You Can't Touch This
Eventually, you'll end up where you need to be, with who you're meant to be with, and doing what you should be doing
At the tender age of 19 Sam Evans had been given the chance of a lifetime, he'd left school and hit the bright lights running, having suddenly found out that modelling was his thing, and so far every door he'd knocked on had opened up to him. He couldn't lie from the start of this adventure he'd been living his best life, parties, booze, a different girl every night if he wanted, of course he was lonely, a lot of the time if he was honest, but that trade-off was nothing compared to the life he was living, he told himself it was definitely worth the sacrifices he'd made.
Tonight, was the celebrations for his 25th birthday, and this morning when he woke up he was up for that, his agent had set up the venue, paid the bar tab and all he had to do was turn up and enjoy himself, so he was ready. Throughout the day his mood faded, as he remembered the plans he'd made as a naïve, happy 19 year old, and how far away he was from those plans, and he was depressed about the day happening without his real dreams coming true.
He walked into the six star hotel amidst the camera's, news reporters and lookers on, obviously the party had started without him. He was numb to walking into hotels now a days, his reality was beginning to feel a lot like fake, he didn't have a friend he could confide in, anyone he could wrap his arms around and know they felt the same about him, it felt like dooms day as he walked towards the white door "Meaningful moments with meaningless people" he smiled to himself with a sadness of that now being his reality
"Surprise" he heard as he pushed he door open, he put that fake smile on his face and walked into the room, he was used to being the centre of attention, demanded it most the time. He didn't want to lie and pretend he knew nothing so instead he just laughed and walked through the crowd knocking fists or hugging some of the familiar faces.
"Dude" a familiar hand popped in the air calling him over, he knew what this was about "The party enhancer needs to be paid" Puck told him, smiling at him pulling a wad of money out his pocket
"Knock yourselves out" he handed the man the money
"Happy birthday" Puck called after him, watching him walk away
There were always freeloaders around at things like this, Puck and his friends were regulars, like groupies without all the sex stuff, they were serious party animals and to be honest they were always on happy highs, bringing the fun, just when it was needed.
"Hi" he waved at Brittany and Quinn sitting mooning over his guests, he knocked them back so many times they didn't even mess with him in that way anymore "Do we really have to do this?" he asked Santana; his agent, who yet again was busy eyeing up Brittany "I need to be home in less than 12 hours my parents are expecting me"
"You'll get there" she assured him "Think of the two week rest after this"
"Couldn't we have gone to a club instead of this seedy hotel room?"
"Seedy, 10K for the night isn't seedy"
"And I bet you can't even guarantee I can get a fresh bed" he looked around the room
"I knew you'd say that" she smiled "Past the pool, through the guard and on your way to the jacuzzi, there's a surprise"
"You do surprises that I don't pay for or know about?" he laughed
"Just give it a couple of hours, and there'll be another one" she whispered in his ear "Birthday present"
"Not another random" he rolled his eyes, her taste wasn't his, and he was fed up with telling her
"No" she laughed "I've got Finn coming in with one of his new clients, it might mean that big centre spread in The Vox" she tapped her nose, she knew how to reel him in, he was waiting for this opportunity to rear its head
"Centre spread?" he widened his eyes "Four hours tops" he walked off eager to get some breathing space
The room was adorned in blue and white balloons, a number 2 and 5 over the mantelpiece, while his name was sat behind the free bar, against the cream furniture that was already covered with bodies it might have looked quite nice when it was empty, but he could already see stains on some of the couches. He walked through to the pool, taking the taps, kisses, hugs, and handshakes, people occupied the multi-coloured inflatables, there were tables full of empty glasses, and clothes thrown all over the place, he rolled his eyes knowing these people were settled in for the night.
"Come on in" Kitty called to him, just before Artie tipped her inflatable over, he stood open mouthed watching her plunge headfirst into the pool, all he could do was laugh, he'd done a lot of work with Artie, he was the resident photographer. Kitty for some reason thought she was model material, always looking for a way in, maybe Artie was alright with her flirting at work, but that move just showed him the man drew a definite line between work and play, he was keeping out of that one.
There was a couple he'd never seen before touching third-base on the hammock, he wanted to move them on, but thought against it, seeing the people across the pool watching the show, who was he to spoil their fun. He decided to leave that alone and look about that space Santana had told him about, if he could find it, and it was empty, he'd lock himself in for a while and just get some time to think, he didn't need to be around the crowd.
He made his way across the pool, pass the guard and down the short path towards the jacuzzi, smiling at seeing a door, he opened it and smiled more for seeing an empty room "Heaven" he walked in, closed and locked the door, content with his time to think "Meaningless people" he rested on the door taking in the room, smiling at his memories, that was all he had now
Things weren't plain sailing at home at the moment, his grandma had recently passed, and his mom was having a tough time of it, his dad wasn't coping too well with all the emotional stuff. The man had never been one to show his feelings, the most Sam had ever got out of him was an 'I'm proud of you son' and that was after bagging his biggest contract after just 6 months in the business.
His parents had always thought that modelling wasn't a career that was going to last a lifetime, his mom would constantly remind him that he'd lose the looks, body, and then what would he do. But after nearly six years of everything being good, and him now being financially stable, they were thinking differently. He'd brought himself a home in Los Angeles, but he was rarely there due to his work commitments, so it was making money for him at the moment with tenants, so for now home was in Tennessee, which was where he needed to get to tomorrow.
"These are the times" he looked around the room wishing he'd got someone to fill these moments, he was at a party, his party, hundreds of people surrounding him and all he felt was lonely. If someone were to ask him what he actually wanted he couldn't answer, it wasn't about a relationship he wasn't in the headspace for anything like that, hook ups were fine for him, but he needed something, he sat on the bed and finally fell asleep wondering what that was.
"Sam" Santana's voice woke him "He's here"
"Who?" he sat up startled, disorientated, and confused with the heavy baseline banging in his ear
"Finn, Vox" she rolled her eyes at him "If I don't think it for you, it doesn't happen" her hand waving for him to get up "Come on, he won't wait forever"
"This better be worth it, I was having a beautiful dream, I'd broke into the music business, I was blowing my shit up…"
"Sam" Santana stopped him, sarcasm in her voice "You model" he laughed at that getting up to do his last task before his two week break
"I used to write music and sing"
"Yeah, and I used to live in the white house" she laughed
He walked back to the main room with Santana prepping him for the meeting, he didn't take any of it in, she always did all the talking when it came to the important stuff. The pool party had definitely gotten more personal, people were making out all over the place, the music was playing to itself, people were sleeping it was the right time for him to make a move
"I'm gone after this" he told her
"Finn" Santana's voice went into business mode "This is the model I told you about" she pointed at Sam walking so close behind her, he bumped into her
"Sam?" Finn smiled holding his hand out for shaking
"Fi…" his eyes pinned on the woman standing behind this man "M…" he suddenly stopped at the woman shaking her head at him, telling him to stop "Pleased to meet you, Mr…" he forced his eyes away from her
"Just Finn" he laughed at Sam's distraction
"Finn" he smiled
"Beautiful isn't she" Finn looked back at her smiling "I'd give the world away for a deal, a worthwhile investment can have anything I possess, and your worthwhile" he smiled at Sam
"The world?" Sam asked intrigued
"But" he pulled her to stand beside him "I'm trying to make her my most treasured possession, meet Mercedes" he smiled proudly
"Pleased to meet you" she smiled at Santana and then Sam "Happy birthday" she smiled at him
"Thanks" he smiled surprised, before he realised he was standing in the middle of his party with his name in massive inflatables across the bar, he quickly looked back at Finn, taking an immediate dislike to the man
"We can" Santana looked around the room for a free space "Over here" she fanned some people off the couch nearby for them to sit and talk business
"Get us some drinks or something while I talk business" Finn told the man standing behind him
"I'll go with him" Mercedes turned and followed the guy
Sam sat half listening to this Finn guy, the man put him in mind of an old math teacher back at school with the rough, evil edge of maybe a serial killer, "Okay" he smiled to himself maybe a slight exaggeration, but whatever or whoever he was, he was an enemy. The other half of his brain was wondering how the hell Mercedes had crossed his path again, on today of all days, when he'd woken up thinking about her, wishing she was here to do all the things they'd planned by today.
Flashback
Mercedes and he had gone to school together been more than just an item, they'd done a lot of firsts together, and according to everyone they were the real deal, everyone called them the goals couple, they thought they were too, then she got into University in New York, and he didn't make the grades. They'd promised each other everything would work out, but life got in the way, his modelling career took off really quick, while doors were opening for her in the music industry and suddenly they didn't share the same dream anymore.
They'd realised it and had been at a mutual friends party uncomfortably, smiling, talking, and drinking knowing they needed to have a serious conversation, eventually they left the party for their shared apartment in silence. "What do you think of this?" he turned the stereo on, a scratch of a song he'd just written playing, with his guitar accompanying him, they stood listening before he grabbed her hand and danced her around the room, by the time it went onto the second repeat they were making out heavily on the couch, they didn't need to start talking themselves into anything, they'd done that so many times already
I'm tired of loving alone, I don't want to share, meaningful moments, with meaningless people
It'd never add up right, cause the love isn't equal….
They lay listening to the song echoing in their ears when they finished "Babe" she lay in his arms they'd just made love knowing it was the last time "We're doing the right thing"
"For now,"
"Sam" she moaned at him not accepting the end
"I know, I'm not hoping anything for right now, I know we agreed to walk away" he hugged her "Friends is enough for me, if we can't be anything else"
"I'll always love you, this isn't about the lack of love" she leaned up and pecked his lips, putting their wrists together to form a complete heart with an S on her half and an M on his "No regrets?"
"Never" he smiled "I'll love you forever too" he hugged her "So, it's meaningful moments with meaningless people from now on?"
"It will always be meaningless without you there"
So, after falling asleep together for the last time they'd woken up the next morning, and after a painful goodbye they'd parted as friends.
"Hey" he called to her as she walked towards the check in "Do something with this, it's ours" he threw the portable hard drive with the song on it to her
"I promise I will" she smiled,
Yet somehow amidst all those promises and feelings they'd still managed to drift apart, he knew she'd pulled away because she was never going to be alright with girls splayed all over him, and he knew that because he'd never been fine with seeing her doing sexy music videos with eligible, fuckable, unmarried men laying all over her. So, when they'd ceased all contact within 6 months of making all those promises they both understood why, and he'd decided their decision was right, because things had worked out for the best.
He was in his feels again just over a year after the split when he heard the words to his song blasting over the airways, he got home and jumped all over the place for her still thinking about him enough to make that happen. Just a while ago in his dream, it had been him singing that song instead of that guy she'd got to sing it and she was all over him again, so it was more than a coincidence that she was standing across the room from him just now, surely
End of Flashback
"So, are you alright with that?" Finn sat looking in Sam's face, smiling at him dreaming about someone he couldn't have
"Sorry" Santana butted in "I just woke him up" she looked at Sam widening her eyes for him fucking this up "He'll be there 10am sharp a week Monday" she told Finn
"Okay" Finn nodded smiling with his hand waiting to seal the deal
"Monday?" Sam asked hesitant to shake hands "What's happening on Monday?"
"Dubai for two weeks" Santana told him "Weren't you listening to a word?"
"You know I have commitments" he told her "I can't commit to anything else until these two weeks are done"
"Sam" she gasped "It's the opportunity of a lifetime"
"I'll only get one set of parents in my lifetime" he looked beyond Finn again, unable to stop his eyes from focusing on Mercedes, smiling at her sat smiling back at him
"She's mesmerising isn't she? I want her to be my special someone so bad" Finn turned to look at her, Sam couldn't describe the feeling he had for that man sat there with wrong intentions in his head about her, wondering if he had the right to even be thinking that way
"How long have you known her?" Sam nodded at Mercedes sitting over at the makeshift bar, her hair hiding most of her face
"Just over 6 months and I still feel like I'm on probation" Finn laughed
"Probation?" Sam enquired
"Yeah, hard nut to crack, I'm loving the challenge though" he laughed "You ever felt the need to settle?" he asked Sam feeling they'd spent enough time looking at Mercedes
"Not in my line of work" Sam smiled at him "The challenge?" he questioned
"Yeah we're not actually an item, yet" Finn confessed
"So, you're…"
"So, the gig?" Finn looked at him interrupting his thought "I'm willing to wait, my client asked for you by name, I dare not deliver"
"Great" Santana smiled "We'll see you in two weeks then?" she held her hand out for shaking to close the deal "You will stay, enjoy the party for an hour or so?"
"We will" he signalled to the guy to hurry with the drinks, Sam watched Mercedes grab a couple of drinks and rush over
"So, Mercedes, are you breaking into the modelling business?" Santana asked when she'd settled
"She could" Sam smiled at her "But for now she's a sings"
"Yeah" she smiled at him "I sing" she looked at Santana
"I've heard your music" Santana smiled "I expected you to be a lot taller, and maybe a bit more…"
"Bitchy?" Mercedes laughed
"No" Santana laughed "Sorry" she smiled "Modelling world tends to keep you away from everything else"
"Actually, I know exactly what you mean music does the same for me" Mercedes laughed
"Right now, I have nothing as serious as my music in my life" she looked at Sam quickly before focusing on Finn
"He says the same thing about his modelling" Santana looked at Sam
"Yeah, I really wouldn't usually bring my clients to business meetings" Finn grabbed Mercedes' hand and kissed it "But when you get a window after six months of trying, you tend to run with what you get" he laughed
"Window?" Sam looked at Mercedes shocked, she nearly burst out laughing remembering the mini hissy fit she had after she'd been chasing him for three weeks before he finally gave in and admitted his feelings
"Private joke?" Finn asked looking from one to the other
"No" Sam snapped
"Well yeah" Mercedes snatched her hand away from him smiling "Sam and I know each other"
"How?" Finn looked at Sam demanding an answer
"We wrote a song together a long time ago" Sam offered
"It was a bit more than that" Mercedes looked at him
"Mercedes, I really need this job"
"Your jobs safe Sam, I'm the client" she smiled at him
"You remembered our dream?" he smiled
"Of course," she grinned pulling his arm towards her "This is S" she told Finn pulling Sam's sleeve up to reveal the tattoo "And I'm that M" she pulled her sleeve up to join the heart together
"Is this why you agreed to this date?"
"You said it was a date, I just said I was coming to Los Angeles with you" she looked at him
"I just thought…"
"Whatever you thought Finn there was no way anything was ever going to happen between us"
"So, what are…"
"Let me make this clear for you, no"
"This is…" Santana sat looking at Sam, he was speechless for the first time since she'd known him "Priceless" she shook her head laughing "Sam Evans"
"Mercedes Jones…" Finn hissed
"So, you used to sing for the Mercedes Jones?" Santana butted in stopping Finn's conversation
"With" Mercedes corrected her "He's my only love" she looked into his eyes
"God" Sam gasped unsure how long he'd waited to hear that, but knowing he needed to "Sorry dude" he looked at Finn before he turned to Mercedes "You know I'm still in love with…"
"I didn't, but as soon as I saw you I did" she giggled
"Ohh" Santana purred "That's so romantic" her voice breaking with emotion
"Romantic?" Finn asked looking at Mercedes "I thought…"
"Finn please" Mercedes held her hand up at him "You use girls like they're going out of fashion, your reputation precedes you" she sucked air through her teeth
"They didn't mean…" Finn tried to pleading his case
"I should quit while you're still friends" Santana butted in
"is this supposed to be a party?" Finn asked clapping his hands
"Yeah" Santana looked around spotting Brittany and Quinn sitting looking for fun, she saw her chance and leaned over to them "Do you want to join us" she pointed at the couch Finn and the others were sat on
"Sure" Quinn got up "I've always wanted to meet Mercedes Jones" she dashed across leaving Santana and Brittany to themselves
"Do you want to…?" Santana pointed nervously at the others
"You don't mind if we get up close and personal do you?" Brittany asked smiling at Santana
"Not at all" Santana smiled sitting close to her "I've wanted to talk to you for a while"
"Ditto" Brittany grinned
"What was this song you two sang?" Finn asked Sam getting everyone's attention
"I wrote" Sam corrected him
"I'll play it for you" Mercedes told them, she got the remote, pointed to the TV on the wall, found YouTube, then the song "This is it" she pressed play and sat proudly listening
I've been here before, I said I'm done falling, but then I go slip on, mistakes I've made before
I'm about to drown, in these tears on the floor, I said baby, you promised the world, just to cut it in half, I said baby
I'm tired of loving alone, I don't want to share, meaningful moments, with meaningless people
It'd never add up right, cause the love isn't equal…
"You wrote this?" Santana asked smiling "Meaningful moments" she looked at him knowingly
"What about them?" Mercedes asked suspicious
"It's his saying meaningful moments with meaningless people" she confirmed
"It's mine too" she looked at Sam "Are we both thinking of doing what we should be doing"
"With whom we're supposed to be doing it" he smiled
"I've waited so long to hear you say that" she bit her bottom lip grinning
"Meaningful moment?" he smiled wider "I'm going to Tennessee later, will you come with me?"
Pain don't ever leave, you just get used to the way that it hurts, so you think it's what you need, I'm all out of gas and
I said, baby, you promised the world just to cut it in half, I said, baby, I'm tired of loving alone
"I was hoping you'd ask"
"Mom and Dad will be made up to see you"
"Mine too" she giggled "It's been two years since I got home"
"Six for me, being with you I mean" he wiggled his eyebrows "I have an empty bedroom out back"
"So, what are we waiting for?"
"Come on" he stood up holding his hand out "Two weeks" he looked at Santana
"Tell him the same when he comes up from under her" Mercedes told Santana who was in deep conversation with Brittany, as she stood watching Finn and Quinn making out like they'd known each other for years
"Seems like everyone's set for a fun time tonight" Sam laughed taking Mercedes off to his bedroom, leaving song to fill the room
I don't want to share, meaningful moments with meaningless people, it'd never add up right, cause the love isn't equal
I don't want to share, meaningful moments with meaningless people, it'd never add up right, cause the love isn't equal…. 'Meaningful' by Philmon Lee
"We'll need a new song after this" Mercedes giggled watching him lock the door
"I've got a few lyrics up my sleeve" he walked towards her "I'm planning on you putting some music to them in a while"
"Promises, Promises" she giggled falling into his arms