If you can spot the scandal reference I will love you forever
Yall aren't going to enjoy this lovebugs. :(
"This condo has three bedrooms, two office spaces, four and a half baths, one chef's kitchen and a large room area, and a dining room space. In order to even have access to the building you need to enter your own personal code, have your key, and go through front desk security which is pretty tight," The relator spoke as she looked at Sam and Mercedes. This was the third place they looked at and if Mercedes was being honest she didn't know what she wanted. This place was beautiful and she probably would love to live here but she felt overwhelmed. Everything was happening and it felt like everyone forgot what happened.
She was being bombarded with the club and luckily for her the Unholy Trinity stepped in, she had to plan a wedding, and she had to look for another place to live. It felt like no one was taking into consideration what Mercedes was going through. Especially Sam.
"I love it, and the security is great. I say we can make an offer," Sam proposed.
Mercedes looked at Sam questioningly before smiling and saying, "Of course, it is lovely when can we move in?"
"Well, a week. In a week you can call this place yours so I guess you guys better start parking ASAP. I'll go let the landlord know that you two are ready to move in." She spoke sweetly as she grabbed her things and exited leaving Sam and Mercedes alone.
"It is going to be amazing coming and living here, there is a gym and a private pool area downstairs," Sam smiled at Mercedes.
"Yeah the place is nice," Mercedes said softly.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, mom wants to go look at wedding venues with today at three."
"Three, Sam it is one o clock." Mercedes stressed.
"I know baby, I know I am going to drop you off over there, and then we can go back to the old place and start packing," Sam said. Mercedes rubbed her temples as Sam listed off his plan. This is what she meant, he took an offer on a condo and she was forced to say the same things because they were a united front, and now she was going to be looking at venues when getting married was the last thing on her mind.
"Are you ok babe?" Sam asked.
"Could we please just go," Mercedes whispered?
"Yes of course," Sam replied. He grabbed Mercedes's hand and they left. When they got in the car Mercedes was quiet as Sam rambled on and on about the wedding, work, and the club. Mercedes let him speak as she prepared herself to be fake with her future mother-in-law about wedding venues. Mercedes could have cared less about the venues. She wasn't ready to get married. Maybe she was before the kidnapping but she wasn't now.
When Mercedes met Mary at the first venue it was a seemingly beautiful hotel. The main ballroom was going to potentially hold the reception. It could have been decorated in any way they so desired. Mercedes liked it but her mind was a bit wayward as Mary and the hotel manager talked to each other joyfully.
"So are you excited for the big day?" The manager asked gleefully.
"Um, ecstatic," replied Mercedes.
"Such a wonderful moment, how did he propose, you must have been a very good girl to pull a ring like that?" She remarked.
"Oh, my daughter likes to keep that one to herself. Do you think maybe we could have the room please," Mary interjected.
"But of course, I will be at the front desk if you need me," Then the manager whisked away leaving Mercedes and Mary alone.
"I think if you want a bunch of people here then this place is perfect for the reception. She also said we have free from to decorate so we can call anyone you like it. Of course, the color scheme is really going to be the deciding choice in all of this. Mercedes dear are you ok?" Mary questioned. Mercedes was unusually quiet and her bright smile was replaced with a solemn look as she looked at the ground, and her hands were shaking a lot.
"That phrase "good girl"," Mercedes began as she felt tears sting he back her eyes, "Will said that, and it has become a trigger."
"Oh dear, I am so sorry for this. Look we can go to the next place, we don't have to do it here."
"No, please I just want to go home. It'll be no good to look at other venues, we'll just have to reschedule. I'm sorry, I'll be good, I'll be good." Mercedes cried. Mary wrapped Mercedes up in a hug as she cried into Mary's shoulder putting a damper on the mood of looking for wedding venues.
NEXT DAY
Sam and Mercedes started their morning off by packing up their old place. Mercedes started in her office and looked around. It wasn't the same place. It used to bring her joy. The multi-colored ballpoint pens, her notebooks place neatly on the desk, her laptop, her file folders. Everything used to be perfect. Now it reminded her of what happened to her. The God-awful smell of chloroform, Will's rough hands taking grasp of her, the moment where her peace was met with mass destruction. It brought back all those memories.
Slowly she popped open the box and started placing things one at a time. It was a nice little routine she developed. She'd take a few things and place them in the box and eventually she got into her own little world, and the little mementos she found gave her back a sliver of joy and happiness.
Sam walked into the office and started grabbing things and placing them in his own box
"Sam what are you doing?" questioned Mercedes.
"Helping you pack, at the rate you're going we won't move in for a month," joked Sam.
"But I wanted to do this room by myself."
"I'm just helping out we can get this room done in no time," Sam replied. Ignoring Mercedes's wishes he kept on packing. Mercedes rolled her eyes and left the room deciding on packing up another room since Sam had interjected into her mini healing moment.
By the time they finished the majority of their apartment was cleaned up. Everything except their immediate toiletries was in boxes. Sam had gone out to go get some food and Mercedes was left alone with her thoughts.
Mercedes was far from dumb. She knew she was suffering from PTSD, she knew she needed therapy, and she knew that in order to heal she had to leave Michigan. She had to go back to Nashville with her mom where there weren't constant memories of Will. She needed to get away even if that meant away from Sam and his parents. She loved them dearly but she had to leave. For herself.
She had her bag packed by the door and she was waiting for Sam. He entered the house and placed the food on the kitchen when he caught wind of Mercedes.
"Baby where are you going?" Sam questioned as he looked at her in her day clothes and tennis shoes.
"I have to go home Sam," Mercedes said.
"Baby we can't move in just yet."
"No, I mean home, home Nashville. Sam, I have to go there. I can't stay here."
"Mercedes you are being ridiculous."
"Sam I learned a lot from being kidnapped and raped for three days straight. One of them was no one was there for me. I had to keep myself alive despite wanting to die every second. I had to be smart, I had to keep my head up the whole time never knowing when Will was going to come back for me or bring one of his sick friends. I was alone. I wasn't ridiculous then and I am damn sure not ridiculous now."
"Mercedes we came for you as soon as we could. Look we are about to get married, we have so much to do."
"Sam you didn't even propose to me in the right way, I was in a hospital bed getting all these tests ran on me, with my face just fresh with bruising and you place the ring on my finger."
"Mercedes, you are leaving me over the proposal?"
"SAM YOU ARE NOT LISTENING TO ME! I HAVE ISSUES, I AM NOT THE SAME PERSON WHO TALKED TO YOU ABOUT GETTING MARRIED! I AM NOT HERE ANYMORE! THAT GIRL WOULD HAVE LOVED TO GO LOOK FOR VENUES WITH YOUR MOM, THAT GIRL WOULD HAVE LOVED TO GO AND EAT CAKE! BUT SAM I DON'T!"
"Mercedes, we are doing the things that we talked about. This is what we have been discussing since we first said I love you. Mercedes we are going through with everything. I saved you for this."
"YOU DIDN'T SAVE ME! YOU HAVE COMPLETELY ACTED LIKE WHAT HAPPENED WAS A SIMPLE EVERYDAY OCCURRENCE AND IT IS NOT! YOU PUSHED ME INTO A CORNER IN THAT DAMN CONDO LEAVING ME NO CHOICE BUT TO SAY YES! I'M ON MY OWN!" Mercedes screamed out. She took the ring off her finger and threw it at Sam's chest before grabbing her back leaving the room and slamming the door shut behind her.
Sam looked at the door and let the tears fall from his eyes. He lost her again and this time, he wasn't sure if he was going to get her back.