Music boomed loudly in the background behind Finn's aggressive, agitated body. Mercedes's eyes widened, and she was instantly flooded with guilt. Sam, however, hadn't put the pieces of the puzzle together and was bewildered at Finn's anger and Mercedes's reaction.
Mercedes opened her mouth to respond to Finn, but Sam beat her to it.
He asked confusedly, "What's going on, dude?"
Finn flicked his eyes towards Sam, but turned back to Mercedes and folded his arms waiting on some sort of explanation to pacify him. Everything had backfired. This wasn't what Finn had wanted to happen. He was always screwing up. Sam was the first-string quarterback, while Finn was the second-string. Sam had better grades and better friends and now he had somehow managed to woo Mercedes.
Life was a bitch.
Mercedes took a deep breath, trying to think of the best way to defuse the situation—while Finn was waiting on her response before he broke Sam's face in. She stepped away from Sam and turned to face Finn completely.
Mercedes began warily, "I'm sorry, but you know we weren't exclusive. I just—please understand. I didn't do it to hurt you. It just kind of happened."
Finn laughed darkly and said mockingly, "It just fucking happened? What kind of bullshit is that, Mercedes? What happened to 'letting it grow' and 'cultivating' instead of 'suffocating'? I'm pretty sure stuffing your tongue down somebody's throat isn't very conducive to developing a relationship!" Finn's face had turned red, and he'd taken a menacing step towards Mercedes.
Then comprehension dawned on Sam. Mercedes was the girl Finn had been talking about when he'd been so happy, but according to Mercedes they weren't exclusive. That meant Mercedes was fair game.
"Finn, calm down," Sam put in warningly.
Mercedes started at Sam's casual use of Finn's name and exclaimed in disbelief, "You guys know each other?"
Sam whispered from the corner of his mouth, "Roommates," but Finn began to yell over him.
"Don't tell me to calm down, Sam. You have no right, and you should keep your big ass lips to yourself! Just because you drew those stupid sketches all the time and fawned over her doesn't mean you have some sort of priority over Mercedes. She is mine."
Mercedes eyes flashed, and her guilty conscious was assuaged by Finn's accidental confession. She walked up to Finn and got perilously close to his face. She spoke quietly, but her words were laced with barely controlled rage. Every word she spoke was punctuated by a sharp poke to Finn's chest.
"Finn David Hudson. You knew that Sam was looking for me?"
Finn's eyes bulged at his mistake and his expression turned to one of horror. Sam's expression now mirrored Finn's earlier murderous look.
"Baby..." Finn began.
"No!" Mercedes cried. "How could you keep that from me? And Sam? You actively pursued me, knowing that Sam was driving himself crazy looking for me. You are definitely not the person I thought you were! I admit, maybe I shouldn't have kissed Sam out of respect for you, but it seems as if you didn't deserve my respect. Finn, we are not and never were boyfriend and girlfriend. We made no commitments to being monogamous. And, frankly I am glad we didn't because you are an asshole."
Char had appeared in the doorway and closed the door behind her. She had tried to stop Finn from going outside, but after a few dances he got antsy and slipped away from her. After dancing with him, she'd initially thought maybe she had judged him too harshly and quickly, but he knowingly kept Mercedes and Sam apart. Of course she'd done it too, but it was for the greater good (love!) and Finn had done it for himself. If it was one thing she hated more than keeping secrets, it was people who were selfish beyond reproach.
No one took any notice of Char yet, and they stood glaring at each other.
Finn flushed and tried to think of a way to explain his actions—to put a positive spin on it, but nothing sputtered out. He thought of flipping the script, but things were too far gone by that point.
He sighed in defeat. "I'm sorry."
Sam who'd been quiet through Mercedes's entire angry exchange with Finn looked at him incredulously. Then Sam laughed. "Sorry?"Sam exclaimed. "You're FUCKING sorry?! I've been driving myself crazy these past weeks, and you as the smug bastard that you are just sat there and let me!"
Then he punched Finn in the face-hard. Char gasped, and Mercedes cried, "Don't, Sam!"
Finn went down, but scrambled up quickly. He shoved Sam away trying to avoid a full scale fight, but Sam just lunged and punched Finn again in the face. Finn felt blood began to trickle from his nose, and then Sam aimed and punched him in the gut twice. Finn doubled over and moaned,
"Shit! I think you fucking broke my nose."
Sam yelled, "You deserve it, you dick!" He pulled back his arm again, but Mercedes grabbed it. He turned on her furiously, but one look into her chocolate brown eyes dissipated his anger. He felt like a douche for losing control in front of her, but Finn had it coming. Mercedes tugged on his arm again, "He's not even worth it Sam." Sam nodded in agreement. He didn't know how he was going to live in an enclosed room with Finn anymore. He could have easily ended Sam's torment, but he let him go on being a sad, love-sick puppy instead of ending his misery.
Sam's knuckles were bruised and bleeding lightly. Mercedes added, "We should go get you cleaned up." She still couldn't believe Finn's audacity. She had thought he was different, but it had become clear that he wasn't. Mercedes turned to Char and asked, "Will you be alright? And Kurt?"
Char nodded hurriedly. "We'll be fine. Kurt's bonding with some Blaine guy over Alexander McQueen."
Mercedes waved goodbye to Char and grasped Sam's good hand, and he allowed her to lead him away. Mercedes muttered, "asshole" to Finn as they stepped over his body where he was moaning softly into the ground.
Mercedes and Sam disappeared into the night, and Char bit down on her lip nervously. She'd worn off all her lipgloss—tonight had been agonizing. She was mad as hell at Finn, and he truly was a jerk, but she couldn't just leave him there.
She crouched down beside him and gently touched his back.
"Are you okay, Finn?" she inquired and then cringed at the stupidity of her question. He'd just betrayed his own roommate and her best friend, and then promptly gotten his ass beat.
Finn's reply was muffled by the ground. "Do I look okay?"
Char sighed tiredly. She abandoned her crouched stance and sat on the ground beside Finn.
"I know how it feels," she declared.
Finn turned his head towards her, but stayed lying on the ground.
"You know what getting your ass handed to you feels like?" he asked bemusedly.
A small ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
"No, Finn. I know how it feels to want something you can't have." She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. She squeezed her eyes together tightly. Finn was still in pain, but he was moved by her defensive position. He grunted in discomfort as he moved to sit up. The blood that had began to dry up on his face cracked with his movements, but he ignored it. He scooted towards her, and put his hand on top of one of her arms.
"What couldn't you have?" Finn asked softly. He couldn't imagine Char having a problem snagging any guy. She had an infectious laugh, and her dancing skills were downright sinful. Her shoulder-length hair shined and bounced every time she moved.. Her hazel eyes were memorizing, and she was curvy in all the right places. She was loud and giggly, but instead of annoying, it tended to be endearing.
She opened her eyes and smiled sadly at him.
"My parents," she answered. Finn hadn't been expecting that answer, and Char didn't seem to want to elaborate. He scooted closer to her, hoping to offer some sort of comfort, but she quickly slid away from him. She didn't want Finn to get the wrong impression. She didn't want his sympathy, and she didn't really want his comfort. She still disliked him, and he went against everything she stood for.
"Finn. You should really go fix yourself up, and lie down," Char suggested flatly.
He smiled humorlessly. "Well considering Sam wants to kill me, I don't think going to my room would be the best place to go. I don't really have anywhere else to go. I might as well stay in the dirt."
Char rolled her eyes. She always got into these predicaments. She didn't want another fight to happen between Finn and Sam, but she couldn't leave him on the ground with a face caked with blood.
She tugged at her bangs and suggested begrudgingly, "I suppose you can rest in my room. My roommate was kicked out for possession of cocaine, so there's an empty bed."
Finn observed her stiffened body position and could tell she didn't really want him there, but he didn't have much of a choice. "Thanks," he replied gratefully.
She scoffed at the back of her throat as a response and stood up. She brushed the dirt from herself and said, "I have to go tell Kurt. Stay here, Hudson." He raised his eyebrows at her odd use of his last name instead of his first name, but he shrugged it off. She flitted inside, and he could hear drunken yells and surmised that the party was still in full swing. He didn't even get to enjoy it. Finn touched his stomach and grimaced at the lingering soreness. Maybe he had made a mistake, but he was tired of coming in second. He still had residual feelings for Mercedes and seeing her angry had kind of turned him on. Char had put an entirely new light on things, though. She was caring in a way that he wasn't. She had came outside to check up on Mercedes, and then she'd went inside to make sure Kurt would be alright if she left. Finn would've trusted his friends to be fine on their own; they were old enough to take care of themselves, why make any inquiries? But, Char was different, and it kind of made Finn ashamed that he was so callous towards other people—especially his "friends." He sighed loudly and winced when he felt his gut ache from Sam's punches.
"You ready?" Char had returned. She had a small, happy smile on her face. "Blaine's taking care of Kurt. He's such a sweetheart. So, we can go now." The bubbly quality had almost returned to her voice.
She offered Finn her hand. His hand dwarfed her small one, and he marveled at the contrast of their skin. His pale skin and her caramel skin. She helped hoist him up, and they made their way towards her dorm room.
As they walked, Char glanced at Finn. She announced firmly, "Finn, I don't like you. I might never like you. You're a mean, selfish person, and redemption is difficult. Absolutely no funny business when you're in my room and me helping you out does not mean we are friends or even acquaintances. Just so we're clear." He looked shocked at her bluntness, but Char just shrugged.
When they made it to her room, she found her first aid kit and tossed it at Finn.
"Use anything you need, and then you can sleep I guess. Are you a light sleeper? I hope not. I tend to snore." She smiled slightly to herself. "Anyway, I'm going to bed. It's been a long night."
Finn nodded at her instructions and turned to go into the bathroom, but then he saw Char out of the corner of his eye. She had begun to strip out of her clothes. She apparently slept in her underwear and made no move to be modest for Finn. It wasn't like she liked him after all. Finn took note of her black strapless bra that barely contained her full breasts and lacy black underwear with red trim. She was also sporting a tiny, studded belly button ring. She climbed into her bed which was covered with stuffed animals—a giant giraffe, a fuzzy pink alien, a small chihuahua, and a huge yellow Pikachu. Finn hadn't noticed that he'd stopped his trek to the bathroom and was staring, until Char cleared her throat in annoyance.
"Wanna to take a picture, Hudson?" Char then tugged her covers over her body.
Finn flushed, muttered, "Sorry," and hurried to the bathroom.
The sun's morning rays streamed steadily through the window.
"Sam?" Mercedes questioned sleepily. She turned in her bed and pulled her phone that still had the IN CALL screen up closer to her face.
There was a few moments of silence and then she heard a muffled yawn.
"Morning, beautiful." Sam greeted, his voice still thick with sleep. Mercedes burrowed her head into her pillow and squealed. She couldn't believe that Sam was still on the phone. She'd never fallen asleep on the phone with anyone before. It was so surreal.
"How are your knuckles feeling, Sam?"
"Better, thanks to you. Your bandaging skills are epic."
She giggled softly, and then said reluctantly, "I should go shower."
Sam replied, "Alright, darlin'. I'll see you later today for our first date extravaganza."
Mercedes smiled brightly and happily bade Sam goodbye. She stretched luxuriously and did a mini-happy shimmy in her bed. Before Finn had betrayed her, she'd thought he was so great, but Sam felt more real. And, something told her she wouldn't be as reluctant to start a real relationship with him, but she'd give it some time. They still had a lot to get to know about each other. After she'd fixed Sam's knuckles, he went back to his dorm room, then they had exchanged numbers and talked all night. They knew a bunch of little details about each other, and they knew about each others families too. Still, a full 24 hours hadn't even passed since their fateful meeting. Sam and Mercedes had a lot of ground to cover. She rolled over and glanced at the clock. It was still pretty early; her digital display read 7:15 AM in bright blue numbers. She decided to go check on Char before she got ready for the day. Last night had been pretty hectic. Mercedes felt kind of like she'd abandoned Char, and she was curious to know what became of Finn after they left.
Char only lived a floor above her, and Kurt lived on Char's floor. Co-ed dorms were so damned convenient. She slipped on her shoes and made her way up the stairs. She knocked on Char's door, but there was no answer. She used the spare key that once belonged to Char's roommate and let herself in. Char was usually up before now, so it was sort of strange that she hadn't came to the door. The room was bright with light, and all the curtains were open. That meant Char was awake. The bathroom door was closed, and Mercedes could hear the water of the shower going. She deduced that the shower was why Char hadn't came to the door, but Mercedes also heard snoring that definitely didn't belong to Char. She walked further into the room and discerned a figure in Char's spare bed. Mercedes's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Char wasn't the type to have one night stands, and Mercedes knew she wasn't dating anyone. Unless, something had changed- and on closer inspection, Mercedes saw the figure in the bed was Finn. Why was he here? Did they have sex? Why would Char even affiliate with someone as terrible as Finn? It didn't make sense. What happened after she and Sam left?
The water from the shower stopped and Mercedes could hear Char's loud singing. Char always sung in the bathroom—she swore it prevented murderers from slaughtering her. Char was convinced her singing scared any potential killers off on account of it being so terrible. Mercedes giggled in spite of herself. Char was singing 'What Makes You Beautiful' loudly and very offkey. After a few minutes, Char emerged from the bathroom with a white, fluffy towel wrapped securely around her and a bright, orange scarf tied tightly around her hair. She was humming softly now in a better key and gasped loudly when she saw Mercedes with her arms folded sitting on her bed in the middle of her sea of stuffed animals. The gasp almost roused Finn and he murmured a bit of gibberish, then rolled over and resumed his snoring.
Char bit her lip nervously at how this looked.
"Mercy, you startled me. What are you doing here?" she started innocently.
Mercedes hissed, "No, Char. Don't pull that innocent charade with me. The better question is what is Finn doing here in bed?"
Char huffed in annoyance.
"Mercy," she stressed. "He's not in MY bed. He's in the spare bed. Obviously, we didn't do anything. He needed a place to stay, so I volunteered my services." She lifted her chin defiantly.
"How could you after what he did to me and Sam?" Mercedes demanded. "You should've left him in the dirt!"
Char wished her hair was down so she could tug at her bangs; she toyed with the end of the scarf instead.
"He was hurt; I couldn't just leave him there. It wasn't right."
Mercedes expression softened at Char's words. Back in New York, Char and Mercedes had attended church together every single Sunday. One of Char's favorite disciplines taught in the Bible was forgiveness, even though she had recently decided that she was agnostic. Mercedes nodded at Char and her anger melted away.
"Okay. I think I understand, but Char do me a favor?"
Char said in relief, "Anything."
Mercedes raised an eyebrow and stated firmly with a pointed look at Finn, "Don't fall in love with him."
Char looked at her in bewilderment and laughed incredulously. "Trust me, Mercy. That will never happen."
But, Char's pension for forgiveness and her predisposition to interventions and saving people suggested otherwise. Mercedes looked at her and responded solemnly, "Never say never."
Sam knocked on Santana's door, and she opened it a few seconds later with a bright smile. Sam couldn't detect any tear tracks and her eyes weren't red rimmed, so Sam took that as a good sign. After they'd woken up from the nap the other day, she'd dissolved into tears all over again about Brittany, and was still sniffling by the time she'd left.
"Hey, Trouty," she greeted and pulled Sam into the room. Her room smelt fresh and everything was spotless. Sam smiled. Santana only cleaned when she got good news or something had made her happy.
Before Sam brought up his own story, he casually asked her, "So, what happened?"
She tossed her hair and clasped her hands together in triumph. "Brittany asked me on a date."
Sam grinned. "That's great, Santana!"
Her smiled dimmed slightly. "Well, it's kind of a three way date. Brittany invited Artie too."
Sam looked confused. "Why are you so happy then?"
She smirked. "Please, Trouty. Once Britt-Britt has both of us together, it'll be obvious that I'm the better choice. This is the perfect opportunity to win her back. I'm not going to lose her again. I can't."
That was the Santana that he knew. Cocky and self-assured.
"How was the OBE party?"
"Great." Sam smiled broadly. "I found my mystery girl. She was even better in person. We're going out later on today, but before we left the party I found out that Finn knew the whole time that I was looking for her, and he purposely concealed her identity from me."
Santana never did approve of Sam's roommate/pseudo friend; he always leered at her when she was in Sam's room. Santana sneered, "I hope you whooped Lurch's lanky ass."
Sam smiled and obligingly held up a bandaged fist.
"Me gusta! So, you and the mystery lady left together?"
Sam nodded and blushed. "We kissed."
"Wanky!" Santana exclaimed. "So, what's the next order of business on the agenda?"
Sam smiled at Santana's enthusiasm. "The next order of business is neither of us screws up our opportunity with our dream girls."
Santana took Sam's hand and squeezed it twice. "We got this," she asserted reassuringly.
"I hope so, Santana."
The OBE party had continued through the morning. People were still drinking and dancing even though the DJ had disappeared long ago. Mike hadn't left, yet, and he decided he certainly wasn't cleaning the frat house after this crazy party. He would make the pledges do it later that day, when everyone finally left.
He stepped around a couple of people still sleeping off their hangovers. He tousled his hair and doubled back through the room. Mike still hadn't found Tina. She'd come to the party and was so energetic the entire time. She was such a happy drunk; Mike smiled to himself. She was so cute. He heard the faint sound of what sounded like the OBE television, but no one was allowed upstairs except official frat brothers and people they invited up (usually friends or girlfriends). He crept up the stairs and there was Tina sitting on the couch glued to the television nursing a shot glass.
She turned towards the doorway and cried, "Mike!" Tina hastily set down her shot, got up and threw her arms around Mike. He was rewarded with the powerful scent of alcohol.
"Tina...have you been drinking? Again? In the morning?" he questioned skeptically.
She smiled sheepishly and nodded. She said defensively, "A marathon of Glee was on! It resurrected all my bad thoughts about stupid Ryan Murphy giving me all these FEELS about my OTP by building them up and turning around to tear them down for season 4. So, I invented a drinking game to help me cope."
She pointed to the television which had some badly dressed brunette with bangs and a tall jock on the screen.
Tina continued. "Ryan Murphy likes them better than my OTP , so I take a shot every time the big-nosed brunette and the tall, brown-haired jock kiss, fight, or cheat on each other." She laughed and hiccuped.
Mike shook his head and said sardonically, "It must happen a lot."
Tina giggled again and asked in awe, "How did you know, Mike?"
He hugged her and murmured in her hair, "We have got to get you into a new fandom." Mike grinned and queried, "You've never seen the British show, Misfits, have you babe?"
She shook her head from left to right furiously and laughed at the sensation it made in her head.
Mike tugged her hand gently. "Let's go get you acquainted."
Finn stretched out and blearily blinked the sleep out of his eyes. He should get up before Sam woke up, so he could get first dibs on the bathroom. He pushed back the pink sheets on his torso, and he realized he wasn't in his room. Last night's events came rushing back to him, and he sat up with a groan.
"Nice of you to finally wake up," Char observed.
Finn looked over at her. She was clutching a thick book and was curled up in her bed with her stuffed animals.
"Is that a Harry Potter book?" Finn questioned in amusement.
Char sniffed delicately. "Yes. I'm re-reading all the books. I miss the magic of the series," she finished wistfully.
Finn immediately regretted his teasing; Harry Potter seemed important to her. He turned his head and rolled his eyes. It was kind of nerdy. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up.
"I guess I'll be heading out," he uttered.
"Aren't you worried about Sam?"
Finn replied, "I can't stay out of the room forever. I'll have to face him sometime. Plus, he's had a chance to cool off by now."
Char arched an eyebrow and shrugged. Then she stuck her nose back into her book.
Finn waited to see if she would at least say goodbye, but she seemed thoroughly engrossed in her book. She was reading The Goblet of Fire, Finn noted. He made his way to the door, opened it, and stepped out. Just before the door closed behind him, he heard Char's soft mutter of "Later, Hudson."
"Where are we going, Sam?" Mercedes giggled.
Sam grinned and answered, "It's a surprise; if I tell you, then it'd be ruined."
She stuck out her lips in an exaggerated pout and Sam exclaimed, "that's not going to work, Miss Jones." Mercedes laughed in defeat and abandoned her pout. It was their first date, and Sam had planned everything perfectly. It was short notice, but spur of the moment plans often yielded the best results. He weaved his white Ford truck in and out of traffic wanting to arrive before the sun started to disappear behind the looming clouds. Mercedes fiddled with radio until she found a station she approved of. She turned up the radio, which was playing Angel Taylor's "Chai Tea Latte." Mercedes sung along thinking that the song sort of fit her and Sam, while he marveled at how beautiful her voice was.
I'll wear my best outfit, and people might compliment our chocolate and vanilla skin-
and how it looks so good together mixed in.
Sam wished he knew the song, so he could vocalize along with Mercedes and share the experience of their voices blending collectively in a harmony. She captured every note perfectly and in Sam's opinion she sounded quite better than the singer on the radio. Sam kept his eyes on the road, but in the corner of his eye he took in Mercedes's red form fitting dress that left her smooth shoulders bare. He marveled again at the captivating quality of her voice.
I don't know anyone who has a sweeter heart than you do.
You're like twenty billion Reese cups in two.
The song's ending chords finished and Mercedes clapped her hands excitedly.
"I love that song," she expressed happily.
"I love your voice," Sam responded.
Mercedes felt her face heat up at the compliment. It meant a lot coming from Sam, and it made her a little nervous to think she'd just sung an entire song in front of the guy she liked. She hoped he didn't think that she was showing off. Mercedes changed the subject swiftly.
"Sam, are you still not going to tell me where we're going?"
"I don't have to. We're here."
Mercedes looked out of the truck's window and gasped.
They were at a Whitney Houston tribute concert, that had been advertised all over UCLA's campus. Mercedes had wanted to go badly, because she idolized Whitney, but the A-list celebrities in attendance had assured that the tickets were sold out about by the time she'd heard of it. Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Diana Ross, and a bunch of other famous divas were reportedly supposed to be there. The tickets were expensive.
"Sam, how did you manage this?" she asked in surprise.
He winked. "Someone owed me a favor, and I cashed in," he said cryptically. The truth was that after Sam's family had finally gotten back on their feet, his father had wanted to thank Sam for helping keep the family afloat by taking on a job while in high school, but could never find a way to thank him. Sam's father, Dwight, had recently helped out a famous music producer unknowingly by advising him in his one of his stocks before it plummeted, and it lost all its value. The music producer told Dwight that if he ever needed anything just ring him up, and Sam had learned the story from his star-struck mother. After looking up Mercedes on Facebook, Sam discovered that Whitney Houston was one of her idols. Sam went to his dad, his dad went to the music producer, and the tickets were faxed over.
Mercedes's eyes narrowed in suspicion as Sam helped her from the truck.
"How did you even know I like Whitney Houston?"
The tips of Sam's ears turned red and he muttered, "Facebook." Mercedes laughed.
She teased, "Aww, you Facebook stalked me!"
They bypassed all the cameras and paparazzi frenzy by going through the VIP entrance—the producer had been very generous.
Sam quickly retorted, "It was not stalking. It was research."
Mercedes and Sam were ushered to their seats, and then commenced the most beautiful tribute Mercedes had ever witnessed. She was crying by the end of the tribute, and Sam had even shed a tear or two. It was moving, and every performance was done flawlessly. After the performance, Sam took Mercedes out to dinner at C'est Manifique.
They were seated quickly, and Mercedes looked around in awe.
"Sam, you didn't have to do this."
He smiled beguilingly. "I wanted to, Mercedes. Our first date should be memorable."
Mercedes smiled back at him and reached over the table to grab his hand. She squeezed it lightly, and a spark of electricity shot up Sam's arm. Then the waiter came over to take their drink orders.
"Peach tea for me," Mercedes put in politely.
"Sprite," Sam answered.
They looked over the menus, and Sam and Mercedes both became torn between the same two dishes—the herb crusted tilapia topped with mango salsa, grilled shrimp and veggies, and the sirloin steak with scallops and a lightly tossed salad.
"I have an idea," Mercedes exclaimed. "You get the tilapia and I get the steak, then we can each have half of each others dish. That way we get both." Sam grinned and beckoned the waiter over and repeated their orders to him. Mercedes took a sip of her peach tea. The waiter soon returned with their food, and they ate and talked, until the restaurant had begun to show signs of closing. Sam glanced at his watch and realized that he'd been so engrossed in Mercedes that he'd lost track of time. C'est Manifique closed in twenty minutes. He paid their bill and led Mercedes out to the truck. He and Mercedes drove in a quiet, comfortable silence until they'd finally made it back to the dorm.
He walked her to her dorm room.
"I had a wonderful time, Mercedes."
She smiled up at him and Sam's breath hitched at her beauty.
"Me too, Sam."
He cupped her cheeked and leaned down until their lips met. Mercedes parted her lips with a soft sigh, and their tongues met in a tangle in the middle of their joined mouths. Sam tasted of the decadent cheesecake and vanilla ice cream that they'd shared in the restaurant. She trembled and felt Sam's own tremors as well. They broke apart and gazed at each other. Mercedes's brown eyes sparkled with something that Sam hoped he'd see more of. She rose onto her tiptoes and gave Sam a lingering kiss that made him want to never leave. She pulled away, and Sam smiled down at her.
"Goodnight, Mercedes."
"Night, Sam."
She turned to go into her room, but Sam leaned down for another kiss and instead of her lips he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. Mercedes's knees buckled, and she would've swooned at Sam's adorable southern sensibilities if she hadn't thought Sam would laugh at her being so overwhelmed. She settled for another quick kiss to the lips and watched as Sam retreated into the night. Mercedes quickly entered her room and collapsed onto her bed. She smiled blissfully at the sheer perfection that Sam had treated her to and dreamed of a green sky that twinkled like Sam's eyes.