Weren't expecting to see me back here now were you? It's good to be back I have to say but I only come back for two little updates. Since I've ventured into Samcedes one-shot writing someone requested that I write a proposal/wedding in relation to Tied to the Tracks since the story was completed without those little parts. I'm done rambling and here is the proposal. :)
Mercedes should have known something was up when she walked into the apartment and all of the lights were out. Sam normally beat her home from work and would always call or text if he was going to be late so she knew something was up when a flip of the light switch revealed a small tupperware container sitting on the floor in the foyer of the apartment she shared with Sam.
"What is this?" she asked, skepticism filling her voice. Inching toward the container, she opened it to find a single slice of cheesecake. "Why is there cheesecake on the floor?" she inquired to no one but herself.
She picked up the container and moved further into the apartment. Not wanting to leave the abandoned dessert out, she walked to the kitchen and placed it in the fridge where a purple gift bag was waiting on the top shelf. For a moment, she debated opening the bag, thinking that perhaps it could be some sort of surprise from Sam that she shouldn't spoil. As much as she was excited about the possibility of a surprise, she hated secrets and feeling out of the loop so she decided that she would just have a peek into the bag. She pulled it from the fridge and opened it.
"Seriously?" she mused as she pulled out a bottle of the honey-vanilla lotion she often used. "Why is this in there?"
"Sam!" she called out again, and after not receiving a response, she put the lotion back into its bag and back onto the top shelf, figuring her questions were just going to go unanswered.
She sent a quick text to Sam letting him know that she would start making dinner. Hopefully, a change of clothes would take her mind off the obvious disorganized state of the home she shared with her boyfriend. Sam had a habit of being a little scatter-brained, often getting excited about an idea and running with it, full steam, only to be quickly distracted by something that seemed more enticing. Mercedes was used to the random lifestyle he forced the two of them to lead but somehow Sam always found ways to catch her off guard.
She stopped in their office to see if maybe Sam had gotten caught up working and hadn't heard her when she called. The room was empty as well, but she had to do a double take when she noticed the solitary, melting, ice cream cone in the middle of the floor.
"What the fuck?" She screamed for Sam again, slowly becoming frustrated by his little random surprises.
Counting backwards from ten calmed her and reminded her that there was probably a reason for all of her little encounters. She wasn't going to get mad. She was going to change, she was going to make dinner, and finally, she was going to find some terrible movie to watch on TV. At some point, her boyfriend would come home and he would clean up the ice cream in their office, get the lotion out of the fridge, and curl up with her on the couch. At that point, she would sweetly chew him out about the little messes he'd made and they would probably end up in bed together sweating and panting and forgiving one another for any possible miscommunications.
With a roll of her eyes, she left the office and headed toward their bedroom. She couldn't ignore the leather handcuffs that had somehow made it onto the doorknob and weren't in their usual space in their closet.
"Now I know I put these away," she stated, pulling the cuffs from the door and entering the bedroom. Sam was still nowhere to be found and he still hadn't texted her back.
Her suspicions were rising but she still couldn't figure out exactly what she should be suspicious of. She placed her things on her bed, noticing the little yellow taxicab toy lying on her pillow before walking into the closet to find a change of clothing. The copy of The Watchmen went unnoticed until she found herself stepping on top of it. Picking the book up from the floor, she noticed the bright green piece of paper sticking out from between the pages marked with Sam's not quite neat handwriting.
Look outside
"What is happening?" she mused aloud once again to herself. Mercedes walked back into the bedroom, never looking up from the paper she studied. It was Sam's handwriting but where the hell could he be? She hadn't noticed him outside anywhere and why would he wait for her to come in the house before telling her to look outside. It didn't make any sense, none of it made any sense. Another countdown kept her from shouting and grabbing her cell phone to place a frustrated call to her significant other.
Two taps on the glass of the sliding door that led to the bedroom balcony shocked her out of her thoughts. She shot her head up and was met with Sam's amused green eyes and famous lopsided grin. The blinds were pulled mostly closed, hiding all of Sam except for his mussed head of blond hair that peaked around the curtains. She walked to the door, taking a moment to decide whether or not she should lock him outside for the strawberry ice cream that was currently possibly ruining their hardwood floors. The decision was quickly made that she preferred an explanation from him instead of a couple hours of fuming frustration. Opening the balcony door, she stepped out and joined him in the cool air outside.
"Hi baby," he said pulling her into his arms for a kiss. She returned his gesture but pulled back soon after.
"You know there is ice cream on the floor in the office, right?"
A toothy smile was his immediate response. He cleared his throat before speaking again. "I know you remember the train trip baby." She nodded. "So I know you remember the cheesecake in the dining car," he waited for another nod before going on, "And the lotion in the bathroom - I smelled that shit on you for weeks before I found out what kind it was."
"What does all of this have to do with anything, Sam?"
"I'm getting to that, I promise. Where was I?"
"The lotion."
"Right, so you remember the cheesecake and the lotion. I'm guessing you remember the ice cream on the beach, and the leather handcuffs you had to bribe Tana for, and the back of that cab in Chicago. And I know you remember this," he tapped the graphic novel she still held in her hands, blushing at the memory it produced. "That hot dream you had about me. I consider that our catalyst, babe. I wasn't going to stay away from you after that. I still can't stay away from you."
"I don't want you to. I can't stay away from you either," he pulled her into a tight hug, placing a sweet kiss on her lips.
"If I have anything to do with it, you'll never have to."
"This is all really nostalgic, Sam and it's nice to take that little trip down memory lane but I'm still confused."
"Hopefully not for long," he dropped down to one knee and Mercedes couldn't stifle the gasp that escaped from her mouth. "I probably tell you this about a thousand times a week but I want you to know that I love you, Mercy. I already know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I want the rest of the world to know it too. I want to marry you Mercedes if you'll have me. If you accept my other gifts, I have one more for you." He fished into his pocket and pulled out a velvet ring box.
"Sam."
"Before you say anything, I just want you to know the conditions of this gift. It comes along with a guy named Sam. He's about six feet tall, kind of a nerd, and he's crazy about you. He likes to smother you in the middle of the night, he always forgets to take out the trash, and he is kind of a big kid. He likes comics, mind-blowing sex with his amazing girlfriend, and country music."
She was giggling now, an unfit pairing for the tears in her eyes. "Is there anything else?"
"Yeah, well this Sam guy, he wants to wake up to you every day. He wants to hold you when you're sad, laugh with you when you're happy, and keep everyone out of your way when you're angry. He loves the way your nose scrunches up when you laugh, the way you purse your lips when you're frustrated, and the way your entire body shakes for at least two whole minutes after you come."
"I'm never telling our kids about this."
"Wow, that makes Sam really happy because guess what else he wants?"
"What's that?"
"As many kids as you're willing to have with him; little boys and little girls running around with his eyes and your smile. He wants to grow old with you, to watch those kids graduate and then travel the world when they all leave the nest. He wants to sit on the steps of some retirement home, doing his best impressions and anything else to make you laugh as much as possible."
Mercedes didn't answer nor did she take the time to wipe the tears from her face as she bent and pulled Sam's face to hers in a deep kiss.
"Is that a yes?" he asked, somewhat dazed.
"Of course it is, Sammy! There's no other answer."