Blame It
When you choose to forgive those who have hurt you, you take away their power
Sam Evans was big in the music industry his label held some of the biggest artists in the business signed and he was busy, he's spent four good years doing the legwork before he nabbed his biggest contract, and it just hadn't stopped from then. He'd got an army of people working for him, but that didn't mean he was ready to take his eye off the ball, he was travelling all over the world, his fingers in every pie to stay ahead of the game.
When he met Mercedes it was such a fluke, but she was so inspiring he just had to go back there, it had started as an interview he'd turned up late for, quickly turned into a friendship, they were both busy, he was busy but still they'd check in with each other for no reason, that quickly turned into physical check in's, which eventually turned into something. Month eight they admitted to having their first date, and although since then it had been more off than on, in regard to physical contact, it was all either of them had the time for, so it suited them fine.
Sam was rushing around the kitchen, he'd opted for a small intimate table on the balcony, overcompensated on the flowers, and had a rug laid out by the fire just in case. Everything was perfect, the mature garden was watered the silverware was shining, everything he'd ordered had been cooked to perfection, and it was nearly time for his hopefully soon to be fiancé, to arrive for the dinner he hoped was going to turn them into an official us.
"Everything done?" he asked his housekeeper, cook, and main bottle washer, rubbing his sweaty hands together
"Don't worry Sam" Shelby grinned "It's in hand"
"Put that song on please" he asked as she left the balcony
"Will do" he smiled at hearing it
The world is mine, but I want you, I close my eyes and déjà vu helped me realize
I'm right where I should be, yeah, I want you more than just a night
He was nervous, he didn't know why they weren't a new couple, but for the last three months he'd been very busy, and her schedule had been crazy, they'd agreed to calm things right down for a week and get some quality time. Over the past five years they'd barely found the time to mourn three grandparents and a parent together, but somehow it seemed that all that pain and sorrow had brought them closer together a lot quicker than the miles that had kept them apart.
"Where is he?" he smiled at hearing her excited voice eager to get to him
"On the balcony Miss Jones" Shelby called after her
"What's all this?" Mercedes rushed through to the balcony and froze smiling at all the candles, the extravagantly set table and the mellow sound of 'Nothing Feels Better' by Pink Sweat$ playing in the background
I'd die for you, I'd give my life and I realize, I'm right where I should be, yeah
When the world is over, I'll wait here for you, through space and time, I'll still adore you
"It's been a while" he smiled walking towards her "You look eatable as usual" he nodded his approval at her casual attire before pulling her to him for a kiss
"It's been a while since one or the other of us haven't had to be flying off in six hours" she laughed flinging her arms around his neck to keep him there
Oh, nothing feels better than you (La-la, la-la), nothing feels better than you (La-la, la-la)
All those kisses and hugs, wake me up in the morning, forever, I'm yours, just know that I'm all in
Cause nothing feels better than you
"We'll get to that" he laughed "I went to a lot of trouble to set this night up; it wouldn't be fair to let it all be a waste"
"Okay" she let him go rolling her eyes "Where do you want me?" she looked at the table
"On my lap over there" he giggled pointing to the closest chair at the table
"Okay" she laughed following him across the room "Is this a dinner party?" she stopped to ask at hearing the doorbell ringing again
"No" he let her hand go eager to find out who was visiting "I'll get rid of them" he went towards the door
"Hey" Noah, his older brother from another mother came bursting through the door, just missing his head with the swing
"Noah" he smiled "It's been a while" he smiled greeting him "What brings you all the way over here?"
"You know me I travel" Noah hugged him "Met a girl and decided to stay a while, been around for a week or so, but you know it takes me a while to decide if I'm even going to bother to wear one in"
"Please" Sam laughed "Mercy's here, tone it down a bit"
"You still seeing that woman?" he looked at his brother shocked, looking up to see Mercy standing there "Hey" he smiled "I'm totally shocked you put up with his fucked up schedule" he walked towards her "Did we disturb something?" he pointed at the soft music playing while checking out the table
"We?" Sam asked
"Yeah, I brought my girl" he looked at the door "She's using the bathroom"
"Oh" Sam's voice alerting everyone to what he thought was a problem "I've got this romantic dinner planned for us and well…"
"Dude it's just a dinner" Noah tapped his chest "We haven't seen each other for nearly three years, and you want to throw me out?"
"No" Sam laughed "I'll get some more places set" he looked at Mercy apologetically
"It's fine" she smiled before paying attention to Noah "Hello Noah" she smiled taking his rushed hug
It was the old story, Sam's parents, convinced they'd done everything to conceive and failed, decided to adopt, Noah had come about at a time of desperation for them, and they'd smothered him with love, affection, and gifts. It was by pure chance that five years later their miracle happened, and they were blessed with a biological child, of course there was resentment on Noah's part, which led to rebellion.
That ended with Noah basically divorcing the family when he got to 21 and going off on his own, he'd call every now and again for money or come home when things got bad, but to Sam's knowledge he never spoke to their dad after the day he left again. After a six year disappearance he'd turned up at their mother's funeral drunk and disorderly, stayed at the house with Sam for about a month and then he'd gone off again, and that's how life was for them with no parents to answer to now a days.
"You'd have had a better life if you'd have chosen me" Noah whispered in Mercy's ear
"Got no complaints" she giggled looking up at the door opening again
"Hey" Noah smiled walking towards the dark haired woman at the door "Come meet my bro and his lady" he held his hand out for the slender woman to grab "Sam, Mercy this is Tana as in Santana" he smiled at his brother "Quickly becoming my significant other"
"Hi" Mercy held her hand out for shaking shocked when the woman dived at her for a hug
"Great to finally meet you" Santana whispered in her ear
"Finally?" Mercy pulled away asking, Noah didn't even know she still existed until he walked in
"Sam" she hugged him refusing to answer Mercy's question
"Santana" he looked at Mercy shocked
"Love the house" she looked around the room "Food?" she looked at Noah widening her eyes
"We're just in time for it" Noah grabbed her around the waist as he came up behind her, just as excited as she was "Knowing Sam it's something expensive" he kissed Santana's cheek "Can we get rid of this soppy music?" he walked over to the pod on the cabinet and stopped it
"Something more upbeat" Santana suggested "Let's get this party started"
"It's not really a party" Sam remarked rolling his eyes at Noah's upbeat choice, Mercy grabbed his hand hearing the frustration in his voice, and smiled at him
"You don't strike me as the romantic type" Santana looked at Sam commenting
"Being with Mercy has allowed me to grow into one" he hugged Mercy smiling "Shall we?" he pointed at the table
"Yeah" Noah grabbed Santana around the waist and guided her to the table
"So how did you two meet?" Mercy asked smiling at Noah sat across the table from her
"At the mall would you believe" Noah laughed
"You shop at the mall?" Sam asked surprised
"I was actually shopping for a girl" Noah laughed
"That makes sense" Sam laughed
"And I was shopping for a man" Santana laughed
"And you picked him?" Mercy laughed
"Everyone has a track record" Santana smiled at her; she knew it wasn't a friendly smile, but she'd started it, so she let it go "I'm sure Sam has a history too" she looked at Sam smirking
"As you said everyone has a history and I'm also guilty of that" Mercy gave the woman her game on face, she didn't know how this game had started but she wasn't backing down now
"So" Noah clapped his hands closing whatever it was the women were about to start down "I think I was telling you all how we met" he looked at Santana raising his eyebrows "We met at the mall as I said, she was looking at this hot underwear set, and I was imagining her in it, only I didn't keep my thoughts to myself, and she offered to play out my fantasies" he laughed
"Romantic" Mercy smiled sarcastically, looking up at the food being served "Thank you Shelby" she smiled
"So how long have you two been an item now, you've clocked up some years?" Noah asked
"Just two months over five years" Sam smiled at Mercy
"So how did you guys meet?" Santana asked
"I find it hard to believe Sam met anyone with his schedule" Noah looked at his brother
"We both have busy schedules, but we make it work" Sam told him taking a fork full of his meal to hand "Mercy came to my building for a meeting, and we ended up having dinner instead of the scheduled meeting because I ran over, things just went on from there" he smiled at her
"So, what is it you do?" Santana asked Mercy
"I sing amongst other things" she giggled
"You sing, he's a producer, manager and artist and he's got you listening to the crap I heard when we came in?" Santana laughed
"Sweat$ is a good friend of ours actually" Mercy told her
"You have friends?" Santana asked
"Do you not understand what those are?" Mercy snapped back
"I'm sure we all know what friends are" Santana smirked "Don't we?" she looked at Sam before looking at Noah "You've got long life friends; do you have any of those?" she asked Noah
"Not really only my bro" he looked at Sam
"Friends with benefits?" she asked Sam
"As Mercy said everyone has a past" Sam told her
"Friends that are enemies?" she asked Mercy
"In our business there are a multitude of those" Mercy laughed
"So, are you guys exclusive?" Santana asked even Noah looked at her shocked
"We have been for the past four years, why?" Mercy asked, "Is that something you're considering?" she looked at Noah
"Is it me, or does anyone else think this isn't a conversation for the dinner table?" Sam asked looking from Santana to Mercy
"I think they're just claiming ground" Noah laughed
"I'm sure we're all aware this ground belongs to me" Sam told him, his eyes zoning in on Mercy for her to stop
"What?" Mercy looked at him wide eyed "She started it"
"How did she start it?" Noah asked shocked at the comment
"What did she mean by she was happy to finally meet me, she doesn't know me, you didn't even know we were still together until you walked in, she was being sarcastic wasn't she?" Mercy replied
"Santana?" Noah asked for a response to her comment, eager to get this out the way to enjoy his time with his brother, the room fell silent for a minute before Sam wiped his mouth and put his fork down
"Santana and I know each other from our past" he admitted
"How much of a past?" Mercy asked him
"Before we got serious" Sam told her looking at Santana angrily "I guess you could call us friends with benefits back then" he looked at his brother "Sorry"
"You knew who he was all that time I was talking about him?" Noah looked at Santana shocked
"I was trying to get a contract back then he was the person to get past I was doing what I thought I needed to do to get where I wanted to be" Santana told him "We were together for about a month; he didn't see any talent in me and saw me off" she looked at Sam across the table
"We weren't together" Sam butted in "There were a few girls around, she was just one of them"
"You look so fucking cute in that suit" Noah shouted at his brother
"This was way before you, you can't be blaming me for this?" Sam snapped at him
"But I can" Mercy got up slammed her napkin on the table and walked out
"Fuck" Sam hissed getting up to follow her
Noah & Santana
"So?" Noah watched Sam rush out the room after Mercy "When were you actually going to tell me you'd screwed my brother?"
"How was I supposed to work out he was your brother till I got here?" she laughed watching him get up obviously pissed at the situation
"Don't give me that shit, I talk about him all the time, you knew what he did for a living, there aren't that many record labels called Trico" he huffed "You've fucking been there" he waved his hands in the air showing his anger
"It's not even a big deal, I thought it would be a laugh" she laughed getting up to follow him
"And so, you come up in here to piss off his girl for what?" he turned to look at her before swinging the patio doors open
"Fun" she snapped "She started it"
"No, you started it Santana" he stood in the doorway telling her before stepping inside
"We're using full names now, you're mad at me for this?" she followed him out
"Of course, I am, he's my brother"
"And I'm your girl" she shouted at him "You should be defending me"
"With what, the fact that you slept with my brother?"
"No, the fact that she started on me as soon as I walked in the damn door, you should have stuck up for me, told her to back off"
"I should have walked into my brother's house and told his girl to back the fuck off?" he asked for confirmation "Where you seeing him when he was with her?"
"Maybe, sounds like it, I knew he stopped seeing me, amongst others, at the same time, I assume it was for her if he's been with her for five years"
"So, this is jealousy?" he let her step closer to him
"For heaven Sake Noah it was just sex, we did that all the time" she laughed "And at the time I wasn't the only one, so there really was no room for jealousy, as I said I needed to progress" she quickly kissed his lips
"You know we're going to have to split up now?" he smiled at her
"What for?" she asked shocked enough to step back
"I can't keep bringing you here, fucking up their relationship"
"What about our relationship, I thought you came here every three years or something?" she moaned "We just started talking serious"
"You 've slept with my brother" he laughed unable to believe her laid back take on things
"Technically we never slept" she smiled up at him "Actually we never shared a bed, it wasn't that kind of hook up" she pulled him by the neck to meet her lips "Everyone has a random" she whispered
"I guess they do" he smiled at her "Next time tell me about it"
"I won't be fucking with your brother again" she giggled, stopping at his straight face looking back at her "Too soon?"
"Way too soon" he let her kiss him again
Sam & Mercy
"Mercy" Sam called after her watching her rush across the main room, and into the bedroom before slamming the door "Fuck" he marched across to the door, he was just as angry as she was "Mercy" he found her sat on the bed looking out the window "Babe"
"She's pretty" she didn't turn to look at him "Exceptionally pretty"
"I guess that's what Noah sees in her" he shoved his hands in his pocket and walked towards her
"I'm finding it hard to understand why you moved from someone like her to me" she looked up at him stood in front of her
"Babe" his eyes begging her not to think it
"What do you mean babe?" she looked at him with narrowed eyes "I don't have a right to ask questions now?"
"Course you do, and you deserve answers, but this isn't worth arguing about"
"Some bitch rolls up at your house, she's gone as far as to sleep with your damn brother to get to you, and that isn't worth arguing about?" she huffed "Worse still you knew who she was as soon as she walked through the door and you said nothing, you set me up for that bitch"
"That wasn't the intention, she came with my brother, how was I just going to call her out like that, I was going to tell him in private"
"And still leave me guessing?" she snarled at him "Were you with her when you were with me?"
"Not in that sense no"
"What sense?"
"This really wasn't the kind of conversation I was planning to have tonight" he sat next to her
"No bullshit Sam"
"Truth" he held his hand up "I think she was with a few girls that used to dole out blow jobs, I was sort of seeing you then we hadn't gone past social media yet, but I was planning on getting closer, it couldn't have been going on for more than a month tops" he grabbed her hand
"Did you sleep with her?"
"No"
"She came here to make me jealous"
"Well, I think she came here because she was jealous of you"
"What?" she looked at him puzzled
"Think about it, she belittled herself to try and make it in the business, and after everything she did she got nowhere, and then she walks in here to see you, I know she pretended like she didn't know you, that I lived here or that I was Noah's brother, but I bet you any money she knew all that, she just wanted to see the winner… You"
"I don't feel like a winner"
"That's because I'm the winner" he grabbed her hand "She's nobody, please don't let her win"
"I thought you already loved me?"
"I do" he smiled "So much so I did this expensive meal and had this magnificent proposal speech ready to up our relationship goals, and now it's all messed up" he raked his hand through his hair "I'd love to blame this on Noah as usual, but this is all his girl"
"You know what?" she stood up "I'm fine, very fine and I believe you love my ass, let's get back to our meal"
"Okay" he smiled grabbing her waiting hand "That's my girl" he pulled her to him and kissed her deep "Why won't you marry me already?" he held her face between his hands asking
"Because no matter how much we say we are, I don't think we're ready to make those necessary sacrifices yet"
"I'm ready babe, I'm really ready"
"Let's get this dinner finished"
"I need to speak to Noah first"
"And leave me with that bitch?"
"You're the lady of the house, you can deal with her can't you?"
"I can deal with you" she tiptoed up to kiss him "Let's go do this" she grabbed his hand kissed it and dragged him back to their guests
Noah & Sam
"Can we…" Sam pointed at the balcony for Noah to walk with him, he followed him out
"Dude, I really didn't know any of this, it's my fault I…" Noah told his brother genuineness in his voice
"It's nobody's fault" Sam smiled as they closed the balcony door "There are just some women that can't be controlled, and we just happen to have found two"
"Is Mercy alright?"
"She will be"
"Did you two have something special planned for tonight, I know we fucked something up?"
"I was going to propose again" Sam laughed
"Again?" Noah asked him shocked "You mean she's not snapping you up?"
"As I said no control, and to be honest I don't want to control her, I love her just the way she is"
"I think Tana could be the one too, she really got under my skin" they looked at the two women sat in silence watching them
"So, what are we going to do?"
"Do you have feelings for Tana?"
"No" he laughed "To be honest I'd forgotten her until she walked in the door"
"She's obviously gotten better with age"
"Don't even want to know dude" Sam laughed "We've never actually fucked if that helps, but I won't give details"
"She is good at that" Noah laughed
"Each to his own" Sam laughed "To be honest I have no memory of it" he pointed at the two women sitting at the grinning "That looks amicable"
"I think we need to break that up"
Santana & Mercy
"Okay, I was being a bitch" Santana watched Mercy occupy the seat across from her "I apologise, Sam's a cool guy"
"I'd thank you to keep your mouth off him"
"Okay" Santana held her hands up "I get why you might feel intimidated by me"
"For maybe a second, but I'm over that" Mercy laughed "I'm marrying the man, I don't think I can get any more secure than that"
"That's cool" Santana flicked her hair through her fingers "I hope Noah and I reach those goals"
"Sister-in-laws?" Mercy rolled her eyes smiling "I don't know how I feel about that"
"Girl I sucked you boys dick for a hot second, once you've sucked one you've sucked them all, I have no special memories, and I'm sure he hasn't either, hell I don't even think he remembered my damn name"
"That good" Mercy laughed "If you ever need any pointers on staying memorable, I got some tricks"
"Damn girl" Santana laughed "I like you"
"So long as you know, no matter how much you like me, it will never be enough for you to be sucking on my man's dick ever again"
"I hear you, but I'm invested in Noah, it hasn't been long for us, but it's been intense"
"I know Sam loves him" they looked at the two men talking
"He loves his little bro too" Santana told her "Do you think they'll get past this?"
"Looks like they have" Mercy smiled at the two men coming towards them
Everyone
"Hey" Sam smiled watching Mercy get up to meet him
"You alright?" she held his face between her hands asking
"I'm good" he looked at Noah heading over to Santana "We're good" he leaned in and kissed her "You good?
"Yeah" she smiled "Except for my wanna be sister-in-law over there wanting to be friends" she winked at Santana
"I think Noah's hooked" Santana kissed him quickly
"I have one last thing before we close this down" Mercy looked into Sam's eyes
"I knew this all went down too easy" he laughed "What are you going to blame me for now?"
"Finally getting me to say yes"
"Seriously?" he smiled before chuckling to himself "You're saying yes, finally?" he looked at Noah and rolled his eyes with relief "She said yes" he told him excitedly before grabbing her for a kiss
"Hell, now can we eat?" Santana purposely interrupted them, before she diverted her eyes to the table
"Do you want to?" Sam looked at Mercy asking
"You went to all this trouble; it would be rude wouldn't it?" she giggled
"Dude" he tapped his brother on the shoulder
"I heard" Noah laughed
"Help yourself to whatever, stay" Sam told him, "We'll talk tomorrow" he went where Mercy was dragging him "Hey" he pulled back "What's up?"
"Someone reminded me that I needed to keep being remembered and I just want to make you remember this, tonight, me" they walked across the room
Sam: Oh nothing feels better than you, nothing feels better than you
All those kisses and hugs, wake me up in the morning, forever, I'm yours, just know that I'm all in
Cause nothing feels better than…
"You" he closed the bedroom door behind them