Enjoy!

WDYKH: Part Four

Mercedes looked down at what he tossed her, seeing it was a book and read the title. The One I Lost, it was a graphic novel and the cover was of a woman that looked a lot like her. She looked at him with tears in her eyes and shook her head.

"What is this?" She asked barely audibly.

"It's the thing that has taken my career from small shop graphic novelist to mainstream. You're not the only one that was broken, I shut my family out for the first few months but the more I drew that easier it got but the pain of… of losing you never left." He answered.

Mercedes took a step back, shaking her head again. "No, you don't get to do that. You don't get to make me cry again."

Sam crossed his arms and furrowed his brows. "I'm not trying to do anything but tell you the truth. You stormed in here making assumptions and not once did you ever consider the year I had. I've been here making myself sick with worry and heartbreak because-"

"BECAUSE YOU WOULDN'T LET ME SPEAK!" Mercedes shouted, interrupting him. "You've been here blaming me, while I WAS OUT THERE BLAMING MYSELF FOR BEING TOO DAMN AFRAID TO SAY I LOVE YOU SOONER!" She added letting out a strangled breath.

"I CAME TO YOU FIRST! I TRIED TO GET YOU TO TELL ME BEFORE THEN AND YOU PUSHED ME AWAY!" He shouted back and Mercedes looked at him shocked. Sam had never yelled at her before, he'd never even raised his voice at her when he would get mad at her in the past.

"I was scared but I came and you pushed me away, you wouldn't let me tell you that I was in love with you and that I wanted to be with you. YOU wouldn't let me speak. I've been beating myself up since that night and my heart hasn't repaired itself… it's never gotten easier, it's never been bearable for me to just keep going. I- I couldn't even sing, I hated the sound of my voice because it would remind me of how you would be so happy to hear me sing." She admitted, crying.

Sam felt his expression soften when she said the last part because he did love hearing her sing, especially when she would lazily sing at night.

"What are we doing?" Sam asked, letting out a breath. "Why can't we just say we love each other and end it there?"

Mercedes looked at him through watery eyes. "I don't know." She closed her eyes. "It should be easy, to look at you and say it but I have been running from that pain for so long, it's just…"

"Hard." Sam finished. "Because even with you here, even knowing that you love me, the fear that had surrounded us for so long, it's still here. And you can't just shut that off."

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Yeah."

Silence filled the room as they stared at each other. Neither knowing how to break down that wall they both built.

Sam walked over to her and took her hand. "Mercedes, would you go on a date with me?"

Mercedes looked at Sam confused. "What?"

"Go on a date with me… all those years of us doing… I've never asked you out and I want to do that now. So would you go on a date with me?"

She smiled and wiped her eyes before nodding. "Yes. I would love to." She said.

Maybe it wasn't telling her he loved her, but it was a step in the right direction for both of them.

Sam had planned everything. From dinner, to dancing to a midnight tour of the Statue Of Liberty. He needed tonight to go perfect, needed her to see that they could be great together. Wearing a pair of dark jeans, a buttoned down light green shirt, and a leather jacket. He walked out of his room, stopping in his tracks as he saw Mercedes.

She wore an above the knee gold pineapple print white silk, off the shoulder guipure lace dress. She wore a pair of gold strap heels, her hair was pulled to one side hanging over her shoulder.

"You look incredible." He said, taking her hand.

"You clean up nice as well."

Sam led her out the door and to a waiting town car. Opening the door for her, he followed suit, giving the driver instructions.

"Where are we going?" She asked looking out the window.

Sam smiled. "Just wait."

She sat back and nodded as her phone rang. Looking down she saw her mom and sighed, hitting ignore.

"You know, you're gonna need to speak to them eventually." Sam said, right as his phone started to ring and it was her mother. He held up his phone with a smile before hitting ignore.

"So they do know I am here…or they hope we've spoken, do they call you a lot?"

"I don't know if they know for certain but yes, they call often to 'check on me' I haven't told them you were here though." He replied.

She took his hand in hers. "I know you didn't." As the car stopped, Sam stepped out taking her hand. She stopped as she looked at the name of the restaurant. "Ai Fiori?" It was one that she had said plenty of times she would love to go to, but they never did.

Sam smiled. "We always talked about coming here."

"That was… years ago and we were in college. I can't believe you remember." She said, smiling at him.

"Of course I remembered." He said taking her hand and leading her inside. "Hi, we have reservations for Sam Evans."

The Host looked at the book in front of him and smiled. "Oh of course. Right this way."

They followed the Host to the back of the room, Mercedes looked at Sam as they walked into the back of the restaurant.

"Sam… where are we going?"

"Just wait."

The doors opened and she smiled at the intimate setting.

"Welcome to our Vernazza Room. Enjoy."

Sam led her into the room as they looked around. A candlelit table stood in front of them, there was room for them to dance. As Mercedes walked further into the room "I Turn to You." Started to play from the speakers. She turned to Sam who smiled at her.

"May I have this dance Mercy?"

Mercedes bit her lip and nodded. "Yes." She answered, giving him her hand.

Sam smiled, taking her hand and pulling her close as they began to slowly sway along to a song they both loved. Sam could still remember the moment when Mercedes deemed it 'their' song. It was after prom when they heard it twice after they'd slept together for the first time.

"You remembered our song." Mercedes said, looking up at him.

Sam nodded. "Mercedes, when it comes to you, there isn't much I don't remember about you."

"There you go using those smooth words of yours, pretty sure that's how you got into my pants that night." She joked.

"What can I say? Young Sammy Evans had game." He teased. "But older Sam Evans…" He said, spinning her out and then pulling her back close to him. "Has moves."

Mercedes giggled, wrapping her arms around him. "If I remember correctly you had some moves back then too or did you forget us dancing at Senior prom?" She asked.

"I remember you looked beautiful in your gown, with your hair up. I remember how you felt in my arms." He said, staring at her. "I remember realizing that no one would ever feel as good as you did against me."

She blushed looking away before looking back at him. "I started a fight with my date so you save me." She admitted.

"He was an idiot." Sam said, turning his face back towards hers. "I was stupid. I never should have let you leave for college without telling you the truth."

She looked at him confused. "What truth?"

"That I was in love with you. Even back then, and I was just to stupid to tell you."

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked. "We literally lived together our junior year."

"Because I was scared I didn't want to lose you, I didn't want to lose our friendship."

Mercedes took in what he said before nodding. "Seems we've been playing this game for a lot longer than we both knew…" She replied. "If it makes you feel any better I know I was in love with you in middle school."

Sam wanted to say something but all he could think about was her words, her. He stopped dancing and cupped her face with his hands. "I love you. I am in love with you Mercedes Jones."

"I-"

"Are we ready to order?" A pretty waitress asked, looking at the both of them.

Sam let out a sigh. "Just give us a few more moments." He said, keeping his attention on Mercedes. The waitress nodded, walking out of the room.

"Sam we could've ordered." Mercedes said smiling, before walking over to their table to look at the menu.

"Mercedes, are you serious right now?" He asked not moving from his spot.

Mercedes looked at him. "Yes, I'm starving… are you not hungry?" She asked, picking up a menu before her eyes grew wide. "Holy crap, Sam… these prices are… steep."

Sam stared at her. "It's never gonna change is it? Either you love me or you don't, but you know what it doesn't matter. Order what you want. I don't care." Sam said needing to calm down. How could she sit there and pour his heart out to her and she not even reply.

Mercedes giggled and shook her head. "Do you remember in high school when I was dating Shane and you shouted in the middle of a very crowded hallway that you didn't care how big or bad he was, that you'd do everything to win me back?" She asked, looking over the menu.

Sam shrugged. "And?"

"You basically told me you loved me that day without saying, I always wondered why you worded it that way until it dawned on me that our friendship was lost when I started dating him… and do you remember what I told you?"

Sam huffed. "Why don't you enlighten me Mercedes."

Mercedes stood up and walked over to him, grabbing his face so that he was looking at her. "I said, you would always have a special place in my heart. And ten years later that statement is just as true, I love you Sam. I love you more than you know." She said, smiling at him.

Sam stared at her blinking a few times as if she didn't just confess that she was in love with him.

"You get all mad about me not saying those words when you want me to and the moment I do, you get all quiet on me?" She said, crossing her arms. "Tsk, tsk guess I should say it a little louder. I LOVE YOU SAM EVANS!" She shouted.

Sam shook his head and moved closer to her, taking her hand and pulling her closer to him, leaning in and kissing her softly. "I love you too."

"Good, now can we eat? I've been wanting to try their food for years and in your fit of rage, you said I could order whatever I wanted and I intend on doing just that." She said, kissing him back.

Sam smiled, kissing her one last time. "Yeah come on, let's eat. I have more things to show you."

Mercedes raised an eyebrow. "I think I've seen some of those things already." She teased walking over to the table.

"Oh baby you have no idea what I have in store for you." he said sitting across from her.

Once he made sure Mercedes had her fill, he took her to the next part of their date. A midnight tour of the Statue of Liberty. As he led her off the ferry and to the base he smiled handing her a pair of sneakers. "We do have to walk a few stories to get to the crown, but only if you are down to do it. If not, we can enjoy the view from the boat.

"Hey, I'm here for whatever surprises you have for me." She said taking her shoes off and slipping the sneakers on.

"I'll be with you every step of the way." He said, kissing her forehead.

They rode the elevator as far up as it would let them and then he led her up the rest of the way. Making their way up the crown, he grabbed the basket, moving to spread out a blanket and pulling her up to look out into the night sky. "The first time I came here only one thing was on my mind. And that was… 'I wish Mercy was with me.' I don't want to spend any more time wishing you were with me."

"All that time living in the city and I still can't believe we never came here." She said looking out at the view.

"It's another thing I wanted to do but never got around to it, and when I finally did it wasn't half as amazing as it is right now with you.

"What else did you want to do with me?" She asked, looking over at him.

He leaned in and kissed her, pulling her closer to him. "Everything."

"Then what's stopping you now?" She asked, kissing him back.

"We still have so much we need to resolve. We can't start a relationship, broken." He said deepening their kiss, he could tell where this was heading and needed to stop so he pulled away.

Mercedes looked at him confused. "What's wrong?"

"We already know that sexually we're compatible and as much as I would love to devour you right now but I want more." He said.

"More?"

Sam nodded, grabbing her hands. "I want what we would talk about when we talked about our futures but I want it with you. I want the house, the kids, the annoying little dog. I just want… we wasted so much time fighting this and I don't want to mess it up by doing what we always do."

Mercedes smiled shyly. "So what are you saying exactly?"

"I'm saying that this date is the last first date either of us will have. I'm done playing this cat and mouse game. I'm in love with you and I'm not ever going to stop."

"Did you just indirectly propose to me?"

Sam shook his head. "No, I'm making my intentions clear. Now can we finish this date?" He asked and she giggled.

"Yeah, let's finish this last first date."

FINALLLY! Lawd they were about to make me slap them! There will be a part five!