Defying Gravity

Only I can change my life., no one can do it for me.

Thursday

Mercy's POV

"You have got to be fucking kidding me" my head jerked off the pillow, I knew I'd had a drink last night, and maybe sound was a bit exaggerated because of a possible hangover, but this was ridiculous "Turn it down" I shouted squinting at the vibration in my head. There was nothing for it that fucking guy and his filthy friends from next door was going to have to speak to the police, I turned to grab my phone off the beside cabinet and realised I wasn't in my flat "What the fuck?" I sat up in the bed and looked around, how did I not know where I was, or how I got there.

After I was done repeatedly stabbing myself in the head, the next victim was going to be Tessla, I couldn't catch my breath about that bitch letting me fly solo. I made to get up, threw the sheets off me and realised I wasn't fully dressed "Fuck" I went towards the door. The noise on the other side of it told me there was more than one person out there, the room looked familiar, but to be honest I didn't know why, I sat on the bed wondering what the hell my next move was, knowing a walk of shame wasn't it.

"You're still alive then?" my neighbours head popped round the door, I was half naked, sitting on his bed, in his apartment, I should have been disgusted with myself, but I thought at least I almost made it home.

"Hey" I shouted, my response a bit delayed for what I was taking in "I'm" I looked round and tried to grab the sheet that was wrapped around the bed so tight it wasn't moving.

"Let me guess, you're half naked?" he pushed the door open wider and stood in the doorway, dressed in his usual teddy bear pyjama bottoms and a white vest, his arms crossed, and his legs crossed at the ankle.

"Fuck off" I snapped at him, and I meant it from the pit of my stomach, but I needed to calm down I was sat on the man's bed, but he was the most annoying person on the planet, I couldn't believe that of all the guys in the four corners of America I decided to sleep with this sad excuse of a man.

"That's nice, I mean you knocked my door" he snapped.

"You mean you dragged me kicking and screaming into your fucking den of iniquity" I snapped back, rolling my eye at my lack of control.

"Whatever, helps you make sense of your behaviour last night" he rolled his eyes at me "Your clothes are drying by the way".

"You washed my clothes?" this was worse than I'd initially thought.

"And my rug, you chucked up all over the place, it was like a volcano".

"I'd say a sincere sorry but..." I looked at him trying to stop myself from smiling.

"That's fine" he grinned "I know, you're not a nice person".

"Takes one to know one" I held my head feeling the pounding as my blood pressure rose, he was so irritating "Could you turn that down, just asking?"

"And next time you want to vomit, could you crawl into your own pit or leave me a key to let you into your place, just saying".

"Could you turn the music down please?" I asked calmly, I didn't have the energy to argue with him.

"That's better" he grabbed the door handle "I'll ask" before he disappeared, I sat on his bed with nothing to do but wait for my clothes and wonder why I didn't go home last night. I grabbed the sheet and lay back down to wait. "Good night last night?" he walked back into the room, twenty minutes or so later, without knocking again.

"I think so actually" I held my hand out for my clothes "It was..."

"A farewell party, your friend Tess was leaving for China today, I know" he laughed "I think the building knows".

"Was she with me?"

"No" he smiled letting go of my clothes "To what I could understand you dropped her off at the airport and caught a cab home, she's got your bag with your keys, phone, everything in it, it's on its way to China" he laughed "You did want to book a flight to go pick it up last night".

"That's ridiculous" I laughed, I had to smile to myself having remembered that last night we hadn't realised until near the end of the evening that Tessla's flight was seven in the morning not in the evening and everything had gone into panic mode, try being three sheets to the wind while having to focus.

"They wouldn't have let you on the plane anyway, you were too drunk".

"Granted" I turned to look at him, I'd never been this close to him before, he had a smell about him that made you just want to drink it in, his piercing green eyes were sexy as hell, and to be honest, in other circumstances, I might have gone there.

"See" he grinned, it was hard to keep a serious face and look into his eyes at the same time.

"See what?" I looked down at my clothes doing nothing in my hand.

"I'm not that bad close up, am I?"

"You're so full of yourself" I snapped at him, he was a fucking idiot, what the hell was I thinking, I got up forgetting I had no clothes on, and the sheets weren't willing to come with me.

"Bye Tom, I bet it says hello kitty on the front?"

"What?" I turned to look at him, seeing his eyes were focused on my panties, I'd spun around faster then I'd intended, showing it was indeed hello kitty on the front.

"Your panties, I was just reading them".

"You're such a sleaze" I snapped at him, stepping into my skirt.

"You should feel honoured" he grinned at me.

"Really?" I froze at the front on this damn man, I was stuck with my skirt just past my knees, and my eyes nearly popped out of my head at the gall of this fucking idiot.

"It's very rare I let a girl stay in my bed till the morning, this morning conversation thing is a novelty for me, and an honour for you" I knew that already, I was fed up of his damn door slamming foreplay waking me up at night, bitches shouting obscenities at him or some other guy that was in his place, they were animals.

"Again" I huffed, trying to sound as sarcastic as I could "I'd say a sincere thank you, but"

"You're not a nice person, I know" he laughed "Anyway we're cooking out there if you want some "And" he threw his phone on the bed "Now you're sober I guess you can call whoever has your spare keys" he walked towards the door "Oh" he turned to look at me, I couldn't help but look into those eyes of his again "If you need someone to peel those panties off, I can be Tom"

"Get out" I snapped at the irritating little shit, hearing the door bang again, I could hear him laughing on the other side of it, I smiled to myself, he was one of those guys, you know the ones girls knew they shouldn't fuck with, the no feeling, no questions, just sex, kind, but he was also that guy, god if he was ever ready to be tamed, god help that woman.

I called my brother, explained what had happened and asked him to pick me up a phone and bring me my keys, he had his say about me being so drunk on my own, all the usual big brother stuff, but Shay was a gentle giant really. It was for reasons like this he'd insisted I moved to LA to be closer to him, instead of going to New York, which is what I wanted to do, be out here on my own, of course within six months I knew that would have been the wrong move.

I quickly decided to stay for breakfast before I went home to properly freshen up, it was a free meal after all, and to be honest his friends Ryder and Jake were hell of a funny. Somehow sitting in the midst of it, with the music playing, great conversation, and excellent food, the noise really didn't seem that bad. Ryder was the one, I assumed, responsible for all the banging, his conversations were very physical, jumping around, noise effects, all that, while Jake was more of a detailed kind of guy, his stories dragged out and gave you a wider picture. Sam sat listening to it all as if he'd never heard their stories before, his eyes reaching into my brain, I could understand his nonverbal conversation, he was the one to watch out for.

"I'd better get going" I finally got up when there was a pause in the conversation "It was great meeting you guys" I took the time to look at Ryder and Jake, purposely omitting Sam "And" I finally looked at him "Thanks for letting me crash and use your phone".

"Was that a genuine thank..."

"No" I smirked at him "I still don't like you".

"And you're still not a nice person" he got up to walk me to the door "You do know" his voice deep, intimate, and sexy "I'd really like to make out with you".

"What do you know about the Persuaders?" I asked, trying to deflect from the obvious play.

"I was more on a Bread vibe" he grinned "Want to discuss that more, you'll have to date me".

"In your dreams" I hissed and walked down the hall to my apartment.

Sam's POV

My cousin Ryder and his friend Jake rocked up on my doorstep about two months ago, he'd been kicked out because his lazy ass didn't want to do what his parents had told him, at twenty five, I'd have expected him to have some focus but, after a week, I could understand his parent's point of view. He was a party animal, not that I was averse to music, I was a struggling musician myself, it was the alcohol and weed that went with it I didn't approve of, and although Ryder knew that it didn't stop him from indulging.

I'd had my eye on the girl next door for a while now, she was banging, booty, boobs, smile she had it all and I wanted it. We'd pass on occasion in the hallway, she'd be with her girlfriend most of the time, but sometimes this loud ass guy would pass by, I'd smell cooking and then he'd leave later in the night, I was something of a stalker, a protective one, I might add, I wanted to protect her from afar.

She acted like a boss once she was outside that door, but our bedrooms shared a wall and I could hear her crying in there sometimes, I'd just want to burst into her apartment, wrap my arms round her, and tell her everything was going to be alright.

It couldn't have been a week after Ryder and Jake moved in that I started getting the cold looks from her, she was banging walls, my door once, screaming for the noise to stop. They didn't answer the door to her otherwise she'd have known I wasn't there, I was at work, and they were in my place acting like kids who had been let loose in their parent's home for the night. I threatened them with everything, but Ryder knew I'd never see him out on the streets, the girls that passed through were ridiculous, and young, I wasn't ready for my thirty-year-old ass to go to prison so, if I wasn't working, I stayed in my room doing my thing.

Yesterday, I thought they'd seen the pissed off on my face as they blasted music and sang along getting dressed to go out again, the weekends were no different to the week days for these guys, I warned them not to knock my door after one, and not to bring any girls back, it was my first night off in nearly three weeks, and I wanted some proper rest.

So, when my door knocked at nearly three in the morning, for me that was the last straw, I jumped up ready for these guys "What the" I froze in the doorway, my crush from next door was leaning on my doorframe "What's" was all I got out before she fell into my chest.

"Sorry" she tapped my chest trying to lift her head up "Locked".

"What?" I asked unsure what the situation was "Are you hurt?"

"I need money for the cab" she slurred at me.

"Have you been drinking?"

"Lots" she looked up at me and grinned, the sweetest grin you'd ever want to see "Cab?" her puppy eyes asked.

"Come sit down" I guided her to the couch and went downstairs to pay the cab, I came back upstairs to hear her barfing in the living room "Shit" I rushed in to see her face flash up to look at me vomit all down her skirt and on my damn rug.

"Sorry" she moaned before she started crying "I'm so sorry" she started vomiting again, I rushed towards her and pulled her hair back, rubbing her back to help her get it all out "I tried to get to China to get my keys, but my friend has my phone, keys, everything".

"You were going to China?" I laughed.

"She's gone to China, and I'm locked out" her eyes rolled back, and I knew she was going to slump, I grab her arm and lifted her up, she was going nowhere tonight, so I guess she'd have to sleep in my bed "Are you taking me to bed?" she asked.

"Yes" I smiled secretly wishing it was for all the right reasons.

"I don't sleep around".

"That makes two of us" I laughed "Come on" I took her weight and brought her into my bedroom, her eyes were closed when she flopped onto the bed, I looked at her, her skirt was messy, her hair had bits of food in it, I had to do something. I pulled the sheet down and half covered her with it, carefully moving her around to undo her skirt without waking her, her hello kitty panties made me smile. I reached under the sheet and fumbled around until I got her stockings off, needless to say, except for the odd check in to make sure I wasn't dreaming, I spent the rest of the night washing her clothes and scrubbing my rug.

Ryder and Jake came in earlier than I'd expected, I was up cooking breakfast for my wanted visitor, when they knocked the door, excited about their night, refreshingly there were no girls following them in. "You need more days off" Ryder laughed "Cooked breakfast?"

"Shh" I told them "She's sleeping".

"Who's sleeping?" Ryder asked looking at my bedroom door.

"My neighbour, she locked herself out last night".

"Convenient" Ryder frowned.

"Nothing happened, she was plastered".

"Maybe tonight?" Jake asked smiling.

"She's not interested in me" I smiled at them "I wish".

"Make it happen dude" Ryder sneaked behind me and stole some bacon, next thing I know the music is blasting like we hadn't just had a conversation.

"Guys" I frowned leaving the breakfast to go see how my crush was, she didn't like noise at the best of times let alone when she was trying to manage a hangover. I was shocked to see she'd got up already to be honest, and then I started the conversation off with something stupid, I don't even remember what it was, but whatever it was it got her back up. I was just happy I'd always done those snug fit folds, and tucked my sheets deep under the mattrass which meant you'd have to have some strength behind you to pull them off, and she didn't have any, she was sitting there in those hello kitty panties, trying to hide what I'd already seen.

Her mood was different to the one she'd shown last night, but that was normal I guess, she was nursing a hangover, I finished cooking then brought her clothes through, getting her mad again, it didn't take much she was obviously attracted to me. We bounced off each other for a while, it took all my strength not to pounce on her when she got up wiggling that ass at me, it had been a while, and I guess I went off on another tangent, going the wrong way about letting her know she meant something to me.

That guy she was forever cooking for came to drop her keys off, he turned out to be her brother, a cool guy called Shay, they had words before he thanked me and left "I will have some of that breakfast" she came out of my room as if it was the most natural thing, telling us.

"Morning" Ryder and Jake sung in unison.

"Morning" she giggled "Never mind him, overprotective big brother".

"We've all got one" Jake laughed.

"Except Sam" Ryder was quick to add, I looked at him and frowned, I was not in the mood to be the butt of his jokes, not today, and not in front of her.

"Plate up" I told him letting him know he'd cross a line.

We sat with plates on our laps eating, Jake and Ryder the life and soul of the conversation, all I could do was stare, watching the way she ate, how she smiled, her laugh was infectious, every now and then she'd look at me and her smile told me she knew what was in my mind. It seemed like minutes had passed when she finally announced it was time for her to go, I couldn't resist one last banter with her as we approached the door, I got closer than she was probably comfortable with and whispered in her ear, letting her know I was more than interested.

I asked her for a date in a roundabout kind of way and as I'd expected she knocked me back, but it was a win for me anyway, because now I was in her head, she knew I existed, and that was a step further forward than I was yesterday.

Saturday

The day of rest had been just the opposite, Sam mood was good after the night he'd had, so he had taken the opportunity to get everything done, washing, cleaning, even changed some furniture around before going jogging in the evening, he was on a high. The guys stayed out again, which meant he got a great night's sleep and then it was Saturday, he'd got his usual gig at the Cave tonight, it drew a bit of a crowd, and the owners Tina and Mike Chang, liked to think he had something to do with that, but in all truth, it was the only place that catered for a night out without going seven miles into the main city.

"I'm off to the Cave" Sam told his cousin "Make sure you lock the door."

"Leave the keys" Ryder tried his luck.

"No fucking way" Sam laughed, giving them the keys to his city would be like sending in the cannonballs, he knew that much, one last look in the mirror and he was gone.

"Hey" Jake smiled as they left Sam's place half an hour later and bumping into Mercy coming up the stairs "You look like you need cheering up".

"My girls out of town, nothing to do for four weeks."

"You should come out with us" Ryder suggested.

"We're just going to the Cave" Jake added.

"I don't know" Mercy looked at herself, she'd just gone out to get something to eat, eating alone was something she was used to doing, she knew the Cave well and jeans and T-shirt was about the height of fashion in that place, so she was already dressed.

"Come on, if you don't like it, we'll bring you back home" Ryder told her.

She looked down at her yellow sneakers "Let me change my shoes and grab my purse" she smiled; decision made.

It was at worst a ten-minute walk from their apartment block, made all the more fun by the guys farfetched stories, they got to the venue, and everything seemed to be pumping harder than Mercy had remembered it. It was a place she used to frequent when she first came into town, but the guys were mediocre, the girls were territorial, and the music was shit, so they'd always pay the extra to go into town. The bar had seen a makeover, and there was even a dining area in the place now, it really was going up market "Impressed" she smiled as Ryder grabbed her hand to pull her through the crowd.

"We've got seats" he turned to shout at her, she didn't respond, just followed their lead.

She sat unsurprised at Jake and Ryder acting like they were on heat for every young thing that walked past of looked in their direction, they weren't bad looking guys, just had bad ways about them. Anyone with any sense could see age wise she was not on their radar, they said they were twenty five, but they could have easily been mistaken for a pair of twenty year olds, and if they weren't the girls definitely were.

The stage lit up and the song caught her attention, it was the last words Sam had said to her before they'd parted company a few days ago, and those words had played on her mind so much, so she'd hardly gotten any sleep last night. Who's singing?" she turned to ask Ryder.

"Sam" he smiled "This is his Saturday night gig".

"Okay" she turned to watch the stage, smiling at another string she didn't know he had, she sat listening to his invitation again, it wasn't hard to know he was singing to her, his eyes hardy moved around the room.

Hey, have you ever tried, really reaching out for the other side? I may be climbing on rainbows, but baby, here goes

Dreams, they're for those who sleep, life is for us to keep, and if you're wondering what this song is leading to,
I want to make it with you, I really think that we could make it, girl,

"I think you might be in there" Ryer stated the obvious, she heard him, but she didn't respond.

No, you don't know me well, in every little thing only time will tell, but you believe the things that I do, and we'll see it through,

Life can be short or long, love can be right or wrong, and if I chose the one, I'd like to help me through
I'd like to make it with you, I really think that we could make it, girl

"Think yourself lucky, we've lived with him for nearly two month and not one girl has caught his eye" Jake laughed "And believe me we've tried".

Baby, you know that dreams, they're for those who sleep, life, it's for us to keep, and if I chose the one, I'd like to help me through
I'd like to make it with you, I really think that we could make it, girl 'Make It With You' by Bread

She sat looking at him again, something else she'd been wrong about, maybe her feelings were right, maybe she should take a plunge and see where it goes, Shay was forever telling her to move with the flow, maybe she would. She giggled to herself at the look on her brother's face when she presented him with a white guy, not that she cared because as Tess had always said, love was love "Did I just use that word?" she asked herself, looking around to see if anyone heard her

He sang a few more songs before he finally left the stage to join them in the booth "Didn't expect to see you" he sat next to me

"Didn't expect to see you either" she turned to give him her full attention "So, this is what you do?"

"Saturdays when I'm around yeah, but I spend most of my time playing guitar for gigs".

"So, the noise?"

"Isn't me, no"

"Can we rewind back to Thursday morning?" she giggled.

"Please don't tell me you want to do things different?" he laughed.

"I was such a..."

"Person with a hangover" he finished the sentence for her.

"That's a nice way of putting it" she giggled.

"Let me take you out to dinner tomorrow, on like a date".

"There's that word again" she looked into his eyes "You were right" she grinned at him.

"About?"

"You not being that bad close up" she smiled "Actually you look really good".

"So, do you" he smiled with his eyes "Am I right in thinking something's changed for us".

"I guess to say no would be defying gravity" she giggled.

"Does everything have to have a song for you?"

"You'll get used to me".

"I intend to" he moved closer to her "Let's make this change" his lips touched hers as he pulled her close for a more intimate kiss.