A/N: 2024 update of the original 2011 story

Chapter 5: Mint Chocolate Chip Mocha

Mercedes stifled a loud laugh as she stepped into the campus café, biting down on her bottom lip to keep from drawing too much attention. The last thing she wanted was to scare everyone with her laughter echoing off the walls. "Stop it, lord, you're crazy! Stop it!" she whispered into her phone, barely suppressing another snicker.

Her first month at Richter had flown by, yet it felt as though she'd been there much longer. Right from the beginning, she had clicked with the other members of the Goldtones. They were a strangely diverse group, but somehow, it just worked. Their chemistry helped them blend beautifully musically, and that same chemistry made their time together so much fun. In just one month, Mercedes had formed friendships that felt as though they'd been years in the making. They reminded her of the New Directions… but without the high school drama.

As Mercedes thought about it, she realized just how much she had grown as a person since her high school days. She had taken the broken friendships and managed to make them stronger. Kurt and Quinn, in particular, were her foundation, next to her family. Mercedes still talked to them regularly, feeling a bit lost without her usual video chats with Kurt. She also kept in touch with the rest of the old gang, meeting up for dinner or a quick chat whenever schedules allowed.

She had retained her headstrong "diva" attitude, but she had also learned a valuable lesson in humility. The world didn't revolve around her. As tempting as it was to wallow in her own problems, she knew she was blessed. She had a great family, great friends, and a passion for music that kept her moving forward. She understood that while it was essential to take the initiative to fulfill her dreams, it was also important not to burden others with her own needs. A true diva knew how to use her attitude the right way.

Mercedes had taught herself to keep her eyes on the future and not dwell too much on the past. She was a woman on the move, too focused on her goals to be bothered by problems that had already run their course. Her last year at Byrnes had solidified this lesson, which was why she had found herself at a new school. Whenever she discussed college with her family or mentors from church, they always advised her to work hard and have a plan. She took that advice seriously—she wasn't in college to wander around aimlessly.

This semester, Mercedes was exploring her options for a career in music. Performing was her passion, so her main goal was to break into the music industry. She had connected with local studios in hopes of recording and was scouting possible venues to perform. Success in the industry was part luck, part persistence, but mostly hard work.

Mercedes Jones was a woman with a plan, and nothing could sway her from it.

She chuckled softly as she stood in line, scrolling through her agenda. "Okay, Tiff, I'll see you later at practice, okay? You and Valerie need to stay out of trouble until then! Listen to me, woman! ...Alright, see ya, pretty girls!" She hung up and tossed her phone into her bag. She glanced over at the sitting area, searching for a table. She planned to get a head start on her homework, and the small table in the corner seemed perfect. She turned back to the counter as the line moved forward, not even bothering to look at the menu—she always ordered the same thing.

"Grande mint chocolate chip mocha, right?" a deep voice spoke from behind her.

Mercedes quickly turned around, surprised that someone had read her mind. She nearly gasped.

Sam.

He grinned, a hint of laughter in his eyes. There it was again, that familiar clench in her chest. Mercedes fought to give him a response but found herself momentarily speechless.

"Yeah, I remembered. Turns out, it ended up being a favorite of mine too," Sam said, his smile widening. He looked down at his feet for a moment before meeting her eyes again. The sunlight streaming through the window illuminated his green eyes, making them seem brighter, more vibrant. They hadn't changed one bit.

Before Mercedes could muster up a response, Sam looked over her head and called out to the barista, "Two mint chocolate chip mochas. Grande." Mercedes turned around, reaching into her bag for her wallet, but Sam quickly stepped around her and handed the cashier a twenty-dollar bill.

"You didn't have to…" Mercedes said quietly.

Sam turned back to her with a small smile. "I owe you one."

Mercedes was instantly transported back to that day when they had decided to get a cup of coffee together. Their relationship was still new then, and they were careful not to let anyone know about them, but they just wanted to go to the Lima Bean together like any other couple. After stumbling through some excuses to get away from Kurt and Blaine, they had finally managed to get in line.

"Do you think they know?" Mercedes had asked, glancing nervously back at the pair.

Sam had smiled reassuringly. "I don't think anyone knows." They had turned back to the front and, naturally, held hands. "So what are you getting?"

Mercedes had smiled proudly, "A mint chocolate chip mocha."

"Really? I can't imagine how mint and chocolate together could taste good…" Sam had wrinkled his nose a little.

"Hey, don't knock it until you try it," Mercedes had nudged him playfully with her shoulder.

Sam had laughed, shaking his head. "Well, I'm going to order a caramel macchiato."

"Fine, but I will get you to try it!" Mercedes had smirked, determined to win the challenge. That day, she had won two battles. She managed to pay for his drink since he barely had enough to cover the groceries he had to buy later, and she convinced him that the flavor of mint chocolate wasn't so bad. It was mostly because the taste lingered in her mouth after she finished her drink.

Mercedes snapped back to the present, realizing that Sam was holding out her cup of coffee. She took it, mumbling a quiet thanks. She wasn't sure if she should part ways, but it didn't seem like Sam was in any hurry to leave.

"You did amazing last week," Sam said, taking a sip of his coffee and leaning casually against the counter.

"Thanks. It was really fun performing with those guys. I really love the Goldtones," she replied, looking down at her cup, the memory of his compliment from years ago resurfacing. "You blew me away with your singing just now and I know for a fact that I'm not the only one who thinks that when they hear you." The words echoed in her mind, making her heart skip a beat.

She took a deep breath, trying to ground herself. "It was nothing. Just trying to do Otis some justice," she said, laughing softly, hoping to anchor herself back into the conversation.

Sam chuckled. "Of course… How is everyone back in Ohio? Well, if they're still in Ohio, that is." Without much thought, they both moved to the sitting area, settling at one of the open tables. Mercedes could sense they were about to play catch-up.

She placed her bag down and started turning her coffee cup in her hands. "Well… Kurt, Blaine, and Rachel went off to New York, no surprise there. A few of them stayed behind. Finn went to Ohio State, Puck is in some community college, Artie is in Camden, Brittany and Santana are in Kissinger. Tina and Mike went to California—Tina's in LA, Mike's at Berkeley. I'm not really sure what they're up to. Quinn didn't go to college. She started her own vintage dress shop in Columbus."

Sam nodded slowly, absorbing the information. "That's great… I really miss them all." The sincerity in his voice was palpable, and guilt suddenly washed over Mercedes. Once he had moved back to Tennessee, none of them had really kept in touch with him. She, in particular, hadn't made much of an effort to maintain a long-distance friendship, but of course, that had its own complications. She knew that maintaining a friendship was a two-way street, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she should have done more.

"Maybe we'll have a reunion someday," Mercedes said, trying to sound reassuring. She wanted to stray from that slightly uncomfortable topic, so she decided to change it. "How's your family?"

Sam opened and closed the lid of his cup absentmindedly. "Well, we're doing much better. That's how I could afford to pay for your coffee." They both laughed. "Mom and Dad have had steady jobs for a few years now. Stevie is 12 and Stacey is 10."

Mercedes' hands flew to her mouth. "Oh my god, Stevie and Stacey!" She suddenly remembered how fond she had been of those two kids. "It's been so long! I bet they're so big now!"

Sam laughed. "I guess so. Stevie is almost thirteen and going through that phase where he wants us to call him Steven because 'I'm not a kid anymore!'" Mercedes laughed at Sam's exaggerated impression of his little brother. "Well, I'm not listening to him! He'll always be a little brat to me. And as for Stacey…" He shook his head as he reached into his backpack. "I don't think she's changed much since the last time you saw her. I mean, she's gotten a little taller, but…" He opened one of his notebooks, revealing the inside cover filled with little drawings in purple and pink pen

There were rainbows, princess figures, flowers, and a decent attempt at drawing Sam with a football helmet.

Mercedes laughed as she rested her head in her hand, admiring Stacey's artwork. "I must say, she's improved though. They're not stick figures anymore."

"She had a great teacher," Sam smirked, leaning forward.

He was right. Mercedes remembered those nights when Sam was away at work, and she would entertain Stacey by encouraging her to practice her drawing skills in Sam's notebooks. Mercedes would also add her own little doodles, leaving behind their own inside jokes. At the time, they weren't dating, so it was her subtle way of leaving her mark.

One night, Mercedes had been helping him with his English homework. When she looked inside his notebook, she noticed a heart with "Sam Mercedes" scrawled inside it. She had looked up at Sam, who was sporting a smug grin.

"I didn't—" Mercedes had started to say.

"I know you didn't. That's not your handwriting at all," Sam had laughed. "Seems like Stacey likes playing matchmaker." He had bitten his lip, trying to hold back a laugh as Mercedes tried to scold Stacey about it. He knew she was blushing madly.

Mercedes felt herself blushing even now, trying to hide it by taking a sip of her coffee. From the amused smile on Sam's face, it looked like her attempt had failed. It was time to change the subject. "So, I hear you're a killer QB. Not fighting anyone for that spot anymore, are you?"

Sam shrugged. "That's right, no Finns threatening my spot—" He suddenly flinched and checked his watch. "Speaking of, I'm late for practice." He took a big gulp of his coffee and stood up. "It was great catching up with you. I'll see you around?"

Mercedes smiled, feeling more relaxed around him after their conversation. She was relieved that they were on good terms, over the pain of that sudden separation years ago. "Yeah, I will! Be careful out there." She was suddenly caught off guard when he walked over to her side, bent down, and gave her a short but tight hug.

His scent was exactly the same… she remembered those warm nights by her car in the motel parking lot when she would hug him goodnight.

Sam pulled away. "Bye, Cedes." Their faces were close enough for her to be frozen once again by those green eyes.

"Bye, Sammy…" Her old nickname for him fell naturally from her lips. She could see him smile a little brighter before he turned and walked away.

Once Sam was out the door, Mercedes finally felt like she could breathe again. She let out a sigh, dropped her elbows on the table, and rubbed her temples. This was getting overwhelming. As much as she wanted to say seeing Sam again was a good thing, his sudden return into her life was bringing back so many memories from the past. While none of them were bad memories, it was overwhelming nonetheless.

Later that evening, Mercedes was having her weekly video chat with Kurt. She sat on her bed with her laptop propped up on her pillow, surrounded by nail polish bottles and files as she painted her toenails. On the screen, Kurt was in his silk pajamas, starting his nightly moisturizing routine.

Kurt slammed his lotion jar on his vanity. "And so I said, 'Do not mess with me, or you will be kicked out of this production faster than a Nancy Grace nose flare.'"

Mercedes chuckled, "Boy, you tell 'em."

"Well, enough about my problems," Kurt said, rubbing lotion over his nose. "How is my Mercy doing?"

"Nothing much here. Busy as usual with classes, working on the Goldtones' fall concert, I'm procrastinating big time on a paper, I caught up with Sam over coffee, I might have a performance at that jazz club I told you about, I—"

Kurt leaned back in his chair. "Waaaaaait, back it up. Sam?"

"Sam Evans," Mercedes said quietly.

"Yeah, the same Sam Evans that you dated but kept it a secret from me, and I didn't find out until Blaine pointed it out to me, THAT Sam Evans?" Kurt gave her a deadpan look.

Mercedes cringed a little, pouting, "I'm sorry… For the record, you would have been the first to know."

"Okay, whatever. Start from the beginning. Tell me about this little reunion." Kurt leaned closer to the camera.

"Well, I saw him the first day I got here…" Mercedes began.

"Wait. Hold it right there." Kurt put his forehead down on his desk for a moment before lifting it again. "You did it again," he said, exasperated.

Mercedes raised an eyebrow, "Did what again?"

Kurt sighed, "What is with Sam and you not telling me about him until weeks later?"

"I didn't think it was a big deal," she said, nervously picking at her nails.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Sure. Meeting an ex-boyfriend for the first time in three years isn't a big deal."

Mercedes bit her lip. He had a point. He always had a point.

"Is he still hot?"

"What kind of question is that, and why does it matter to you?" Mercedes nearly raised her voice, probably because she was so close to giving him an enthusiastic 'YEAH, he is!'

"It's a good question, and it matters to you," Kurt tilted his head.

Mercedes sighed, "Kurt, stuff like that shouldn't matter to me now… That was all in the past."

"Yeah, that was all in the past, but who says the past can't have something to do with the present? You two never actually had closure. It ended because he moved away, not because you guys wanted it to end." Kurt flicked a hair away from his face.

"We drifted apart… literally. And feelings change," Mercedes said softly.

"Did they change, or were they just put away for the time being? You could very well find them again."

Mercedes wanted to tell him firmly that her feelings for Sam had changed, but she stopped herself. Had they changed? She might not feel like that lovestruck teenager anymore, but what if those feelings did come back?

That honestly scared her.

"Kurt, I think it's getting late. I need to finish up some of my homework," she said, starting to gather the nail polish and files scattered around her bed.

Kurt's eyebrow quirked up. "Okay… you're right. I need to get to bed. Bossing around freshmen is tough work."

Mercedes laughed, "Don't kill any of them."

"You're right, they're still useful. Night, Mercy. Love you!" Kurt blew a kiss.

Mercedes returned the gesture. "Love you too! Night!"

She closed the chat window, but a text on her laptop showed up.

Hey girl. WYD?

She saw the name at the top and felt a chill run down her spine. She thought she had deleted this contact… she thought she had deleted it from every device she owned. Without hesitation, she quickly deleted the message, shut her laptop, and nearly slammed it closed.

That was why she wasn't bothering with the past…