So... I'm embarrassed about how long it took me to publish this chapter since I already had it started when I uploaded Chapter 19. RL got in the way big time and I've started reading real books instead of writing during my subway commute. Sorry. Then my internet went out so I'm uploading from my phone. So, yeah. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far... Anyway, here's the next chapter. The standard disclaimer applies.
Chapter 20
The sun streaming through the hotel room window woke Sam up the next morning. He took a mental inventory of the situation. Not my room, I'm definitely naked, and I'm spooning with someone. He squeezed the form that his body was wrapped around. It was very familiar. Mercedes! It wasn't a dream.
"Score," Sam whispered to himself.
"You're such a dork," Mercedes giggled.
"You're awake?"
"Yeah, I have been for a while, but your inner cuddle monster wouldn't release me. Now that you're awake, can I please go to the bathroom?"
"Sure," he said while rolling off of her. "But don't be gone too long."
Mercedes slipped out of the bed keeping the bed sheet wrapped firmly around her. It trailed behind her, leaving Sam to cover himself with a pillow. He laid there for a few minutes and let it all sink in. It was done. After almost two years of on-and-off and back-and-forth they were finally back together. There were no limits and reservations and Sam was determined that they would be together for the rest of their lives.
A few minutes later he heard the shower start running and realized that he should start getting ready to go. Sam crossed the room to his pants and rummaged through his pockets to find his cell phone. 8:15. Late for school. If I were actually trying to go. Sam scrolled through his contacts and quickly made a call.
"Good morning, Sam. Everything okay?"
"Hey, Mr. Hummel. I hoping you could do me a favor..." Sam trailed off.
"Mercedes is in town for the wedding and you want to skip school to spend time with her?"
"Yeah. How'd you know?"
"Because I would do the same thing. It's no problem, son. I'll just call the school and tell them you're sick or too sad from the wedding or something."
"You heard?"
"Of course. Kurt told me. Just like he told me you and Mercedes seemed to have worked things out."
"Yup, we're finally back together."
"I'm glad. Now you have fun and treat 'Cedes right; she's my favorite after Kurt."
Sam laughed, "Of course I will. Thanks again, Mr. Hummel."
"No problem. Bye."
"Bye." Sam hung up.
"Was that Papa Burt?"
Sam turned around to see Mercedes in just a towel. She was digging around in her purse.
"Yup, he's gonna call the school so I can have a day off to spend with you."
Mercedes wanted to argue that school was more important than hanging out with her, but in reality she was happy that he already took care of everything. She was way too excited to spend the day with him to ask him to leave her. So instead she said just said, "Thanks. And do you really call Papa Burt 'Mr. Hummel?'"
Sam chuckled, "Yeah, it's a habit he's given up on trying to break. Now lemme hop in the shower and we can check out."
Sam showered as quickly as possible, he didn't want to spend any more minutes separated from Mercedes than necessary. When he was done he came out of the bathroom with a towel slung low around his waist and was drying his hair with another towel. Mercedes was fully dressed and seated on the foot of the bed, flipping through the television channels. She didn't say anything, but Sam could feel her eyes on him, taking in his sculpted form. Sam got dressed slowly, practically posing at various stages of dress.
"Boy, you are so messy," Mercedes finally spoke up. "I know what you're doing!"
Sam just laughed and returned to a normal pace. "You seemed to be enjoying it," he said smugly.
Mercedes refused to dignify his accurate statement with a response. Instead she grabbed her coat and purse.
"Ready?" she called from the door.
Sam finished tying his laces, picked up his coat and followed her. Once inside the elevator, he gave them a quick once-over. Her makeup was done and everything was in place but his clothes were extremely rumpled.
"How is it you look just as perfect as you did yesterday while I look like I'm doing the walk of shame?"
"Cuz there's no shame in my game," Mercedes sassed while exiting the elevator.
The drive to the Joneses' house was a happy one. They blasted music and sang along and always maintained contact, whether it was holding hands or resting a hand on the other's thigh. Once they arrived, they made themselves comfortable; Mercedes was eager to change her clothes and both were craving cereal. A while later they found themselves in the den in a familiar position. Sam rested his head on Mercedes's lap while she carded her fingers through his hair. As music videos played softly in the background, the couple chatted about everything and nothing. Mercedes knew to stay away from stressful topics like college plans but told him all about the tracks they were working on at the studio. Sam informed her about the synchronized swimming season and his decision to skip out on baseball season in favor of glee rehearsal and increased responsibility at the garage. Mercedes was proud of Sam's focus but did verbalize her disappointment that she'd never see him in a baseball uniform again.
Throughout their time together they fielded texts from their friends. Once Blaine and Tina noticed Sam was missing they sent texts asking where he was. He tried to simply state that he would be out for the day, and while Blaine was satisfied with his answer Tina spent the rest of the morning texting Mercedes for more information. She responded and seemed to be having an ongoing conversation, but she refused to let Sam know what was being said.
Mercedes also received texts from Artie begging her to come "drop knowledge" in glee that afternoon and from Santana and Puck making plans to meet up with the others at Breadstix for dinner. She gave a negative response to Artie claiming to have jet lag. She told her fellow graduates that she would be there and reminded them to invite the current seniors to join them.
It was a few moments later that Sam received another text. He read it and let out a groan.
"What's wrong?"
"Puck invited me to a glee dinner at Breadstix. Actually, it was more of an order than an invite."
"Yeah, I know. I thought it would be fun. We haven't all caught up in a while."
"Are you kidding? You guys seem to be here all the time! Except you. You're never here enough and I wanted to spend this weekend with you."
"You will be with me. And our friends. They may visit you all the time, but I rarely get to see them."
Sam could tell by Mercedes's tone that her decision was final and he had no hope in changing her mind. So instead he groaned again and muffled his face in her lap.
"Hey, we still have the rest of the day," Mercedes tried to cheer him up.
Sam sat up quickly, encouraged by the thought of a few more hours of one-on-one time.
"Ok, so that means we need to use it right. Get up, let's go!"
Sam pulled Mercedes up from her seat on the couch. She followed him out of the den laughing at his barely contained excitement, one of her favorite attributes of his.
They were soon on the road again. Sam wanted to go everywhere they used to in their early days. That meant first they went to lunch at the pizzeria where he used to work. Enough time had gone by that he could finally eat pizza without feeling bitter or nauseous. The pizza still wasn't all that great, but being there reminded them of the days following prom when they were still "just friends." Mercedes would show up on off-peak hours and claim to have nothing to do. Sometimes she would even ride along with Sam on deliveries though he drew the line on her actually bringing the food to the customers' doors.
After a brief stop at the gas station and convenience store for Mercedes' requested Diet Coke, Sam drove to their next stop. It took a few minutes before Mercedes figured out exactly where they were headed.
"The lake? It is way too cold out here for all that. Can we please go somewhere indoors?"
"No way; this is like our reunion tour. We have to go everywhere. Hell, I wish the carnival was in town. I'd take you on the tilt-a-whirl again."
Mercedes smiled softly at the memory and Sam's phrasing. When they reached the lake Sam parked but kept the heater running. The young couple unbuckled and reclined their seats. They looked out on the water and remembered the days spent there; sometimes they were accompanied by Stevie and Stacey who loved to splash each other in the shallow waters. Other times Sam brought his guitar and alternated between playing tunes for Mercedes to sing and teaching her some of his favorites.
"I wish I brought my guitar," Sam sighed.
"Next best thing," Mercedes offered while turning on the radio.
Once she settled on a station, Sam leaned in for a kiss. The couple leaned over as close as possible over the console. Sam was tracing his fingers over Mercedes's form and things quickly became heated. Gasping for air, Mercedes parted from her boyfriend.
"Thirsty," she muttered.
"Your pop is in the bag," Sam panted. At that moment he remembered something important but before he could stop her, she had already opened the plastic bag that was resting by her feet. He braced himself for the onslaught but was surprised by a single scoff.
"A bit presumptuous, you think?" Mercedes tossed the box of condoms at Sam's head which he caught easily.
Sam had the grace to look sheepish, "I just thought that maybe... since we're back together... and after yesterday..."
Mercedes sat silently, sipping on her soda and listening to Sam flounder.
"Is that a no?" Sam grimaced. He had originally planned on this happening a more organically, much like the night before, but her discovery of his purchase caught him off guard.
Mercedes was quiet for a beat. "Nope," she finally answered with a flirtatious smile.
Sam grinned and began to open the box.
"Sammy! Not here!"
"Oh! Yeah, of course not."
He turned the engine over and sped off to the Hudmel home, breaking a handful of traffic laws on the way. Once they arrived, Sam playfully rushed Mercedes to the house and into his bedroom. Clothes were removed in a hurry; for the second time Sam's only good suit was left in a pile on the floor. Through muttered 'I love yous' and a tangle of limbs they worked hard to make up for lost time.
They were cuddling after round two when Mercedes noticed the time on Sam's alarm clock.
"Oh my god, it's after six o'clock! We've gotta get ready for dinner!"
Sam just tightened his grip around her waist. "Let's skip it. I'm not hungry for pasta," he replied while peppering kisses on her shoulder.
"No, Sammy," she protested. "We're going. Now get in the shower. At least you finally get to put on casual clothes."
The couple hurried through their hygiene routine but they were still the last ones to arrive at Breadstix. Hands clasped, they rushed into the restaurant and quickly spotted the large party seated at two tables pushed together. The group was radiating excitement and immersed in lively conversation. It was Mike who first noticed the approaching couple and greeted Sam with, "Dude, you're finally here!"
Cheers came up from the table which Mercedes accepted with a playful curtsey.
"Yes, The Diva has arrived. The party may now begin. And yes, Sam and I are officially back together." She held up their still clasped hands and they both grinned when the news was met with more cheers and a shout of "thank God!" from Tina. The couple removed their coats and took the last seats available next to Artie at the head of the table. As they sat down Artie caught a glimpse of several dark hickey marks along her collarbone.
"I see how you do," Artie announced, annoyed. "You told me you skipped glee for jet lag, but from where I'm sittin' it doesn't look like you got much rest at all."
"Oh, I'm sure Trouty put her to bed." Santana said. Sam responded only with a smug smile that went unnoticed by Mercedes.
"Did you get a bedtime story?" asked Brittany out of honest curiosity.
"Don't be a mess, 'Tana. Sam and I spent the day hanging out. We just got reunited, after all." Mercedes spoke brusquely.
"You must've forgotten that I live there too cuz you were audibly 'reuniting' repeatedly before I left to come here!" Kurt piped up from his seat down the table.
"Oh hell to the no! You don't get to put me on blast after I saw you and Blaine getting extra friendly in the backseat."
"That was nothing," Kurt sniffed.
"Yeah, just bros helping bros," the casual words still sounded somewhat awkward coming from Blaine's lips.
"I like this new Blaine! He even ditched the bowtie and put on socks!" Puck crowed.
"Yeah, Sam seems to have rubbed off on him," Quinn added in amusement.
"Wanky."
Hoots and laughter rang out from the table and only lessened when the server came to take their orders. Once he had left, Tina stood up claiming she needed to go wash her hands. After a pause and a pointed look, Mercedes shrugged Sam's arm off her shoulders where it was resting and stood to follow Tina to the restroom. Following the unwritten girl code, Quinn, Santana, and Brittany stood and followed while Kurt sulked and mumbled about "unfair traditions."
The girls lingered in the Breadstix restroom, washing their hands and checking their hair and makeup in the mirrors.
"'Cedes," Tina began, "I'm so glad you took my advice."
"What advice?" Quinn eyes shrewdly flicked between Tina and Mercedes.
Mercedes smiled as she primped in the mirror, "Tina told me I should get a hotel room so Sam and I could hang out after the wedding."
"Oh, is that when he put you to bed?" Brittany asked. "And you never said if you got a bedtime story or not. I love when Lord Tubbington reads to me before bed. Especially when he does all the voices."
Santana approached Tina who was leaning against a stall divider. "Well, well, Girl Chang. I'm impressed. Most girls are scared to be that aggressive. I guess the meek Asian stereotype isn't true. Or the horny Asian one is."
Tina just rolled her eyes, "It's not about being aggressive, Santana. It's about being in a relationship and being in love. You should be able to say if you want to have sex or not."
"Hey, 'Tana," Mercedes called before the conversation could continue. "Sam applied to University of Louisville. If he gets in, would you mind giving him advice or something?"
"The only thing I would say is stay away from the cheerleading squad cuz those bitches would eat him alive. But he's not available now anyway so... I really wasn't in that hickville long enough to give any real advice."
"Yeah, and I do feel some kinda way about that. If you really wanted to be famous for being famous, LA's the place to go."
"Yeah, well, Brittany recommended New York and it's been good so far..." Santana trailed off and she and Brittany looked at each other with smiles that were equal parts happy and wistful. Being friends was a struggle because they truly did love each other, but they still wanted to try and live separate from the other.
"Speaking of New York, where's Rachel?" Quinn asked.
"She took off back to New York," Santana replied. "From what I got from Lady Hummel, she and Finnocence got it on last night and then she bailed."
The girls all exchanged looks and as if on cue they heard a knock on the restroom door.
"Ladies!" Kurt called, "You should come back to the table before your food gets cold. And shame on all of you for leaving me out of the girl talk. Someone better fill me in ASAP."
The friends laughed and headed out of the ladies' room. Tina grabbed Mercedes' arm before she could leave.
"Double date tomorrow?"
"No doubt, girl."
There you go! Sorry it's a bit short. Next chapter has a bit more Samcedes in Lima before Mercedes has to go back to LA. Please please please review because I love to hear what you think. I'll try harder to update more frequently. Thanks for reading!