Locked in the hotel
There's just some things that never change
You say we're just friends
But friends don't know the way you taste, la la la
'Cause you know it's been a long time coming
Don't you let me fall
Ooh, when your lips undress me
Hooked on your tongue
Ooh love, your kiss is deadly
Don't stop
The next morning Carly awoke to Freddie's hand softly stroking her hair. She sighed and relaxed into his touch and unmistakable scent until realization washed over her. She briefly tensed as the night before flashed before her eyes. She tried to keep her breathing even, not wanting to give him the wrong idea, as she wasn't really sure what she was feeling. She didn't regret it… It'd been one of the best nights of her life. But she wasn't sure where that left them now. Were they together? Did she want them to be? Was it just a fun escape from reality never to be repeated? What did Freddie want? Could they come back from this? It was way too early to face those thoughts.
"Before you go off the deep end overthinking things, let's take a breather and not dissect and overanalyze it yet… Just enjoy whatever this is for now. We don't have to figure anything out right this minute." It was as if he'd read her mind, he knew her so well. Of course, he'd be the logical one. She snuck a quick glance at him and he was watching her cautiously, looking as stunned and conflicted as she felt. She gave him a sweet smile and nodded. He was right, she wasn't going to freak out. They would figure it out… somehow. But for now, she was going to enjoy lying in his arms.
They stayed like that for a while, content to just be together. After a few moments of slowly running a finger up and down Freddie's chest, Carly cut her eyes at him, trying to sneak a peek and maybe figure out what he was thinking. His eyes were closed, but she knew he wasn't asleep as his fingers were still caressing her shoulder. "Yes?" he asked, a smirk gracing his lips. Damn, she'd been caught. "Umm… Nothing." When he finally opened his eyes, she was biting her lip. "No, what is it?" He could tell her nerves were back.
She couldn't look at him, so she focused back on her finger and its trail down his breastbone. "I was just wondering… While we're figuring things out…" She trailed off, losing her nerve. He tipped her chin up to look at him with a small chuckle. "While we figure things out what?" "Well… Can we still… You know…?" She was biting her lip in that irresistible way again and he almost missed what she asked. "Wait... Really? You want to... again?" That definitely surprised him. While they had been lying there with her sprawled across him, her leg still tangled around his, he fully expected her to wrap herself in the sheet at any moment, get dressed in the bathroom and everything would turn awkward.
She nodded at him with a spark in her eyes that he didn't think he'd ever seen before. "Of course! I mean… I'm game if you are." He tried play it cool, but this was far from what he'd expected when he woke up this morning. She couldn't help it; she hid her face against his chest and laughed. "I can't believe we're actually doing this!" "You sure seemed to enjoy yourself last night." Freddie replied cockily. She quickly looked back at him in shock. "I could say the same for you!" she retaliated. Freddie laughed and raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, no argument here. I'll gladly admit that I thoroughly enjoyed myself."
Carly laughed for a moment before turning serious. She rose closer to Freddie's face so she could get a better look at him. In the light of day, she tried to reconcile the man before her, her lovable best friend, and the passionate, fierce protector from the night before. Last night she'd experienced a side of him she never thought possible. As her gaze moved over him, Freddie didn't object, just waited patiently. Once she was apparently satisfied, she leaned in and kissed him. It was soft at first, almost tentative as she explored this new side of them, but soon their passion for each other took over. Their kisses became frenzied and Freddie rolled them over. Carly moaned appreciatively at the feeling of his erection against her thigh and spread her legs to cradle him against her. It wasn't long before they were reunited again in a state of carnal bliss.
They spent the rest of the trip in the same bed every night. They spent their days exploring the area, hanging out and relaxing at the beach, and for two days they had to be on their absolute best behavior at the convention. There were just too many prying eyes.
He made sure to stay nearby when she had her fan meet and greet, knowing she needed the support with the sheer number of people they'd been told had signed up. He was surprised how many of them wanted to meet him too. He'd been pulled into many pictures with her and eager fans. They expected more of the fans to be recent ones, as this was an influencer expo, but were pleasantly surprised by how many were fans of the original iCarly when they were just kids, fans who grew up with them and only came to the convention just to meet them.
After the meet and greet finally ended, an hour later than it was scheduled to, the two took some time to wander through the convention hall. They had their own security escorts, which, after all these years, shocked them at first. But after the number of fans that showed up to meet with them, they were glad for the added protection.
They briefly looked through the sponsorship area, but nothing really interested them. After the fiasco with the sneakers when they were kids, they learned their lesson. They wouldn't promote anything that they didn't truly believe in and had thoroughly tested beforehand.
Instead, they opted to check out the technology booths… Or rather Freddie checked them out, while Carly watched and tried to listen in from the sidelines. She didn't understand much of the jargon, but she saw how happy it made him and that was enough for her. There was so much to see though… From the newest hi-res cameras to digital editing software to gimbals and steadicam rigs to boom mics, Freddie was in his element. Carly was surprised to see so much of this stuff there… It seemed more at home on a movie set, not being used by influencers.
Carly filmed a quick video of Freddie deep in conversation with some rep about the pros and cons of some software versus another, finishing with a sweeping shot of how big the tech area of the convention hall was. She sent it to their family back home with the caption of "Two techies in nerd heaven". Freddie had already sent the gang a video of the long line for the meet and greet. Millicent had quickly replied, as expected, with "Bunch of morons". Yeah, Carly really loved that girl.
As much as she joked about Freddie and his love for all things "tech", she really did admire him. He had something he was so passionate about. Besides iCarly when they were kids, she'd never really had anything like that. She enjoyed it now, of course, but she couldn't deny that it wasn't the same. It was different when they were dumbs kids and didn't know any better, pretty much doing anything they wanted. She didn't have that luxury anymore… Cancel culture was a very real thing.
Once Freddie had his tech and IT fill, the convention was winding down for the afternoon, so they snuck out as quickly as possible. Their plan for the rest of the afternoon was dinner and then back to their rooms for more adult fun.
The last day of the convention went much the same as the day before - they had a surprisingly large crowd eager to meet with them but this time there were also several sponsors who wanted to talk with them as well. They'd briefly discussed it and agreed to at least hear them out, agreeing to abide by their policy for all big decisions – two yes's or it's a no. They had their escorts reserve a meeting room for after the meet and greet was over.
In the end they'd decided to work with three out of the seven companies who pursued them. One was a high-end camera company whose latest release Freddie had heard great things about. They made a point of making no promises, he would try it out and give an honest review and that was what the company was looking for. The second was for a new editing software that Freddie had already been planning to purchase within the next few months. And the last was for a jewelry brand that Carly had already given a shout out to in one of her Raves & Rejects videos. They wanted her to choose some pieces from their website and try them out, eventually making a review video and they'd give her a nice promo code for her fans to use.
The ones they turned down were either junk or things they just couldn't agree upon. The easiest decision for Carly had been for a make-up brand that wasn't cruelty free and she happily told them as much. Okay, so maybe there was a thing or two she was passionate about after all.
When they'd finally left the convention, they were beat. They decided to order in and relax as the following day was their last one there, they would fly out the day after tomorrow.
Their last day was spent sight-seeing, checking out a few of the spots Freddie had wanted to visit but they hadn't yet had a chance to and making sure they had souvenirs for everyone back home. Their flight out was scheduled for early afternoon the next day. As it would be their final night together, they planned to make the most of it – an early dinner and then spend the rest of the evening in bed.
They hadn't yet discussed what it meant, both content to just enjoy being together. The only thing they had decided was to keep it between the two of them. They weren't ready for their families to know about… whatever this was. As such, they knew this would be their last night together for the foreseeable future… Carly had a roommate, and a nosey one at that. Harper meant well, but if Freddie stayed over, she'd know and Carly wasn't ready for that conversation. As for Freddie, he lived with his mother and his daughter, so there was no hope for any privacy there. Carly knew that Spencer would be the most understanding out of the bunch about their weird situation, but he'd also start jumping to conclusions and in his mind, he'd have them engaged within the first two weeks. While he'd never been too vocal about it, Carly knew Spencer had always been a Creddie shipper. No, it was best to hold off until they had a better idea of where they stood and what this was.