DISCLAIMER: Look on first chapter. Lyrics belong to Superchick's song "So Beautiful".
May 11, 2011 (Thursday)
Times Square
New York City, New York
11:53AM
Mercedes and Tina walked arm-in-arm down the street. They giggled as they sidestepped other pedestrians dressed in various clothing—it went from business suits to neon colored dresses; Mercedes was having a ball commenting on the bold choices many of them made.
It had been a spectacular morning. She and Tina woke up to Rachel being hauled off into New York by Kurt and not much later, Puck had come to their room and swept Lauren off into the city for a day of mischief.
She and Tina had a good laugh over the amount of trouble those two would get up to when let loose in a city like New York. Brittany and Santana had gone to get breakfast, and as soon as Mercedes finished getting ready for the morning—Quinn had taken over the bathroom.
After fifteen minutes—she knocked on the door to see if the blonde was okay. She got a half-assed response about washing her hair. So Mercedes left it alone—deciding that Quinn would come to her when she was ready.
Quinn still hadn't come out when they left almost twenty minutes later. She and Tina decided to go exploring in New York, because nobody was working on the songs anyway. It didn't help that Mercedes was ashamed of the fact that she hadn't spent much time with Tina since the situation with Sam started.
But being with her now—cracking jokes and laughing—it didn't feel like it had been almost two months since they'd hung out together.
"New York is so beautiful," Tina gushed as she stretched out her hand to lightly touch one of the many designer store windows that was along the street. Mercedes eyed the manikins that stood behind the glass and had to grin at the strange mixtures of feathers and sequins. Kurt would love that place. "I don't see how anyone would choose Lima over this place."
The Asian girl gave Mercedes a dubious look and she laughed.
Mercedes had told Tina many stories about her aunt's life in New York City, and the girl still couldn't believe that she'd moved away from all this to stay in Lima, Ohio. Mercedes didn't really understand it herself, but she respected her aunt's decision—after all, if she still lived here, Mercedes would barely know her.
"I'm sure she had her reasons," she replied with a shrug.
"But can you imagine living in all of this fabulous all the time?" Tina asked, "I think I would die." Mercedes grinned at her friend. If only she knew what Mercedes' house was like.
"Can we go get some lunch?" Mercedes questioned, "I'm hungry."
"Girls got to eat," Tina cheered. "Why don't we go to that old café that your aunt used to work at? She said it was close, didn't she?"
"Yeah," Mercedes agreed, "And she said that the food was bomb too."
She had talked to her aunt this morning after calling to ask what places were good for sightseeing. Lynn had all the underground city secrets, and Mercedes wanted to see the real New York—not just the things tourists saw. Lynn practically gave her a list of things to do.
They had rode the subway and buses and walked all over the place this morning. And everything they saw was incredibly beautiful—Mercedes and Tina took so many pictures that Tina's camera was full and they were relying on Mercy's digital now. She would have to remember to do a memory dump before her date with Sam.
And sweet Avatar, if she wasn't excited about their date today—as in less than six hours. Sam had asked her to be ready by five for their date, and it was tearing at her to keep her excitement at bay.
She wanted to spill the beans and just talk about it with somebody, but she wanted things to be official between she and Sam before she started talking him up to her friends. She was thinking about so many things—her outfit, her hair, would he ask her to be his girlfriend? Would they kiss again?
God, bless her, but she wanted him to kiss her again. Mama had standards, but could anyone really blame her? Just thinking about it had fireworks flying around in her head and stomach. And yeah, she was still humiliated over freaking out when he tried to French kiss her, but practice makes perfect right?
And even though he'd given her a time—Sam was being tightlipped about where they were going. For a few moments, she wanted to try and coax the truth out of him, but then she realized that this was her first date and this was also Sam.
She wanted it to be a surprise, because that made it all the more special—and she knew that because it was with Sam that it was going to be amazing anyway.
They had their issues, but he was an incredible guy. She felt blessed that he was even giving her the time of day. Sam could have any girl he wanted without even trying, but he chose her. And as she and Tina strolled up to the doors of the dainty Rosalinda's café, she hoped that she didn't mess it up.
"Welcome to Rosie's café," A young man greeted as soon as she and Tina stepped in the door. Mercedes glanced around the place and had to admit that it was cute. The walls were a soft yellow and the tables had cherry oak circular tops. Instead of chairs—each seat was an armchair with yellow and vertical lines as a pattern.
There were autographed pictures of celebrities lining the walls and the whole front wall was made of glass. But what really caught their eyes was the stage that stretched across the back wall—it had lights and microphones and a large television screen behind it. There was a black baby grand piano sitting on the marble flooring to the left with a vase of bold purple violets in the center.
A pianist was playing soft jazz music on the piano. The whole place had this old Hollywood air that made a grin appear on Mercedes' face as the waiter spoke, "Would you like a seat near the window or the stage?"
"Which view is better?" she asked over the sound of the music. The waiter shot her a grin.
"The one right in front of me is pretty amazing," he said with a wink. Mercedes' jaw dropped slightly. This guy was not flirting with her. Tina's amused grin on her right hand side suggested otherwise.
Mercedes could not believe this. Of course, as soon as she has a man—the boys start coming to her yard. Well, honey, sorry for you, but you're too late.
"We'll take the window seat, thank you," Mercedes responded tactfully. Tina started giggling at her snub and the waiter nodded as he picked up two menus and escorted them to a table. Once they were seated and they ordered drinks—both had waters—the waiter walked off to go help someone else and both of them started laughing.
"I can't believe he pulled that cheesy pickup line and expected it to work," Tina said in amusement. She leaned forward. "He's cute though. You should see what happens."
Mercedes laughed at her friend. "I prefer a guy who comes up with his own material, thank you," she replied—in her head she was totally thinking about Sam telling her, "You must be my Marauders' map, because I've found everything I need since I got you."
That line had her flustered for hours. She couldn't believe that he'd said that yesterday when they were only a foot away from Mike, Tina, and Artie. She'd wanted to kiss him so badly, but she resisted. Just thinking about it had her face heating up.
Before the stupid grin could form on her face—she looked at the menu. It only took a few minutes to decide what she wanted—and she definitely wanted their biscuits and gravy; good thing they served breakfast all day long.
She flipped the menu over and saw the advertisement for karaoke. "Hey did you see this?" she asked Tina, and the dark-haired girl looked up at her curiously. "There's an ad on the back for all day karaoke."
Tina gave her an interested look as she flipped her own menu over to see it. "Do you think people ever sing in the morning?" the girl asked and Mercedes shrugged.
"What are you-?" Mercedes started to ask, but the waiter popped up before she could finish her sentence.
"Have you ladies decided what you want or do you need a few more minutes?" he asked. Tina and Mercedes shared a look, before Mercy spoke first.
"I think we're ready," she said, "I'd like the biscuits and gravy."
"I'd like the vegetable pasta," Tina told him, and they both handed over their menus. Mercedes debated with herself for a quick moment, before she decided to just go for it. Life change, remember Mercedes, life change.
"Is there really all-day karaoke?" she blurted to the waiter. He paused and nodded.
"Of course," he said, "Not many do it before happy hour, but the option is always there. We've only had a few brave souls willing to stand under the spotlight in the middle of the day."
Mercedes looked at the waiter before she glanced at Tina. The girl's eyebrows were raised. "I think we should do it," Mercedes stated and Tina's jaw dropped a little.
"Wha—sing?" Tina stuttered, "Right now? Here?"
"Well, yeah," Mercedes replied.
"Why?"
"Why not?" she said, "We're in New York, Tina—for five days. When are we ever going to get the chance to say that we sang karaoke in New York City in the middle of the day again?"
Tina blinked in shock and Mercy could see the hesitance warring with that irrefutable fact. "We can have our own solos," she said and Mercedes grinned.
"That just makes it an even more obvious choice," the chocolate-skinned diva replied. Tina put her napkin on the table.
"I'm in." They both laughed, before Mercedes turned back to the waiter.
"We'd like to sing now, please," she told him and the waiter smiled.
"Follow me then, ladies," he said.
The nervous energy built in her stomach as she and Tina were led to the stage. She couldn't believe that she was actually about to do this. The eyes of the other patrons were following them—she could see the interest shining in their gazes.
"Why did you talk me into this again?" Tina asked under her breath as the chatter of the other guests picked up as the waiter spoke to the guy at the piano.
"Because we both secretly want to be rock stars, and damn it—I'm going to have my moment right now," Mercedes replied. Tina grinned.
"Good point."
They were handed microphones and a songbook. It took them about five minutes before they chose "So Beautiful" by Superchick. It felt like the right song for this moment. It wasn't until they were both onstage and facing the restaurant that they realized how many people were there. Pretty much all of the tables were filled—and the place was a decent sized restaurant—only one or two empty in between each place.
From her spot—she had a clear view of their table and the streets of New York. When the music started playing—it got really quiet and Mercedes could feel her heart pounding in her chest.
Tina was looking just as panicked as her, but this was it—she was not going to let this opportunity to walk away from her. Oh, hell to the no.
Mercedes grabbed Tina's hand with her own and they shared a shaky smile—before they opened their mouths and started singing along with the lyrics on the screen, "We are a thousand voices strong. We are each girl who sings this song. We are a beauty that's our own." The words were so powerful that they touched something inside of Mercedes, "And we are, and we areso beautiful."
She sang by herself for the first verse, "We are light. We were born beautiful.We were meant to be more then these shadows of girls," and she could feel that something building stronger than her nervousness. They had truly picked the perfect song for them. Her body moving to the beat, Mercedes pulled the microphone from the stand and voiced, "They cut us down to size.Afraid we'll change the world?"
She could see the smile forming on Tina's face as she started getting into the song too. Mercedes continued singing—her voice growing stronger with each line. "But we'll fight for your right to be beautiful girls.If every girl could see her beauty, we would be an army!"
Mercedes was full out dancing now as she and Tina sang the chorus again, "We are a thousand voices strong!We are each girl who sings this song!We are a beauty that's our own!" The clapping started so suddenly that it took Mercedes by surprise, but when she looked over and saw Tina leading everyone it made sense and she couldn't help but beam at her friend. "And we are, and we are so beautiful!"
The instrumental solo played and she and Tina danced together onstage—completely getting into the performance. She laughed when Tina shook the hair out of her ponytail and tugged the microphone out of the stand as she began her solo. And girl sounded some kind of amazing.
"We have dreams we were born to fulfill. We were meant to be more than just fairy tale girls," she sang as she walked towards the edge of the stage and diva-ed herself to the max—head swinging, hip shaking, body rocking, and knees bouncing. "We are the colors so bright-each beautiful girl.We are the stars in the night and we are changing the world!"
Her hand was thrown out to the side as she danced her way to the opposite side of the stage—her and Mercedes switching places. Mercedes encouraged the audience as she smiled and danced. "When every girl can see her beauty we will be an army!"
Mercedes rejoined Tina in the song and their voices rang with power and joy as they chorused, "We are a thousand voices strong!We are each girl who sings this song!We are a beauty that's our own! And we are, and we are so beautiful!"
Mercedes and Tina walked off stage and into the audience where people were dancing in their seats. They got down in the aisles as the instrumental played in the background. Tina was getting down on her side of the room—hair flipping and shimmying like a mad woman, but she looked good doing it. Mercedes was shaking what her mama gave her and loving every moment of it.
"So beautiful!" Mercedes sang and tossed her locks all about her head, before pulling some serious dance moves that got her a cheer from the audience.
"So beautiful!" Tina voiced as she twirled her hips causing the cotton and lace black dress she was wearing to flare.
"Sing it with us!" Mercedes cheered and to hear the enthusiastic clapping and echoing of their audience made the blood rush through her veins. Man, if this was what it felt like to be a rockstar—then Mercedes knew what she wanted to be after school. "We are a thousand voices strong!We are each girl who sings this song!We are a beauty that's our own!"
Mercedes and Tina danced their way back to the stage and when they got under the stage lights—they jumped together with the beat of the song. "And we are, and we are," they sang loudly and powerfully. They threw a fist pump in the air as they yelled the last line, "So beautiful!"
They broke into laughter as they hugged each other in joy. Mercedes' eyes watered when they both turned to look at the room and saw every person in the restaurant on their feet—clapping and cheering.
The pixie haired girl at the front table was screaming, "That was awesome! That was so ridiculously awesome!"
It took Mercedes a moment to recognize the girl, and her heart almost stopped. She and Tina had performed in front of Emma Watson!
Holy shitballs!
When Tina's eyes almost popped out of her head—Mercedes knew that her friend had seen her too. They looked at each other in disbelief before both Mercedes and Tina started screaming.
Only in New York City would something like that happen.
Could this day possibly get any better? Their standing ovation continued as they walked off the stage—getting nods and smiles and pats on the back as they made their way to their table. When they passed Emma though, they just had to stop and ask for a photo.
She was just as happy to meet them too, though. "This is going on my twitter! And I hardly ever tweet things, but you two were bloody fantastic!" she gushed.
Tina was blushing and Mercedes was freaking out. She freakin' loved New York City, and Sam was going to flip his shit when she showed him this picture. He was such a Harry Potter fanboy—though he did love Avatar more.
The two friends sat down at their table—still laughing like idiots and fangirling over Emma Watson. Their meal was full of giggles and excited chatter.
May 11, 2011 (Thursday)
The InterContinental Hotel
New York City, New York
2:57PM
They talked up a storm as they made their way back to the hotel room. The morning had been so incredibly epic that Mercedes was afraid nothing could make her happier.
As soon as they stepped out of the elevator—Tina was swept into a twirling hug by Mike.
Mercedes smiled as the boy tossed her giggling friend over his shoulder and walked back into the elevator. "Bye Cede!" Tina called through the closing elevator doors. "Love you girl!"
"Bye Tina! Love you too!" Mercedes yelled back and she shook her head as the doors shut. They were such a cute couple. Mike was crazy and he made her laugh every time they talked. She was so happy for Tina having found a guy that treated her like a princess.
She walked down the hall and was less than three feet away from the girls' hotel room when the door swung open. Santana and Brittany had an arm through each of Quinn's and Mercedes noticed the tear tracks on the blonde's face.
She didn't mention it though, because Santana said, "Bye Wheezy!"
"Where are you guys going?" Mercedes asked and Brittany smiled.
"We're going to a hair salon," she replied, "I love hair salons."
Mercedes gave a soft laugh at that, before replying, "Well, have fun."
Santana was already dragging Quinn and Brittany down the hall. "We will!"
"Bye Mercy!" Brittany called over her shoulder.
Mercedes sighed as she stared at the back of Quinn's bowed head. That was a bucket of worms she didn't want to open in the middle of her high-on-life wave, but Quinn was family and she had to get to the bottom of this.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. She dug through her purse frantically when she recognized the ringtone she had selected for Sam. When she lifted it out of her bag—it was already on the second verse of "Play that Funky Music White Boy".
She answered it quickly as she scanned the keycard in the hotel door. It opened with a click as she said, "Hey Blondie." Mercedes stepped into the room and dropped her bag on the table next to the door.
"Hi Nala," Sam replied and her nickname put a cheek-painful smile on her face as she kicked off her shoes and plopped down on the bed.
"What's up?" she asked.
"I was calling to let you know that I would meet you at five o'clock on the front steps of the hotel," he said and Mercedes had to bite her lip to hide her squeal. She glanced over at the clock and realized that she and Tina had been out for longer than she first thought. It was almost three o'clock in the afternoon.
"Should I wear anything in particular?" she asked as she mentally went through the outfits she'd brought with her.
"You can wear whatever you'd like," Sam said.
"Even pajamas?" she teased.
"I bet you'd look awesome in pajamas," he replied immediately, "You could make the footie pajamas look sexy."
Mercedes laughed. "Boy, please," she told him, "I'm not going on this date in my pajamas."
Sam chuckled on the other end. And damn if he didn't sound sexy as hell. Her heart was pounding in her chest. "I should let you get ready."
"Okay," she replied.
They hung up with soft goodbyes and Mercedes let out a short scream of excitement. She took the liberty of enjoying her alone time in the suite by jumping on the bed and doing a happy dance. Then she realized that she had less than two hours to get ready and decided to get down to business. But not before she started uploading her pictures from her camera and onto her laptop.
May 11, 2011 (Thursday)
The InterContinental Hotel
New York City, New York
4:53PM
It took her what felt like forever to get ready—shower, shave, washing and drying and doing the hair, moisturizing, putting on makeup, and then getting dressed, but looking at herself now—it was worth every minute of it.
She wore a soft blue cotton dress that had an empire waist formed by a dark blue silk band tied under her cleavage that ended in a bow at her back. It also had a sweetheart neckline with two wide straps that stretched over her shoulders. The dress led down to a blowy A-line skirt that stopped just above her knees. Her flats were a pair of metallic gray ballet flats that had ribbons tied up to her calves.
Mercedes' hair was down and curled loosely. Her bangs draped across her forehead softly and she wore silver stud earrings with no other jewelry. She smiled before she packed her phone and wallet and room key into her purple pea coat pocket. She slung it over her arm after spraying a light lily scented perfume onto her wrists and neck.
She glanced at herself in the mirror once more, before she opened the door and walked out of the door. When she stepped out of the elevator, she saw Mr. Schue at the bar. Mercedes hurried past him—hoping to everything that was holy that he wouldn't see her.
She was giggling to herself when she stepped out of the door. As she turned towards the steps she was blasted in the face by a gust of wind that had her eyes watering. Once her vision cleared, she saw Sam and her breath was taken away.
He wore a pair of fitted charcoal gray pants and a white button-up shirt that clung to the muscles of his arms and back. Holy cow, he was sexy.
Was she really about to go out with a man that could double as a super model?
Mercedes couldn't believe her luck.
If the way Sam looked wasn't enough to bring her to her knees, then the bouquet of sunflowers in his hand was. She couldn't believe that he'd remembered her favorite flower and she had to admit—seeing Sam's jaw drop and his green eyes glow with admiration as she moved closer—gave her a confidence boost like no other.
Sam couldn't stop himself from staring at her. He'd noticed her right away as she walked out of the doors of the hotel—giving the doorman a soft smile before starting down the stairs. That dress, her hair, the evening sunlight making her skin look like it was glowing—sweet Avatar, he was sure he was dead.
The way the blue of her dress made her complexion shimmer or maybe that was some special lotion or something, but fuck all if she didn't look like an angel in that dress; an angel with some seriously sexy curves.
He made an effort to not be a pervert, but Mercedes' boobs looked like two perky spots of awesome in that dress. It hugged her in all the right places and made those right places look like the most incredible places on the face of the earth. Sam didn't even understand his own thoughts—there were no words to describe her as she walked closer to him—the smile on her face outshining the sun.
Her legs in those shoes and the way the dress blew in the slight breeze and how her hair tumbled over her shoulders in those pretty curls that weren't ringlets, but were just the right amount of curly that Sam liked on a girl. Her nose ring glinted in the light and her face looked beautiful.
He was literally speechless as he studied her. She stopped one step above where he was standing and Sam couldn't speak as he looked into her brown eyes. They were sparkling with joy and he would do anything to keep the look on her face just the way it was.
She looked perfect to him—for him. He didn't want to stop looking. But he remembered the flowers in his hand—her favorite he knew—that Lynn had helped him get at a discount over the phone last night. And he jerked his hand up—almost hitting her in the face.
She laughed as his face turned bright red with humiliation. "Sorry," he muttered, "but uh, these are for you."
The smile on Mercedes' features widened slightly as he gently handed them to her. "Thank you," she replied, her voice soft, "They're beautiful. No one's ever gotten me flowers before."
Sam's throat tightened at that admission. How had this spectacular creature not been taken? Seeing the excitement and awe on her face made him even more determined to make this night amazing for her.
"Well, now you can never say that again," Sam told her before taking her right hand in his and lifting it to his lips. He placed a soft kiss on her knuckles and said, "You look stunning tonight, Mercedes. I'd be jealous of myself if I was any other man."
Mercedes looked flustered before she let out a laugh.
"Boy, you are too much," she replied—her voice shaky. He could tell that she was trying to maintain her composure, but the tears in her eyes said it all. Being told you were beautiful by family was completely different than someone else saying it and seeing her gratitude was enough to convince him that he needed to tell her every day. She deserved it.
Gently he tugged her down the steps before he released her hand. Once she was beside him, he extended his elbow and said, "Shall we?"
The amused glint of Mercedes' brown eyes wasn't his only clue as to how much she was enjoying this, but it was definitely his favorite. She placed her hand into the crook of his elbow with a smile before they walked forward down the rest of the steps.
May 11, 2011 (Thursday)
High Line Park
New York City, New York
5:22PM
They had been walking for twenty minutes—Mercedes' brain going into overdrive. She couldn't believe that all this was happening to her. Sam had been the epitome of sweet since she'd seen him. He'd made her laugh and smile the whole time, and even though he was being gentlemanly—he blushed every time she complimented him.
"Are you going to tell me where we're going, Sam?" she asked finally—the curiosity was killing her. It was too early for dinner, or at least she thought, but they seemed to be walking away from the higher-priced restaurants.
"Well," he said as he walked her across a crosswalk and then he stopped. "We're here." Mercedes blinked and looked up at the entranceway. There was a fancy sign declaring the area and beyond it she could see what looked like an old railway made into a garden.
"Welcome to High Line Park," Sam told her as he walked her through the wrought iron gates. "Lynn told me that Central Park was great, but this place was where the real beauty was."
Mercedes was a tad skeptical and it said a lot to her about their relationship when Sam noticed it.
"Just give it a chance?" he asked and seeing the pleading look in his eyes had her nodding before she'd even thought about it.
And as they walked through it—Mercedes found herself falling in love with the place. It was gorgeous beyond all words. The rusted railways and the greenery that grew in between each bracket contrasted each other and the beauty of it was ethereal.
She felt like she was walking in a fairytale as Sam told her all about his day. He had her laughing when he said that he'd hung out with Finn and the two of them actually managed to have a legit good time.
"What did you guys do?" she asked.
"We went down to Madison Square Garden and were able to go inside and look around," Sam replied, but a blush was slowly appearing on his cheeks and she knew he was holding back.
"Uh-huh," she told him, "I'm sure that's all you two did."
Sam's blush darkened. "What do you mean?" he responded.
"All I'm saying is that before today—you didn't have much to say about Finn and when you did not much of it was great," Mercedes began, "but now, you're practically singing him praises. I'm just a bit suspicious of the sudden change."
She glanced over at Sam, and his cheeks were bright red. He could never lie to her with a straight face. "We might have taken brooms onto the ice and used a pair of socks as a hockey puck to pretend like we were rivaling teams in the NHL."
Mercedes couldn't stop herself from laughing and Sam's blush turned an even darker shade of red. "I'm a nerd," he said, "I know."
Mercedes grabbed his hand and tangled their fingers together. "But you're my nerd," she told him, "And I wouldn't want you any other way." Sam grinned down at her and Mercedes felt her own blush building as their eyes met for a few moments.
She wondered if she should kiss him or if he would kiss her, but the moment was broken when another couple burst out laughing. They shared a smile as they continued walking. As they moved along, their conversation picked up again.
Sam told Mercedes about the last few days of living at Lynn's house and how his little brother and sister missed him— and that they constantly asked Sam about her. Mercedes had to smile at that. She loved his siblings to pieces. She and Stacey were practically BFFs. The little girl took every chance she got to talk about her friends and all the boyfriend/girlfriend drama going on at her school.
Of course, Mercedes had thought that didn't start until at least high school, but she knew that she was a late bloomer and had no place to judge. She just made sure that Stacey knew that she had her whole life to worry about boys and dating— and that she should enjoy her childhood.
Mercedes was grinning at Sam by the time he stopped mooning over Lynn and how amazing she was.
"You totally have a cougar-crush, Blondie," she teased and Sam froze.
"I do not!" he replied quickly, "She's just really pretty and smart and—"Mercedes burst out laughing and Sam stopped himself.
"You're digging yourself into a mighty fine hole there, Sam," she told him in amusement and Sam's cheeks turned red again. She wondered how many times she could get him to blush tonight.
"I kinda did when I first met her, but now," Sam started, "now, I just really respect her."
Mercedes couldn't help but feel her heart swell at his words. "Lynn is incredible."
"She's been through so much and even though she's not perfect—she works so hard," Sam admitted—swinging their entwined hands between them, "And she's something to look up to. I mean—even without you having told me her story; she was this amazing woman, but interacting with her after hearing all that she's gone through—I just can't help but be in awe of her."
Their conversation continued as they moved through the park—seeing the coastline from the edge of it all. Mercedes turned around once they reached the end—and watching the sunset over High Line was breathtaking. Sam squeezed her hand.
"It's symbolic, you know," he told her quietly. Mercedes looked up at him—she could see the pain in his eyes. "This old railway was broken down and abandoned—it wasn't wanted and served no purpose, but someone extraordinary came along and decided to make it beautiful—even more beautiful than it was before."
He looked so inspired—so in tune with his feelings that Mercedes felt her own heart break for him. She understood his symbolism. He thought that old railway was him, and it made her look at this park in a completely different way.
"It gives you hope, doesn't it?" she asked and Sam looked down at her. Those green eyes threatened to fill her with so much emotion that she felt her knees wobble—there was love, happiness, anger, sadness and hope in his gaze. She could feel it all the way down to her toes.
"Yeah, it does," he replied, "It makes me believe that my life will change for the better—even though it will be slow and painful and I'll have people try to shut me down and tell me it's impossible. You have to have faith in something, right?"
Mercedes stared at him and Sam leaned forward to place a soft kiss on her lips. Just that momentary kiss set her whole body on fire. Her heart pounded as he rested his forehead against hers. "It'll be a long way before your life is made whole again, but you can do it, Sam," she whispered and Sam smiled slightly.
"I'm with you, aren't I?" he asked rhetorically, "So it seems like I'm off to a great start." And her heart exploded. How was this guy even real?
God had blessed her ten times over when he brought Sam Evans into her life. She couldn't resist rising onto the balls of her feet to place a kiss on Sam's mouth. No one could've resisted—it was impossible.
They stepped out of their embrace and headed towards the exit of the park—Sam's arm thrown over her shoulders and her arm around his waist. Sam glanced down at his watch as Mercedes sniffed the bouquet of sunflowers in her free hand.
She still couldn't believe it.
"Wow, it's almost eight thirty," Sam said in surprise.
"Excuse me?" Mercedes questioned—her tone full of disbelief. Had they really been walking around High Line Park for that long?
Sam showed her his watch and she gaped. No wonder she was hungry! Sam bit his lip as he glanced around. "How about we get some chicken on a stick for dinner and hail a cab to our next destination?"
Mercedes blinked. "There's more?" she asked incredulously.
Sam beamed. "We're about to head into the main event."
Mercedes had such an incredible time on their stroll through the park that she couldn't imagine anything better, but apparently Sam had something else prepared.
She couldn't stop laughing as he hurried her over to the street vendor to get some food. As they ate their chicken—which was crazy delicious—Sam flagged down a cab.
Now that was amusing to watch. It had taken him multiple tries to get their attention and Mercedes had a ball laughing at his various positions and arm swings and yells.
Sam ate his chicken quickly once they got into the cab—he whispered the destination to the cabby so Mercedes couldn't hear. She had a good time pouting about that, but their ride was only about five minutes long.
When they stepped out, Mercedes found herself gasping in surprise.
May 11, 2011 (Thursday)
Classic Harbor Line
New York City, New York
9:16PM
"You bought tickets to a Skyline cruise?"
Mercedes' exclamation had Sam grinning like an idiot as he handed the tickets over to her. He couldn't have imagined her more shocked—she was gaping and her eyes were extremely wide as she glanced between him and the tickets now held in her hand.
"Sam!" she fussed, "These must've cost a fortune! Wait—forty-five dollars apiece! Samuel Evans!" She slapped him on the arm with the pair of tickets in her hand.
"Cede, it's fine," he said with a laugh as he caught her gesturing hands while she ranted. "Living with Lynn allowed me to actually keep my last paycheck," he told her, "it was more than enough to cover this whole date."
She looked a little calmer, but she still seemed dubious. "Why on earth would you do all this for me?" she asked, "The park was great. I loved every second of it."
"Yeah," Sam replied, "but this was your first date. You don't deserve great—you deserve incredible. And I wanted to give that to you; just this once."
Sam watched her expression completely melt and she gave him a smile of fond exasperation.
"Boy, when did you get so good with words?" she teased lightly.
"I have some amazing inspiration," he quipped and Mercedes laughed, before he leaned forward and kissed her again. He just couldn't get enough of her lips and her scent. He was a goner—and he knew it.
They walked to the loading area—hand in hand. Sam gave the guy at the gate their tickets and they walked onto the cruise ship. It was huge and lit up and just spectacular. He and Mercedes were staring around at everything in awe. It was fairly empty for such a popular tourist attraction, but it was the middle of the week and not really a vacation period of the year.
It made the experience even more incredible. He led her over to the railing of the ship and they looked out over the water—their breath already taken away by the view. New York City was a magnificent city in pictures, but to see it up close and personal was awe-inspiring.
And as the Night cruise began in full—Sam and Mercedes were like a pair of hardcore kids on a sugar high as they chattered about everything they saw. They took cute pictures, serious pictures, but there were lots of funny pictures.
Mercedes even got one that made it look like Sam was spanking the Statue of Liberty. It had the two of them in hysterics for the longest time.
They were in a fairly isolated area so they figured their ridiculous antics were fine. The cruise crew was playing the top 40 hits softly over the ship's sound system and Sam couldn't resist dancing to it. Mercedes giggling every time he pulled out a ridiculous dance move.
He loved making her laugh—it was his personal brand of heroine. When "Just a Dream" by Nelly came on, Sam couldn't resist twirling her into his arms. She had placed her purple pea-coat on a chair of the ship—her bouquet lying atop it as soon as they settled on the ship.
He watched her dress flair around her hips as he swung her into his embrace—she laughed as they slow danced across the deck of the boat. Her brown eyes were alight with laughter and joy as he waltzed her across the wooden flooring. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.
This whole night had been magical—beyond everything he had ever thought it would be. And Sam wondered why the hell he had waited so long. Their dance ended and Sam decided to go get them something to drink for the last twenty minutes of their cruise.
Mercedes leaned against the railing of the boat—just staring at the city lights. Everything was so beautiful, so perfectly aligned that she felt like God was standing right next to her saying this is your gift for waiting so long.
Her first date felt like something that only happened in the movies—the conversations, the handsome guy, the rockin' outfit, and the events. Sam was just so—she didn't even know.
Never in a million years would she have thought that she'd end up on a City Lights Cruise in New York City with a hot blonde sci-fi nerd. It was so far from her thought process that she was still stunned by everything.
She wanted to pinch herself just to make sure she wasn't dreaming. It sure felt real—especially when a cup of hot chocolate was placed in front of her face and she felt her back hugged by warmth.
Sam's lips pressing into her bare shoulder made Mercedes grin like an idiot—her shoulder continued to tingle even as he rested his chin there and kissed her cheek.
"Hello beautiful," he whispered and Mercedes' eyes closed in ecstasy. She would never get tired of hearing that from him.
Hearing it from her dad and brothers and mom was wonderful, but hearing it from the guy you wanted to kiss senseless every second of the day—that was priceless and it made her heart flutter like crazy every time he did it. "I bought us some hot chocolate," he told her excitedly. She laughed as she wrapped her hands around his holding the mug.
"I can see that," she replied, "Where's yours?"
"I got one for us to share," he replied sheepishly and Mercedes turned her head to glance at him.
"Presumptuous, are we?" she joked, "What if I didn't want to share my hot chocolate with you?"
"In my opinion, you've been sharing the hot chocolate ever since we've kissed," Sam responded with a smug grin, "You're the hottest chocolate I've ever tasted."
That had her snorting. "You are one crazy white boy, you know that," she told him. Sam grinned in response.
"You know you like it, Nala," he said as he pulled his hand away from the mug and wrapped his arms around her waist. Her cheeks got warm when he pulled her into his chest and placed a kiss at the junction between her neck and shoulder.
"Yeah, a little bit too much," she muttered, "You're going to have me quoting Avatar soon." That had Sam laughing into her shoulder.
They shared the hot chocolate in a contented silence—Sam holding Mercedes close for the rest of the ride. The mug was emptied and placed on the chair next to Mercedes' bag. It was when they could see the docks again that Mercedes felt Sam's arms tighten around her, before he let go.
He gently turned her to face him and she looked up into his eyes—and she had never seen them so warm. His hands fell on her waist and he leaned his forehead onto hers. Mercedes was self-aware enough to admit that she was nervous and terrified at the same time.
The look in Sam's eyes was bordering on an intensity that Mercedes had never seen directed at anyone before. Her heart was pounding and her palms were sweaty, and she felt like her legs were about to give out on her, but nothing had ever felt so scary or right before.
"Oel ngati kameie, Nala," Sam whispered—and even though she didn't know what that meant; her heart fluttered as he continued, "Nga lor si oe neu ne lu hu nga." She'd always thought it dumb to know a fictional language, but hearing the vowels roll off Sam's tongue made her change her opinion.
In this moment it was perfect, because it was such a Sam thing to do. She wouldn't have wanted anything less. "What did that mean?" she asked quietly and Sam smiled slightly at her.
"I see you, Nala," he translated—the emotion in his tone and his face and his eyes was driving Mercedes crazy as he spoke, "You are beautiful and I want to be with you."
His words had her eyes watering. "Sam," she whispered, but he stopped her with a glance.
"You have brought me through things in the past month that I never thought I'd have to deal with," Sam told her—the sincerity in his voice had her knees weakening, "And you've helped me change and discover just how good I can be. You make me want to be better than I am. You don't let me give up hope, and I have been so blind as to how incredibly perfect you are for me."
She bit her lip because she could feel the tears choking her. Her heart was on the verge of exploding in her chest. "You're so different from me—we have completely opposite perspectives and yet, you understand me and respect me like no one I've ever met before. I find myself amazed by every little thing you do and I want that in my life for as long as I can possibly get it."
Oh, what the hell, she was totally crying. She was so happy that she couldn't contain it, but she needed to hear those words. Would it—was this really happening to her? Mercedes Jones? The woman who was forever alone? Was she actually standing on a cruise boat with the guy of her dreams?
God was good—he was really good.
"So, Mercedes Nala Jones," That got her to crack a smile—only Sam would through that in there, "Will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"
And there was nothing but joy coursing through her as she blurted, "Hell yes!"
Sam laughed—his cheeks were pink, but his smile was huge, before he leaned forward and kissed her deeply.
She still tensed a bit when she felt his tongue sweep across her bottom lip, but she didn't back away from it. Mercedes would never admit it in a million years, but she had totally researched how to French kiss after that embarrassing incident.
So she remembered the instructions and opened her mouth slightly. And good God, tongues were amazing, but that shit did feel weird too. Not that she was complaining—she could damn well get used to this.
He tasted like mint and chocolate and marshmallows and she wondered what she tasted like to him, but decided to push that thought away or she would freak herself out. When he finally pulled away, her knees were wobbly.
He caught her in his arms with a laugh. "I've never actually made a girl's knees go weak before," he teased and Mercedes poked him when she straightened up.
"I'll learn to resist you soon enough," she replied and Sam's green eyes twinkled at her.
"I hope not," he said and Mercedes smiled at him. They were distracted from their conversation as the boat docked.
Mercedes slid on her coat and the two of them hailed a cab. When they got to the hotel—Sam stopped her at the bottom of the steps. She smiled up at him. "Tonight was beyond perfect, Sam," she told him and Sam blushed.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it," he replied, "but I'm happier that I can call you my girlfriend now."
She had a boyfriend! Holy shit! Mercedes was tempted to break into a happy dance right then and there, but she refrained. It would happen as soon as she was alone though, she just knew it.
"What should we tell the others?" she asked. She and Sam hadn't even thought about that. They were bound to have noticed their disappearance, and if they suddenly reappeared at the same time—then they were both busted. Especially since Kurt was in her room—her best friend could smell a lie from ten stories away.
"I could tell the guys that I got lost," Sam said with a shrug, "I mentioned that I wanted to go sightseeing around the city when I left."
Mercedes wracked her brain for a few moments before she got an idea. "Kurt knows that my aunt used to live here. I could say that I went to go visit Kate and Isabelle—a couple of her old friends. I've actually met them before."
Sam smiled. "Sounds great," he replied, but then a confused expression fell over his features. "Why are we hiding this from them? I'm sure they'd be happy for us."
Mercedes looked away from him. As much as she loved her friends—she wanted this for herself for a little while. Maybe that was selfish, but she'd never had this before and now that she did—she wanted it to be just hers for now. And when she explained that to Sam, he was perfectly fine with it.
He leaned forward and kissed her goodnight before he headed inside. That sweet kiss sent chills down her spine.
She followed him a few moments later. The night was perfect beyond all words.
She totally did her happy dance in the elevator.
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