Author's Note: Hello everyone. I hope you are having a nice Friday and I hope you enjoy this new installment. Thanks to all my readers and reviewers.

Chapter 16

Dorfman Residence
Friday, May 1980

The sun had fully set about an hour ago as the two teenagers lay side by side on the sleeping bag. They had moved it to in front of one the windows of Taylor's sanctuary. His leather jacket was hanging on an unused easel with her green bandana draped over it. The overhead light had been turned off nearly as long with only the light reflecting off the moon illuminating the room and the dozens and dozens of green star stickers stuck to the ceiling that Steven had failed to initially notice due to the ambient light of the setting sun earlier in the afternoon. Taylor's radio was playing softly in the background tuned to some soft rock.

"What's with the all the phones?" he asked breaking the silence. All the variety of phones weren't sculptures, but appeared to him to be ordinary functioning phones.

She rolled to her side and rested her head on her folded right arm. "They represent the need for people to communicate verbally. They remind me that is something I'm not usually comfortable in how I communicate with people."

Steven suddenly chuckled and Taylor's brow furled in confusion and a pout formed with her mouth. When he saw the look on her face he started laughing harder. After catching his breath and rolled on to his side to face her and smiled. The moonlight only partially illuminated her face, but it was quite captivating to him. "You're an artist. You of all people should understand the saying: 'A picture is worth a thousand words'."

She blinked at the statement then blinked again. A smile began to form on her face. Steven couldn't help but steal a quick kiss. She giggled in response and batted him away playful.

He gave her a boyish smile. "I can't steal kisses?"

She leaned over and gave a quick peck on his lips. "Only if I can do the same."

"Deal," he replied then leaned in for a soft kiss.

When they broke apart, she licked her lips for a moment then looked directly into his eyes. "Are we like… girlfriend and boyfriend now?"

He scooted a little closer and rested a hand on her hip. "If you want to be, but I have to warn you: I've never had a steady girlfriend before, so I'm going to have to figure it out as I go along."

She whispered back, "I've never had a boyfriend before, so I guess we are in the same boat."

He couldn't help but grin. "So you want to merrily go down that stream together?"

She lifted her left hand and placed it on his shoulder. "Ah hun," she replied with a nod of her head then leaned in for another kiss. Once they pulled apart, the rolled back onto their backs and just looked out the window as the radio played softly in the background. Their hands seemed to find one another and they laced their fingers.

After a few minutes of the enjoyable essences of just being sided by side, Steven noticed a few books stacked off to the side and one opened lying on the stack. He sat up and took a quick glance to see title printed at the top of one of the pages: The Phantom of the Opera. One name was highlighted on the page: Carlotta. He lifted the book off the stack and showed it to her. "Why is this name highlighted?"

She sat up and shrugged her shoulders. "She's not a nice character, but I like the name. It seems to me… distinguished, elegant… classy… not like mine. I think it's a pretty name for a girl."

The long haired teenager sat the book down in his lap. "I think Taylor is a fine name for a boy," he replied with a smirk on his face.

She pouted for a moment and Steven felt like he was in trouble until she smirked. She reached with both his hands and tickled his abdomen through his T-Shirt. Steven immediately broke into a fit of giggles and tried to swat her hands away, but settled for grabbing them and pressing them to his abs to stop.

Steven took a few breaths to calm down then smirked. "Okay, you found my weakness."

She didn't look up at him however as she started palming his abdomen and her face formed a perplexed look. She looked at him with the color drained from her face and swallowed a lump in her throat.

"What?" he asked in a low and quick tone. He lifted up his T-Shirt to just under his chest to look at his abs. "Did you feel something that shouldn't be there?" he asked as he looked at his stomach the best he could looking for what concerned her.

She clamped her mouth shut and shook her head, but managed to keep her eyes on his abdomen.

"What then?" he asked with a raised eyebrow and lowering his shirt.

She shook her head again.

He tilted his head to the side. "You're not going give me the silent treatment now?"

"No," she squeaked out.

"Is Miss Dorfman surprised at what she found?" he asked with a smirk. "I can't be soft with the people I hang around with."

"Maybe," she said so quickly he didn't know if he had heard her right.

Steven stifled a laugh. "I'm flattered," he chocked out a moment later.

"You're welcome," she whispered as she looked down and a healthy blush formed on her cheeks.

He grinned then kissed one of those cheeks. "And you're beautiful."

She spared a glance up at him. "Are you flattering me now?"

He brushed some of his hair behind his left ear. "If you mean for flattering being a synonym for the word truth, than yes, I am flattering you."

She let out a soft snort as she grinned. The brunette girl then decided to lie back down. He quickly joined her and she immediately rolled so that she could use his shoulder as a pillow.

In a soft and hesitant whisper, she asked, "Would you stay the night?"

It didn't take him a moment to decide and answer, "Yes."

She snuggled into his shoulder and closed her eyes. He protectively wrapped an arm around her and held her close. After a few moments it was obvious to him that she had fallen asleep.

"I think I'm falling in love with you Taylor Dorfman," he whispered then kissed her forehead.

Shay Apartment
Friday, September 2011

It was approaching midnight as the pair entered the Shay apartment. They each were trying to suppress their respective laughing. Carly slipped her key into the lock and opened the door as quietly as she could. The pair entered the surprising lit room and stopped in shock at the sight on the couch.

Her father was looking straight at the television with an annoyed look on his face as Mrs. Benson had apparently fell asleep and used his shoulder as a pillow. Shay quietly whispered without taking his eyes off the television, "Mister Benson, would you please kindly get your mother off of me."

Freddie quickly walked over and gently nudged his mother awake. The brunette/redhead blinked and realized that Freddie was standing over her.

"Hi Freddie," she replied groggily.

Freddie grinned, "Hi mom."

The brunette/redhead then realized where her head was lying and looked to the Colonel.

"Sorry Steven," she apologized even if she was still half asleep.

Shay helped her stand as he replied, "It is… understandable. Let me lead you home."

"O—kay," Mrs. Benson replied as she stifled a yawn.

Freddie and Carly stood aside as the pair headed for the door. Shay turned his head to look at the couple and winked with his right eye. He turned his attention back to the hallway and to the opposite apartment door as he gently led Mrs. Benson to her apartment. "It's okay Marissa, your little Fredward is home safe and sound."

"That's—" Mrs. Benson yawned, "nice." Then the pair disappeared into the Benson apartment.

The couple then looked to one another for a moment trying to gage the other's reaction. They just smile to one another and Carly took Freddie's hand to lead him up the stairs.

A few moments later, they reached her room and entered. Carly dropped her jacket on the back of the chair facing the water coffee table and walked to her bed. She turned around and plopped down on her bed then lay back, spreading her arms out to her side. "Freddie?"

"Yes?" he asked from the bottom step of the bed platform.

"I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed tonight."

"Being speechless is an answer Carls," he replied nervously as he avoided looking at her.

She sat back up and patted the seat to her right. Freddie smiled and shook his head. "Okay," he replied with a slight humor in his voice. He took off his blazer jacket and laid it across her leather jacket on the seat. He quickly took the three steps up to her bed and sat down.

She then scooted back, trying to cover as much as her legs as possible with the skirt part of her dress, so she could sit in the center of the bed. She then tugged on Freddie's arm to follow suit. He obliged her as she lay down and him beside her. She rolled slightly and rested her head on his shoulder. "This has been a wonderful night."

"I'm glad you liked it."

Carly closed her eyes as she snuggled her head onto Freddie's shoulder. Her left hand reached up and rested on the center of his chest. Since she was partially lying on his left arm, he tenderly moved his arm to wrap around her and rest his hand on her hip.

"I think I should go," he whispered as he felt his own chest contracting from her touch.

"Do you want to go?"

"No," he barely got out as his mind raced.

"Then maybe—" she stifled a yawn, "maybe we shouldn't break my family tradition about how a first date should end."

"Maybe not," he whispered back and kissed her forehead as she was already drifting off to sleep.