Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Samantha

 

There was a girl I had a crush on ever since I started college. Her name was Samantha Sullivan, and, like me, she was studying ancient mythologies and folklores.

She had long silky red hair and deep green eyes hidden behind a pair of black glasses, betraying her Irish heritage.

Alongside this, she also had a beautiful face, and a tall and slender figure, hidden underneath classy yet modest outfits.

With a body like this, you would expect her to be a cheerleader, and part of the popular girls, but she was a rather shy and quiet girl, often spending time alone reading books or writing.

 

As for me, my name was David Smith. A somewhat normal guy who decided to study ancient mythologies and folklores because I always loved comics, movies, and games about them.

I was living alone in the college dorms, enjoying the freedom that being far from my family would bring, and only visiting during the holidays.

Not that I disliked my parents. We were pretty close, and they were the ones helping me pay for my studies.

 

Samantha and I met at the start of the year, as we got most of our classes together, and got paired together for a group project.

It was hard at first, with how shy Samantha was, but she slowly started to get more comfortable around me.

"Hmm, David… Can I-" she started, blushing deeply. "-g-get your… number…? For… the project…"

 

I wasn't expecting her to ask me that, and also blushed slightly, before giving it to her.

"We can… add each other on Discord for our project, maybe? It would make it easier to share files and stuff?" I said.

 

I opened the app and showed her my username, seeing her eyes widen when she noticed my profile picture.

"I-is this… Snow and Bigby?" she asked.

I was a fan of the Fables comics, and loved these characters.

 

I nodded.

"Y-yeah. Have you read the comics?"

 

"I did! I love them! The drawings, the story, even the video game adaptation!" she suddenly beamed, overexcited to seemingly have someone else share her love for these comics.

She then calmed down and blushed.

"S-sorry… I… got a bit too excited…"

 

I gave her a warm smile to reassure her.

"It's fine, it's nice to see you so passionate about things. I probably am the same when talking about things I like."

 

"T-thanks…" she replied, looking away.

"I just… never had anyone to talk to before… I'm… always embarrassed to share my hobbies with other people. A girl playing video games and reading comics is weird, after all…"

 

I shrugged.

"We're not in the nineties anymore, though. There's nothing wrong with being a girl and liking games. All these streamers are proof of that. You like what you like, and as long as it doesn't harm anyone, there's nothing wrong with that."

My answer made her blush even more, and she looked even cuter than usual.

 

 

After this event, we talked more.

I was surprised to discover that she really was into games and comics, but I slowly learnt more about her tastes. She was a fan of role-playing games, fantasy novels and movies, and a lot of different kinds of comics and manga.

We would often hang out after college to go to shops and libraries, enjoying our time together as fellow nerds.

Our similar tastes made it easier for us to get closer and for her to relax around me, and we quickly became close friends.

 

"Have you played this one?" she asked, pointing at a game case on a shelf of the video game store we were in.

 

I shook my head.

 

"It's a game about a secret society of vampires living among humans and trying to blend it. It's actually adapted from a tabletop game. This game's atmosphere is comparable to none, making it a classic even to these days."

She was speaking with a lot of passion in her voice, clearly indicating that this game most likely was one of her favourites. Her shyness would often disappear when she was talking about things she was passionate about.

 

"Oh, sounds pretty interesting." I replied as I took the box to examine it more closely.

"I really like the aesthetic."

The characters on the cover, which were most likely vampires, all had a very goth and punk-ish vibe, as the game took place in the modern days.

 

"T-the aesthetic is… nice, but it's… it's not really my thing…" Sam quietly spoke as she looked down.

 

"It's not for everyone, that's for sure." I chuckled and put the box back on the shelf.

 

This became our routine for a few months.

And the more I learnt about her, the more I fell in love with her.

She was a truly kind and beautiful soul, but I couldn't manage to muster the courage to ask her out.

 

~~~~~

 

One day, though, something happened.

Samantha was absent for a class, something that I found surprising considering that she would always come even if she wasn't feeling well.

What turned my surprise into worries was the fact that she didn't answer her phone no matter how many times I called or texted.

 

The next day, she was back, but something was different about her.

"Hi David!" she said as she confidently walked to sit next to me in the lecture hall, a bright smile on her face.

 

I couldn't say what, but I felt that something was wrong. Samantha had never been like this before. She was shy and fairly insecure, often grazing the walls to avoid other students, trying to make herself as unnoticeable as possible.

I also immediately noticed the piercings in her ears, as well as the absence of her trademark glasses, showing that she was wearing dark eyeshadows and eyeliners instead of her usual light makeup. She also seemed perfectly healthy, making me wonder why she was absent the day prior.

 

"H-hi Sam." I replied, taken aback by her shift of attitude.

"W-why didn't you reply yesterday? I… tried to call you a few times."

 

"A lot of things happened yesterday, and I needed some time to… adjust…" she said, looking away as she pronounced this last word, before smiling again and taking my hand in hers.

"I'm sorry if I made you worry, but I'm perfectly fine. Better than ever, in fact." she added with a giggle.

 

"I-I see… I'm glad you're okay."

 

During the lecture, I couldn't help but glance at her, observing her.

Her nails were also painted black, and her new earrings were elegant crosses with skulls, the kind of things goths would wear.

She was wearing black heeled boots, with a dark pair of jeans and a black shirt.

She truly looked like a goth girl, even if a less flashy one.

 

"Samantha said that she wasn't into this before…"

 

She stood proudly, casually writing with her right hand while crossing her legs and leaning against the chair. She would usually lean on the table to write, focused on the lectures, but it wasn't the case this time.

 

She did react strangely at one point.

That day's lecture was about the origins of the vampires, and the Romanian and Albanian equivalents, the Strigois.

 

"Ah, these bloodsuckers…" she murmured, her lips turning into a slight smirk.

 

"What is it, Sam?" I asked.

 

She turned to face me, a brief expression of shock, before smiling again.

"N-nothing, I was just thinking out loud."

She then grinned as she touched her ears and spread her fingers for me to see her nails.

"By the way, I'm trying to renew myself a bit, do you like it?"

 

"I… think you look good." was all I could say before looking down and blushing slightly, making her chuckle.

 

"What happened to her?" was the only thing on my mind for the rest of the day.

 

Slowly but surely, Sam adopted more and more of the goth aesthetic, becoming the opposite of the shy girl I first met at the beginning of the year.

But despite this brutal change, she still seemed mostly the same underneath, and we still hung out together for a few more weeks.

She was being fairly evasive as to why she decided to change, but I didn't want to pry more.

This nagging feeling of wrongness faded away after realising that she was still the same, and my attraction for her returned, even stronger than before.

 

About a month later, I managed to gather enough courage to finally ask her on a date.

It was after class, we were at a café, enjoying some drinks and cakes.

At that point, Sam had fully embraced the goth look, wearing platform boots with fishnet stockings, a pleated skirt, nylon gloves, and a semi opaque top.

She was a goth through and through, a far cry from the modest girl from before.

 

"Finally! Took you long enough!" was her answer to my confession as she let out a beautiful laugh.

"I was starting to believe that you would never take the first step, Davey."

 

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I was stunned by her answer.

"Y-you… knew?"

 

She leaned closer, smirking and winking at me.

"I'm not blind, darling, it was obvious that you were into me. You, on the other hand…

How many hints did I give you these last few weeks?"

 

"I-I… didn't notice…"

 

She facepalmed and sighed.

"You're a man alright… Completely unable to tell when a girl is into you."

 

"So, hmm… Will you be my girlfriend?" I sheepishly asked.

 

"Of course, idiot! I've been waiting for you to ask that since forever!" she exclaimed before standing up and sitting next to me, pulling me into a hug, and kissing me.

 

I froze for a moment, wondering if this was a dream or reality, before deciding that it didn't matter and doing my best to kiss her back, awkwardly using my tongue and finding hers.

"I love her…" was all I could think of as I got lost in the delightful kiss.

 

After a few minutes, we finally broke the kiss, the both of us panting, a look of blissfulness on our faces.

"That was amazing, darling~" Sam said as she licked her dark lips. "You are really good at this~"

 

"T-thanks… I-it was great." I shyly replied as I came back to my senses.

"W-would you… like to go to the cinema? Or the arcade?"

 

"The arcade sounds good. Lead the way, Davey."

After that, we left the cafe and went to the arcade, still on cloud nine.

"I can't believe it really happened! She said yes ! And she kissed me!"

She walked next to me, hand in hand, and we often glanced at each other, smiling and giggling like children.

The rest of the evening went by in a flash. We played, we partied, we drank… until I blacked out.

 

~~~~~

 

I regained consciousness the next day with a massive hangover.

I was confused, as I realised that I wasn't in my dorm room, but then noticed Samantha's boots and clothes laying in the corner.

I observed around me, seeing a slightly messy room, with hundreds of games, books, and movies on two shelves, next to a gaming computer.

The closet was open and showed a lot of gothic clothes, the same ones I saw Sam wearing whenever we met each other.

On the walls were posters of games and manga, some I recognised and some unknown to me.

"I… went to her house?" I wondered out loud, massaging my temples to try to get rid of the headache. I had a hard time remembering what happened after our stop at the bar.

 

"Yes, darling, and I spent a wonderful evening~"

 

I turned my head and saw her next to the door, a glass of water in her hand, beaming… and completely naked, allowing me to observe her stunning body in all its natural glory for the first time.

 

I stared at her, unable to say anything as I felt my cheeks burning redder than ever.

"W-wow…"

 

"Hehe, you're so cute, David~" she said, chuckling, as she walked closer and sat next to me.

"Here, for your hangover." she gave me the glass and some pills, which I immediately swallowed.

 

"T-thanks. I needed that."

 

"You don't know for how long I've been waiting for this moment…" she whispered, giving me a tender kiss before leaning on my shoulder and closing her eyes.

"I fell for you shortly after we started talking for real. Being able to share my passions with someone outside of online forums was like a dream come true. I felt so at peace alongside you, I wanted to stay with you…"

 

"I… I think I also started to get a crush on you at that moment… Seeing you so passionate… I realised how cute you were…"

 

"So, in the end, it's all about my appearance? I knew it!" she started, before giggling when she saw my embarrassed face.

 

"I'm joking, Davey. I know I'm hot and that it most likely played a big role in you loving me."

She then looked away and murmured.

"The… old me didn't notice her beauty and was too shy to act on her desires. She couldn't make the first move on you, and was too afraid of wearing the clothes she wanted to wear because of how people would react… But it's stupid. We live for ourselves, not to please other people."

 

"What do you mean?" I asked.

 

"Remember that time at the shop when I talked about the vampire game? That I wasn't into the aesthetic? That was a lie. I was into that, but wasn't confident enough to wear something like this. I didn't like how I was. I wanted to stop being shy and insecure." she replied with a sigh.

"The new me decided to stop giving a fuck to what other people may think. Now, the only people I care about are me and you."

 

"It was such a brutal change. I still wonder what happened to you." I said, gently caressing her hair.

 

At that, she looked away again.

"Something… I can't tell anyone."

As she said that last part, her arms coiled around me and she moved her head to rest on my chest.

"You are the only one who matters to me. Please believe me when I say that I truly love you."

 

"I believe you, Sam…"

We laid on the bed, enjoying each other's embrace.

She was warm, her presence was so comforting that I could forget about my headache.

 

 

We were interrupted shortly after by the sound of my phone ringing. I grabbed it and saw that it was my mother.

"Good morning, mom."

 

"Good morning, Davey. How are you?" she asked with her caring voice.

 

I quickly glanced at Sam who was stretching and smiling at me.

"I'm... good."

 

"So, she calls you Davey too, hmm?" Sam chuckled.

 

My mother apparently heard her, as she immediately asked:

"Who's with you, honey?"

 

"Huh... It's... my girlfriend." I replied truthfully, blushing as I did so.

 

"You have a girlfriend and you never told me?"

 

Sam approached me and took the phone from my hand.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Smith. I'm Samantha, Davey's girlfriend." she said while grinning at me.

 

"How come he never mentioned you before?" I heard my mother ask.

 

Samantha giggled.

"Probably because we started dating recently."

 

"In that case, would you like to come with him during the next holidays? We will gladly welcome you. We have a spare room for guests, and his father and I would love to meet you."

 

"Thank you, Ms. Smith! I will definitely come!" Samantha chirped, visibly really happy about this invitation. As for me, I was a bit embarrased, but I knew that this outcome would happen eventually. My mother always wanted to know about my romantic life and my friends. She was a bit too clingy sometimes, and it was part of why I was glad to now live by myself, even if I still loved her.

 

"Yeah, we'll get a break in two weeks, we'll visit then, alright mom?" I said after grabbing back my phone.

 

"Alright! I'll have to make sure that we receive your girlfriend properly. See you!"

 

"See you, mom. Love you."

On that, I hung up and looked back at Sam, who stuck out her tongue to me.

 

"What? Did you want to keep me all to yourself~? But more seriously, I can't wait to meet your mother, she seems nice."

 

"She is, yeah, I'm sure you'll love my parents." I replied with a smile.

 

"I'm sure I will..." she started, leaning towards me.

"But that's for later, for now, let's keep enjoying ourselves~" she added, pushing me back on the bed and kissing me.

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