Everything in Between
Summer Returns
Mercedes checked herself in the mirror one last time before getting out of her car in front of the Hummel-Hudson house. Kurt walked over to her, smiling encouragingly and offering an arm that she gladly took. The pair had just come from the mall, where they'd been getting some Christmas shopping out of the way. It must have been the holiday cheer that made it so easy for him to talk her into coming to the house a mere six hours after she found out Sam was back in Lima.
"Kurt." Mercedes stopped short in the driveway, forcing the grace out of her friend's step when he was suddenly jerked back. "I'm not sure I want to see him tonight. This could wait until school tomorrow."
He spat out a series of noes in rapid succession as he turned and placed his hands on her shoulders. "This can't wait until school tomorrow. Do you want to look like a deer caught in headlights as soon as he comes around the corner shaking that head of blond hair?" he asked, then added, "He got it cut, by the way, it looks nice."
"Thanks for letting me know," she muttered, averting her eyes. "And I wouldn't look like a deer."
"I dunno," Kurt said, placing a hand on her cheek and gently turning her head to inspect her face. "Your big, brown eyes are somewhat doe-like."
Her lips pressed together in an amused smile. "Stop!" she exclaimed, swatting his hand away.
"Seriously, Mercedes. It's going to be fine-"
"It's going to be awkward."
"It won't."
"I wi-"
Their argument was cut off by the sound of the front door opening. They turned their heads quickly, but for Mercedes, it all seemed to be moving in slow motion.
Finn stepped out. "Hey guys!"
Then there was Sam. Where was Kurt's arm when she needed it? And did Sam haveto return looking like a model? He filled out in all the right places. Closing the door behind him, Sam followed Finn over to where they were standing. Mercedes tried not to look at her ex, but it was hard when he insisted on staring at her the entire trek over.
And then he smiled.
"How dare he smile!" Mercedes snorted softly at her own ridiculous thought, and all eyes were on her. She held up a hand to tell them don't mind.
"Hey, Cede," Sam said.
"Sam," she replied monotonously. Kurt scolded her with his face while Sam leaned back, bemused.
"Sam," he mimicked her and took the lone step forward that severely lessened space between them. He gazed down at her. "That's all I get?" His voice dropped an octave and she swallowed hard. Mercedes watched his arms open, awaiting a hug, and couldn't stop her eyes from raking over his figure as the sides of his jacket parted, revealing the plain blue shirt he wore underneath. Kurt nudged-no, pushed-her forward and right into his embrace.
Mercedes had a split second to shoot her angel-faced friend a glare before she became completely wrapped up in Sam. She could hear Finn in the background, saying something about him and Sam heading to meet Puck and Mike at Breadstix. There was a muddled "You guys can come if you want," but it was lost in translation. All of her senses heightened when her arms went under the jacket Sam wore and around him.
He slowly rocked them from side to side. She closed her eyes, breathing in his familiar scent, and memories of their summer rushed back. Flashbacks of sharing snow cones, walking hand-in-hand by the lake, and candy-flavored kisses in the park. Sam just so happened to steal a kiss while she'd been eating Skittles one day, and they'd ended up having so much fun with it, she'd never be able to look at the candy the same way again. Memories of the late night conversations, of laughter-they were her favorites. Mercedes felt the warmth of his body and carelessly let her fingers trail over the muscles of his back. Sam tensed, but didn't let go. "I missed you," he whispered into her hair.
She held him tighter and spoke just as quietly. "I missed you, too."
Kurt cleared his throat. Mercedes' eyes fluttered open and she drew back from Sam, crossing her arms.
"Breadstix?" Finn asked uncomfortably, looking from Mercedes to Sam, and then to Kurt.
"I-uh, I need to get home, actually," Mercedes said, taking a few steps back and away from Sam.
Kurt tilted his head dramatically, silently asking, "Really?"
"I don't want to impose on a boys' night out."
"You wouldn't be imposing Mercedes," said Finn, "You're just like one of the guys." Her eyes narrowed at him, and the other two teens were looking at him like he'd grown another head. "What? I said 'like one of the guys' not that she wasa guy..."
Mercedes rolled her eyes. "...Thanks, Finn. But I'm gonna go."
"I'll walk you to your car," Sam said hurriedly.
Kurt coughed in an attempt to hide his laugh, but quickly composed himself. "Are you sure you don't want to stay? I'm not going to Breadstix." He pulled at her coat sleeve.
It was too late to change her mind now. She didn't want to hurt Sam's feelings by letting him think she was avoiding him. It was her feelings she was avoiding. "I'm sure. I'll see you at school tomorrow. Sam, don't bother. My car is right there." Mercedes smiled at him to ease the blow of her rejection.
His green eyes locked on her. "It's nevera bother," he said sincerely. Mercedes stared at him, pulling her lips in and biting down. Her eyes darted to Kurt who was pretending to be entranced by something on Finn's shirt. She nodded, then turned in the direction of the car, tossing a hand up to wave goodbye to the step-brothers as Sam walked alongside her.
"Is this really about imposing or are you trying to get away from me?" Sam asked, smirking.
She laughed. "No one is running away from you, Sam Evans."
"As long as it's not you, Mercedes Jones." He opened her car door for her. Always the gentleman.
She thanked him as she tossed her purse onto the passenger seat before getting in. A little voice was yelling for her to tell him about her boyfriend, Shane. Mercedes rolled the window down after Sam closed the door, intending to break it to him gently. "Sam..."
"Yeah?" he asked, propping himself up from the window frame with his forearms.
This would have been easier if he didn't look so happy and hadn't been flirting with her. "Welcome back," she said sweetly, thinking, "I'll tell him tomorrow."
Like Family
Mercedes was collecting the Hudmel family gifts from the backseat. She meant to grab the large giftbag she'd saved specifically for this purpose, but forgot it in her rush to get out of the house before her parents slapped on another errand they needed her to run while she was out.
She had one knee propped against the backseat as she reached far into the car when a voice behind her asked, "Need some help?"
Mercedes looked over her shoulder to see Sam standing there. She hadn't even heard him come outside. "Yeah, I do," she said, standing upright.
"I like your jeans," he said, smiling lazily as he rocked back on his heels.
She stared at him blankly. "You were looking at my butt."
"Well, it was right there." He gestured to her hips and took a step forward, still smiling and regretting nothing.
Biting back her own grin, Mercedes pushed his chest and he caught her hand in his larger ones. They made eye contact for a moment-a moment long enough for the gaze to start shifting from playful to...something else that neither waited to find out, turning their heads away simultaneously.
Releasing her, Sam asked what she wanted him to carry, and she began stacking presents in his arms. There were eight in all, so she split the lot between them. Kurt held the door open for them, and Sam walked inside first.
"Thanks for your help," she said sarcastically to Kurt as she passed so only he could hear.
"I had to send someone more able-bodied," he replied, taking a bite of the sugar cookie in his hand, and following behind her into the living room.
"You are so messy. When did he get back from Kentucky?" she whispered. Sam had gone to be with his family for Christmas and New Years Day.
"Yesterday."
"That would have been nice to know," she said quickly as they were about to come face-to-face with whoever was in the living room.
"I thought he would have told you himself," Kurt said at the same vocal pace.
"Merry Christmas!" Mercedes exclaimed when she saw Burt sitting on the couch. Carole was taking the gifts from Sam.
"Hey, honey!" she exclaimed once her arms were free. Carole kissed her on the cheek while Burt stood to give her a hug.
"How was your Christmas?" he asked.
"Good," Mercedes said, letting Carole take the bags from her hands. "Exhausting. The whole family was at our house this year. So much food. We still have leftovers."
Burt laughed. "I'd say the same, but the boys inhaled what was left of it." He patted Sam on the back heartily. "Carole and Kurt did a fantastic job with dinner. Blaine even came by and pitched in."
"Yeah, he buttered the rolls. We took care of the rest." Kurt squeezed his stepmother's hand with a wink. She beamed at him, and Mercedes couldn't help smiling at them, too.
"I finally had time to bring your presents over. Is Finn here?" Mercedes asked.
"He went over to Rachel's," Sam answered.
"Oh okay. Well, there's a gift from me and one from my parents for him," Mercedes said, pointing out a gift bag and an envelope. "But since all of you are here..." She grabbed each of the gifts and handed them to each respective owner from memory. A box for Burt and Carole from the Jones family, a giftbag, envelope, and box for Kurt, two boxes for Sam, who looked at Mercedes, surprised.
"What?" she asked him.
"Uh, I-wait here." Sam sat his gifts on the coffee table, then rushed out of the room.
"Okay...well, we have some stuff for you all, too," Carole said. She went over to the Christmas tree and grabbed three gifts for her and her parents.
Kurt sat on the floor next to Mercedes and Sam returned with an armful of small gifts that he brought them to her.
"They're from my family," he said. Mercedes looked at the labels on the boxes and got a little choked up when she saw Stacy and Stevie's handwriting on two of them.
"Open your gifts, open your gifts," Mercedes said, trying to keep her emotions under control by deflecting attention off. The Joneses had gotten Burt and Carole a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant and an elaborate picture frame that Mercedes guessed they'd appreciate, but it wasn't something she would have bought for them-parents. Kurt got a scarf, two books, and a gift card to the mall, and Sam received a duffel bag with a couple of graphic tees in it and a series of comic books that he'd mentioned to Mercedes once in passing. He shot Mercedes a blinding smile before flipping through them.
Mercedes got some new jewelry from Burt and Carole, and a pair of shoes she'd been eyeing for months from Kurt. Stacy and Stevie had each made her Christmas cards and...she couldn't tell what they were at first so Sam spoke up.
"They wanted to make something for you. My mom started teaching Stacy how to knit and Stevie got jealous when she said she was making your Christmas gift, so he wanted to learn, too. She made the headbands and Stevie made...to be honest, I have no idea of what that is."
"Let me have a look," Burt said, sliding the knitted purple mystery out of Mercedes' hand. Kurt scoffed at him. "Hey, your mother used to knit. I know a little something." It looked like Stevie had attempted to make a scarf, then changed his mind and went a different route.
"They're legwarmers, I think," Carole chimed in. Realization washed over everyone. Mercedes took the second "thing" out of the box from Stevie and slid it over her ballet flat and onto her legging-covered calf. It was a little wide, but otherwise fit perfectly.
"That is adorable," Kurt said. "And matches your outfit, too."
"I'm going to have to call them and thank them," Mercedes said to Sam as she put the other legwarmer on. "I miss the munchkins."
He smiled and said, "They miss you, too."
Burt and Carole excused themselves separately. He had to stop by the shop and she wanted to get started on dinner before Finn got home. "He always comes home hungry after being with Rachel. I don't get it. They spend so much time together, you'd think she'd feed him every once in a while," she said with a shrug as she left. The three teenagers looked at each other with various explanations running through their minds, none of which appropriate to say to his mother.
Mercedes got another card from Mr. and Mrs. Evans and there was a note tucked inside about keeping an eye on their boy that made her giggle. Sam must not have known about it because he stared at her quizzically. They'd given her a silver necklace with a cross on it that she thought was gorgeous. She opened Sam's last: a slouchy red beanie. "Did you make this?" she asked, running her hands over the red yarn. Flecks of glitter gave it an extra pop.
"I had some help, but for the most part...yeah..." he admitted, his voice decreasing in volume as he spoke.
"Could you sound more embarrassed right now?" Kurt asked, amused. Mercedes elbowed him lightly.
"It's beautiful, Sam. Thank you." She put it on top of her loose curls. "How does it look?"
His slack-jawed expression told her everything, but he still managed to get out a "Great!"
The trio made conversation over their new items for a little while before a phone call from Blaine to Kurt set Mercedes' exit in motion. She had stop by her aunt's house before four, and get a few items from the grocery store on her way home. Sam helped her take the gifts to her car.
"Thanks," Mercedes said after they were neatly stacked on the backseat. "I still can't believe you never told me you could knit."
"It's not the manliest of activities," Sam said with a chuckle, rubbing his neck.
"Stevie did it," she teased, then added without thought, "Maybe you could teach me-" Mercedes stopped herself and her eyes widened at the same time Sam's did, but for an entirely different reason. She didn't want to give him false hope...well, she couldn't give him hope, period. She had a boyfriend, and being alone with Sam made her brain-and her heart-fuzzy. "Me and Kurt, maybe Finn...and maybe Rachel, too. It could be group thing."
Sam's eyes dimmed, but he smiled at her. "Yeah, maybe. I don't know if I want everyone knowing my dirty little secret."
"It's not a dirty little secret. It's cute," Mercedes replied.
"Yeah, yeah." Sam waved her off, but his smile was genuine again. "I don't wanna hold you up so I'll see you later." As he spoke, he reached up and adjusted the hat that was still on her head, his fingers trailing down through her hair once he was finished. Mercedes caught herself staring at him during the tender act. He squinted his eyes a little and there was a hint of a smile, but it was void of any flirtation. It was something he would have done for a family member; having watched him fix Stacy and Stevie's clothes before, she knew.
Suddenly, they weren't in front of the Hummel-Hudson house anymore, but in the foyer of her dream home. He wasn't straightening her hat, but instead was kneeling, tugging at the sides of a ski hat on a very small girl with tan skin and dark brown curls. The image left just as quickly as it had come, but it was enough for her to forcibly suppress a gasp at the mental flash of her future...with Sam. "There you go," he said, pulling his hands away and tucking them in his pockets.
"Thanks," Mercedes said softly.
"You okay?" Sam asked, brows furrowed in confusion at her change in attitude.
She nodded, but he still looked unconvinced, and pulled her into a hug, just in case it would help. After that, Mercedes got into her car and left, watching him in the mirrors as he stood outside until she couldn't see him anymore. If that happened with barely five minutes of one-on-one time, no way she could be alone with him, yet.
That's What Friends Are For
"Mercedes, he's not here. Stop looking over your shoulder," Tina said, patting her friend's leg as they sat on Kurt's bed.
"But he will be, and I don't want to be in the area when he gets here. I'm not ready to face him, yet. Not after what happened today." The only reason they were at Kurt's house was because Rachel wanted to see Finn andbe in on the girl chat. Except Finn and Sam had gone with Mike and Puck to play basketball after school, so she'd have to wait. Mercedes was planning to make her escape sometime within the next two hours, before they got back, an hour if she could manage it.
"Yes, back to today. What happened? Rachel started telling me, but said I should hear it from you," Kurt said, making himself comfortable next to Mercedes against the headboard.
Mercedes didn't really want anyone outside of those present to know about her breakdown after singing "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" as a possible proposal song for Mr. Schuester, but of course Rachel went and opened her big mouth. At least it was just Kurt. It could have been worse. Like Finn. "Where is Rachel, by the way? She needs to be in here," she said, somewhat panicked.
"In the bathroom," Tina replied. "Mercedes, it's going to be okay. Why don't you finish filling Kurt in since Rachel was there? She won't be missing anything."
The emotionally torn girl nodded and rehashed events that had taken place a few hours ago. Kurt didn't look at her while she spoke, his eyes focusing on his hands folded in his lap as he took it all in. Neither Tina nor Kurt missed the way Mercedes voice pepped up when she talked about that first day she'd seen Sam. They hadn't spoken that day, but she could tell he wanted to. His eyes had followed her figure leaving with Tina, head cocked to the side with a small contemplative smile like he'd missed his opportunity, but would make up for it later. She'd given him a little wave of her fingers as both an apology and to acknowledge that she'd seen him, too.
Then, a few short weeks later, that blond jock was singing in the choir room with Quinn Fabray, and making her his girlfriend, instead. Mercedes hid her slight disappointment-what had she been thinking, right?-and eventually got over it. But it didn't stop her from sneaking glances or becoming his friend. Sam was a good person to be around. She wasn't going to hold one round of brief eye-sex against him.
"And I thought he was gay back then," Kurt said with a soft laugh, shaking his head.
"So did Quinn," she replied. "But the point is I dated Shane longer, I've been with him for five months. I care about him a lot, and it's his face I should have seen. Sam and I dated for all of two-"
"But you fell in love with Sam," Tina interjected just as Rachel came back into the room, taking the space in front of Kurt. "And who's to say whose face you should have seen? That was your heart speaking to you."
"I love Shane, too," Mercedes said weakly.
"The same way you love Sam?" Tina asked. "You love me, you love Kurt, and you sometimes love Rachel," she said with a giggle, making Mercedes smile and roll her eyes while Rachel took it in stride, "But all in different ways. I loved Artie. In some ways, I still do, but it's not the same way I love Mike."
"I don't know," Mercedes groaned, letting her face fall into her hands. "Sam wasn't supposed to come back."
"But he did," Rachel said.
"And he's going to be here for the rest of the year," Kurt added.
"You have to be upfront with him."
Mercedes almost sneered at the way Rachel and Kurt finished each others sentences. She hadn't fully accepted them being so close as a pair, yet.
"How can I be upfront with him if I can't even be upfront with myself?" Mercedes asked in frustration. "I don't know if I want to be friends with him or more, but something is telling me that we won't be able to be friends, not any time soon. And even though I want more," the two young women and Kurt looked at each other, making sure they all heard what Mercedes had just said. In her haste, however, she hadn't caught her slip and kept talking, "I'm with Shane. I don't want to break his heart."
Tina grabbed her hand and held it tightly. "You aren't going to like what I'm about to say Mercedes." She stared at her, waiting for the "okay" to continue. When she nodded, Tina said, "Someone's heart is going to get broken." Sucking in a harsh breath, Mercedes turned to look at Kurt, and upon seeing her cracking expression, he rubbed her shoulder. "It could be Shane. It could be Sam. But it's definitely going to be you, either way it goes."
"Tina! Why would you say that?" Rachel exclaimed, looking seriously offended. There was fire in Kurt's eyes as he also gaped at her.
"I'm not going to sugar coat it," Tina said, sounding like the thought of doing so would go against everything she believed in.
Rachel and Kurt began talking over each other.
"But still, you didn't have to-"
"Can't you see she's fragile as is-"
"Sam put her in this completely-"
"This is really hard for her-"
"No, she's right." Mercedes voice cut through the dramatics of her other two friends. Lost in thought, she stood from the bed. "Gimme a second, okay?" She needed a moment alone. Excusing herself, she headed to the bathroom, freezing momentarily when the front door opened, then rushed in, locking the door behind her.
She sat on the edge of the bathtub as the voices of Finn and Sam carried into the house. They weren't supposed to be back yet. As if on cue, she heard Rachel. "Finn? I thought you two weren't coming until later?"
"Yeah, well, we were until Puck got us kicked off of the court for instigating a fight with some other guys."
"This is why we can't have nice things," Sam said. She heard laughter in his voice. Footsteps were growing louder. "Hey y'all," he drawled, no doubt speaking to Tina and Kurt.
Her friends greeted her ex simultaneously just before Finn's voice rang out again, this time closer. "Call of Duty?" he asked Sam.
"Finn! I came over to spend some time with you," Rachel complained.
"I thought you were still talking to Tina, Mercedes, and Kurt?"
"Mercedes is here?" Sam asked. Her heart dropped. She'd forgotten her car wasn't outside. She'd rode with Tina.
"We're taking a break." Rachel paused, and Mercedes could only guess that she was sizing up the situation and blatantly staring at Sam. "An indefinite break," she added.
"Rachel!" Kurt called. "We need you in here, sweetie. Indefinitely." He didn't sound pleased at all, and Mercedes was grateful.
The doorknob turned and she sat up straight. "I'm in here!" she called, praying that Sam had passed the bathroom and it was actually Finn.
"Mercedes?"
Sam.
"I'll be out in a second!" Not waiting to hear if he would say something else, she flushed the toilet, then facepalmed because it now it sounded like she was talking to him while she was using it. She turned on the water in the sink, letting it run as if she was washing her hands, accidentally knocking over Kurt toothbrush into the stream. "What am I doing?" she muttered to herself as she put everything back in order and dried her hands. "Please don't be standing outside,"Mercedes thought just before smoothing out her clothes, putting on her poker face, and opening the door.
When she didn't see him there, she thought she'd be able to make it back to Kurt's room quickly, until she stepped into the hall, where he was leaning against the wall in his athletic shorts and a black tank top. "Hey!" he exclaimed cheerfully.
"Hey!" Mercedes tried to match his tone, and must have pulled it off because Sam kept talking.
"I didn't know you were coming by today."
"It was a last minute thing." His attire was really bothering her, whether because of the weather or the fact that she couldn't help admiring his arms-or both-she didn't know. "Is that what you were playing in? It's cold out!" she said incredulously.
"I had a jacket on..." Sam said slowly, raising an eyebrow as a smirk began forming. "I like your concern, though. It's nice to know you still care."
"Oh, please. When have I not cared?" Mercedes replied. They were entering dangerous territory. Sam's eyes had softened and she knew the next thing out of his mouth wasn't going to be platonic, but she didn't get the chance to find out for sure.
"Mercedes!" Kurt called in the same agitated tone he'd used for Rachel.
Sam grimaced playfully. "Better go see what he wants, huh?"
"Yeah, you know Kurt..." There was an awkward silence, including random nodding at each other. "Okay, bye." Mercedes said, breaking it in a rush.
Sam laughed softly. "Bye." He went into the bathroom, and Mercedes flew back to Kurt's room, shutting the door behind her.
"I'm sorry, you were getting ready to start flirting and that is the last thing that needs to happen right now," Kurt said, placing a hand on top of hers once she sat back down.
"Don't apologize. Thank you for that," Mercedes said honestly. "Let's call it a night on this. I don't feel comfortable talking about it while we're under the same roof."
Kurt and Tina agreed, and Rachel looked at them, hope in her eyes. "So can I go see Finn?" she asked.
"Yes, Rachel," Mercedes said, exasperated, "Go see Finn. But none of what we talked about leaves this room. Got it?"
Rachel drew back from the accusatory finger in her face. "You guys know I can keep a secret."
There was a collective sigh and scattered laughs as they ushered Rachel out of the room, and changed the subject from relationships to Regionals.
Lines Blurred
Mercedes had avoided the Hummel-Hudson house like the plague after she and Sam kissed. She'd already gone to her friends about her dilemma, and still managed to worsen the situation. Now they were in some weird unspoken relationship that went beyond friendship but below an official couple-for obvious reasons. Though they hadn't kissed since, they sometimes held hands in glee in brief bursts, and the flirting was reaching an unmanageable level. It was her guilt that made Mercedes decide to take the new developments to Ms. Pillsbury. And she brought Sam with her.
A week without speaking. As soon as she said it, Mercedes and Sam looked at each other, ready to deliberate the suggestion when the guidance counselor shushed them. It wasn't a suggestion. It was an order.
At first, it seemed like a breeze. A breeze that lasted through the end of the school day-they weren't speaking, but kept shooting glances at each other, smiling knowingly, which was probably not what Ms. Pillsbury had in mind-and the better part of the evening. But when Sam's goodnight text didn't come through with some corny joke that was sure to make her laugh before she shut her eyes, Mercedes was surprised to find that she was disappointed.
After that, she and Sam got bolder with the loopholes by singing to each other in glee club. They were just banned from talking. Singing didn't count.
They had two days left and Mercedes was feeling pretty confident about what her heart wanted. When Kurt asked if she wanted to come over to work on their history project Sunday afternoon, it was the thought of seeing Sam outside of school that reeled her in. And it was Kurt who burst her bubble.
"I'm not letting you see Sam," he said when she came inside. "I already gave him specific instructions to not bother us while you're here. Out of sight, out of mind. And you need to be taking Ms. Pillsbury's request seriously."
"We-I am taking it seriously!" Mercedes exclaimed in objection.
"Mmhmm..." Kurt said, raising a disbelieving eyebrow. He didn't miss that "we." Leading her to his bedroom, he said, "Serenading each other? The looks? Not speaking has made the two of you louder than ever. I don't see how you maintained a secret relationship for weeks. It's nearly insufferable."
She had to scoff at that. "Insufferable? Coming from one-half of one of the most affectionate couples I know?"
He shook a finger at her. "Tina and Mike are worse. Finn and Rachel are worse. Santana and Brittany are getting worse."
"You're worse than me and Shane," Mercedes said, setting her backpack on the floor next to the bed.
Kurt was silently pulling books from his backpack and setting them on the bed. Mercedes stared at him expectantly. "No comment," he replied, meeting her gaze. "Let's get to work, shall we?" he asked with a clap of his hands, changing the subject before Mercedes could form a rebuttal.
They were well into presentation ideas when her phone buzzed. Mercedes grabbed it and saw it was a text from Sam. The first one in days. It read:
Don't react. Kurt threatened my dinner and I am really looking forward to it. Hi. :)
She pursed her lips and glanced at Kurt, who was still scribbling down ideas. Quickly, she wrote back:
What happened to no texting? Hi yourself. Now stop texting. I already got a talking to about not following the no communication rules.
A response arrived a few minutes later:
You know we broke all those rules the moment you sang to me. In Spanish. Hot.
If he didn't want her to react, he was sending the wrong messages. She was grinning like a fool and Kurt saw it. His eyes widened.
"Tell me you're not. Please tell me you're not texting Sam right now."
"I'm not texting anyone right now."
"I don't literally mean right now."
Guilt was written all over her face.
"Again, how did you pull off the secret relationship? Phone." He held out his hand and Mercedes handed it over, knowing she was in the wrong. Kurt sent Sam a text from his own phone and they got back to work on their project.
Twenty minutes later, a folded note slid under the door, and the two friends raced for it. Mercedes got to it first. It wasn't a note, but a drawing. For Kurt. She threw her head back with laughter and handed it to the frazzled teen.
Sam had drawn a picture of himself that wasn't much more than a clothed stick figure, pleading with a stick figure Kurt to let his food be because it was "the only source of joy in his poor existence." Kurt raised a hand to his mouth, concealing his smile. "And you call me dramatic? This is over the top." He went to the door. "Sam, I'm not messing with your food!" he called out.
"Thanks, man!" Sam called back, and Mercedes laughed harder.
"I can't with you guys," she said.
"I have an idea," Kurt said mischievously. Before Mercedes could respond, he left the room, only to return with Sam carrying his books moments later. She opened her mouth to say something, but Kurt held up a hand. "Sam is going to do his homework with us."
The former couple looked confused before realization dawned on Mercedes. "You're going to babysit us?"
"I'm not babysitting. I'm just making sure you love birds can't cut any more corners. And no more distractions until we finish this presentation," Kurt explained. "And look," he led Sam over to Mercedes. "You can even sit next to each other."
The next hour was torture. Being that close and unable to speak. All Mercedes had to do was roll over a bit and she'd basically be on top of Sam. So she remained still and focused on Kurt and the history project, and they finished their presentation. "Can I have my phone back now?" Mercedes asked as she gathered her belongings to leave. Kurt gave it to her without question and she put it in her pocket. Sam waved goodbye to her from the bed. Fair enough. She waved back, and Kurt walked her to the door.
"Two days, right?" he asked softly. She nodded. "How are his odds looking?" He didn't have to say it for her to know he was talking about Sam, but the question reminded her that there were two guys vying for her attention, one of whom she was currently dating and both treated her like gold. A heaviness settled on her.
"Better than they should," she replied morosely.
"Hey, what did we tell you about all that 'should' business?" Kurt asked, hugging her. "Everything will work out, Mercedes," he said into her ear. He gave her hand a squeeze before sending her on her way.
Knowing everything would work out didn't make the inevitable heartbreak an easier pill to swallow.
The Turnaround
Today was a good day. A little weird since she hadn't stopped by in over a month, but good. Mercedes didn't want to think about the circumstances surrounding her boycott of Hummel-Hudson house visits because they needed to be left behind, and eventually they'd be another blip on the radar in the grand scheme of things.
"You finally come back over and you aren't even here to see me." Kurt pouted, letting her inside.
"Puh-lease. All those times you ditched me for Blaine?"
"You didn't have to go there."
"Oh, but I did."
Sam strolled into the room at that moment. It was obvious he'd bounded up the stairs, but slowed down when he reached the living room from the way his chest was slightly heaving. "I thought I heard your voice," he said, coming over to his girlfriend and wrapping his arms around her waist, leaning down to kiss her cheek.
Kurt held up an index finger. "So...should I go now or...?"
"Nah, I'm taking Cede with me," Sam said, wiggling his eyebrows at her as one of his large hands closed around hers. Mercedes smiled at Kurt as Sam began leading her to his room in the basement.
"Leave the door open!" Kurt called out behind them jokingly.
"Okay, Dad!" Mercedes called back.
"Nice, Mercedes. I'm just looking out for you!" he replied.
"You know I love you, Kurt!"
"You better!"
Sam stopped at the top of the stairs. "Is this going to happen the whole time you're here because I am in no mood to share you."
"I mean, if you have a good enough reason why-" he cut her off with his lips, gripping her hips firmly and pulling her forward. As soon as she made the slightest hum in pleasure against his mouth, he pulled back with a smirk. "That's good enough," she said breathily before they continued downstairs.
Sam let Mercedes sit on the couch first, then he sat down next to her. She relaxed into him, head resting his chest as his arm casually wrapped around her. This is where she wanted to be-past the apologies, past the heartbreak-when everything did, in fact, work out. It was unfortunate she had to break three hearts to get to this point, but the only real regret she had was that Shane got tangled up in the-what had Kurt called it once? Invisible tether that held her and Sam together? She didn't want to hurt him, but she couldn't lie to herself either. That was one of the things she had to come to terms with after she'd broken it off with both guys fighting for her love.
"You okay?" Sam asked, rubbing her arm.
She snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at him, smiling. "Couldn't be better."
"Challenge accepted," he murmured sweetly, lowering his head to meet her lips in a sizzling kiss.
She had to admit, this was better. The right decision had been made. And they didn't even have to keep it a secret.