12. answered23. Were you happier four months ago than you are now?Yeah, but that’ll change in like 23 days. 30. Would it be hard seeing someone else kiss the last person you kissed?A little, but I care more that the someone else she’s kissing is making her as happy as she can be.45. Do you believe exes can be friends?I sure do. I believe exes can be the best of friends.
2. answered18. When was the last time you talked to one of your best friends?I’m talking to her right now. 24. Is there someone you wish you could fix things with?Um...idk. I can’t think of anyone right now. 35. How many more days until your birthday?2550. Why aren’t you pursuing the person you like?Because she’s outta my league by a million miles.
2. Do you ever get “good morning” texts from anyone?I do at least a few times a week. 12. Do you like hickeys? I like giving them more than I like getting them.
22.Do you believe what goes around comes around? I don’t know if I believe it, but I believe there’s definitely a balance to life.
32. Are you mad at anyone?Nah, I mean probably Weasel Face because he’s an asshat. 42. Are you available?To do what?
52. Do you still talk with the person you LAST kissed?Of course I do, everyday. 62. Who do you text the most?Either Blaine, Mercedes, Royce, or Stevie. Depends on the week.72. What do you most like about making out?All of it? A girl’s lips, the feel of her body beneath my hands.82. Do you tell a lot of people when you have a crush?No? I mean, I don’t get crushes. If I like a girl, I tell her. 92. Do you prefer to date various people or do you pretty much fall into monogamous relationships quickly?I’m not real big into sharing.
105: If a sexy person was pursuing you, but you knew he/she was in relationship, would you go for it?
It would really depend on the situation. Like I’m not about just disrespecting people’s relationships, but if she was unhappy and at the end of their whole deal, then I might consider it.
Mercedes had been up since about 4AM. She had enlisted the help of Stevie to get Sam’s jeep keys so she could get in to install all his Deadpool themed gear she had gotten for him for Christmas. Red and black seat covers with Deadpool floor mats, steering wheel and tire covers. Red was his favorite color and Deadpool was his fave Marvel character, so hopefully he’d really like it all. She still had two more presents for him at the house, but this was the big one.
Since the families were so close, they always had a Christmas day lunch were they got together and exchanged gifts and had a nice meal. Usually they all ended up in the den laughing as they played either Uno or some other game. It was a great time and Mercedes had always looked forward to it. This would be the first time in awhile she and Sam had both been able to be here at the same time. She was sure she’d be able to stay on her best friend behavior since their parents would be right there, and the last thing she wanted to do was give any of them ideas. Having Royce circling around waiting for her to slip was bad enough!
Today had been one of the best Christmases Sam had had in a long time. He hadn’t been home to Lima in almost two years. So spending time with his family had been amazing, but he’d also gotten to spend a lot of time with Mercedes, and even though he thought this every single time they were around each other recently, he was just so happy to have her back in his life. It was almost weird how he’d seen and talked to Royce a lot in the time since they’d broken up to the point where the two were the best of friends, but he’d managed to avoid her in all of that time. There had been no overlap until recently, and a part of Sam wondered what would’ve happened if they hadn’t gone on that road trip over the summer and how lucky he was that he had gotten over his pride and decided to go.
Now, however, his parents had sent Stacy and Stevie to watch a movie in a different room, and even though that was normal, he had a sudden feeling of dread tugging at him. He looked to Royce first who was kind of shooting Mrs. Jones a weird look. Then he looked at Mercedes, but she seemed just as lost as he was. So he had no idea what was going on, but he didn’t think he was going to like it.
Something was definitely up, and Mercedes was not liking the change in the vibe of the room. The parents were all looking some kind of way, and it made her chest feel tight. She shot Sam a concerned look, hoping they weren’t about to receive some horrible news. When her father cleared his throat she knew for sure she wasn’t going to like whatever came next.
“Sam and Mercedes, we’re concerned about the behavior we’re seeing from the two of you.” Anthony Jones began. “For several months now you two have been seeing each other pretty frequently, but we’re supposed to believe that its 100 percent platonic.”
Royce’s mouth fell slack. He made sure to stay as quiet as possible, or he knew he’d get banned from this conversation, and he was not about to miss this for anything. He looked over at Sam, waiting for his buddy’s face to turn red from either embarrassment or anger. His sister was looking at dad like he had lost his mind.
“I didn’t realize reconnecting with one of my closest friends needed parental approval,” Mercedes said in disbelief. She knew her dad was still a little salty about the non-wedding, but this was a whole new level of too much.
Sam was honestly shocked that they were bringing this up. He’d been certain that he was going to hear bad news, but this? This was annoying, and he slouched in his seat, sighing in annoyance until his mom shot him a look for being disrespectful. He forced himself to sit up straight and cleared his throat. “We expect you to believe it because it’s true. Why would we lie about that? Even though we’re both adults that don’t live at home…” He couldn’t resist adding that last part in petulantly.
Amberley Evans held up her hand, sensing that this might turn ugly fast with her oldest on the defensive, she shook her head. “Yes, you are adults, and that is perhaps why this is even more concerning. We raised both of you with more common sense than you seem to be using currently. You can’t pull the wool over our eyes. We’re your parents. We’ve known you since the day you were born, and I and your father, Sam, have noticed very similar patterns in your behavior recently. Now look me in the eye and tell me nothing, but innocent, wholesome fun has been going on between the two of you since you got back from that road trip.” She paused to study her son’s face because she knew he wouldn’t be able to meet her gaze. And when he didn’t, she nodded. “Exactly as I thought.”
Sam’s jaw clenched. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t look his mother in the eye and lie. He never had been able to, and right now, even with everyone’s eyes on him, he couldn’t do it. He crossed his arms over his stomach and glanced at his dad for help, but none came. “Even if it’s not 100% wholesome fun, that doesn’t mean we’re not still just friends.”
“No, what it means is you two are trying to fool everybody and yourselves.” Lori Jones had a calm voice as she addressed the duo. “That is not going to lead either of you down a good road. If you want to be together, then be together. But don’t walk around here acting like you two are only best friends when you’re acting exactly like you did when you were a couple in high school.”
Mercedes put her hands inside the front pocket of the Titans hoodie she was wearing, balling them up into fists as she bit on her lower lip to keep herself from going off. “So this little get together is about what Sam and I, two grown people, do? Y’all seriously had a parents only meeting to discuss what was going on between us? And then you decided that we needed to be sat down and scolded like kids? And here I thought that since I pay my own bills and make my own money that how I spent my very limited down time, and who I spent it with was really no one else’s concern.”
Lori raised her eyebrow at the tone in her daughter’s voice and the look she received made it very clear that she needed to take the sass right out of it.
Royce was discreetly checking his pockets to make sure he had his car keys on him, because at the rate this was going he was going to have to whisk one of them out of there real quick. Sam and Mercedes had always been those friends that would get mad if someone messed with the other for any reason. Mercedes almost went out on the football field during a game once because a player got in a cheap shot on Sam. And right now, they were both going into defense mode.
Sam had opened his mouth to agree with Mercedes, but he saw the look on her mother’s face, and he bit his tongue. “Well, is that it? You got us together to tell us we act like a couple or whatever?What exactly was the plan after that?”
“Now son…” Dwight Evans began. “You say you’re an adult, and you want to be seen as an adult, but you’re acting like a hot-headed teenager because we’re sitting you down and having an adult conversation with you. And I think you’re partly so defensive because you know there’s some truth to what we’re saying. You can lie to yourself all you want, but you can’t lie to the people who love you and only want what’s best for you both. And we’re saying that you both need to sit down and have a conversation with each other about your intentions with one another because we all know that things cannot continue on as they are without a whole world of hurtin falling on you too. And we’re trying to spare y’all that.”
Ugh. Why did Mr. Evans have to have the kind of voice that made everything sound right? Why did they all want to mess everything up between her and Sam? They weren’t hurting anyone, except themselves somewhere down the line, but part of her was willing to endure all of it because being with him made her so happy. Why would they want to take that from her? Why are they asking them to have a talk that they already know the outcome of, they didn’t need to have the talk, they’d had it years ago.
Right now all Mercedes wanted to do was get as far away from Lima as possible. This had been a horrible idea and she was wishing she hadn’t come at all. And yes, that was a childish way to think, but since they thought she was acting like one anyway she might as well go all in. “Okay, so do we need to update y’all when we have this talk? Or should we just post it on Instagram? I mean, that’s why this is all happening anyway, right? Because I went to Nashville to visit Sam? We certainly don’t want to leave you guys out of the loop on our non-existent relationship.”
“Young lady, you need to check yourself.” Tony leaned forward and looked at her sternly. “Five months ago you damn near married some other boy from the neighborhood, now you’re out here flying to Tennessee everytime I turn around. You look like you’re chasing after a boy, and we raised you better than that.”
Even Royce winced at his dad’s words and when he saw Mercedes’ face, he knew it was done. She was about to do an angry cry, and Sam did not react well to Mercedes tears. “Hey guys, I think you’ve gotten your point across and these two need to go and have that talk. I’m going to drive them around in the truck for a bit.” He needed to get Sam out of there before he saw Mercedes’ face.
Lori saw her husband was about to protest, but she looked at him and shook her head. She didn’t want anyone saying something else in the heat of the moment that couldn’t be taken back, and he’d already said the wrong thing to Cedes, in front of Sam.
Sam winced when he heard Mr. Jones’ words. They weren’t right. He shouldn’t say stuff like that to her. He opened his mouth to protest how the older man had just spoken to the girl he loved. He scratched at his chin when Royce offered to drive them around. He was itching to leave, but he didn’t want to go anywhere with Mercedes and talk about anything. There wasn’t anything to talk about no matter what his dad said.
“Fresh air’ll probably do everyone some good,” his mom added, nodding. She sat back in her seat and ran her hands over her legs. “You kids go for a ride, and have your talk. We will trust you to handle things like the adults you are...I don’t think we need to keep talking about it unless you two feel so inclined. You know where we stand on this issue, and I think that’s really all that needs to be said.”
Mercedes didn’t say another word to anyone as she got up from her chair and left the room to go get her heavy coat and gloves. She’d rather walk in the cold than have that talk with Sam. She wasn’t having that talk with him no matter what their parents wanted. It was pointless. They had no idea what was going on! The Evanses knew what their son wanted in the girl he wanted to date, and they should know that she wasn’t it. There was nothing wrong with spending time with someone else until his future wife came along, and the fact that someone was her should’ve put their mind at ease, but apparently not.
Royce tilted his head to Sam so he’d get up and follow him. Mercedes would be halfway down the block if she was doing her mad at the world power walking. “C’mon, fresh air and non-Christmas music on the best car music system in town awaits.”
Sam stopped for a second. He really wanted to say something about how they’d spoken to her, but he didn’t want to be disrespectful. “Look.” He forced his gaze to her father’s. “I’m not gonna say nothin rude and disrespect you in your house, but Mercedes isn’t just ‘chasing some boy.’ What happened with her and Puck really ate at her soul. It’s not like she just did it on a whim. She’s been hurting, and I’m not saying y’all are wrong, but there’s no reason to hurt her more by treating her like she’s got a train of men coming in and out of her place. I’m just saying.” He didn’t wait for him to reply. He just walked out behind Royce because he was pretty sure that her father would lay into him.
Lori crossed her arms and looked at her husband angrily once Royce and Sam were out of the room. “You deserved that, and you better be glad Amberley and Dwight raised that boy the way they did or it could’ve been worse.”
“You gonna be alright?” Royce asked him as they headed to the garage. “If I had known this was what they were going to spring on you I would’ve given you a heads up or something. At least you and Cedes could’ve prepared a united front. Granted, you were still outnumbered, but damn, I didn’t expect Dad to go there with Cedes.”
Sam was usually pretty slow to anger unless it came to those people he cared the most about, and Mercedes was pretty high on that list. He paced back and forth for a moment, counting to ten under his breath. “Yeah well, if he wasn’t your dad, I’d probably have clocked him for saying stuff like that to her. She’s...the last person that needs to hear that kind of speech. She’s hardly out there slutting it up, and even if she was...she’s an adult, and it’s her body.”
“I know. He knows that too, Mercedes has never been one to chase guys. He said something stupid, and believe me, he’s regretting it already I’m sure.” He pushed the button and started his car. “You wanna ride with me or are you wanting to stoke your anger alone like Cedes is doing? I’m going to go get her because she’s walking in the cold, probably crying looking pitiful. And I know the two of you don’t want to talk about what they want you to, but she’s your best girl and I know you don’t want her to catch the pneumonia.”
Royce was damn smooth, Sam had to give him that. He used to be amused whenever a girl would fall for his friend’s charms because he’d known she didn’t actually stand a chance. Sam was no girl, but he sure did know how to get Sam to do what he wanted. He opened the door and climbed inside without a word. He definitely wanted to help Royce find his sister.
He smiled as he got in his truck and headed out of the garage. “She can walk really fast for having short little legs.” His sister didn’t get this upset often, she was usually the one calming other people down when they got riled up. She was a pro at getting Santana to chill, and that was not an easy feat. “You got an idea on which way she’d go?” He asked Sam.
Sam paused for a moment, running his hand over his chin thoughtfully. “Um...there’s a park around here, right?” He was pretty sure that she liked to go there when they were in high school, but he had no idea if that was still true. He was kind of just taking a stab in the dark with his guess.
“Oh yeah, the dog park.” He nodded his head and began to drive in that direction. “She probably still wants a dog, but she wants a big one, not those pocket pups she’d have to get living in NYC.” Sure enough, he could see her purple coat in the distance. “Look at you, still got the Cedes GPS.” He chuckled.
Mercedes was sitting indian style on a bench that faced the dog park. No one had their dogs here today, so it was very quiet. She was mentally figuring out how she could avoid her father for the remainder of the holiday. If it wasn’t for Santana’s New Years party she’d probably get an earlier flight back home. Especially since she knew anytime she came over to the Evanses they’d wonder if she and Sam had talked. Maybe she just shouldn’t go over there anymore. Sam didn’t need to deal with that anymore than she wanted to deal with her own parents judgement.
Rolling his eyes, Sam laughed a little. “Hey, give me a second,” he said as he reached or the door handle so that he could get out. He shot Royce a look and closed the door, walking over to where Mercedes sat. “Hey, I heard you like big dogs and cannot lie,” he joked, taking a seat next to her. He glanced at her face then away, taking a deep breath.
Royce gave him a nod of understanding. He’d stay in the truck. He hated that both parents had dealt the duo the reality blow they hadn’t asked for. He was not a romantic guy, but he would be the first to say his sister and Sam were the epitome of being perfect for each other. And yes, he could be obnoxious and annoying as hell when it came to them spending so much time together, but it truly came from a place of love and wanting them to actually BE together again. How could two people love each other that much but refuse to actually admit it to each other? They confused him, a lot, but he still wanted his baby sister to be with the goofy dude that made her so happy that she had cried when he became her boyfriend.
She wanted to laugh, but she couldn’t make it come out of her mouth. “I’d go stay with Santana if she wasn’t staying at Finn’s.” She said softly, her voice sounding rough to her own ears. “Having a dog would be awesome right now. He’d keep me company while I’m actively avoiding my parents.”
“I’d offer to let you stay at my house, but my parents would just keep...looking at us.” He shook his head and glanced at her again. “Hey, are you okay? They don’t know what they’re talking about. We’re adults, and the law says we can keep doing what we want. It’s not like they can ground us,” he joked lightly, hoping to make her smile.
She sighed softly, nodding her head. “Are you happy?” She asked him, turning so she could see his face. There were questions she had kept herself from asking because she didn’t want to know the answers, but this was important. Sam’s happiness meant more to her than all the love she had for him. His happiness is what made her keep her selfishness in check, but what if he wasn’t happy? What if his parents felt the same way her dad did? She would be absolutely mortified if that were true. She hated how her father could make her doubt things about herself, and it wasn’t that he was intentionally being a mean and horrible person, but he had a lot of pride in his family and sometimes he put the image he wanted portrayed over more important things. A son that’s a lawyer was something to be proud of in spades. A daughter that hadn’t graduated college yet, was trying to be a singer, and had canceled a wedding? Not so much.
He hadn’t expected the questions, and Sam blinked slowly, just kind of staring at her a moment. “Um...like happy in general? Or…?” It was important for him to understand what exactly she was asking because he definitely did not want to just go spilling his guts to her about his feelings. Weren’t they supposed to not have this conversation?
“In general,” she clarified. They were definitely not having a conversation about each other on that level. Once that door was open it couldn’t be closed and she wasn’t ready to hear all the reasons they couldn’t be anything other than what they were now. She didn’t want there to be another series of years where they conveniently didn’t speak or see each other. She had her best friend back, and she’d fight to keep him in her life, even at the cost of her own heart. “You’d tell me if I was getting on your nerves or you didn’t want me to come visit and stuff, right?”
“Ohmygod...Cedes, I...what are you talking about? Of course, I’m happy. I got a good job. I have my own place. I got my best girl back finally. What else do I need?” He reached out and put his arm around her shoulder. “You’re one of my most favorite people in the entire world. I’m happy. I’m having fun. Aren’t you? I mean...I thought we both were. Are you feeling...not happy?”
“I was amazing until about an hour ago,” she pouted as she laid her head on his shoulder. “I always feel like I’m not measuring up to my dad’s standards anyway, but I just felt like that times ten with all the parents there. It just sucks and I don’t like it. We enjoy each other’s company, and we’re grown ass adults, let us live.”
Sam took a deep breath and hugged her to his side. “I don’t think he meant it like that. He didn’t use great words, but to him, you’re still like how Royce sees you. Like a little girl he has to protect...and guys are dicks most of the time. They use girls a lot. So he’s probably just worried. He’s worried that I’m taking advantage of you in your vulnerable state. He probably just didn’t want to say that because my parents were there.” He didn’t know if that was true, but he hoped it was. “Plus, you’re right. We are adults, and if you wanna come visit me in Nashville, I’m not gonna say no. The sex is like...the best sex ever. If I wasn’t so selfish, I’d say I feel bad for all of the guys that haven’t experienced it.”
“He would never say that because he knows better. You’re not that type of guy. If I was still trying to figure myself out like I was after the wedding, you’d still be there for me because that’s the kind of man you are.” She said confidently. “They have to let me grow up though, and trust in my ability to handle things as I see fit. It may not be the way my dad wants, but they’re my choices and my happiness.” She leaned back and gave him an amused look. “Seriously? I’m pretty sure folks figuring out we’ve been having sex is what got us into this whole parent intervention. Apparently we’re not as lowkey as we thought. Wow, that means we’ve lost our ninja skills, Sammy.” Because back in the day, they had been sneaky as bandits, and that was when they were being watched more closely because they were teenagers!
“I think it’s just hard. I know it’ hard for me to not think of my sister as a little kid even though she’s like a teenager now. She wears makeup and talks about boys...I’m like ‘no, but you’re six!’ But like I get that she’s not. I just don’t want her to grow up.” He sighed. “You are beautiful and smart. Don’t let him make you feel less than that.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “We’re not as sneaky because we don’t need to be sneaky cause we’re grown.” He laughed. “I’m not scared for people to know I’m hooking up with the hottest girl on the planet.”
“She’s still got some years left for you to enjoy. The one you need to be worrying about is your fast little brother.” She laughed softly. “His girlfriend is absolutely adorable and sweet as can be though, so even if he acts like Royce sometimes, he picks better girls.” She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close. “Hmm, coming from the most handsome, sexy, and lovable man in the universe? I’ll take it.”
Royce was in his toasty warm truck just grinning like a fool at the two ridiculous people sitting outside. He understood where the parents were coming from in the sense that if you love someone you should just be with them and stop lying to yourselves. And maybe it was because he was younger, but he also saw Sam and Mercedes reasoning, even though he thought it was bullshit. She was already making time for him, and yes, it may not be as much as either of them wanted, but that would change in time if he was willing to stick it out. He was tempted to roll down the windows and start blasting “All My Life” by K-Ci and JoJo, but he figured he’d leave them alone after the horrendous day they’d had so far.
Sam smiled, feeling like maybe Mercedes was starting to feel better. “Yeah, but I’m going to miss her being small in a weird way. Stevie, on the other hand, is...I don’t know where he gets all of that from. I’m gonna blame Royce even though I can’t prove it.” He glanced back at the older man, wondering what the heck he might be doing in the car. It was the feeling of Mercedes’ arms around him that drew his attention back to her. “I don’t think I’m all that, but if you think that, then I’m feeling myself.”
“He’s already got the Evans looks and from what I’ve seen, heard, and experienced, Evans men know how to woo a lady.” She wrinkled her nose slightly, even though she couldn’t really feel it because of the cold. “Trust me, most women always do a double take when you’re around, you’re super fine.” And she meant that too, because she had been witness to all the looks whenever they ventured out of his apartment. Sam was usually oblivious, but he could be living that Royce kind of life if he wanted to, with different girls every week. She knew that wasn’t really his style, but the man had options if he ever did decide to see how the other half lived.
“He may have the Evans look, but he refined it the Jones way,” Sam teased, shaking his head. “Your brother is a bad influence on my brother.” He cuddled her even closer and shoved his hand into his pocket. “They can look all they want. I’m probably just looking at you.” He smiled at her, wondering if she knew just how many guys looked at her. He felt really honored to be the one she allowed to be with her.
“My brother is a bad influence on everybody,” she laughed. “But he is a good big brother, when he isn’t driving me crazy.” She looked up at him and she felt that feeling in her chest. The one where she wanted to stay in his arms as much as possible. She kissed his chin, mainly because that’s as far as she could reach without standing on her tiptoes. “C’mon, we should get in the truck before Royce starts doing something embarrassing, he’s been quiet for way too long.”
With a laugh, Sam glanced over at Royce again before he pulled Mercedes into a tight hug and kissed the top of her head. “True, but I just wanna make sure we’re both good with just ignoring our parents and doing what we want?” He grinned down at her and winked. He’d be okay if she wanted to cool it, but it wasn’t his first choice. Still, he was going to leave it up to her.
“We’ve already got some cool time coming, I’m already sad that January is going to be a Sam-less month, but my grown ass self has a lot of school to get ahead on and then there will be show rehearsals for the tour.” She gave him a slight smirk. “But that is only going to make your birthday all the better.” She wiggled her eyebrows playfully. “We’re good, Sammy. Our parents will deal, we’re smart and responsible adults.”
“Sweet honey biscuits, would you two kiss already and put me out of my misery?” Royce called from the truck. “Stevie just texted me that they’re about to start playing UNO, and our moms are straight gangstas and kick our dads asses and I want to witness it.”
“You do know it’s weird that you wanna watch me and your sister kiss, right?” Sam didn’t give Royce a chance to think about it before his lips found Mercedes’ in a heated kiss as he bent her backwards. He took his time kissing her and then pulled back with a laugh. “Now we can go.”
Royce let out a loud whistle, a wide, goofy grin on his face. “This is the only time you get a pass, Evans. Do it again and I’ll make you pay.” He was completely teasing, he liked Sam, plus he made his sister happy.
It took Mercedes a second to get her bearings after that kiss because she wasn’t expecting it. “You do realize that he is enjoying this far too much, right?” She laughed as she tugged him towards the truck. “Let’s go and enjoy the rest of our Christmas.”
titsay
pixelskylines
andulkaphoto
turnnoffyourmind
tangentwithtanner
germansingergirl
kaledo-art
romaincrisis
annaxmalina
