Revelation.

Author's Note: Even I don't know where this came from, and I don't understand most of it. Also, please participate in the Creddie Olympics! Happy Creddie Friday to all...and to all a happy Creddie Friday!

She supposed it could be a revelation. All it seemed like to her was a Tuesday morning, on which she rolled over, opened her eyes, and realized that she was in love with Freddie Benson. For some reason, this news didn't really disturb her; in a corner of her mind, she suspected that she'd known this for months at least. She'd try to tell herself that the flip-flops her stomach did whenever she thought of him (there it goes again) were just due to Spencer's cooking, but eventually she knew she was just being ridiculous.

Carly couldn't say that she'd never thought of this before, but she had always refused to accept it, if not as a possibility, at least as an inevitability. But inevitable it was, she thought as she looked in the mirror. She could see her own love shining through in her eyes.

Falling in love at eighteen. She'd always liked romantic notions like that.

When she came downstairs and said "good morning", Spencer whipped around and stared at her, in shocked silence. Somehow, this seemed inevitable, too, so she paused so that he could stare at her effectively.

"You sound different," he managed to say eventually.

"Yeah," she agreed, matter-of-factly.

Later, she paused while lifting a bagel to her mouth. "I'm in love with Freddie," she said. It wasn't what she'd meant to say; she'd meant to say something more along the lines of, "I think I might love Freddie", or "would you be surprised if I loved Freddie", or even "do you think that Freddie loves me,". But all of those were silly, anyway. She knew her mind.

Spencer chewed his bagel. "That explains it, then."

It really did.

School. After first period, Sam cornered her. "You okay, Carls?"

"Do I look okay?" Carly didn't say this with worry, only mild amusement, and some pleasure at how she was read like a book. She hoped she had a ribbon in her middle, to keep the place.

"You look great, actually. Way prettier. I mean, you're always pretty but today...today's different, somehow. You're kind of beautiful."

"That's because I'm in love," Carly explained.

"What? Who?" Sam scrunched up her face.

"Freddie, of course."

Her face cleared. "Oh. That makes sense."

"Doesn't it?" Carly said breezily, feeling like a black-and-white photograph.

Second period. She looked at him, trying not to gaze. He smiled at her. The flip-flops had turned into something more beautiful, more like piano concertos in her stomach than butterflies. She could almost hear the music.

She wasn't sure how she ended up in an empty classroom with him, but it seemed par for the course that day. Somehow they had exchanged pleasantries and good-natured jokes before she said, "I love you, you know."

He considered this for an instant, beautiful brown eyes soaking her in. "I can tell, I think."

Carly waited expectantly.

"Yeah, I can see it right there." He pointed to the spot between her eyebrows, and let his finger rest there.

She thrilled.

"I can see your love for me, too," she said, playing along. Her heart pounded, but instead of making her uncomfortable, it made her weightless. If not for his finger touching her face, she was sure that she would have floated away.

"Really?" Freddie was unsurprised. "Where is it?"

"There." She touched his right cheek, using her whole hand. His hand on her face slipped to the side.

"That's right," he agreed.

They didn't kiss, but the moment still tasted like chocolate ice cream, with perhaps a hint of vanilla in the corners.

Somehow, the school day ended. They walked outside, not quite holding hands, but not quite not, either. Their fingers danced and brushed and broke apart. The sun was shining.

"It's a beautiful day," she said, and they both knew that she wasn't talking about the weather.

Incidentally, she was also correct.