・ | Notes |・
- Seddie.
- Season 3.
-Thanks for the people who have left comments and corrections, also for waiting for this chapter. It took me a while to edit it, but I liked the result. Hope you like it too.
૮₍˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ₎ა
・ | ✦ʚ 2 ɞ✦ |・
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✧ [ - iPromise -] ✧
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"My other secret is this, Freddie: I. Enjoyed. The. Kiss," she hummed, touching Freddie's nose with each word she said until on the last one her finger ended up on his lips, silencing the boy and his thoughts with that indirect kiss.
Once again, Sam had left Freddie completely speechless. Literally. Freddie froze, staring at her in shock as his brain nearly experienced a short circuit upon hearing his friend-enemy's words. Sam chuckled at his reaction, finally pulling Freddie out of his state of surprise to plunge him into a sea of doubts.
Why is she laughing at me? Was she even joking?, he wondered silently, feeling like an idiot for not having thought of it sooner. They both lived by playing pranks on each other, so why would she act differently under the influence of that gas?
"You got very quiet suddenly, Fredward," Sam observed with a chuckle.
"And you're very giggly, Princess Puckett," he pointed out sarcastically. "You were joking with me, weren't you?"
Sam burst into laughter at the suggestion, and Freddie took it as confirmation of his suspicions. Since her laughter was so contagious, he ended up joining her, without resentment. Gradually, their laughter subsided until they found themselves looking into each other's eyes.
"I've to admit that even under the influence of nitrous oxide, you're a very good liar; I almost fell into your trap, " he congratulated her, giving her a friendly tap on the shoulder. "But don't joke about something like that again, I almost thought you meant it."
"Oh, but I mean it," she confessed, reaching her hand towards him to play with his hair again. "I wanna kiss you again and, by the way, you have nice hair, I like it."
Freddie looked at her in confusion, going over the words in his mind and the tone in which they were spoken, trying to detect sarcasm in her words.
"You can't be serious," he persisted, feeling his heart beat faster at the possibility that she might actually be serious.
As if she had read his recent thoughts, Sam smiled sweetly and gently caressed his cheek, as if she wanted to memorize how it felt between her fingers. Then, she looked into Freddie's eyes with affection.
"I'm not joking, Freddie. I really enjoyed that kiss, and I wanna kiss you again," she giggled, her cheeks as flushed as Freddie's. "I could give you a little kiss right now..."
"Now?" he asked, almost choking on his saliva at the thought.
Sam nodded and, without saying a word, leaned towards him with clear intentions of kissing him. But before Freddie could even stop her, she stumbled over the exam table and ended up falling forward. In a reflex, Freddie caught her in a hug, preventing her from hitting the floor.
"Who would've thought my attempt to kiss would end like this!" Sam laughed again, not seeming embarrassed to be in Freddie's arms. "Hey, Freddo. Does it smell funny here, or is it just me?"
"Maybe it's the antiseptic in this dentist's office," Freddie responded, feeling a mix of embarrassment and confusion at how quickly the situation had changed between them.
"No, it's sweet, like... vanilla."
"Oh, yes. I, uh, put on some vanilla cream at home," he explained. Not knowing what else to say, he said the first thing that came to his mind. "So, do you like it?"
"Love it!" Sam exclaimed excitedly. "So much that I'm getting hungry. Will you buy me ice cream?"
Freddie smiled at her request. That did sound like something his Sam would say.
Wait a moment. 'My Sam'? She's nothing of mine, he scolded himself. Then, he felt Sam wrapping her arms around his neck, and he couldn't help but look at her again, feeling nervous as he met that gaze and smile. Before Freddie could ask her why she was looking at him like that, the door to the dental office opened, revealing the two dentists from earlier, who looked at them in surprise. The woman murmured a soft 'Aw,' while the man raised an eyebrow at him.
"Are we interrupting something?" asked the man. Freddie shook his head, feeling a lot, a lot of embarrassed for being caught... hugging Sam? Goodness, today was a strange day. "Alright, then, here are the instructions for your girlfriend..."
This time, Freddie didn't even bother to contradict him, not with Sam still in his arms without an apparent desire to let him go soon.
✧ [ - -] ✧
After a brief and awkward conversation with the dentist, they exited the office. Or rather, Freddie had to carry Sam out of the office since she didn't want to stop hugging him at any point. Even with the help of the dentists, Freddie couldn't separate her from him, so he had to carry her while she continued babbling about how much she wanted vanilla ice cream.
Somehow, Freddie managed to carry her long enough until the taxi he had called arrived. He knew the dental office wasn't far from his building, but one: he didn't have the strength to carry her for that long, and two, he didn't have the courage to be seen with her like that in public, as if they were a very loving couple.
About fifteen minutes later, they finally arrived at the apartment. They were only seen by the taxi driver, who told Freddie he didn't want any lovey-dovey stuff with his girlfriend in his car, causing Freddie to blush even more, as if that were possible. And maybe by one or two neighbors Freddie had never seen in his life, so he didn't care what they thought.
The important thing was that now he was standing in front of Shay's door, with a sleeping Sam in his arms. She looked so peaceful that Freddie was too shy to try to wake her up to ask her to open the door. Well, he was also afraid that when she returned to consciousness she might hit him for carrying her, but he would never admit that out loud.
Deciding not to push his luck, he did some calculations and, in one swift movement, managed to open the apartment door. Without hesitation, Freddie entered and headed to the couch to set Sam down. Although it was a bit complicated due to the iron grip she still had on him.
Freddie struggled against Sam's natural strength until he came up with a slightly silly idea. In other moments, he would have dismissed it entirely, but in a situation like this, it was worth a try, right?
Feeling those strange butterflies in his stomach again, Freddie took a deep breath and gently brushed Sam's hair away from her forehead to give her a soft kiss. His idea, no matter how silly and cheesy it was, seemed to work because the girl smiled in her sleep, and her grip weakened. Freddie kissed her forehead three times until he could completely free himself. Just in case, he handed Sam one of the sofa cushions so she could hug it in his place.
Freddie sighed and made his way to the kitchen island, where he sat in front of the computer. On one hand, he felt mentally exhausted, and on the other, deeply bewildered by everything that had happened in the past hour. Accompanying Sam to the Shay's apartment was nothing out of the ordinary, considering he and Sam spent a lot of time there. However, Sam confessing that she wanted to kiss him again was definitely something he didn't expect, even if she was under the influence of nitrous oxide. Him, Freddie Benson, of all people? The same Freddie she constantly called nerd, dork, , idiot, among other nicknames for fun? In what universe was that even possible?
Apparently, in mine, he answered himself, his fingers tapping on the table as he reflected on what had happened. But since when does she feel this way? Moreover, does she really feel this way about me, or was she just saying things due to the side effects? Those and many more questions kept coming to Freddie's mind. So, he decided to take a break from his musings to find a notebook and a pencil and write down all his doubts, questions, and possible answers to them.
1. Did Sam say all those things just because of the gas?
For anyone else, the obvious answer would be yes because Sam "hates" him, and he "hates" her back. However, Freddie knew Sam better than that and knew that she didn't genuinely hate him, and he didn't hate her either. If Freddie hated her, he wouldn't consider her his friend, and certainly wouldn't have suggested sharing their first kiss together. Besides, if Sam truly hated him, she would've broken his arm, hit him, or refused the suggestion, but that didn't happen. They both kissed, and they enjoyed it more or less, leading Freddie to another question.
2. Did Sam say she enjoyed the kiss because she wanted to experience a kiss again, or because she felt attracted to him?
The first suggestion within the question seemed silly to him. since Sam could kiss any other guy she was interested in. Therefore, it made more sense that she wanted to kiss him because she felt attracted to him, but...
3. Is Sam genuinely attracted to him, or just because of the gas?
4. And if she is genuinely attracted to him, since when has she been, and why hadn't she told him?
5. Why hadn't he realized this?
6. What would he have done if she had confessed to him in her five senses?
7. Did he feel the same way? Would he want to kiss her again?
8. In terms of feelings, did she only want to kiss him because she was attracted to him, or did she have feelings for him beyond a simple friendship-rivalry?
9. When did those feelings develop?
10. Could he possibly like Sam back?
Even though she's grumpy, aggressive and has a seemingly bottomless stomach, she's also amazing, very, very strong, brave and obviously beautiful, regardless of the type of clothes she wears, but...
11. Was he only thinking about these things because he was attracted to the idea of kissing her again, or because he genuinely wants to know if he could develop (or already has) romantic feelings for Sam?
12. Why did he get excited and happy thinking about it if supposedly he had feelings for Carly?
13. Was he really so pathetic and shallow that a confession about kisses and a very long hug would make him change his mind and feelings about it?
14. What would Sam say if he asked her all that?
She'd probably call me stupid and say I've just lost my mind, he answered himself, smiling as he imagined the girl saying those words. Oh, I'm really a mess, Freddie thought with a bright smile.
Putting aside his notebook, Freddie looked at the owner of his thoughts, experiencing an inner peace at seeing her so peaceful. He was aware that this tranquility would disappear as soon as she woke up and resumed her role as the incomparable Princess Puckett, always hungry for ham and meat. However, Freddie wouldn't dare to wish for her to be different, as it would lose the essence of the Sam he cared so much about.
Although she can't eat many solid things today, Freddie suddenly remembered. He could simply give Carly instructions and leave, but since she was taking care of her brother, it wouldn't be fair to retreat to his apartment without leaving a viable food option for Sam.
After checking the Shay apartment's kitchen and his own, Freddie decided to prepare enough chicken soup for the four of them. This way, Sam could eat something that wouldn't harm her, and Carly wouldn't have to worry about cooking for her and Spencer later.
"All right, let's get it over with," Freddie encouraged himself in a low voice before starting to cook.
✧[ - -]✧
Forty minutes later, the delicious aroma of the soup filled the kitchen and wafted through the living room, reaching Sam on the couch, gradually waking her up. As she sat up, Sam looked around in confusion. Why was she in Carly's apartment when she was at the dentist just a moment ago? Has it all been a dream? Was this still a dream? But it couldn't be, as many times as Sam had dreamed about food, it never had such a genuine scent. Curious, she got up and headed to the kitchen, where she found a very real Freddie taking out real plates and spoons from the cabinet.
"Hey, Fredward. Do you know why I'm here?" she decided to ask, as direct as always.
Apparently, that hadn't been a good idea because Freddie shivered in fright and ended up dropping two spoons on the floor.
"Oh my goodness! Don't talk to me out of nowhere like that, Sam," scolded Freddie, picking up the dropped spoons and putting them in the sink. "You almost made me break a plate."
Sam rolled her eyes at the boy's complaint. Now she had no doubts; that whiny nerd was a real Freddie and not someone from some weird dream.
"But you didn't break anything, so stop making a big deal out of it and answer me. Why am I here?" Sam sighed in frustration at Freddie's confused look. "Why am I here when I'm supposed to be at the dentist with Carly?" she asked again, articulating each word with a more condescending tone, as if she were explaining it to a small child.
Sam waited for Freddie's typical unamused look, but instead, she saw the boy's cheeks blush before he turned to the stove to attend to the soup.
Weird, she thought, still waiting for an answer from her friend-enemy.
"Since Carly had to go take care of Spencer, I went to pick you up from the dentist. They gave you nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, to calm you down, so you might not remember anything because of that," Freddie explained quickly, serving the soup onto plates carefully.
"It makes sense," Sam replied, not particularly interested in delving into that topic, but more in Freddie's reaction.
Why had he blushed and turned away instead of confronting her like he did a while ago? Could it be something that happened in the dentist's office? Maybe she made a fool of herself and talked to him about girly stuff or something, but why would that embarrass him? In any case, he should be taking advantage of that opportunity to embarrass her, not blushing like an idiot.
While Sam pondered that, Freddie placed a plate of soup in front of her along with a spoon. She briefly thanked him before starting to eat, careful not to burn her lips or tongue. She waited for Freddie to sit next to her and tell her what happened in the office in more detail, but the moment never came. Instead of sitting next to her, the nerd chose to sit at the kitchen island, near the computer.
Sam felt annoyed (and a bit ignored) by that decision of the guy. Yes, she knew they constantly argued, but Freddie never minded sharing the table with her and chatting for a while. Moreover, why would he choose to be near a computer with hot soup instead of at a safe table? It might seem insignificant to other people, but Sam knew Freddie well enough to point out that was an odd behavior on his part.
Deciding to address the situation head-on, Sam straightened up in her chair and fixed her gaze on Freddie with seriousness. Although his attention was on the soup, the boy seemed to notice her intense stare and shivered slightly, as if he had developed a sixth sense to perceive her anger, something similar to the ability she had to find food.
"Hey, Fredweird, why are you acting so weird?" Sam asked casually after taking a spoonful of her soup. In a quick glance, she observed Freddie tensing up again as he tasted his own soup.
"What are you talking about? I'm not acting weird," Freddie responded with a falsely annoyed tone, avoiding eye contact with her. "I'm just eating, in case you didn't notice, genius."
"Sure, you're holding a bowl of hot soup right next to a computer when you always complain when I do the same," Sam pointed out. "Besides, you're avoiding eye contact with me since I asked what happened at the dentist."
"You're exaggerating, Blondie. I'm not avoiding you, I'm just focused on my food."
"One, call me Blondie again, and I'll dye your shampoo blonde," she warned, taking another sip of soup before continuing. "Two, if you're not avoiding me, then stop using the soup as an excuse, look at me, and tell me that nothing strange happened for you to act this way with me."
As Sam expected, her challenging tone was enough for Freddie to straighten up in his seat and look at her directly. However, she didn't expect to see him blush again and shift his gaze between her and the soup, as if he were gathering the courage to answer. Unusual, considering he had never hesitated to answer her before.
"Nothing, you didn't do anything weird," Freddie replied weakly before avoiding her gaze again to continue eating.
"You're lying again," Sam accused, putting aside her soup for a moment to confront Freddie, who remained silent on the other side of the island. "What did I do while I was in the office that made you feel uncomfortable?"
"You didn't do anything that made me feel uncomfortable. Just a little... surprised," he admitted.
At such an open response, Sam looked at him suspiciously before placing her arm on the table, showing him her pinky finger.
"Promise me," she requested seriously. Freddie looked at her with confusion, possibly wondering why she wanted to do something so childish with him. Anyway, childish or not, he seemed to make a decision, raising his pinky finger to intertwine it with hers. However, Sam pulled her hand away before the contact occurred. "Don't promise me if it's not true, unless you wanna lose that finger."
They both knew it was an empty threat, but they also understood that she was serious about not lying. Freddie considered his decision for a moment, looking at the soup in front of him and then at Sam, still with rosy cheeks. After what seemed like an eternity to Sam, Freddie sighed and laced his pinky finger with hers.
"You didn't do anything wrong or make me feel uncomfortable," he promised, observing their intertwined fingers before smiling gently. "You just said and did a few things that surprised me a little, that's all. I promise."
Sam squeezed his pinkie with his slightly, feeling a bit strange at the fondness reflected in his gaze. What things had she said to make him look at her with such warmth?
"Are you serious, Benson?" she asked again, with less intensity in her voice than before.
"Yes. I'm serious, Princess Puckett," Freddie affirmed, smiling and lightly squeezing his pinky with hers again. For some reason, Sam didn't want to break the physical contact with him just yet, so she didn't.
"I told you to stop calling me that," she complained, not bothering to hide her own smile.
"I've also told you to just call me Freddie, and look how much you've listened," he retorted with a cunning smile. "I practically get a new nickname every month."
"You're lucky I even think about you every month," Sam replied, releasing his pinky to return to the table and continue eating. "Anyway. So, what did I do that made you so nervous? Come here and tell Mama everything, Freduchini."
Freddie nodded and took his soup to sit beside her on the left. Before he could say anything else, Sam silenced him by raising her pinkie at him.
"No word counts without the pinkie promise, Fredward, so you better only speak the truth to me."
"And why should I do that? Aren't we a little old for pinky promises?"
"You're too old for your mom to give you a bath, too, but life brings many surprises," she answered, shrugging. "Besides, it's a method to make sure you won't lie to me."
"And how will you know I'm not lying?" He deliberately ignored the comment of his mother to keep the conversation on track.
"For two reasons: one, you know I'd break your pinky instantly if you tried, you're not good at lying or keeping secrets," reasoned Sam. Freddie nodded in understanding as he continued eating. "And two, because I know that besides feeling pain, you'll feel guilty for lying to me."
"You have a good method," he acknowledged, finally linking his pinkie with hers once again.
"Mama always has good methods," Sam boasted, taking a spoonful of soup. Freddie imitated her, and they both began eating with their free hands. "So, what happened?"
"Well, when I arrived at the dentist's office, you were all giggly, laughing at everything, and you even said you saw everything a bit blurry," he explained, smiling at the memory. "You even confused me with Carly for a moment."
"And I guess you enjoyed seeing me act all stupid."
"A little, yeah, but I didn't think you were stupid. I thought you..." He swallowed before continuing, avoiding eye contact again, before murmuring something Sam didn't understand.
"What? What did you think, nerd? That I'd make a good clown or what?"
"What? No! I just thought you look really pretty when you smile. Why do you always have to assume the worst of me?" Freddie corrected with annoyance, blushing as he realized what he said. Sam felt butterflies in her stomach from the compliment but disguised her embarrassment with pride.
"And? That's nothing new; I'm always pretty."
"Are you?," Freddie raised an eyebrow, smiling playfully. When Sam raised an indignant eyebrow while eating, he smiled, "Just kidding, you always look pretty. And if I recall correctly, you also said I was."
Sam almost choked on her chicken.
"What? No way. You're lying, right?"
"You said I couldn't lie because you'd break my pinky, right?" he reminded her with a sly smile, squeezing his pinkie with hers. "So, I can't lie to you even if I wanted to, thanks."
"So, I said you were handsome," Sam repeated, saying the word as if she were nauseated. "Wow, that thing really hit me hard."
"Yeah, I thought so," he agreed, taking a final sip before setting the plate aside. Suddenly, he wasn't so hungry anymore. It was almost time to tell her the awkward truth. "After that, you were a bit spacey, called me Fredward, laughed a lot, said we should go to the dentist, and even thought you were missing a thumb. Then you kept laughing for a while, and after that, you started saying... weird things."
"Weirder than claiming I was missing a thumb?"
"Yes. You said you wanted to tell me a secret," Freddie explained with pauses. At that statement, Sam set aside her food and gave him her full attention. Seeing her tense, Freddie swallowed and continued: "You told me that..."
"Look, I was going to pay you back later, okay?" Sam interrupted, confusing Freddie. "I needed that money, and Carly couldn't lend it to me, so I borrowed it from your backpack, but I was going to return the twenty bucks back soon."
"What!?" exclaimed Freddie, going from nervous to annoyed in a second. "You took my money without permission?"
"Oh, calm down. I was going to give it back to you later."
"Yeah, right. As if the great Sam Puckett had ever returned money before," Freddie grumbled. "You can't just go and take my money without permission. That has a name, and it's called stealing. If you're going to take it, at least lemme know. I thought I'd left it somewhere else."
"Well, well, now you know, and that's what matters. And why are you so upset if I already told you in the office?"
"Because that wasn't what you told me, genius," he corrected with bitterness, and she hit his shoulder with her other hand. "And why was that!?"
"Watch your tone with me, nub. I already told you I'm sorry, so stop making such a fuss about it," before Freddie could reply, she continued. "So, if that wasn't the secret, what did I tell you? Because I can't think of anything right now."
Freddie looked at her for a few seconds, as if he wanted to believe that she was real, and then sighed, relaxing to continue with the story. He thought about how he would tell her about the next thing that happened. Perhaps she would relax upon hearing about the fried chicken, but maybe if he mentioned the topic of the kiss even a little... He wasn't sure if his pinky would survive this time.
"I'm gonna tell you everything, but you have to promise me that you won't get angry, and you won't hit me either."
"And why should I promise something like that?" Sam demanded, annoyed. "What did I say, Freddie?"
"Just promise, please," Freddie pleaded seriously. "And when I tell you, also answer me truthfully if I ask you about it. I won't mock you or anything, okay? You've to trust me, just as much as I'm trusting you now."
"I don't understand anything you're saying, and I don't know what I've said to make you act like this," she replied, uneasy about what she might have said, "but it's okay. I promise."
Freddie narrowed his eyes at her.
"What exactly do you promise?"
Sam rolled her eyes at his insistence.
"I, Sam Puckett, promise to tell the truth, not think you're lying, and also not hurt you in any way for whatever you're going to say," recited Sam. "Are you satisfied?"
"Yes."
After that, there was silence for a while. Sam noticed that Freddie once again avoided looking at her and instead focused on the table.
"So," she began, sensing his silence, "what happened?"
"Well, first you said your secret was you liked fried chicken."
"I don't see what's so new about that, Sherlock," she commented, frustrated.
"You said you liked fried chicken while gently caressing my cheek," Freddie continued, catching Sam off guard. "Then you said that wasn't your real secret and that you felt embarrassed to tell me. Since you were a bit affectionate before, I tried to steer away from the conversation and suggested you not to continue in case it was something personal, but you insisted that you wanted to tell me. So, you took me by the shoulder, pulled me closer, and..." Freddie swallowed, blushing once again, still avoiding eye contact with her, "...well, confessed you kissed me."
"What...?" Sam stammered. Now that she understood why Freddie was avoiding eye contact with her, she also avoided looking at him, focusing on the soup in front of her. "But, you already knew that. So it's not a secret to you."
Freddie nodded, though she couldn't see it, and sighed.
"Yes, that's what I told you. Then I thought it would've been very... strange if Carly had been with you instead of me."
"I don't even wanna think about that possibility," she agreed in a low voice. "So, is that why you're acting weird?"
"Kinda. I didn't want you to get mad at me for bringing up the kiss again, even if it was you who mentioned it first while you were out of your senses," Freddie explained, glancing at her. "I wasn't even planning on telling you today. I... didn't want you to feel uncomfortable around me."
"Thanks, that's... very thoughtful of you. Although, in the end, I was the one who ended up making you uncomfortable."
"I already told you, I don't feel uncomfortable," he insisted, looking into her eyes with a smile and some emotion that Sam couldn't identify. "Just surprised, very surprised by what happened next."
Feeling her cheeks color at the intensity of his gaze, Sam swallowed before responding, hoping her voice wouldn't sound strange.
"There's still more?"
"Yes," Freddie admitted. "After I told you that wasn't a secret for me, you said you sometimes thought about the kiss, then you held my chin and said you enjoyed it."
Freddie paused, waiting for a comment from Sam, but she was listening attentively (and just as flushed as he was), so he kept talking.
"After that, you laughed in my face and I asked if you were joking with me, but then you denied it and assured me you were very serious," he recounted, reliving that moment in his mind. "Then, you tried to kiss me to prove your point, but you stumbled, and we ended up hugging. After that, you forgot about the topic and started talking about vanilla and ice creams. The dentists came back into the office and I had to talk to them while we were still hugging.
As he spoke, Freddie found himself becoming more comfortable with her than he expected. He continued to relate what happened next in a low voice, and for once, she listened attentively without making any comments. To give her confidence, Freddie intertwined his hand with hers, surprised when she didn't pull away or hit him instantly. Seeing it was safe, he moved closer to her until their shoulders were pressed against each other.
"Since you didn't want to let go of my neck, and you could barely stand, I had to carry you on the way home. Except for when we were in the cab," he explained, appreciating how warm her hand felt against his. "When we got to the apartment, I left you on the couch. I even had to kiss your forehead to get you to relax since you still didn't want to let go of my neck. When I left you there, I sat by the kitchen island and wrote about thirteen or fourteen questions on a sheet about what had happened."
"What... kind of questions?" Sam asked softly, without displaying a clear expression on her face, but by the way she squeezed his hand, Freddie could tell she was just as nervous and excited as he was.
"If what you said about enjoying it was serious, if you wanted to repeat it, and, if it was true, what I'd… do about it," Freddie answered, swallowing at the end and smiling gently. His eyes shifted from Sam's to her lips, wondering if they would feel as soft as the last time he kissed her.
"Well, I don't remember what I said, so I can't answer that," Sam murmured in a soft voice, looking at his lips and then meeting his eyes again, a movement that didn't go unnoticed by Freddie. Just like the way she batted her lashes towards him slowly, as if inviting him to come closer. "But if the answer were 'yes,' what do you think you'd do about it?"
Freddie froze at the question, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. Oh, he knew the answer. He had always known it, but he hadn't wanted to admit it even to himself before, afraid of how it might affect his relationship with Sam.
A gentle caress on his cheek brought him out of his thoughts. Freddie closed his eyes and sighed, relaxing at the softness of her touch.
"Freddie, answer me, please," she pleaded in a whisper, raising her other hand to cradle his other cheek, giving Freddie the courage to look into her eyes. "If it's true and I want to kiss you again, what would you do about it?"
Quietly, Freddie took Sam's right hand and gave it a gentle kiss on her knuckles before smiling warmly at her.
"I'd kiss you too, Sam."
Upon his confession, Sam smiled sweetly again, but this time there was no laughter gas causing it. Just thinking about it made Freddie feel incredibly happy. He had managed to make her smile, and although it might seem kind of silly and cheesy, that smile was what gave him the courage to finally lean in and close the distance between them with a kiss. A soft, affectionate kiss, devoid of all the awkwardness that had accompanied the first one for them.
If Freddie thought he had felt happy seeing her smile, it was because he hadn't experienced the joy that burst in his chest when he kissed her. It felt like she had given him the energy to run a marathon, the courage to win a fight, the arguments to triumph in a debate, and when they separated and looked into each other's eyes again, a deep desire arose in him. The desire to share something more than just friendship and rivalry with her.
Freddie gazed at her fondly, wishing to prolong that magical moment to appreciate the girl's beauty for a few seconds longer. He knew that either of them should say something at some point, instead of just staring at the other, but no matter how hard he searched his mind for words, he couldn't find anything to say. It seemed that Sam shared his thoughts, for, after letting out a chuckle, he gave her a friendly tap on the shoulder.
"Hey, Benson," Sam greeted with a giggle, breaking the silence between them. Freddie also laughed with her, holding her hands with his.
"Hey to you too, Princess Puckett."
Freddie was about to give him another kiss on the knuckles when Sam stopped the gesture, gently slapping Freddie's face playfully, without applying the slightest force to his cheek.
"I told you not to call me that. I'm not a princess."
"Of course you are."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you're a princess. A strong, grumpy, beautiful princess who really loves ham," he declared, tickling her for every word he said, before sealing his words with a kiss on her forehead. "And nothing you say is gonna change my mind.
"Oh, really? I'm sure you're only saying all that because you kissed me," Sam asserted, playfully touching his nose.
Freddie shook his head before intertwining his pinkie with Sam's.
"Nope, I genuinely think you're all that and more."
"Do you promise?" she asked, caressing his cheek gently. Freddie nodded, leaning his face closer to hers to give her another kiss, this time on the cheek.
"I promise," he said, looking at her intensely in the eyes. This time, Sam couldn't help but close the distance between them in what would have been a perfect kiss... if it weren't for the door swinging open.
"We're home!" Spencer shouted, just as the door crashed against the wall.
The noise startled Sam so much that she ended up hitting Freddie in the nose, causing the guy to immediately cry out in pain.
"Oh, my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Sam exclaimed, checking Freddie's nose. "Geez, why did you guys come in like that? Now the nerd's nose is bleeding!"
"And it hurts a lot," Freddie managed to say through groans of pain.
"It wasn't my fault. I told him it wouldn't be a good idea, but he insisted on wanting to give you a surprise," Carly defended herself, pointing at Spencer, who was in a wheelchair.
"Forgive me, I just wanted to give you a little scare. I didn't mean to interrupt... whatever you were doing," Spencer apologized. "By the way, what were you doing a moment ago?"
Sam and Freddie, now standing, exchanged a quick glance. Freddie raised an eyebrow at Sam, silently asking her what they should tell them. Sam sighed and looked at Carly and her brother as if she were telling Freddie that she would handle it.
"Well, believe it or not, we were having a civilized conversation a moment ago about something that happened at the dentist until you screamed and made me hit him in the nose out of fright."
"Really?" Spencer asked, finding it hard to believe that they were doing anything other than fighting.
"Who cares if it's true, my nose is still bleeding," Freddie complained, holding his nose.
"Carly, Mommy Benson's baby is about to cry soon," Sam called out.
"I'm not a baby!" Freddie shouted.
"Gimme a minute, I'll go upstairs for the first aid kit," Carly announced, ignoring Freddie's complaints and leaving Spencer in the living room before heading towards the stairs.
When she was gone, Sam and Freddie shared a look, both thinking practically the same thing. Undoubtedly, that had been a quite effective way to ruin the romantic mood.
✧[ - -]✧