AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACKKKKKKKKK! Thank you all for the unexpected good reviews! I'm a little slow at updating (this is the quickest I have out of this and the other story I posted), so please be patient. I'll try to update as often as I can. Thank you so much for the feedback! I'm surprisingly excited about this chapter. I hope you all like it!
Everything seemed to go in slow motion. The site of the woman who captured his heart sent sparks throughout his body. He reminded himself to breathe as he rested his belongings on the floor. He waited with delight for his love as she sprinted across the room and leapt into his arms. He spun her around a few times and planted a passionate peck on her beautiful plump lips. No matter how many times they've kissed, she still was never fully prepared for the rush she got when their lips met. With Mercedes still in his arms, he asked, "How are you, Ms. Pretty?"
She giggled like a schoolgirl as she replied, "Much better now."
They kissed once more before he set her on the ground. "How did this happen?" She turned to Tina. "Did you know about this?"
Tina, smiling from ear to ear, said "Yeah right! Mike says I can hold water about as well as a bottom-less bucket." She playfully nudged her boyfriend with her elbow.
"Are you saying that you can, Miss Gives-Christmas-presents-a-week-before?" Mike started tickling Tina. She gave him a kiss on the cheek proceeded by a quick tickle on his stomach and her dashing off to the bedroom. Mike chased after her and closed the door behind him.
"Seriously, Sam. When did the planning for this happen? Is this why you were being so secretive?"
He gave Mercedes a large smile. "Um… as soon as you told me you got accepted and yes. I wanted to surprise you!" His smile started fading when he didn't receive any reciprocity from her. "Are you upset? I didn't mean to-"
"No, Sam. I just can't believe you're here. I'm happy and confused and… I don't know. It doesn't matter. I'm just…. I don't know!" She threw her arms around Sam and squeezed. He missed her warm, loving hugs. She let go of him and asked, "So what dorm are you staying in?"
"Actually, Mike and I got an apartment off campus, so we're… uh… we'll be roommates."
"Perfect! My roommate's boyfriend and my boyfriend are going to be living together. This is going to be awesome!"
Sam rolled his eyes. "I guess. This means you know where I live and I won't be able to bring all the millions of honeys over that want my body." He raised up his shirt a little to display the bottom portion of his ripped abs.
"'Honeys', Sam? Really? Yeah. Using a phrase from the nineties will CERTAINLY get you laid." She giggled and shook her head and she started for her room.
"Oh and sarcasm will, Ms. Jones?" he asked.
She turned around agave him her best "Come hither" face. "Oh, Mr. Evans. I'm quite certain that it will." She turned back around and continued her trek to her room. Sam immediately caught the bait she was casting and rushed to catch up to her and closed the door behind them.
An hour and a shower later, Sam and Mercedes emerged from her room, faces glowing full of bliss and fingers intertwined. Mike and Tina, who were now sitting on the couch, looked at the couple with jokingly-judging eyes. Tina broke her stance to comment on her friends' faces. "Aww, you nerds are so cute together!" Sam and Mercedes rolled their eyes in unison.
"Whatever, Tina," Mercedes replied with a laugh.
Mike stood up and stretched. "Alright, dude. We got to get going and get you settled in. You ready?"
"Yeah." Sam looked as if someone ripped the cloud he was floating on from underneath him. He looked down and touched his forehead to hers. "I've got to go to Kentucky to get my dad's old truck at some point. He's going to let me use it while I'm up here. Do you want to come with me? Stevie and Stacy are bugging the hell out of me about you."
Mercedes chuckled, "Oh yeah? Well the next time you talk to them, tell them I miss'em." She suddenly remembered what he mentioned prior to the info on his siblings. "Did you even need to ask if I'll go with you? I want to see my babies! When are you going?"
"Haven't quite worked that out yet. But I'll let you know."
"Okay. Go get settled in. I'll see you la-"
"Actually," Tina interrupted. "I was thinking about going to help Mike get some stuff for his room at Target. If you want to spend some more time with Sam, we can drop you both off at the apartment. I'm sure Sam wouldn't mind the company."
Mercedes' face lit up. Tina knew how much she missed Sam and she loved that Tina found ways for them to spend more time together. Mercedes was especially thankful for it now that her and Sam didn't have vehicles with them. "Let me get some shoes! Two minutes!" Mercedes rushed off to her room to find some footwear while Sam gathered up his things. Mercedes opted for sparkly purple flats to wear with her ruffled purple shirt and dark jeans. She grabbed her purse, cell phone and keys and hurried into the living area. "Okay, I'm ready." The quartet left the dorm and headed downstairs.
They exited the elevator on the first floor and Mark spotted Mercedes and waved. She waved a friendly wave and motioned for him to come over. "That's Mark."
"Oh." Worry came through Sam's voice in those two letters, though he was determined to hide it. Even Sam couldn't deny Mark was a good-looking man. He shook any creeping negative thoughts from his head and put on a friendly face.
"Mark, this is my boyfriend Sam. Sam, this is Mark."
"Hey, man how are ya?" Mark proffered his hand which Sam respectfully shook.
"Not too bad." Keep it short and sweet, Sam thought.
"Awesome. Ooh, what kind of axe you got in there?" Mark pointed to the guitar case Sam was carrying.
"Oh, just some old thing my grandpa had. Passed it down to my dad and he passed it down to me."
"Nice. You any good?"
Mercedes interjected, "He's AMAZING. He composed an acoustic version of 'Human Nature' that will blow. You. Away."
"Huh." Mark was intrigued. "Well, we have sort of an open mic night on campus on the weekends. You're going to have to show us what you got some time."
"Will do. Nice meeting you, Mark."
"You too, man. Take care."
Sam nodded in response and with his free hand, grabbed Mercedes'. The group headed to the car and after Sam loaded all of his belongs in the trunk, they were on their way to the boys' apartment.
Since it was really close to campus, the interior wasn't that much different from Mercedes and Tina's dorm: a community living area and kitchen with two bedrooms and bathrooms on either side. Mike and Sam's apartment was, of course, much bigger than the girls' dorm. Mike gave everyone a quick tour, ending it at Sam's room, void of… anything. Mercedes slightly frowned under the assumption that he didn't have any furniture because of the struggle his family endured during his tenure at McKinley High. Being the caretaker that she was, she started mentally shopping for inexpensive furniture that would at least allow him to have a comfortable, livable room. Sam could see the worry on Mercedes' face and knew exactly what she was thinking.
He turned to her and stroked her hair. "Don't worry, baby. I got some money saved up from working over the summer. I'll get some stuff soon. Plus I brought an airbed with me. For… you know."
Mercedes looked confused. "No, Sam. I don't know." Sam laughed at her response. "You'll find out later, then." He winked and walked into the room.
Mike and Tina headed to Target while Sam and Mercedes set up the airbed. When they were finished, Mercedes asked, "So…. What now?"
"I have another surprise for you." Sam got up from the bed and grabbed his guitar case. He pulled out the instrument while Mercedes waited patiently. He began to strum and the guitar let out a less than pleasant sound. Mercedes scrunched her face and smiled. Sam, whose cheeks were now flushed red with embarrassment, nervously apologized and began tuning the guitar. Meanwhile, Mercedes perused the Ikea app on her phone, searching for inexpensive bedroom furniture for Sam. After about 15 minutes, Sam cleared his throat to get her attention.
"I didn't tell you this, and it's not a big deal, but I learned a new song over the summer."
Mercedes' face was full of delight. She loved hearing him play almost as much as she loved him. She clapped her hands at the news and listened attentively.
"I just want to say.." He sighed. He didn't like bringing up the past, but he still wasn't over the actions that transpired when Shane, Mercedes' ex, was still in the picture.
"Look, I'm sorry."
Mercedes was perplexed by the apology. "Sorry for what, hon?"
Sam continued. "I'm sorry for the way I acted when it came to Shane. I shouldn't have-"
Mercedes interrupted, "Baby, it's okay. My heart wasn't in that relationship. It was always with you. And I'm glad you fought for me."
Sam laughed lightly. "I'm not sorry about fighting for you. I'm sorry for the way I did it. It should've gone something like this."
He began strumming a beautiful melody on the guitar and hummed along with it. Mercedes knew the song and her eyes instantly began to tear up.
Sam sang:
When I look into your eyes
It's like watching the night sky
Or a beautiful sunrise
There's so much they hold
And just like them old stars
I see that you've come so far
To be right where you are
How old is your soul?
He played for a little bit longer, trying to keep his composure. He closed his eyes and continued singing:
Well, I won't give up on us
Even if the skies get rough
I'm giving you all my love
I'm still looking up
And when you're needing your space
To do some navigating
I'll be here patiently waiting
To see what you find
'Cause even the stars they burn
Some even fall to the earth
We've got a lot to learn
God knows we're worth it
No, I won't give up
Mercedes held her head down and began sobbing audibly. Sam set his guitar on the bed and hurried by her side. "Why are you crying, sweetie?" He enveloped her in his arms and gently rocked her.
She stopped crying just enough to manage telling him her reason for being emotional.
"Sam, that was beautiful. But… it kind of… upsets me."
Sam was hurt. If he had to pinpoint his mission in life, it was to never hurt Mercedes Jones. "W-why? What did I do?" He could feel the tears streaming down his cheek. Mercedes looked at Sam, gave him a half smile and wiped the tear from his cheek.
"It's not anything you did. I just… I don't want you to ever feel bad about anything that either of us said or did. When you came back, I… I don't know. I listened to my head, which was telling me to do what was 'right.'" She made bunny-ears and paused before continuing. "I should've listened to my heart. Ever since that summer, before you… left," She placed her right hand over her heart. "Every time my heart beats, I hear your name. I love you, Sam."
"I love you, too, Mercedes. I just want to take away all the bad." He looked frustrated, so she leaned over and kissed him fervently.
"Sam, if we didn't have the bad, we probably wouldn't be here."
He smiled back at her. He loved how she always knew the right things to say. Ms. Pretty was wise well beyond her years. Sam tried his best to fight his yawn, but to no avail. Mercedes pouted her plump bottom lip while Sam laughed. "Let's take a nap."
Sam raised an eyebrow at her suggestion. "Liiiiiiiiiiiike, a nap nap or…"
Mercedes laughed and lightly nudged him. "No, Sam. Like sleep. You're tired and I think all of today's excitement may have worn me out as well."
"Shucks!" Sam hooked his arm and punched his fist to the left in disappointment. Mercedes smiled and rolled her eyes at him. "Do you have a blanket and pillows?" Sam cocked his head to the left while he tried to remember if he packed any bedding. When he discovered that he didn't, he gave a very disappointed head shake.
"Are you cold?"
Mercedes shrugged and nodded.
Sam stood up and stretched, simultaneously showing off his muscles on purposes. "Well, Miss Jones. Lucky for you, I'm hot."
Mercedes shook her head. "And with that, you can have several seats."
Mercedes crawled on the surprisingly sturdy (and comfortable) airbed and Sam laid down beside her. He wrapped his arms around her, kissed her neck and said, "I'll keep you warm." Mercedes snuggled back a little bit until she was comfortably right up against Sam, and the couple was soon fast asleep.
A few hours later, the couple awoke from their slumber by the sound of hammering coming from the living area. "What the heeeeeeeeeell?" Sam grunted. He stumbled off the airbed and went to the front room. Mike and Tina were putting together was Sam saw as a headboard.
"Shit, I didn't know you were in there. I..I'm sorry, dude." Mike showed wore his apology on his face. Sam was pretty easy going and he knew Mike wasn't an asshole. "It's cool. Do you need some help?"
Tina jumped up at the opportunity to let someone with more upper body strength than her help out. "All yours!" Tina sprinted off to Mike's room to watch TV. Sam kneeled down to help fasten the headboard pieces together and finally took a second to look around the room at all the new furniture. He laughed and said, "Dude, what the hell do you need 2 mattresses for?"
Mike smiled and said, "I don't know. Ask Mercedes." That statement removed all of the emotion from Sam's face and for a second, he looked upset. "What do you mean?"
As if on cue, Mercedes entered the living area and stood behind Sam with her hands on his shoulders. "I was planning on buying you something else, but then I saw your room. And I thought…"
Sam stood up and turned around, looking concerned. And lost. "How the hell did you manage that, Mercedes Raychelle?" Mercedes knew that when Sam used her middle name, a trick he picked up from her mother, she knew she was in hot water. Luckily, her sparkling smile and pinch-worthy cheeks made it easy to get out of trouble with him. She gave him a quick peck on the lips before she smartly told him, "There's an app for that."
Mike helped Sam move his new furniture into his room while Mercedes hugged and silently thanked Tina for helping her get the furniture. When the boys were finished, Mike ran to Tina and scooped her up in his arms. He turned around and said, "We're going to get dinner started. You two, uh…"
Tina cut in, "Have fun!" Mike shut the door behind them as Sam walked over to Mercedes.
She started to smile, but saw that she was still in trouble. He pursed his lips and folded his arms. She knew she'd better explain her purchase. "My parents gave me a prepaid debit card. I kept it in my room so I wouldn't use it on junk. When Tina texted and told me they were going to Ikea, I asked her to go grab it and I sent her the item numbers from the app." She sighed heavily and continued. "Sam, I… I'm sorry."
He grabbed and hugged Mercedes. How could he be mad at her? "Thank you, baby. It's.." He looked around the fully furnished room, "REALLY nice."
Mercedes smiled. "I'm glad you like it. I meant to ask, what's your schedule look like? Do you know what classes you're taking?"
Sam was suddenly nervous about her questions. "Mercedes, I-"
She began sifting through the things he brought with him that they unpacked earlier.
She huffed after not being able to find what she was looking for. "Sam, you don't have any pencils, pens, paper, nothing. How the hell are you going to take notes?"
"Mercedes, please list-"
"Oh, I'm stupid. You've got your laptop." She continued looking through his things before he walked over to her and spun her around.
"Mercedes, please listen to me."
She looked concerned, but nodded her head in agreement.
"Mercedes…"
"Sam….?"
"I don't know how to say this but…"
"Sam what's going on?"
"I'm not…" He gulped, preparing himself for any disappointment. He sighed deeply before revealing the news.
"I'm not… going to school."