shay smiled. "Wow, I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me Marissa."

Carly sat the bottle on the windowsill for it to catch the sunlight. A few moments later, she heard foot steps enter the room and shut the door. "Thank you for the flower," she whispered as she looked down at the purple daisy. She turned slightly to look over her shoulder.

Freddie shrugged his shoulders and smirked. "It wasn't any trouble."

She turned to face him and sat down on row of seats in front of the window with furled eyebrows. "Yes it was. Why do you think it's not?"

"To me it wasn't. It was just another in a long list of things I've done to show that I care."

With a questioning look she asked, "Has it become that routine for you?"

He shook his head then walked up the few steps and past her bed to seat beside her. He turned to face her and rested his right arm on the windowsill. "That wasn't the best way for me to phrase it, but… no, it isn't routine for me. Some of the instances blur, but not my sincerity for them has ever blurred. Each one I thought would mean something to you, so they meant something to me and I never thought about how much trouble it would be to show you I cared."

She smiled as she remembered back to something. "Do you remember the day we were going to film for the school talent show and brought me a tray with orange juice? You gave me a flower to me then too."

Freddie grinned as he thought back to that day. He was shorter than her and he held up a silver platter and with a treat and a flower. He didn't notice that she had slipped a hand into his hand. He looked up to see her smile; the one that reached her eyes.

"So all those times were your way of saying you loved me?"

"Love you," he corrected gently with a half smirk.

Carly blushed at the gentle reminder and looked at their joined hands. She suddenly looked up and leaned in to capture his mouth in a kiss. It took him a moment to realize what was happening, but once he did he returned the kiss with just as much enthusiasm and more importantly, sincerity. The kiss then turned to several light kisses traded back and forth as Freddie remembered how they traded kisses in his bedroom just over a year and a half ago.

Carly was the first to pull away and catch her breath then the blush filled her cheeks.

"We haven't done that in a while," he chuckled as the pair rested their foreheads respectfully on each others.

"No we haven't," Carly whispered with a grin.

"Still just as nice as I remember it."

Carly's blush deepened if that was possible. "I think a little better than I remember." She lifted her eyes to meet his as their foreheads continued to rest on each other. "Freddie, I love—"

"Are you ready to say it like that?"

She heard it in his voice that the question did not carry with it any accusation or guilt or even pain, but a weird comforting curiosity. She thought for a moment and her face dropped when she realized that she wasn't ready to say it. "I—"

He whispered with a smile, "It's okay. I love you." He then stole a kiss and grinned at her joyfully.

She licked her lips and broke into a grin. The brunette realized the sinking feeling that had formed in her stomach earlier had turned into one of falling and that wasn't such a bad feeling at the moment.

Freddie shook his head. "This isn't how I wanted our first day in public as a couple to end. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," she whispered in an almost pleading tone in Freddie's ears.

"I'll accept that if you would go out with me to the Groovy Smoothie and give me another chance to cheer you up."

Carly smirked, "Deal." She then stole a kiss from him before getting up and heading for the door.

Sam was halfway eating her ham sandwich when Carly and Freddie made their way down the stairs. She watched as both headed for the door. "Where are you two heading?" Sam asked curiously between bites of her sandwich.

Carly answered cheerfully as she headed for the door, "To the Groovy Smoothie."

Sam held back a frown she wanted to display in realizing that Carly meant that it was just going to be her and Freddie.

Freddie turned around hesitantly once he reached the door and asked, "Sam, wanna come?"

Carly looked to Freddie with a questioning look and he answered back with just a shrug of his shoulder.

Sam blinked at him after hearing the question. Shay walked up beside her at the counter and leaned in to whisper to her, "He's offering you an olive branch. I suggest you take it."

She looked to Shay for a moment then sat her sandwich down on her plate. "Yeah, sure," she replied a moment later and headed to catch up with them at the door. The blonde shouted over her shoulder, "Save my sandwich."

May 1980

The pair walked out to the back school parking lot. It was completely bare save for one or two cars and a black motorcycle. Taylor followed Steven's lead to the motorcycle until he hopped onto it. He dug into a pocket for a moment to find the key and start the bike. He smiled nervously as she gave him a naïve look which he found absolutely adorable. He didn't know what troubled him more: him being nervous at her apprehension or that he found her adorable as she looked at him.

"I know she's not much to look at, but…" Steven started with a shrug of his shoulders. "Have you ever ridden on a motorcycle?"

She shook her head no as she held on each two each of her backpack straps at her shoulders.

He smiled slightly. "You want to?"

She smiled briefly and nodded her head yes.

"Okay then," he spoke as he reached down into the left side saddlebag and dug through it for a moment. "Ah," he replied as he pulled out a bell half-helmet. He placed the helmet on top of her head and snapped the chin strap.

"Safety first," he explained and she smiled in response. He took a seat on his bike then she hopped onto the back behind him. "Okay you just—" he started but was interrupted as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

He cleared his throat and turned his head slightly for their eyes to meet. Her mouth was neutral and the way her eyes looked at her, he interpreted as a question of: "Am I doing it right?"

He smiled to her and raised an eyebrow. "You sure you haven't done this before?"

She responded with a slight grin.

He nodded his head and reached down to pat the top of her joined hands around his waist to make sure she was holding on. "Okay then. You'll just point the way for me?"

She nodded with a brief smile then he revved the engine and drove out of the parking lot.

After riding for about ten minutes and Taylor's silent directions, the pair pulled up in front of a large three story Victorian style home with white siding and black trimmed roof.

"Wow," Steven whispered as he brought the bike to a stop and took a good look at the home. The only thing that stood out beside it being such a large home was the colorful wind shutters painted as if painted by a child with finger-paint. Taylor stepped off the bike and pulled off the helmet. She tucked it back into the saddlebag where it originally stored.

Steven cleared his throat. "So… I'll see you around?"

Taylor grinned slightly then kissed him on the cheek and turned to walk to her front door. When she reached the front door, she turned half way around and gave him a small wave. Out of instinct he raised his hand to wave back as she slipped through the doorway.

He nodded to himself then revved the engine to peel away from the curb.