very long fuse, too hot a flame
Mercedes hung back, lingering by the kitchen's entrance as he opened the fridge. Taking out two bottles of water, Sam closed the fridge's door, a smile that was all warm play splaying across his mouth as he went to her, passing her one bottle.
Mercedes popped up an eyebrow even as she accepted the bottle. "I see you continue leaning towards the Dark Side, my young Sam Evans," she told him, her tone undecided between even and amused.
Sam chuckled, instantly knowing she had his number exactly right. "Whatever could you mean? I just like getting the ladies water after they've had their… What was it? Their fourth apple martini."
"It was five, which explains why I'm up to referencing Star Wars. It also explains your gentlemanly as hell no water. You, Samuel Evans, like to get ladies sobered up so as not to take advantage, which is gentlemanly unless you're trying to sober up your best friend and roommate, who will not succumb to any of your multiple seduction tactics when she gets slightly less intoxicated."
Sam gave her a look; Mercedes turned her face slightly. "Didn't look like that at the club."
"That was dancing, Sam," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She kept her focus trained elsewhere.
Sam swallowed, feeling guilty because she'd sounded miserable when she spoke a moment ago.
A beat, and he'd walked past her before settling down on the couch. "Ok, so I promise: no more seduction tactics for tonight. It's a week before midterm madness starts at your school and it's my last day off before end of week and weekend craziness begins at Royale, so why don't we sit down and enjoy the hell out of Empire?"
Mercedes smiled and started towards him, sitting down on the couch. All the way over as far as she could sit while remaining in the medium sized piece of furniture.
"Sam?" Her voice was quiet and shaded shy as the first episode ended, credits flashing in clear letters.
"Yeah?" Sam responded, turning so that he was watching her, her profile.
Mercedes kept her eyes trained on the screen, her tongue coming out to wet her beautifully full lips. "Why are you so intent on this whole roomies with benefits deal?"
Sam grinned, blood going several degrees hotter, the question not entirely unexpected. "There's like... probably a whole universe of reasons why, Mercedes."
She nodded, still not turning. "But,… — aside from the obvious 'men looove sex' sort of reasons. Why?" She turned now, her brown eyes serious and steady in the darkness, and Sam knew her enough to be certain she would weigh his answer, knew that she would lean one way or the other depending on what he said and whether what he said made any sense at all when placed beside who he was.
He swallowed once, keeping their eye contact unbroken. "Because I don't want it to be someone else, —"
"Sam, that is just wr—""
"No, I don't mean it like that. Well, a little like that… but, just," he assured her, his voice dropping to a too honest, raspy whisper. "Just…— I don't want it to be someone who's getting to know you and who digs you a lot but who hasn't memorized your walk or isn't completely obsessed with that little birthmark on your left breast, someone who doesn't know what your typical reaction to WALL – E is, and doesn't feel everything inside himself stop and pay attention when you perform, Mercedes. I… I don't want all of your first real experiences tied up to someone who appreciates you enough. I want those to be tied to someone who loves you so madly, so deeply, so completely that he sometimes finds it hard to remember how to breathe when you're around."
Mercedes nodded as he talked, looking scared, looking as though she were considering. She remained silent for beats as he finished, then she was scooching over closer.
"This is such a bad idea."
Sam moved towards her, as little space between them always the natural gravity when it came to Mercedes. He ruthlessly didn't want to give her enough time to change her mind, so he was swift, swift in framing her face with his hands, swift in catching her mouth with his for a lingering instant: breath flowing, one hand traveling to the back of her neck, smooth, the pressure of her breasts soft and perfect against his chest.
He weighed her reaction to him as they separated, loving the new hot darkness in her eyes as she looked up, her breathing already gone slightly uneven, — "I think we both know this is the best idea ever."
~#~