Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews! I enjoyed reading all your thoughts about this story.
Mercedes was choosing which cupcake to take when Quinn approached her. The blonde woman was giving her a sly smile that Mercedes knows too well. She picked the red velvet cupcake and a creme brulee, then Mercedes went to a secluded part of the backyard, away from everyone else. Quinn followed behind her.
"What do you want to know, Quinn?" Mercedes asked, rolling her eyes. Quinn laughed.
"How was it? Being in a relationship?"
Mercedes shrugged her shoulders as she bit into the cupcake. "Like I said, we're not really in a relationship. We're just spend time together"
Quinn frowned. "Mercedes, you guys been going out for two months! It is a relationship!"
"We haven't even kissed! Aren't we supposed to be in lots of skinship if we're labelling it as relationship? We only hold hands sometimes, and he kissed my cheek"
"Awww, do Mercedes wants to kiss Sammy?" Quinn teased. Mercedes groaned and laughed.
"Honestly? Have you seen how he looks, Quinn? I might hate relationship, but I'm not blind. I have my own lusty thoughts too, you know. I might be a virgin, but I am not a prude"
Quinn laughed out loud. "Ugh, Mercedes! You should show this vixen side to Sam, you know. He might die if he knows it" she said. Quinn cleared her throat. "Maybe you should initiate the physical aspect? I think he doesn't start anything because he is afraid that you might not be comfortable with it. From what you've told me, Sam seems to be taking it slow. Besides, I know you. If he goes at it with full throttle, you might run away"
"I won't even deny that!" Mercedes said, laughing. "I still find it awkward to talk about feelings and be honest with it, you know. But Sam - he has a way of making me express my feeling toward him. Somehow, I am becoming possessive toward him. Last week, when we I accompanied him to buy some baking supplies, a girl was ogling him and I have this surge of emotions - like I want to stab her eyes or something for staring at Sam. It kind of spook me a little when I thought about it. Is it weird?"
"Oh, honey! You're feeling jealous. It's normal" Quinn said as she hugged Mercedes. "Welcome to the romance phase of life. You'll be experiencing lots of weird emotion in the future" she continued as she rubbed Mercedes' back.
"We cross that bridge when we got there, Quinn" Mercedes said teasingly. Quinn released Mercedes from her hug and looked at her.
"How's everything with Dionne?" she asked. Mercedes rolled her eyes.
"Same old. Same old. At least we haven't had a fight - or I didn't say something to piss momma off and vice versa. She made a jab about my weight, but I've learnt to tune that out. So, yeah. Nothing much"
Quinn patted Mercedes' arm - a gesture that she always did whenever she wanted to comfort her. They talked for awhile before both of them went to join their group of friends.
Mike sat next to Sam. He turned to look at his friend.
"So, you and Mercedes, huh?" he asked. A lopsided grin appeared on Sam's face when he heard the question. He knew that Mike would grill him about it. Actually, he was waiting for Mike to approach him and asked about it. Sam cleared his throat and nodded.
"Since when?" Mike asked again - a bit annoy with Sam's lack of response.
"About two months now"
"Two months?!"
Sam nodded.
"And none of us know about it? Not even Tina and Kurt?" Mike said. He was deep in his thought and then he looked at Sam with wide eyes.
"I thought she rejected you when you asked her for a date?" he said as he stared accusingly at Sam who was laughing.
"I told you that she left. She didn't reject me" he said, laughing louder when Mike looked confused. "Remember the time you and Stevie were playing the game after you guys teased me about it?" Sam asked. Mike nodded.
"Well, Mercedes texted me and we talked. She agreed for a date. Yeah. ever since then, we've been spending time together and now, we sort of dating. We're not officially together yet, but yeah - we're working on it" Sam explained.
"Good for you, then" Mike patted Sam's shoulder. "Hey, Sam" he said a moment after that. Sam looked at him.
"I know that you're fallen for her already" he said. Sam opened his mouth, but Mike cut him. "Don't try to deny it! I know you and ever since you came to me, being miserable about wanting to be Mercedes' friend, I know that you're already falling for her. Just take my advice and keep it near your heart. I know that you're doing everything you can to make her happy. Just don't forget about your own heart and your own happiness. Love is meaningless if it makes you unhappy. Remember that"
Sam smiled as he nodded. "I'll keep that in mind"
As the day was getting late, all the guests had gone home, leaving the Jones, Mike, Tina, Quinn, Santana and Sam who were helping to clean up. Sam chuckled when he saw Malique and James were talking in a hush tones with Kurt, Tina and a person who he got to know as Blaine - Kurt's husband.
"I think the brothers are assessing you, Mr Evans" Quinn said. Sam chuckled.
"If they did, they should be asking Mike all the questions that they have about me. Not Kurt and Tina" he said.
"Mercedes had warned them about grilling you. So, I'd say that you would be save for now"
"I don't mind, really. But I guess, my girlfriend want to protect me. Who am I to defy her order, right?"
Quinn raised her eyebrows.
"Girlfriend, huh?" she asked. Sam gave Quinn his trademark lopsided smile and shrugged his shoulders. "I thought Mercedes said that you are 'close friend'?"
"Ehh, to-ma-to, to-mah-to. Same different" Sam said as he carried a box containing all the plastics plates and cups.
"Thank you"
Sam stopped moving when he heard Quinn thanked him. He turned and looked at her, frowning.
"For not giving up when Mercedes ran away" Quinn said.
"Thanks to you too" Sam replied, smiling when Quinn frowned. "For not making her freaked out and shut me out" he continued before he brought the box into the house.
Later, at night, Mercedes sat at the balcony of her condo and stared at the dark sky. The gathering at Kurt had gone well and she was happy that none of her friends grilled her about Sam. Although, she did notice the questionable looks from her brothers, Mercedes ignored it. Besides, she is the eldest sister. She can do whatever she wants and James and Malique know it.
"Baby girl?"
Mercedes turned and smiled at her father.
"What are you doing here? It's late" David said as he went and sat next to his daughter.
"Just looking at the sky. Somehow, I don't feel sleepy at all"
The father and daughter sat at the balcony in silence. Both were lost in their thoughts.
"That guy - Sam" David started. Mercedes looked at her father - waiting for the next words. "What does he do?"
"He owns a patisserie across the street of my office. He bakes the best things ever!"
Mercedes frowned when her father seemed to be lost in his thoughts again.
"Do - do you like him?" David asked. They never talk about their feelings, but somehow David needed to know. Mercedes bit her lower lip. That's the question that she seemed to ask herself a lot too.
"I - think I do. I like Sam. He's nice and kind. A dork too, at times but somehow it makes me like him more" Mercedes didn't even notice the smile that appeared when she talked about Sam. David smiled as he took Mercedes' hand and held it in his. He patted his daughter's small hand.
"Be happy, Mercedes. Don't let the happiness slip away from you" he said and kissed her temple. Mercedes looked at her father as he stood up and went inside. He's acting weird, Mercedes thought as she watched her father.
Sam walked into the restaurant. There's not many people inside since it was 5 o'clock. He went to the back office - searching for Stevie, but his brother was nowhere to be found. He went to the dining space, looking for the head waiter. Sam frowned when he saw a familiar face. After ransacking his brain, he noticed that it was Mercedes' mother. He wanted to go and greet her when he noticed she was with a man. He wasn't David Jones, but both of them looked so intimated with the touching of their hands and their body language. Sam quickly hid behind the curtain when he saw them stood up and ready to leave. Sam watched as the man put her hand on Dionne's waist and kissed her.
"What did I just see?" Sam whispered as he sat on the ottoman that they put for the waiting customer. At the moment, Stevie walked into the restaurant. He was happy to see his big brother there.
"Sam, are you okay? You look as if you've seen ghost" Stevie asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I got to go" Sam said as he rose up from the chair and walked away, leaving Stevie in confusion.
Thank you for 100 reviews!
I think we're reaching the climax of the story in maybe two or three chapters. Dionne seems to get a lot of hates lol.
Somehow, this story seems like it has its own life. I plan something in my mind and somehow, when I started writing, it moves to a different direction.
Till next time! I don't think you have to wait long since my muse is doing great now. My mind is full with ideas about the upcoming chapters and progress lol. Let's hope it still the same until I complete this story!
