*taps the screen* This thing on? Hey, everybody! I don't know what in the heck happened this week, but it would be just my luck to post my first ever story during some type of glitch, wouldn't it? I think everything is working right now? I have no idea, to be honest. But we're here anyway, haha! I read y'all's reviews and want to thank y'all for reviewing and favoriting and stuff so quickly! It felt so amazing to know that you guys love the story and are picking up what I'm putting down. Phew, okay. Without further adieu, chapter 2!
Mercedes and Sam had been in the truck for a while, chatting and catching up before Mercedes just came out with what she had been thinking this entire time, "I still can't believe you're here right now. Are you real? Or did my plane secretly crash and I'm living out some sort of Twilight Zone level fantasy right now?" She stared at him.
"Well," Sam started pulling out of the lot. "I could pinch you, but I don't think that's how it works in the Twilight Zone. I guess you'll just have to wait until we go to leave Detroit and end up back in the cell phone lot."
The two of them laughed.
"Speaking of leaving Detroit," Sam started. "Did you want to get a bite to eat or something? I know you had a long flight."
"Honestly, I can wait until we get back home," Mercedes shrugged. "It's not even really dinnertime in L.A. yet. Plus, I ate on the plane."
"Whoa. You eat airline food? Is it as bad as the jokes say?"
"Oh, nooo," Mercedes's face drew into one of disgust. "I brought my own."
"What? How were you even allowed to do that?"
"Oh, it's completely fine. You just have to have it checked," She explained. "And until airlines are offering me warm tots on either of my connecting flights, I will continue to bring my own food."
"But if you don't eat them right away, won't they get all, like, warm and soggy?" Sam frowned.
Mercedes took a second to reply. "Yeah, I would've been better off with the airline food," She whispered knowingly and they both laughed.
They talked for a few more minutes before Sam pointed out the fact that there was no music playing, "I know you love a good car jam session. Unless that's changed in the last 5 years?"
"It most certainly has not."
"Ok, then play a song. Here," He handed her his phone. "Pick one out. Anything."
Mercedes smirked as she unlocked his phone. His code was his grandfather's birthday. Something else that hadn't changed. "And what if I pick something you don't like?"
Sam shrugged, "Whatever your first pick is, we'll listen to it all the way through."
"Really?" Mercedes looked up from his phone. "No complaining or trying to sneak-change the song on the steering wheel?"
Sam feigned shock, gasping and placing his hand on his chest, "You know I told you that in confidence."
Mercedes laughed loudly. A while back, he told her that whenever he and Stacy were in the car together and she played a song he didn't like, he'd change the song just as it started so she would think that the songs weren't playing because of an "app malfunction."
"You're not getting over on me, Evans. Not tonight. Now, I don't know how on Earth Little Miss Gadget didn't detect your deception, but I'm much older and much wiser than she is," She kept a smile on her face as she looked for a song.
"Fine. No deception over here. Just pure, unfiltered acceptance of whatever song you choose, no matter how horrible," Sam paused. "At least for the first song, anyways."
Mercedes debated on what kind of song to pick. She wanted to pick a song she knew he would hate and have to listen to, but then, "Oh. My. Gosh." She found a song even she couldn't resist the urge to play at that very moment, "I'm coming at you with something serious, Sam. Are you ready?"
"Just please tell me it's not anything by Justin Bieber."
"No, boy," Mercedes snickered. "I wouldn't do myself like that, much less you. Okay. Here we go." She tapped the song and threw her eyes at Sam to catch his reaction.
It's just another night, and I'm staring at the moon
I saw a shooting star and thought of you
"Ugh. I used to LOVE this song," Mercedes sighed nostalgically.
"Yeah, I know. You had me play it for you at least twice a day." Sam joked.
"Oh, whatever," Mercedes smiled as she nudged him. "You loved playing it."
Or, he just loved her. "I guess you could say that."
Mercedes rolled down her window, closed her eyes, and let the song take her away while Sam sang along with her.
So open your eyes and see
The way our horizons meet
And all of the lights will lead
Into the night with me
And I know these scars will bleed
But both of our hearts believe
All of these stars will guide us home
Mercedes' smile grew like crazy as they sang together. She forgot how good it felt. How right it felt.
They continued singing their duet together, with Sam shaking his head at times, wondering how she could do that to him. How she could still have him falling in love with her after 5 years.
After the song was over, Sam repeatedly cut his eyes at Mercedes. She chuckled before finally asking him, "What?"
"Nothing," He shrugged. "You're the same person you've always been, even after all this time. Fame really hasn't changed you, huh?"
Mercedes frowned as she stuck out her bottom lip, "Was it supposed to?"
Just as Sam was about to answer, a car braked in front of him when a truck a few vehicles ahead cut them off.
"I guess it's nice to see L.A. drivers aren't the only ones who are insanely rude." Mercedes smiled to herself.
"Yeah, no, people still haven't learned how to drive over here. But I don't know," Sam admitted as he switched lanes. "People always talk about how much of a different person fame can make you and how it blows your head up and you lose sight of anything that's important."
"Well, they're not wrong." Mercedes shrugged. "I know a lot of famous people, I know a lot of people who became famous while I knew them, and it's a very real thing. But everyone that I knew who lost themselves in the fame became more about their fame than their art. And I know that I wasn't put on this earth, nor did I go to L.A. in the first place to be famous. Sure, fame is kind of a thing that's required to do what I want to do, but I was put on this earth and I went to L.A. to make music. And fame definitely has its perks. I mean, realistically, who would turn down VIP treatments and all-access passes and people smiling and waving at you at every corner?" She chuckled. "But when people give me special treatment or ask for my autograph, I don't think it's just because I'm on some reality show or hand out money for fun. It's because of my music. They love what it represents. They love what I represent. So it's not like... Kim Kardashian-esque fame. It's…" She searched for the right words. "It's love. And I think that love is precious and that it shouldn't be taken for granted, so my head doesn't get big." She said simply.
"Are you sure you're not after an Emmy to go with those Grammys with that speech? It was incredible." Sam smiled.
"Whatever."
"But seriously," Sam's voice got softer. "I think that that's really great. And I'm really glad that you were able to get that. I know it's what you've always wanted."
Mercedes bowed her head and smiled a little, "Yeah it is. But it wouldn't have happened without you." She looked up at him. "And you know the last thing I want is to thank a man for my success."
They both chuckled.
Mercedes shook her head and shrugged, "But everything I've achieved, everything I've gotten to do, everything I've become, it all started with you. If you hadn't posted my video, I never would've even thought that I could do any of this or—"
"Oh, no that's not at all true, Mercedes," Sam interrupted as they crossed over into Ohio. "You didn't need me. You were destined to make it. Between your voice and your lyrics, and just… you, there was no way you weren't making it," He stole intense glances at her in between checking the road and his other surroundings. "Sure, I might have accelerated that just the tiniest bit or given you the extra vote of confidence you needed, but you were always going to get there. It was meant to be." Each of his stolen glances revealed her to him more and more. He noticed the way she still fiddled with any and everything when she was uncomfortable. He noticed the way the light of the sunset created an aura around her, bouncing off of her beautiful skin as her chest heaved slowly with her breaths. He noticed the way her eyes did that flitting thing while she looked at him like she was searching for something on his face. Something she only did when she was worried or nervous. "Mercedes, aris everything ok—"
"Sam I need to tell you-" Mercedes started but was interrupted by the abrupt jerking of her seatbelt against her, restraining her as the truck slammed on brakes.
The truck from before that had no business on the interstate, much less the left lane, had done the same, sending all the vehicles behind it into a red light frenzy. Sam had to swerve to avoid hitting the car in front of him.
Before he even put his foot back on the gas, he looked over at his friend, "Oh, my God. Are you okay?" He asked urgently.
"Yeah," Mercedes said, dazed, "Yeah I think so." She grounded herself against her seat to try to calm herself down.
"Are you sure? You're not hurt or anything?"
"I, uh," Mercedes frantically looked herself up and down and rubbed her collarbone where the seatbelt did its worst. It was sore, but nothing else was injured, "I don't think so, no."
Sam sighed a sigh of relief, but looked to see that she was still visibly shaken up, "Mercedes," He said slowly. "Are you absolutely positive you're alright? You've been acting kind of nervous since we left the airport."
Mercedes was freaking the hell out. Why had the truck that had been causing them trouble waited all this time to nearly cause a 5 car pile-up just as she was going to profess her love for her ex-boyfriend? She had no idea what to make of it. Was it just a coincidence? Couldn't have been. It must've been a bad omen. Was she making the wrong choice?
With no answer from her, Sam decided to get off the road. He quickly switched lanes again to take the next exit that was luckily right in front of them. He decided now was as good a time as any to get some gas. He parked the truck and turned it off. "Be right back," He said just before leaving the truck and going into the store.
Mercedes put her face in her hands and groaned, "Why is this my life?" She asked exasperatedly. She rolled her window down to get some air but quickly decided that wasn't enough and just opened her door. At first, she thought that Sam surprising her was a sign that she was on the right track. But the fact that she just almost inadvertently caused an accident on the highway makes it really feel like she was wrong. Ok, maybe that was an exaggeration. But it still didn't feel right.
Sam came jogging back to her door with a bag in his hand, "Okay, so I've got some water and a couple of those huge Rice Krispie Treats you used to like. I don't know if you still like them or not. Oh, and I got some chewing gum to help keep you distracted, too." He handed her the bag, "There's some stuff in there for me but you're welcome to any of it."
Mercedes both frowned and smiled a little, "Okay." She thanked him as she took the bag.
"Are you alright? Since when do you have panic attacks?" He touched her arm, gently squeezing it.
Mercedes' smile left, leaving the frown as she tried to ignore the chills his touch sent down her spine, "I- what? No, I'm-" She paused. "I don't have panic attacks. I mean I get performance anxiety every now and then but that wasn't a panic attack." She pointed behind her, referencing the moments after her life flashed before her eyes. "It was just…"
"Freaky, right? For that truck to slam on brakes out of nowhere?"
Mercedes shook her head and chuckled mirthlessly, "You have no idea." She looked down at her feet before feeling Sam staring at her. She tilted her head and stared back at him. She could just kiss him right now and make all of her feelings known. He was already touching her so the mood was set and she wouldn't have to fumble around and over herself and her words. It was probably a better way to do it, too. They weren't quite within kissing distance, but it was close enough. All she had to do was shift her gaze down from his striking eyes to his lips and go for it. She could do it.
And she would've, if fate hadn't caused Sam to get a phone call at the exact moment she went to shift her gaze, making it nearly vibrate onto the floor and squashing her hopes and dreams like a bug once again.
She jumped, slightly startled, "I've got it." She kept her gaze for a second before reaching across the middle console to get the phone. She looked at who was calling and ruining her moment and looked confused, "Why is my brother calling you?"
Sam gasped, "Oh, crap." He took the phone from her hand. "I forgot we were supposed to meet to play pool tonight." He answered the phone and stepped out of earshot.
Mercedes used this time to check her own phone. She noticed she had a text from her manager,
GMA3 appearance? Next Friday? Keke, Michael, and Sara ADORED you and the fans want an encore.
She threw her head back and groaned for the second time in the last few minutes. So much for some time off. She was sending a text back as Sam came back up to the window.
"Sorry about that. We're in the clear now. He's just making me pay for his drinks every week now until he sees fit. I told him that'll just have to work because I have something more important to do." He smirked.
Mercedes adjusted herself away from the man and tilted her head in amazement, "You have a running pool date with my brother?"
"Yeah, did he not tell you?"
Mercedes mouth fell slightly agape, "No, he didn't."
"Hmm," Sam said. "Well, look, I know you probably don't have an appetite after all that back there, but if there's any chance that you do, there's this really great restaurant that's right up the road, it's amazing. I'd love to take you there."
Mercedes nodded. She did want to meet him for dinner, after all, "I could eat, actually, yeah."
"Alright, awesome. Let's get out of here then." Sam smiled as he closed Mercedes' door and went around the front of his truck to get in.
"Uh, Sam." Mercedes stuck her head out of the window that was still down.
Sam stopped before he got halfway around the truck and looked back, "Yeah?"
Mercedes looked back at the gas pump, "You haven't gotten any gas yet."
He blushed, "Oh, I should probably do that."
"Yeah you probably should." Mercedes replied amusedly. Sam was still full of surprises. Checking up on her? Remembering her favorite snacks? Hanging out with her brother? She had been given so many signs and had no clue what to make of any of them. If she knew one thing by now, she knew that he and the universe were not going to make it easy for her to tell him how she feels. But she knew she had to. She could just feel it. And dinner was going to be where she did it.
Chapter 2 is down! So, what do we think? I wanted to throw a little bit more angst into the mix this chapter (but I don't know why because I hate angst?). If you ask me, Mercedes just needs to get to it already. I guess we'll see what happens in chapter 3. Hope y'all enjoyed this chapter and I can't wait to hear from you should the site decide it wants to act right… anyways. Love, peace, and soul y'all!
