Chapter 15

Sky City Restaurant

"I still don't get the sandpaper," Carly laughed after swallowing a morsel of her chicken. After the waitress had brought their meals the conversation had turned to one of silly and random topics.

Freddie took a sip of his ice tea then gave her a grin. "It's just different types I use. The right tool for the right job."

Carly raised an eyebrow and smirked.

Freddie laughed, "Fine, but I don't see how it is any worst than you being concerned with titanium bra hooks and glow in the dark straps or your obsession with all the different types of cupcakes that exist."

Carly's mouth quickly puckered like a fish.

Freddie laughed heartedly at her reaction.

"That's not funny Fredward Karl Benson," she pouted as she stuck her fork into the chicken.

With a raised eyebrow, Freddie asked, "So my full name is going to be your way of telling me that I'm in trouble? I'm glad that we have established that in our relationship."

She just kept her mouth shut and wide eyed before slipping out, "Maybe."

Freddie just smiled and shook his head slightly at her antics. "Maybe? My name or the fact we've established something new in our relationship?"

Carly broke into that grin he loved so much and replied, "Maybe."

Freddie leaned back in his chair. "Maybe? Do you want to know something that I know is not a maybe?"

Carly took a sip from her drink and replied with a smile, "I'd love to."

"I know for sure that I love your cupcake obsession, especially when I can eat them. Baking is one of your great talents."

"You love my cupcakes, but not my special lemonade?"

Freddie squinted one eye and tilted his head to the side as he made a sucking sound through his teeth. "It's just a little too sweet for me. I need a little bit of the sourness to remind me that it is lemonade, but I do love your blue tea."

"You love my cupcakes and blue tea… I think that's fair enough, but would you answer something for me?"

"Anything," he happily challenged her.

She pushed her plate forward and placed an elbow on the table to hold up her head with her chin in her palm. "What other talents do you think I have?"

Freddie placed his elbows on the table to support his head with his hands and leaned forward. "You have a great talent to make people laugh. I know you can always bring a smile to my face. You have the talent to get people to give their best, even Sam and her laziness is no match for you." He paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "I love your talent of making me fall in love with you all over again with a simple gesture or smile or phrase."

She just froze and looked at him. The occasional blink the only thing that broke her eye contact for less than a moment. The same feeling she felt in her bedroom Monday afternoon with him formed once again in her stomach and she felt as if she was falling again.

The brunette suddenly blurted out in a whisper, "I like your talent of being honest with out being afraid."

Freddie smiled in return. "Oh, at first it was just that I didn't know any better than about not being afraid, but now… I can't let fear get in the way of being happy. I'm happy right now and I hope I'm making you happy too."

She nodded with a small smile playing on her lips before replying, "You do make me happy."

Observation Deck

Space Needle

After a short elevator ride up together, the pair reached the observation deck of the Space Needle. Surprisingly, there were only and handful of people up here tonight, allowing for a certain level of privacy for each of the attendees. The wind was pretty breezy and Carly thought for a moment that her mid-thigh high dress was not the best for her legs at the moment as she felt the goose bumps form on her legs; all that was forgotten when she saw the night cityscape. She quickly led Freddie by a laced fingered hand towards one of the telescopes dotted around the circumference of the observation deck and away from the rest of the people.

She regretfully had to let go of Freddie's hand to take a look through the complementary telescopes in order to view the city. "Oh my God… I didn't realize how beautiful the city could look. You can't see the stars, but… my God, I think I can hardly breathe."

After a moment to actually catch her breath, she whispered, "The last time I had a view like this was hanging off the window cleaner's platform."

Freddie wrapped his right arm around her waist and laid his chin on her left shoulder. He whispered into her ear, "That was absolutely terrifying for me."

She left go of the telescope with her right hand and slid it down to cover his hand on her abdomen. With the gentlest of grazes of her fingertips, he realized to open his fingers to allow the two of them to lace their fingers. She looked into his eyes and saw his fear and her own reflected in them.

Freddie whispered, "I don't know what I would do if I truly lost you Carls. I don't mean in being in a relationship. I mean you not being here in the world."

"I don't want you not being in my life either. I don't know how my dad deals with not having my mom."

"Carly, how ever this turns out between us, I am not ever going to walk away again—"

She lifted up a finger to cover his lips. "I'm not going to let you walk away… however this turns out for us. You and I are stuck together one way or the other." She reached up and cupped his cheek. She leaned in those last few inches so her lips could meet his lips. Their lips seemed to meld with one another and fall right back into a loving routine as if by muscle memory from a year and a half ago. After a few moments slipping into their own little world, the pair's lips broke apart so that the two teenagers' could catch their breaths. Yet they were still so close that each of their breaths would tickle the lips and nose of the other.

Carly licked her bottom lip to taste Freddie's lingering taste then her top lip, but the tip of her tongue brushed across Freddie's top lip. He tilted his head back up to catch her lips again, figuring it was a signal to continue. Carly was not up for complaining as their tongues started getting involved in their kissing.

Carly cleared her throat and caught her breath as she felt her cheeks feel hot. She then caught Freddie staring at her. "What?" she asked in a surprisingly horse voice, then immediately cleared her throat.

"Sorry, you just look a little flushed in the cheeks," Freddie whispered bashfully.

Carly grinned wickedly at him as she dabbed her bottom lip with a pinky. She then replied, "I wonder who could have caused that."

Freddie cleared his throat with a look a near panic on his face. He looked down to his watch. "Oh, look at the time."

She glance at his watch and realized it was getting pretty late. She looked up to him and asked, "Think we should be going?"

He nodded. "Yes, but I hate that the night is over."

She smiled and replied, "Me too." She then kissed him on the cheek.

It was a peaceful ride in the passenger side of the seat as the brunette rested her head on the head rest and watched Freddie drive them home. A small smile played on her lips as she watched Freddie concentrate on his driving yet seemed totally relaxed. After driving for a few minutes, Carly realized that they were taking a round about way to get back to the apartment. "Ah, Freddie? Isn't there a faster way to get home? Not that I'm complaining."

Freddie smiled and spared her a quick glance. "Yes there is, but I have one more surprise for you tonight."

Carly tilted her head to the side to the opposite of the headrest and gave him a half smile. "Freddie, you have already done too much. I know what you've just did for me had to be over hundred dollars already."

Freddie smirked. "Maybe, but I still have one more thing to complete our night."

"Okay, what is it?"

"You'll see," he replied as he turned the corner when the green light signaled. He slowed as he approached a familiar place.

The web-hostess quickly realized where they were stopping. "Freddie, they're closing,"

"Are they?" he replied with a glint of mischief in his eyes as he pulled the car up to the curb. He turned off the ignition and winked at Carly before getting out of the car. He walked to the front of the front door and poked his head inside for a moment. The brunette teenager then came back and around to the passenger door and opened it.

Out of second nature, Carly took his offered hand. She quickly looped her arm around his arm and he led her to the front door of the Groovy Smoothie. Freddie pushed open the door for the pair and into the empty store except for the grinning African-American with a purple bandana over his dreadlocks behind the counter.

Carly asked with a curious tone to the manager, "I thought you were closing?"

"Well, Freddie here gave me a call," T-Bo waved her off, "and you can figure out the rest."

Carly looked to Freddie with a questioning look.

"He said he'd stay up open late for us, of course for a small nominal fee," Freddie replied with a grin. He then motioned his heads towards T-Bo. The gentleman then pressed a button on a remote control and the stereo system started playing.

I can be fragile, I can break in two.

"Is that?"

"Yes," Freddie replied with a smile and a shrug of his shoulders. "I know it's predictable, but…"

Carly covered her mouth with both of her hands.

Freddie offered her his hand. "Would you care to dance?"

She dropped her hands from her mouth and echoed herself from two years ago, "Absolutely."

Carly took off her leather jacket and draped it across one of the tables. She then stepped to him and laid her arms across his shoulder and held one hand in the other around the back of Freddie's neck. He placed his hands on her hips then gently slid them up to the small of her back.

The pair began to sway and gently turned and move around in a circle.

Carly asked with a smile, "Is this a little déjà vu for you?"

"Yes, but I don't mind," he whispered back. "I'm dancing with the girl I love and how that night ended was the best night of my life."

Carly briefly giggled, "I didn't think it was too bad myself."

"I know, your dad told me."

Carly clamped her mouth shut and shook her head.

"Don't be mad at him. I realized he told me that to tease me about loving you."

"Oh, that sounds like him," she replied with a roll of her eyes. Then, as she did nearly two years ago, she rested her head on his shoulder. She held on to him tighter and smiled into the side of his neck. "This has been an amazing night," she spoke softly.

"I hope so," he replied tenderly. "I wanted to make it a special night for you, because I love you Carly."

Carly lifted her head off his shoulder and looked directly into his eyes and knew with absolute certainty that he meant it. She leaned forward and pulled him towards her for their lips to lock. It was a slow kiss and Carly was determined to take her time and Freddie wasn't in any rush either.

"Hey kids! Let's keep this to TVG. You know how those censors can be!" T-Bo shouted.

The pair's lips immediately broke away and Freddie turned slightly so he and Carly could look at T-Bo with annoyed looks.

His face looked drawn and looked to the countertop. "Sorry," he apologized nervously.

The pair in turn burst into laughter. Carly felt her eyes watering as she looked to Freddie. A joyful tear rolled down her cheek and Freddie gently kissed it away then kissed her forehead.

Freddie whispered, "He certainly knows how to break the mood."

"Or set it," she whispered back then gave him a quick peck on the lips.

Freddie just smirked as he led them to dance again as another song started playing in the background.

I saw you there so beautiful, You stopped and stared…

Carly's brow furled for a moment. "Is that—"

Freddie grinned. "Yes it is. Who thought he could turn around and sell the song? But I think you can sing it better than Miranda."

She laughed as she asked, "You really think so?"

He smirked. "I'm not just saying it because I'm your boyfriend."

"Gee thanks," she replied with a giggle.

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed their date. It was fun writing it. See you on Friday. Drop a review to let me know what you think, good or bad.