Thank you for your continued support, for this and my other stories.
Standard disclaimer.
Morning found Mercedes sitting, with her head in space, being attended to, by Santana. She was completely oblivious to what her nurse was doing.
Santana took the stethoscope from her ears, after listening to Mercedes' chest and rested it on the counter. She stood for more than a minute afterwards, watching her charge sit, with a dreamy expression on her face.
She smiled to herself, because she knew that look. That was the look of someone completely smitten by another.
"Your face," she said in an alarming tone. That brought Mercedes out of whatever world she was in. Anxiously, she answered,
"What? Is there something on it?" Santana wanted to laugh so bad, but she kept her expression serious.
"I can see it. You're completely gone and you barely know him." Mercedes' face morphed into a smile, automatically making Santana smile also. She said,
"I thought you were on my side." A cheeky Santana said,
"Me, I'm just facilitating." Mercedes went quiet after that and Santana knew exactly what she was thinking. She braced herself for the inevitable question.
"You think I could see him again?"
"Maybe, in a week. I want to make sure you're okay."
"What am I supposed to do until then?"
"Hmm. When was the last time you posted a review?" Santana asked, as she moved away to write up a progress report.
Mercedes pondered that question for a few seconds, noting that she hadn't posted for a while. She decided to do just that.
After a while, she checked the time, it was just after ten, so that meant it was just after seven in New York. A three hour difference. She decided that it was too early to call her best friend. She would call him later.
Meanwhile, over at the Evans' household, tension was in the air. Sam's mother, Mary, and his dad Dwight, were arguing… about work.
His father was in a foul mood. He liked to work. There were times when he didn't have a job and things were extremely hard for the family. He vowed the day he got work again, he would do whatever it took to keep it.
He loved his family and he couldn't understand why his wife would get mad at him for working hard to provide for them.
The straw that broke the camel's back, was when she accused him of having an affair. The absurdity of it threw him. He looked at her as she shouted at him, and for the first time in his life, he felt disrespected by her. He stormed out of the house and went to work.
Sam and Stacy were at the table having breakfast, when all of this was going on. The two looked at each other, took up their un-touched breakfasts and placed them in the microwave.
Stacy headed to her room, locking the door and Sam headed out with his trusty skateboard, to clear his mind.
Mercedes had just finished posting a review, on the book Santana had given her as a birthday present. She felt good about what she wrote, so she decided to call her best friend. It was now after eleven, so that would make it after eight in New York.
Blaine answered on the second ring.
"Hi best friend. I haven't heard from you in a while."
That was true. Since Sam and his family arrived, which was weeks ago, she hasn't touch base with him.
"I'm sorry Blaine. You're right. I guess I was a bit… busy."
'And distracted,' she thought to herself. Blaine could hear the misery in her voice and it pained him to know he might have caused it.
"Hey, don't feel bad. This friendship goes both ways, you know. I haven't called either. And like you, it's not that I didn't want to, I was also busy. Things have been moving pretty fast with me and Kurt… I have so much to tell you, but first, I want to know, how my best friend is doing."
A smile blossomed on her face. She wished she could see him in that moment.
"I'm doing fine. Great, actually. Things have been… looking a lot better lately." Blaine's curiosity peaked.
"Ooh! Does this have anything to do with a certain green-eyed gentleman? Cause I have to tell you, since he and his family left New York, I haven't heard a single thing from him."
Heat flooded Mercedes' face. She was tempted to avoid Blaine's question, but besides her mum and Santana, she knew Blaine genuinely cared about her and wanted better for her.
"Maybe."
"Oh, come on Mercedes, you've got to tell me everything."
And she did.
Blaine was over the moon for his friend. It made him happy that she was happy. Sam was an outstanding guy with a good head on his shoulders and he told her as much.
"He's a rare one Mercy. He's mature and very responsible. He cares for people and wears his heart on his sleeve. I couldn't wish for anyone better for my best friend. I know nothing is set in stone and there are challenges to overcome, but I can tell you this, Sam will never give up, until he is forced to and even then, he'll be thinking of a way to work things out."
"Thank you for telling me that Blaine. He seems exactly as you say. I really like him. He makes me feel special, just by the way he looks at me. I don't think that I am imagining these things."
"You're not. Trust me. Just take each day as it comes and have some fun along the way. Promise me that."
"I will. I promise. When are you going to come for a visit and bring Kurt? And I haven't received that picture you promised me."
Laughter echoed down the line from Blaine.
"I'm not sure yet about the visit, but as soon as I go off the line, I will send the picture. We are currently looking for an apartment, so that we can move in together. It's a big step, seeing that we haven't known each other that long, but it feels right."
That was something that Mercedes could relate to. Something felt right whenever she thought about Sam. Seeing him and hearing his voice made everything that she was going through felt ten times easier than before.
"I know what you mean. If this is what your heart tells you to do, then do it. Nothing beats a try, but a failure. I'm so happy for you and Kurt. I'm sending virtual hugs and kisses for the both of you… and remember, I love you, always."
"I love you too, Mercy. Thank you for the hugs and kisses. Do me a favor, when you see my other best friend, can you please tell him I said hi? Oh, and tell him I'm not calling him either."
That brought a loud guffaw from her. She could just picture Blaine now, his big hazel eyes twinkling with amusement and a mock scowl on his face.
"Okay, I will. Have a good day baby."
"You too, my dear Mercy."
The day wore on and not once did Mercedes see Sam. She missed him, terribly. That night, she went to bed with a heavy heart.
For the next few days, she hardly saw him. He was always on his way out whenever she saw him and she believed in her heart that he was returning late, when she would already be in her bed.
She couldn't help but to think wayward thoughts at his current behavior.
'Maybe he doesn't really like me… or… he's found someone more suitable. God! I just wish I knew what was going on with him.'
It's been almost a week, that Sam has been acting distant and quite frankly, Mercedes has had enough. She picked up her phone and dialed his number.
"Hey Sam. Where are you?" she asked.
"Skating in Venice." His errant reply made her pause. "Shit! I'm sorry. Mercedes?"
At this point, she knew that something was definitely going on with him. However, she pacified her voice and spoke to him.
'No sense in adding to whatever it was, that seems to be bothering him.'
"No! You should enjoy that… for both of us."
On the other side, Sam felt like scum for being rude to her. To him, she was the sweetest person he knew, not to mention, he wanted her, badly.
"It's boring without you," he said. This brought a smile to her face.
"What makes you think that I'd make it any better?"
"Well, there are no girls here, so, who am I supposed to show off to?" This time, she chuckled. She told him,
"Oh. I'd didn't take you for the show off type."
"You'd be surprised how much I would show off, just to see that pretty smile on your face."
"Flattery will get you nowhere... but, I'll give you points for that. So listen, on Tuesday, Santana has the night off, and my mom's working a double shift. So, I figured… maybe… you can come over… and we could watch the fireworks from the sun room."
"Wait, Tuesday… that's July fourth?"
"Yeah. Do you have plans or something?" she asked.
"No. I'm not very popular." She giggled when he said that, because she highly doubted that. She decided to humor him.
"Lucky for me then, I guess. So, I'll see you then?"
"Sure. I will see you then Mercy. But I beg to differ, I'm the lucky one." She smiled at his use of her nickname and at his kind words.
"Okay. Bye Sam."
"Bye."
She was so excited, she almost forgot that he was distant for a while, but hearing him and knowing he was going to come over, pushed that thought far, far away.
July fourth rolled around.
Her mom was taking her temperature, amongst some other medical routines.
"I don't know how Santana and I got our wires crossed. I don't want to leave you alone tonight. It's the fourth of July. Know what? I'll see if someone can cover for me."
That was the one thing Mercedes didn't want to hear. She tried to think of something to say that would change her mother's mind.
"I'll be fine," she said, as convincingly as she could.
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I'll be okay."
"What're you gonna do tonight?" her mom asked, hoping that she wouldn't be too lonely.
"I guess I'll read a book or something."
Her mom smiled. Her daughter had to be the strongest person she knew. She faced her challenges daily, with a contented smile on her lovely face, not once complaining. She finished her routine, kissed her on her forehead and set off to work.
Later on, Mercedes was dressed in a white spaghetti strapped dress, and sitting across the room from Sam.
As usual, he was dressed in all black and as usual, she thought he looked very handsome.
He was currently speaking about Calculus and its ability to indicate the future and Mercedes' mind was internally asking,
'What if he thinks that we have nothing in common?' As he continued to speak on the subject, his eyes held hers and he too was internally rambling.
'I'm more nervous than she is and she has never left the house.' Her next thoughts swirled, even as she told him,
"I didn't really see you as a Math person."
'How can he be this cute… and smart?'
Sam licked his lips. She looked so lovely sitting in her hanging chair. He didn't know what to say to her statement, but in his mind, he was saying,
'She thinks I'm dumb.' Eventually, he looked right at her and asked,
"Why not?"
"Because you're in summer school."
'He thinks I'm dumb.'
More nervousness attacked Sam. He almost forgot what she said. He crossed his long legs and bounced the one on the ground. Seconds later, his hand was in his hair and he was thinking,
'I should cut my hair,' as he replied, "Right. That's because my dad moves around a lot." Mercedes was thinking,
'His hair could save my life.'
She stood from her chair, walked over to his side and sat on the opposite end of the couch he was sitting on. His eyes never left her.
A comfortable silence loomed for a few moments. They were both nervous.
Sam un-crossed his legs and she crossed hers. They didn't realize it, but both sat with their arms crossed on their laps. Finally, Mercedes spoke.
"This is an ellipsis." Sam chuckled.
"Does that mean we're having an awkward silence or that you're thinking?"
"Both," she answered.
"What are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking that… we should probably agree to be friends."
"I don't think you have that much restraint," he cheekily answered.
"Well, my life is an exercise in restraint… so…" Still in a playful mood, he asked,
"Does this mean I can't look at your lips anymore?"
"No."
"Your dimple?"
"I don't have dimples."
"Your hair?"
"Friends," she said, giggling.
"Ellipsis," Sam replied, as he stood and went to the window.
He looked at the plant life on the outside for few seconds, before he turned to her, placed his hands in his pockets and said,
"You make me want to stay in Los Angeles."
"Then, stay," she said, almost as a whisper.
She stood then, and turned in his direction. It took Sam a few seconds to realize that she was walking towards him. He drew in a sharp breath, and asked,
"What are you doing?"
"Moving closer to you."
"Is that okay?" he asked, removing his hands from his pockets and placing them behind his back, before they took on a life of their own.
"Yes, it's okay," she replied, her voice almost a whisper and came to a stop a hand length in front of him.
"Okay," he said, making a small step forward.
"I should tell you that we shouldn't push our luck, but I can't. I don't want to," she said.
Sam swallowed hard.
His hands itched to grab her and kiss her senseless. Now that he thought about it, this was surely a lesson in restraint.
He looked at her, holding her gaze and softly asked, "You sure?"
She stepped directly in front of him, looking up into his eyes and whispered, "Yes."
What happened next was pure spontaneity.
Sam's hands came from behind his back as his body encountered hers and their lips met in the most sensual kiss he's ever had. Fireworks went off in the background, but the two were completely oblivious, to anything, but the other.
His huge hands almost lifted her from the ground, when their lips locked. His thumbs ended up resting on the side of her breasts, unconsciously caressing them, whilst her hands went up to his shoulders and loosely around his neck, finally, making their way into his silky blonde hair.
He felt her go up on her toes, for more leverage, deepening the kiss, and like a thirsty traveler in the desert, he drank his fill.
He pulled her soft body even closer, savoring the feel of it flush against his and wishing that the moment would never end.
After what seemed like minutes, the kiss broke. She looked into his dazed eyes and quietly asked,
"Is it always like that?"
He didn't have to think about his answer. Any other girl that he's kissed before, paled in comparison to her. It was as if his body was attuned to hers and hers alone.
He won 't ever be able to look at another girl or kiss them, without thinking about her. He lost piece of his heart right there and then, and something told him, she had it and was keeping it. It would be safe with her.
"It's never like that," he replied, looking into her eyes. Seconds later, their lips were locked again, in a deep, passionate kiss, where each gave as good as they got.
After a while, they stood looking into each others' eyes and finally, they stood in a loving embrace, with her head resting on his chest, whilst his hands stayed anchored around her waist.
There were no words to describe what Sam was feeling.
His mind had emptied of everything, even the problems with his family. He placed a soft kiss on her hair and as he lifted his head, he realized that they had missed the fireworks.
In Mercedes' mind, she was floating. She felt warm, happy and at peace.
Her mom, her sickness and the glass prison that surrounded her, were the furthest things from her mind. In Sam's strong arms, she was safe and secure. The only thing that mattered, was, the here and now.
She shifted slightly, putting her arms around his trim waist, snuggling deeper into him.
A contented sigh escaped her and she tightened her grip on him, listening to the rhythm of his heartbeat.
'I like him, I really really like him,' she internalized. After that, her pretty face blossomed into a sweet, contented smile.
That's it for this chapter. I hope it was worth the read. Much love to you.