The Greatest Secret
Disclaimer: Nope, don't own iCarly
A/N: This chapter's going to be a little different, the song playing won't be played by the band later on, it's just simply playing in the background. You'll see why. I don't intend to show band competitions until the final day.
Chapter 193 (Celebrate our Love)
Carly and Griffin walked hand in hand down the streets of LA, they were heading to an under eighteen dance club. They set up a private room to sit and talk or, in their mind, slow dance the night away. They just wanted to cuddle, that was all. They had grown closer after Carly confronted Steven. Even Freddie told them what happened when Steven tried to confront him, there was no problem, but that was the furthest thing from their mind.
As they made their way to the large brick building with a front entrance that had blue LED lights pouring onto a red carpet, Carly rested her head upon Griffin's shoulder and wrapped her arm around his. They had nothing but good news for each other. "Griffin, do I make you happy?" Griffin smiled and nodded his head.
"Of course you do. I hope I make you happy. I love you."
"You do, and I love you." Marissa and Robert told them earlier in the day, they were planning to talk to Griffin's family about the culture. If the parents accepted, then it was very likely that he would be chosen as Carly's husband. If not, then Griffin would not be considered. His family had already met her numerous times, they liked her, so hopefully they would approve. The doting couple had every bit of confidence that they would.
When they entered the establishment, Griffin asked the front guard where their room would be. He pointed down the hall and stated the door was the first on the left. Making their way down the hall they thought about how today's battle went. Just like yesterday, Jonah's song won the hearts of the judges, the performance they did today also won the judges over. This was their celebratory date. Sam and Freddie were out somewhere, Gibby and Tasha were elsewhere, and Jonah was taking a nap in the hotel room. "I kind of feel bad for Jonah, you know? We're all out and his wife is over a thousand miles away.
"Yeah, but at least they're together in heart. I know he misses her and she misses him too. I bet when she gets her time off, they'll be really happy."
"Yeah, I'm imagining them reuniting after all this time, something tells me their love will be plentiful or something." He smirked as they entered into the room and shut the door. The room was square and had a couch in sitting a few feet away from a television propped against the left wall. There was a red oval rug in the center of the room and a bed against the far end of the wall. On the right side of the room was a buffet table that the servers put fresh food in for their arrival. The walls were painted crème and the floor had sand colored tiles. "Oh my god…" On the ceiling were two speakers, connected to a large radio next to the door.
"It's so beautiful!"
"I'll say!" He moved over to the food and Carly put her hands to her hips, smiling at him. He was always hungry, always eating, so it didn't surprise her to see him heading there first. "I see why we had to make a reservation, look at this gourmet food!" She moved over as Griffin grabbed a plate and started to put a piece of German Chocolate cake on it.
"Yeah, the food does look good actually." She moved her fingers along the white tablecloth and looked over to the radio with longing, she wanted to dance with him. "Do you think maybe we can dance? You know I already ate." He looked to her and set the plate down on the table, smiling at her.
"Of course, I'm not all that hungry myself. I guess the buffet table's just a courtesy." She chuckled and watched him run over to the radio and turn it on. Her lips curled up as a recognizable song began to play. Tonight, I celebrate my love, by Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack. Griffin looked to her and made his way towards her, holding his hand out, palm upwards. "Shall we dance?" Her heart swelled and her eyes began to water, she didn't know why she was feeling emotional, maybe it was the song. She carefully wrapped her arms around Griffin's neck and locked her eyes with his as he put his hands to her waist.
Tonight, I celebrate my love for you
It seems the natural thing to do
Tonight, no one's gonna find us
We'll leave the world behind us
When I make love to you
"I want you to know, I love this song." She leaned close to him and kept her eyes with his. His eyes were filled with such wonder, such love, she could not escape them if she tried. He moved closer and brushed his nose with hers. It tickled. She giggled and sighed softly, melting in his arms.
"You've always been a romantic, Carly. I love that about you." A blush rose to her cheeks as they swayed to the right. "I want you to know that no matter what happens in this world, I will always love you. Nothing can ever tear us apart. Just like your brother and his fiancé, of course." Her lips curled upwards some more and her eyes sparkled into his. She took a deep breath and felt her body starting to heat up.
"I feel the same. I'm so glad that Mom and Dad are going to consider you. I don't know if I could be without you even if they said no…what if your parents say no?" She wasn't as confident as Griffin, she was as scared as a puppy left outside in the rain. It hurt her to imagine herself without him, but she wouldn't be surprised if it came down to that. "If that happens, you and I can't be-"
Tonight, I celebrate my love for you
And hope, that deep inside you'll feel it too
Tonight, our spirits will be climbing
To a sky lit up with diamonds
When I make love to you, tonight
"Carly." He brought his hand up and gently brushed a stray strand of hair from her face. Her cheeks burned with pleasure as she felt him slide his fingers along her cheek. She closed her eyes and exhaled. "Don't be afraid. You've been afraid of so many things ever since we started dating, and I understand why. You've been hurt, you've gone through things that can't be undone, you always act so cheerful and happy, but inside, you're frightened. Just as a young puppy fears abandonment from the ones she loves, so do you. Don't be afraid. You know you can trust me, and my family loves you."
"Well Dad's family loved mom until Grandpa started to get angry about something. So…"
"Does my family look like them?" Griffin smirked slightly and Carly stared at him, her eyes quivered and started to water. "I don't care what happens, I'm always going to love you. Even if it takes thirty years, my love for you will never stop." Carly smiled at the play on her parents' relationship.
"Impressive…"
"What?"
"You've been nothing but supportive of me. Even after you found out about Steven, I don't know how many guys could do that…"
"Then maybe I'm one of a kind."
"Maybe…" Her heart jumped in her chest and she tentatively reached up to him. Their lips pressed together and her heart flared. She felt a sense of passion that she never felt before, rushing through her veins. It struck her heart and increased her pulse rate. She felt his strong arms around his waist and moaned gently, losing herself.
Tonight, I celebrate my love for you
And that midnight sun is gonna come shining through
Tonight, there'll be no distance between us
What I want most to do is to get close to you, tonight
When she pulled her lips from his, she gazed at him with longing. She wanted to be in his arms forever, to know that he would never leave her. To be one, to have their hearts join together, that was all she could think of. Was it wrong to want that? She knew Griffin wouldn't take advantage of her, he wouldn't do anything that she didn't want. He wouldn't go too far unless she wanted him to.
She reached forward and kissed him once more, then took a step back. She felt her legs touch the bed, so she slowly moved backwards, gently pulling Griffin down with her. Griffin raised an eyebrow and lifted his head up, gazing into her eyes. "Carly?" Would he leave her? If she gave herself to him, a sign that she trusted him, would he see it?
"You wouldn't leave me, would you?"
"Never."
"Promise me…if I gave myself to you, you would still be here…"
"Carly…"
"Promise."
"I promise you, I would never leave you."
Tonight, I celebrate my love for you
And soon, this old world will seem brand new
Tonight, we will both discover
How friends turn into lovers, when I make love to you
"Are you sure about this, Carly?" She wiped a tear from her eye and nodded, her heart was using every bit of energy to pound. The sound of her heartbeat was practically louder than the song on the radio. "We don't have to do this, we can wait."
"I know, and I love that you would. I said I wanted to wait until the right person, and…I think maybe you're that person." She felt the bed shift as he carefully moved over her. "I don't want to think the one time I've done it was with Steven because we lost control of ourselves…I want a different memory…"
"You want to have the say, then?"
"More than anything…and I'm saying that I want to be on with you. I love you Griffin, and only you, no one else."
"I love you too, Carly. You're beautiful, you have a great heart, and I'm lucky to have you here with me. I know we're meant for each other, we have to be. I'll stay right here by your side, through thick and thin."
"Thank you."
She felt him lower his body against hers and grunt as he gently moved his lips to hers. She sighed and moved her hands to his back, tilting her head as he started to kiss down her jaw. Just this once, that was all she wanted, nothing more. Any other time, they could wait until marriage, but tonight would be that new memory and a symbol of her love with Griffin. Slow, gentle, and passionate, that was what tonight would be all about. She closed her eyes and moaned as the subtle sensation of his fingers gliding smoothly up her sides moved through her. It was like a dream, a perfect dream.
Tonight, I celebrate my love for you
And that midnight sun is gonna come shining through
Tonight, there'll be no distance between us
What I want most to do is to get close to you
Tonight, I celebrate my love for you, tonight…
A few hours later, Carly awoke and felt warmth next to her along with the scent of sweat and pheromones. She looked over and saw her shirtless boyfriend lying next to her. She smiled brightly and moved her arm over his chest, then nudged his neck, kissing it tenderly. He opened his right eye and smiled at her. He draped his arm around her and kissed her forehead. "Hey beautiful, how are you feeling? I hope you're feeling good."
"I've never felt better." She couldn't believe it, he was still here! She didn't doubt him any, but it still felt great to see him. She stretched and rubbed his chest with her hand. She was still reeling over what happened, she loved the feeling of his hands along her body and their hearts joining together to be one. "What time is it?"
"It's uh…" Griffin moved his arm up and looked to his wristwatch. His eyebrows rose and the color in his face started to drain. "It's one in the morning."
"Oh shit!" She quickly sat up and held the blankets to her chest. She hadn't planned for that, the others were probably trying to find them now and chances were, they'd be getting pissed about it. "The girls and I were supposed to discuss tomorrow's song! Also Dan isn't going to be happy that two of the band's members are missing…"
"So, what do we do, because we're obviously in trouble?" The two looked at each other and began laughing. Sure things looked bad, but at least they knew it would work out for them. "I'll get my phone." He moved from the bed and grabbed his jeans from the floor. Once he pulled his phone from the side pocket, he found five missed calls.
"How bad is it?"
"Let's just say everyone's probably not going to be happy with us. Question is, do we tell your brother what happened tonight?"
"Even if we didn't, they'd probably figure it out…but let's not chance it. I don't think they need to know, just say we lost track of time."
"All right, fair enough." He checked the voicemail and sifted through Jonah's calling him and asking where they were, then Freddie's message, then a message left by Dan. "None of them are happy that we're missing."
"I figured." She watched his lips curl into a smile and raised her eyebrow. "Curious…why are you smiling?"
"Because of this voicemail." He clicked the speaker on and Carly listened eagerly, it was from her mom.
"Carly and Griffin, we called both of your phones, hoping to catch one of you, but I guess you guys are asleep. We'll get you tomorrow, but we just want to say that Robert and I talked to Griffin's parents. They're all for you two being together, let's talk more about this tomorrow or when you get home, all right? We love you sweetie, goodnight!"
"Oh my god, I can't believe it!" She squealed and practically tackled Griffin, overcome with joy. They laughed and kissed each other, but stopped after a minute, so as to avoid going overboard again. Griffin's phone rang once more and he winced at it. Carly chuckled nervously as he answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Griffin!" Freddie's voice echoed from the phone, causing Griffin to pull the phone away from his ear. Carly cringed and whistled softly. "Where the hell are you guys? Are you guys all right? We've been running up the walls getting worried about you two."
"We're fine man, don't worry. We just lost track of time and danced together a little later than planned." They waited as a silence wafted from the phone. After a minute, he finally responded.
"Griffin. Nothing happened, right? Do I need to introduce you to Sam's uncle?" Griffin paled briefly and Carly giggled, they knew Morris wouldn't do anything considering he wasn't protective of Carly, but the thought was still scary enough.
"No, everything's fine, there's no need for that. We'll be back at the hotel soon. See you guys in just a bit."
"All right, I'll let the others know." Once Freddie hung up, Griffin slowly looked to Carly, smiling at her.
"Thanks, you just got me in trouble with your brother." She laughed and tapped his cheek, kissing him tenderly.
"No charge necessary for that either. You know you love me."
"Yes I do, now let's get dressed and get back to the hotel before they get even more suspicious and pissed." She watched him struggling to put his pants back on and shook her head, resisting the urge to laugh at the sight.
"Good plan. Oh, and Griffin?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you…" He looked to her and smiled softly. He gave her a nod and gently pulled his pants up his legs.
Hmm, well, I certainly hope you enjoyed this chapter.