DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN GLEE NOR ITS CHARACTERS BUT THE ONE SHOT I DO!
ENJOY :)
"Papi hired this new bartender slash server. He's white. Can you believe that Mercedes? Blanco."
Mercedes chuckled a bit at her friend's distaste as she walked behind her. She had been ranting and raving about this new hire for the part couple of days. This would be her first time meeting him due to her being super busy with work, along with her night classes. She was indeed thankful for this break because she was exhausted. However, nothing was going to stop her from getting her degree. Tonight was Santana's family annual Christmas party at the restaurant. Due to pandemic, a lot of things weren't normal, but they were making it the new normal around here.
Mercedes pulled her mask down and pressed a kiss against Angelique's cheek as she sat down on the stool next to her, "Let's just see how good he is."
Santana leaned against the counter and looked behind her friend, rolling her eyes, "Here's the gringo now."
"Sam, my name is Sam." He rolled his eyes at her as well as he came forward, redirecting his attention to the girl in front of him, giving her a lopsided grin when she lifted her head, "What can I get you beautiful?"
"Hermosa? Le gusta lo que ve..." Angelique sung lowly as she grabbed a chip from the basket, dipping in the queso, "Ayuda que él también esté bien. Muy."
Mercedes faced the man for the first time, swallowing the lump in her throat as their eyes met. Holy Shit.
Sam chuckled as he took his eyes off of Mercedes and glanced over at Angelique, "Thank you for the compliment."
Angelique was definitely caught off guard, raising a brow as she leaned forward, "Hablas Español?"
"Just a little."
"Color me impressed white boy." Angelique commented before getting off the chair when she felt someone pull her hair. Eyes turning to slits as she hit him on his shoulder, pushing him in the back, "Estas loco?"
"Hey Jorge." Mercedes spoke to the man before her eyes went back to Sam's, who was waiting patiently, "As for getting me something, I'm not sure. The last bartender, Rio, made the best margaritas ever. I'm not sure if you could measure."
Sam smirked, not taking offense to what she was saying, instead, accepting the challenge as he leaned forward so she could hear him over the music, "Preference?"
"On the rocks, sugared rim." She commented as she leaned back, holding his stare for a moment before she caught that he was smiling underneath his mask before he pulled away, "I'm digging this whole Elf costume. Usually men like to go the Santa route."
"I'm not all men." He remarked, hearing her chuckled a bit before he poured the tequila in the cup.
Mercedes watched him closely and in interest as he build her drink. She had to admit that she was intrigued.
After a minute, Sam poured the mixture in the glass then topped in with a few cranberries and a lime wedge before grabbing a napkin and placing it in front of her, "My specialty and something different, a Cranberry Margarita."
Mercedes removed her mask and grabbed the black straw, placing her lips on it and taking a sip. Her face stayed neutral as the flavors swirled in her mouth, but boy were they having a good time. Damn, this is so good she thought. She looked up at the man, who had a smug look on his face, no way she was going to let him get off that easy, "It's alright."
Sam just laughed as crossed his arms over his chest, "If you say so."
"I do." She quipped as she watched him a smile again before he turned back around when he heard a customer call him.
"Excuse me beautiful."
Mercedes watched him and shook her head, turning to the side and jumping when she find Santana right, "Jesus."
"How does it taste?"
"Honestly, it's really good."
"So unorthodox, right? I'll never admit to him but his drinks do be good." The woman admitted before glaring at the man on the other side of the bar, "He's good with the customers and they love him. Surprisingly he doesn't flirt with the ladies. They try hard but he doesn't give in. I questioned that he might be gay but he doesn't give off that vibe. Plus, he just openly flirted with you so he probably does have standards."
Before Mercedes could even comment, one of the regulars had spotted her and came to her with a big smile on his face, "Mercedes, we haven't seen you in forever round here."
"I know, I've been so busy with school, my personal life is little to none existent."
"Understandable. Your education comes first, so keep going sweetheart." The man smiled at her before asking something, "How about a song? We miss your voice around here and we'd love to hear you sing a Latin one before a Christmas one."
"I think I can manage that." Mercedes smiled as she downed the rest of her drink before getting off the stool. She walked up to the stage, grabbing ahold of the mic before going over to the band. Yes, this family had a real live band in the restaurant. She whispered the song she wanted to sing, watching as they all nodded. She went and adjusted the mic stand to her height as they began to play, "I'm a little rusty on my Spanish so forgive me."
"STOP FAKING!"
Mercedes snorted at Santana's voice, moving side to side, her eyes closing momentarily before the words flowed.
Buenas noches, mucho gusto, eras una chica más
Después de cinco minutos, ya eras alguien especial
Sin hablarme, sin tocarme, algo dentro se encendió
En tus ojos se hacía tarde y me olvidaba del reloj
Estos días a tu lado me enseñaron que en verdad
No hay tiempo determinado para comenzar a amar
Siento algo tan profundo que no tiene explicación
No hay razón ni lógica en mi corazón
"Bitch...no this bitch didn't." Angelique remarked with a smile on her face, sitting her beer bottle down, "I haven't heard this song I forever."
Mercedes swayed to the music, smiling at the people, who had been captured by her voice. Even the patrons from the outside patio had abandoned their tables and made their way in. Her eyes found a certain man's watching her, sending him a shy smile before finishing up.
As much as he wanted to keep watching her, he had to go to the back to get another box of napkins. He left the bar and headed to the back room. Hearing the music switch to somebody out there singing "All I Want For Christmas Is You", he chuckled as he put his key the the door to open it. He turned on the light and headed towards the shelf, looking at the names on the outside of the boxes before finding what he was looking for. Before he reached up and grabbed it, he turned around when he heard the door close, along with it locking. Looking down at the woman before him, raising a curious brow, "Can I help you with something?"
"You sure can." Mercedes said as she moved closer to him until she was millimeters away from his face, smirking as she leaned up on her tippy toes and placed her mouth on top of his.
It wasn't too much of a surprise. She lasted longer than he thought she would. He smiled against her lips as he backed her into the door, his hands traveling down her back, only to stop when she pulled away.
"Really, Sam." She finally caught her breath, pushing his shoulder back as he chuckled, "I can't believe you."
"What? I told you I was looking for a second job." He said as he looked at her with a stupid grin on his face, "And how exactly was I suppose to know that this was your best friend's family restaurant? You didn't exactly tell me, you know."
"Touché." Mercedes leaned up and kissed him lightly on the lips before pulling back and wrapping her arms around his neck, eyes going wide for a second before she frowned, "Wait, I did tell you."
"I don't recall." He tried but failed miserably to keep his laugh in when she hit him in the chest, causing him to pout, "Hey."
"You like playing with fire, Sam Evans." She cut her eyes at him, matching his facial expression, "I just want you all to myself before everyone knows."
"Well, you kind of ruined that on your own." He said matter of factly, seeing her confused face, he pointed to something behind her.
Mercedes turned to look to see what he was talking about, seeing the security cameras in the corner, her eyes went wide, "Shit."
"Oh well…" He shrugged as he pushed her further into the door, leaning over and hitting the light switch, "We might as well finish what we started."
Mercedes snorted as leaned into the kiss. This was not how she expected this Christmas to go…making out with her boyfriend of seven months in the storage closet for the remainder of the night.
