A/N: Prompt from spoondance; Samchel - taking Sam out when he turns 21. Thanks!
Sam's excited. Though he's had alcohol numerous times before, this time he'll be the one actually there to exchange his money for drinks. He's legal, he's legal, and he has the six hottest girls he can think of with him. Maybe he doesn't have to kick Puck's butt for deserting him after all.
"No, no," Quinn laughs even before they've gotten to their seat and ordered a drink, "I'm telling you - my professor actually said that!"
"I believe you," Tina rolls her eyes, wagging her hand as she exchanges grins with Mercedes and Santana. "The only thing I doubt is that you answered that!"
Having missed most of the conversation, Sam turns to the girl at his elbow. "Hey," he hisses, smiling when Rachel meets his eyes, "Having fun?"
Rachel's hand settles on his elbow. "It'll get better once we get you your first drink!" she grins broadly, urging him to take the seat closest to the bartender, "Birthday Boy!"
Hoping she can't see his reaction to her touch, Sam laughs and pinches her side, enjoying her squeak. "Lay on, Macduff," he repeats something he heard in his latest college English class, "Lay on and get me drunk!"
The bartender's a hot blonde, and as soon as he sits down, she's in front of him, smiling and flirty, leaving him for last as she takes all their orders. Nodding with each order, she's loose and obviously paying attention to him as he orders a rum and coke, something he'd always promised he'd get himself on the midnight of his birthday. It's 12:45, but he doesn't care, drinking in the bartender's attention even as he's completely aware of all of the girls' attention on him as well. He knows he's the only guy of their group, but, he almost struts in his seat, that's good, right?
The bartender, Cindi, he reads, squinting in the low bar light, grins, pulling back. "Wait!" Sam finds himself blurting, "Aren't you going to check my I.D.?"
Turning on her heel, Cindi smiles at him. "Newbie? Birthday?"
Blushing, hot under his collar, Sam still fishes out his I.D. Ignoring the laughs of the girls around him, he proudly presents it to her. "Got to have this," he mutters, smiling at her.
Taking an inordinate time to study it, grinning, Cindi hands it back to him with a flourish. "Welcome to the bar scene," she nods, leaning in flirtatiously for a second.
Sam grins back. "Thanks!" Watching her disappear down the bar, he puffs out his chest. "So legal," he whispers.
Santana slaps his back, reaching around Mercedes who pokes his cheek with a grin. Rachel, to his right, now settles her hand on his thigh, squeezing it quickly before removing it. It's still so weird that he's the last of the group to reach alcohol adulthood.
"A tough drink," Rachel leans in, breathing into his ear.
"I can handle it," Sam responds toothily, smiling at her. He's way too excited, he knows, but he can't help it. In this atmosphere, with his six favorite girls, he can't help but see his evening going splendidly.
A warm weight settles over his back, a scent he remembers well from senior year settling in his nose. "Brittany," he smiles.
"So proud of you," the genius squeezes him, "Even if we didn't work out."
Turning, ab muscles tightening as he smiles at her, Sam dips his head. "That's okay," he says ruefully, "We weren't meant to be."
Already dancing with the music in the background, Brittany smiles back at him. "Wanna dance?"
He knows she doesn't mean anything substantial with her question. "Not now," he raises his hands, smiling rakishly, "I still need my first legal drink!"
A clink of glass with a slight sloshing sound in front of him makes him look excitedly at the bar. There's his drink. "How much?" he asks, practically glowing, meeting Cindi's eyes. Getting the answer, he proudly slaps the requisite number of dollar bills down onto the bar. Raising the glass to his lips, meeting girl after girl's gazes, he knocks back a deep sip. A cry goes up around him even as the burn blazes down his throat, and he's laughing, excited and happy to be there. Finally.
It's an hour later, and he has two and a half glasses of rum and coke down his gullet. He has his third in his hand even as he's cheering both teams of girls on, hanging back with Rachel and and Mercedes who had determined not to play yet. "Yes!" he crows. Tina and Brittany have just sunk a stripe while Quinn and Santana are behind a ball, and though he's supporting both, he can't help but still get excited with what's happening.
"You sure you don't want to play?" Rachel half-yells into his ear, standing on her toes with her hand on his hip.
"I'm fine!" he half-yells back, smiling down at her. Really, he's having too much fun as it is. He's legal and he's with friends for his birthday! What more could he want?
It looks like Rachel chews the side of her cheek. "Then what do you want?" she asks.
Catching a slight change in her voice, Sam looks down at her. "What?"
Rachel's fingers softly slide along the back of his hand. "Never mind."
"No." Unwilling to let it go, Sam throws back the rest of his drink, turning fully to face Rachel, "What's up?"
Looking as if she's chewing her cheek again, Rachel suddenly surges up, brushing her lips along his neck. "I need to go to the bathroom," she whispers, oddly not that sexy, and still frowning, not reacting aside from watching her go with his mouth open, Sam watches her go.
"Hey," Mercedes pops up a second later, shuffling in front of him, "Where'd Rachel go?"
"Bathroom?" Sam asks, not turning his attention away from the door he'd just watched close behind the girl.
Mercedes sighs loudly. "Really?" she mutters, suddenly pushing against his waist, "Duh, Sam, go after her!"
"What?" Startled, Sam has a couple of seconds of complete confusion before he realizes what's going on. "Oh!" he starts, duh, barely giving a look back and forth before he's inside the girl's bathroom and staring wide-eyed at Rachel waiting for him near the far-side sink. "Hey," he says dumbly.
"Hi," Rachel responds softly. Her chin is up, with a light blush across her cheeks.
"So..." Taking a step forward, Sam's to her now, his hand and fingers sliding along her hip. He's smiling, mesmerized by the answering shy smile on Rachel's face, "This is real, huh?"
"If you want it to be." Answering honestly, slowly circling her arms over Sam's shoulders, Rachel steps even closer. He can feel her so close, and he takes in a deep breath. Her breath smells like the fruity drink she'd been having, and he wants to taste it.
"This okay?" he asks.
Rachel smiles, standing on her toes again, lips brushing along his. "Very, very okay."