Summer Nights
Every night is summer when your best friend is the one you desire
Sam sat watching Mercy some 6 years since they'd known each other, they were about to finish school, and she was being her usual loud self, the centre of attention with popular boys coming at her left, right and centre, everyone signing her blouse in inappropriate places, and she didn't seem to mind. He smiled at the journey he'd been on, the dark and bright places he'd been in this love affair that had only ever happened in his head, she'd always made it clear she was never going to be into his white booty, but against all those odds, he lived in hope.
"Stop please" Brittany moaned at him as she sat on the stand next to him "You had your chance, and you blew it"
"She blew it, putting me in the damn friend zone" he snapped not taking his eyes off Mercy.
"Please tell me you're not driving her home again?" she looked at her brother rolling her eyes disgusted "What happened to that girl from the juice joint, she was interesting?"
"Santana, you should ask her for a date" he looked at her cutting his eye "And don't do that shit again"
"Sam, look at you, you could have any girl you wanted"
"I wish" his eyes taking in Mercy again "I only want her"
"You really irritate me, you know that?" she slammed her bag on her thighs, and cross her hand on top of it
"I didn't ask you to come sit here" he looked at her smiling "I'll see you later" he got up at seeing Mercy move away from the crowd
"Yeah" she watched him walk off, she hated the way Mercy played with his feelings, there was no wat the bitch didn't know he was infatuated with her, and she'd played him like one of her perfect songs for the past six years, leading him
on, giving him hope, dashing them when something better came along, and then drawing him back in when she needed here wounds licking, the cycle was transparent and yet he couldn't or was that wouldn't see it. From where she sat she could see the bitch smiling as he walked towards her, getting ready to turn that fake charm on to her gullible brother, if she could slap both their faces right now she would.
"Hi" he smiled when he got to her, giving that I'm yours smile reserved only for her, as he grabbed her bag without asking, like he was her damn lacky
"Fuck" Brittany hissed at the move "I've got to get out of here" she snapped getting up and rushing off
"Sam" Mercy turned to wave at the crowd she'd left as he took her bag "Thanks for the lift, I don't think my car will be ready for another week"
"No problem, happy to help"
"So, are you ready for college?" she looked up at him as they started walking towards the car park
"I still haven't decided" he threw her bag over his shoulder "I'm stuck I want to go to LA but New York, although cold, seems to offer what I want too"
"You should go where you're happy, it's going to be for what, three years?"
"Three yeah" he smiled "So I should go with happy?"
"That's what I'm doing, I'm going to LA"
"Oh, you made a decision?"
"I thought I could get classically trained and then the worlds my egg" she smiled
"I think that's oyster" he laughed
"I know, I just wanted to see you smile, I love your smile" she looked up at him flirtatiously
"So, where's the bulldozer?" he looked around before opening the car door, trying to ignore the flirt, he knew she was just playing, he smiled as she turned to face him to answer his question
"We called it off, he's going to DC for sure, and the long distance thing…" she shook her head, her eyes fixed on his
"He can't be trusted?" he stood at the car door feeling her breath hitting his face as she spoke wondering what would happen if he just leaned in and kissed her right now
"On the contrary I don't trust myself, I wasn't built for that, you know, I need arms around me all the time" she hugged herself "The original cuddle bunny" she giggled, before sitting in the car, he took a deep breath, letting it out heavy for missing yet another opportunity.
He started the car and the music started automatically "Practice" he smiled at her looking at him strange
"You're performing this?" she looked at him impressed
"Coming out my box, thought I'd at least give it a try"
"But you're going to be graded on this aren't you?"
"Yeah" he laughed "I'm quietly confident"
"My country boy's going pop funk for a hot minute?" she laughed
"Your country boy's showing you there's a happy medium between Country and R&B" he laughed
"Let's hear it then"
"I can't just sing with you in the car" he laughed
"You're not shy with me are you, I've seen your weeny remember?" she pointed at him
"That was a very long time ago, I was what 13, plus we were in the damn dark, you shouldn't have opened the bathroom door"
"Who stands in the dark, in the middle of the night having a wee?"
"Me" he laughed
"Come on, I'll sing it with you, please" she begged, he was never going to resist those eyes "Consider this your final run through"
"Okay" he turned the music up, smiling at her joining in when he started singing a snippet of 'High' by Lighthouse Family
Sam (with Mercy): …Cause we are gonna be (forever, high forever), forever you and me (forever, you and me forever)
You will always keep it flying high (forever, high forever), in the sky of love, (forever, you and me forever)
Don't you think it's time you started, doing what we always wanted, one day we're gonna get so high
Cause even the impossible, is easy when we got each other, one day we're gonna get so high
And at the end of the day remember the days, when we were close to the end, and wonder how we made it through the night
The end of the day remember the way, we stayed so close till the end we'll remember it was me and you
Cause we are gonna be (forever, high forever), forever you and me (forever, you, me forever)
You will always keep it flying high (forever, high forever), in the sky of love, (forever, you, me forever)…
"Wow, Sam" she looked at him shocked "That was not the voice of the Sam Evans I remember" she touched his arm "You've got that grade believe me"
"You think?"
"Hell with think, I know" she smiled at him, she didn't say she had notes, but she did get him to repeat the beginning of the song to hear him again, she didn't say anything the second time, just smiled and nodded, which meant he'd fixed whatever it was she'd heard that first time. That drove in silence for a while listening to the rest of the song "Talking about remembering, do you remember that day you two went to the shops and stole those magnums?" she laughed
"Yeah" he laughed remembering "It must have been the hottest day of that summer"
"It was definitely one of the hottest" she laughed "We were fed up with being in each other's pockets and I decided you guys were leaving if you didn't do as I said" she looked at him
"I think you were fed up with having us around" he looked at her from the side of his eyes
"That was cruel wasn't it?"
"You're just thinking that now?" he smiled at her
"Well, I didn't think you two would literally steal the damn things"
"You said get the most expensive ones"
"I know, but all in, it was a good summer wasn't it?"
"The best" he couldn't tell her he'd fell I love with her that summer and was still finding it hard 6 years later to let that shit go.
"So, what happened to that date at the Juice Joint Britt told me about, Santana or something?"
"She told you about that?"
"Yeah, I know, I think she thought she was getting one up, you know how she is with me"
"I know how you both are with each other"
"No love lost" she smiled "Anyway Santana?"
"Oh, she was more Britt's type than mine"
"I'm getting worried about you boy, your relationships barely last past the second date, what are they doing wrong?"
"I'm doing nothing wrong, just waiting for miss perfect" he smiled
"Some imperfect girls are looking for a guy like you to make them perfect, you know that right?"
"I just hope she does" he looked at her smiling "Here you are" he looked out at her house, grabbing her bag off the back seat "Any plans for later?"
"No" she turned to look at him "I'm saving all my energy for tomorrow night the big farewell dance, are you and Britt coming?"
"Yeah but not together, she's going with that Artie guy"
"He's such a funny guy" Mercy laughed
"I keep telling her he's too good for her, but you know Britt"
"We do" she smiled "So who are you taking?"
"Sugar asked and I thought, why not, so we'll be there together, you?"
"Of course, I'm going with the bulldozer" she laughed "Our last date, I said yes before he got into DC, so it's not really an official date as such" she blew him a kiss "Thanks for the ride, tomorrow"
"No problem, tomorrow, and don't keep him waiting, be on time" he called after her
He had about a mile long drive to get home and enough to think about on the way, that summer she talked about had been the best of his life so far, his mind wasn't even on the familiar drive home, it had wondered off to the memories of yesteryear
Flashback
It had started as a funny year, that winter had been the mildest he'd remembered in his 13 years of life, his dad and he had spent the entire winter chopping wood, moving bales of hay, and feeding animals in between his schooling. His mother has passed away when he was 9 years old, they'd lived a somewhat lonely life until year 4 years later when he met Whitney. They had nothing in common, she didn't know the first thing about animals or farming and he wasn't interested in colour schemes and social living. Apparently he'd met her the previous year in Delaware, while they were on their annual break, Sam hadn't remembered at all, so he wondered if it was really sheer coincidence when they met up again that year in Dallas.
The holiday seemed to be focused on Whitney for a few days, then on their second meal together she produced her daughter Brittany. The first feeling Sam remembered having about all of that was being jealous of them for taking all his Dad's attention, he was totally relieved when the week was up, and they left them at the train station
"What do you think?" his dad asked him, that wasn't something he was used to being asked by the man he was shocked
"Nothing" was his honest answer, and nothing else was said
So, you can imagine the shock when Brittany and Whitney turned up at the farm a few months later, he'd never seen his dad so happy about anything not for a while anyway, so for his Dad's happiness he towed the line, and accepted them into their home, everything changed from manly plain to matching everything with cream on top. There was nothing much to say Whitney had made it into a home again, it wasn't the style of his mother but the feel of a woman's touch around the place was something that had definitely been missing, the feel of ironed shirts, the smells of cooked meals and puddings.
Within the month the new couple had their quiet wedding, and everything moved to this new normal, Whitney was working at the library in town, his Dad was on the farm full time and, Brittany and he were filling in on the farm when they weren't at school, they were somewhere near happy.
There were five farms on the outskirts of the small town in Alabama that took massive hits just before the beginning of spring, when the town met with a freak hurricane, which meant their schools, and most of the farms, which provided work for many of the town people, and half the retail industry for the area were swept away.
Those that hadn't been affected quickly rushed to the aide of the other families, Mercy's parents took in Dwight, Whitney, and their children, so that summer they were tied together waiting for the insurance company to sort their house and farm out.
Everyone had expected all this was going to take a couple of weeks, but they were in month three, summer was on its way, and everyone was still stuck in this compromising position, Mercy was still sharing a room with Brittany and Sam was shacked up on the couch while their parents had the spare room. To add to the frustrations, because their school had crumbled to the ground, there was nowhere for them to go, so those who still had access to internet were the only ones still able to get an hour of school each day, a whole year was lost for them educationally. Mercy's parent's house had internet and three available internet devices, so apart from that taught hour, the three children had 23 hours a day to get up to mischief.
Hence the day they stole the magnums from the local shop, he'd made out like they'd actually stolen them, even Brittany had thought it, but Mr Banks knew his dad too well for that to happen, he'd held the magnum up and signalled three to the man before walking out the shop knowing his dad would pay for them later. He was meant to tell them the truth but circumstances that unfolded after that meant he never, to this day, let them know he couldn't be that bad boy they were trying to make him into.
That was also the night she'd walked in on him while he was in the bathroom, and seen his weeny as she called it, but he remembered something different about that encounter, he remembered her thin nylon nightdress and the beginnings of nipples threatening to burst through the thin material to expose themselves. He was that stunned he didn't know where to put his face and of course he didn't remember he was urinating at the time either, so yes his wet dick maybe shimmered in the flash of light that entered the room when she opened the door and maybe a spot of wee touched the floor, but for sure she'd remind him of those few seconds for the rest of his life.
He went back to bed that night with something completely different on his mind, flashes of her nipples kept him awake for at least an hour that night, finally falling asleep at what he couldn't remember, but that was the best sleep he'd ever had. He lay dreaming about her big boobs, rubbing them, sucking them while she did the same to his wet dick, suddenly her lips touched his dick, out the blue, his reaction woke him up to wet pyjamas. It felt like it took forever for the intimate scene to play out, but when he sat up, it was still night, and he had this tingling feeling running through his body. Feeling himself leaking he jumped up, grabbed some fresh pyjamas, and ran off to the bathroom to clean up, smiling at the fact that he'd had his first wet dream, remembering to turn the light on to stop anyone walking in on him again.
From that day to this he'd never seem Mercy Jones in quite the same light, she was an untouchable fantasy, a rough diamond, they were like chalk and cheese, he was pure country, she was R&B all the way through, he was smooth with a little bit of rough she was rough all the way, took no prisoners when it came to a shout out and to top it all she was a social animal, they couldn't have been less suited, and only he seemed to not know that.
Brittany had cottoned on to his crush pretty early on, in fact she'd blurted it out to Mercy one day in spite "He likes you bitch" she stood shouting at Mercy across the garden
"Who you calling bitch?" Mercy had hurried across the room to slap her face
"Well, it's true, and he's being a tool about it" she rubbed her face telling her
"Course he likes me, what's not to like" she twirled as she walked back across the lawn to Sam "He's like my best friend, I thought both of you were" she grabbed his arm
"Best friends?" Sam asked wondering if she hadn't heard what Brittany had said
"Best friends forever?" she looked up at him
"Forever" he smiled, that was going to have to do, for now
End of Flashback
And from that day to this, some 6 years on, that was where he still was, there had been some painful moments, since they'd hit 17, she'd never been without a boyfriend or at least someone being interested, sometimes it was hard to watch, but she'd always bring him back to her reality with that same old phrase "He's my best friend" to whoever questioned why he was always hanging around her.
There was a time just after their 18th birthdays when she got her heart broken for the first time, those were the best three weeks, they got super close, Britt was chasing some girl, having found her true self, and against his sister's advice he made sure he was there to help her though, grateful, and happy to do it, but as soon as she got back on that saddle she was off again, heart ready for breaking again.
"Hey idiot" Brittany tapped his passenger window hard "Do you not see me standing here?"
"What?" he looked at her shocked
"You nearly ran me over" she hissed at him
"You're still standing aren't you" he jumped out the car and slammed the door shut "Get off my damn back, you're spoiling my vibe" he brushed past her and went into their home.
They'd rebuilt their new home just half a mile away from the rubble of their former home, the extra bedroom had been put on for Britt, so he could get his bedroom back, the kitchen was a dining room too, the living space was massive, much too big for just the four of them, but every other Christmas they'd host the festive meal and the Jones' would come to help fill the house with song and laughter.
"Hi Whit" he smiled at the woman busily cooking in the kitchen, he'd never got around to replacing his mom with her, she was nice enough, but unlike his dad who had found himself another wife, he could only ever have one mother and he wasn't about to forget her.
"Hi Sam" she smiled holding her cheek up to take his kiss
"Busy in here today" he looked around the kitchen every surface had something on it
"Jones are coming, we thought we'd do you kids something special, seeing as tomorrow's young people's day"
"That's nice" he smiled happy he was going to see Mercy again this evening
"Where's your sister?"
"She's outside, hasn't she come in yet?" he looked at the door "Must be on her phone"
"Wash up dinner in just over an hour" Whitney told him still busying with her pots and pans, he didn't need telling twice he was off to the bathroom to really clean up because, if he was going to take a chance it was going to be tonight, this opportunity had been aligned.
"Look at you" Britt slurred at him as he walked towards the kitchen dressed "Special occasion?"
"No" he laughed "Whit just mentioned it was a bit of thing for us and I thought I'd make the effort" he sat opposite her at the table
"Are the Jones' coming mom?" she looked at him suspiciously
"Yes in about ten minutes" Whitney called across to her, taking the joint out the oven "We'll just let that cool down for a few minutes" she carefully placed it down "Oh" she looked at the door "Maybe ten seconds" she watched Brittany dashing across the room to open the door
"Hi in-laws" she giggled watching Mercy's face puzzled
"In-laws?" Mercy asked
"Yeah" Brittany grabbed Mercy's arm "I thought this was the proposal dinner"
"Why do you insist on showing him up like that, every damn time?" Mercy stopped walking to ask Britt, their parents were already in the joviality of hellos to hear what had been said "Do you like him or something?"
"He's my damn brother, no I don't, not like that anyway"
"So, stop with the trashing" Mercy snapped at her walking off to go say hello
Brittany stood wondering what the hell had just happened, Mercy had never defended him like that before especially against her
They ate dinner listening to their parent's bragging about their futures, Brittany was going off to Princeton, Mercy had chosen UCLA, while Sam was still looking at his options. All three nodding in agreement when needed opening their mouths to speak only when asked a direct question, that was sort of normal for them around the dinner table
"Seeing as it's your celebratory meal, this once, you kids can go do your own thing for an hour" Whitney smiled at them, watching as all three leaving the dinner table for the backyard.
Brittany got her phone out "I met up with Santana yesterday" she announced "The random I set you up with the other day" she smiled at Sam
"She's?" Mercy frowned "So why did you set her up with Sam?"
"I just wanted him to take the girl out, nothing else" Brittany smiled
"That's fucked up" Sam snapped at her
"Yeah it is" Mercy snapped at her
"Says she who's dated more than half of the football team" Brittany snapped back
"You're cruising for another slap bitch…"
"Leave it Mercy" Sam pulled her away with him, calming things down "Do you want a drink?"
"Please, just some juice if you don't mind" she smiled sitting on the bench he stopped at on the other side of the patio to where Britt was, rocking it annoyingly waiting for Britt to bite
"Mercy" Sam sat on the bench smiling at her games, giving her a glass of juice "Remember you said once you'd know when you were ready to settle down into a serous relationship?".
"Yeah" she looked at him
"I know what you mean by that now"
"You want to settle down?".
"I know that…" he looked into her eyes unable to bring the words to tell her he wanted that with her
"I think I'm ready as soon as I think you're ready" she smiled at him
"You're playing with me" he laughed blushing, he hadn't seen that one coming
"I have been I can't lie, but I'm serious now" she stroked his chin with her hand
"Finally, I'm ready" he exhaled heavily "I've been..." he looked at her wondering "Can I kiss you?"
"Please" she moved in to take the kiss
"About time" Brittany clapped sarcastically
"Something to say?" Mercy stopped to ask
"No, just getting some air" she waved her hands in the air
"You know your plans have changed for tomorrow night?" Mercy asked him
"And you yours" he pulled her to him by her chin, he'd dreamt about that for too long for it to have ended in seconds, "And don't worry, I'm going to UCLA" he smiled before his lips covered hers again.
"Forever you, me forever" she hummed as they kissed, both breaking into laughter