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.

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.

At the end of the class, as I was putting my books in my bag, she approached me, fidgeting with a lock of her silky red hair. That and her name, 'Sullivan' made me believe that she had Irish ancestors, but I wouldn't bother asking her.

"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. I hadn't interacted with her before, but from up close, I had to admit that she was pretty cute. Despite being as tall as me, she had a hard time looking me in the eyes, instead staring at the floor most of the time.

"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 deep green eyes widen from behind her glasses as soon as she noticed my profile picture.

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

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

 

I nodded, a bit surprised.

"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 meet someone else who shares her love for those comics.

She then calmed down and blushed, avoiding my gaze.

"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'm the same way, when you get me talking about things I like."

 

"T-thanks…" she replied, her shoulders being slightly less tense. "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. 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 as she fidgeted with her fingers and made a relieved smile. It was at that moment when I started having feelings for her.

 

After that event, we talked more. I slowly learnt more about her tastes, and was surprised to discover that she was even more into comics and games that I was. 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.

 

About a month after we started talking, one day after class, we went to a video game store, as Sam wanted to buy a new game.

"Have you played this one?" she asked, pointing at a game case on a shelf.

 

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 passion in her voice, clearly indicating that this most likely was one of her favourite games. 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 said 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, glancing away.

 

"It's not for everyone, that's for sure." I chuckled. "If you like it so much, I guess I could give it a try. Your description of the game intrigued me."

 

"R-really?" she timidly asked.

 

"Yeah. I was thinking of buying some new games anyway, and this one is pretty cheap."

 

At that, I saw her eyes sparkle from behind her black glasses, overjoyed by my decision.

"I... I can help you if you're ever stuck or don't understand something."

 

"Heh, I'll ask you if I need help, don't worry." I went to the vendor and bought the game, ready to discover it.

 

Sam gave me a warm smile. A smile that I found absolutely beautiful coming from her.

 

Hanging out at video game and comics stores became our routine for a few months.

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

 

I played the game, asking for her help a few times to make sure I wasn't missing anything, and really enjoyed it. I understood why she liked it so much. Like she said, the atmosphere truly was incredible, and the characters were fascinating.

I of course told her about what I thought of the game, as soon as I finished it.

"I'm glad! I love this game a lot." Sam said, relieved. "It's really inspiring, and makes me wonder if something like this can be real."

 

"You mean the whole 'undercover society of monsters' thing?"

 

She nodded.

"Wouldn't it be interesting?"

 

I tittered.

"That'd be pretty terrifying, to be honest. I wouldn't want a vampire to suck on my blood or get eaten by a werewolf."

 

She simply smiled.

"True. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you."

Sam was a truly kind and beautiful soul, but I was too cowardly to try to ask her out. I loved what we already had, and was afraid of losing it.

 

~~~~~

 

One day, though, something happened.

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

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

I spent the whole evening worrying, hoping that nothing bad happened to her.

 

The next day, though, she was back, but she was different.

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

 

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. But here, her walk was confident, and she didn't seem to care about the students around us. As she got closer, 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, and what happened for this change to occur.

 

"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.

I wasn't sure if I imagined it or not, but I saw a brief glimpse of sadness in her eyes. She almost immediately smiled at me again, though, and took 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 from behind my locks of brown hair. 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, the kind you'd see during rock and metal concerts.

 

"Samantha said that she wasn't into this before…" I thought as I observed her.

 

Her posture while sitting was different as well. She would usually lean on the table to write, focused on the lectures, but that wasn't the case this time. She was still focused, but she was leaning against the back of the chair, her legs crossed, sitting in a more relaxed manner.

 

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 smile.

 

"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 about stuff related to the lecture. You know how much I love vampires."

She then 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.

 

"Thanks, David."

 

"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 three months ago, at the beginning of the year.

She could easily become a cheerleader would she want to, as she was truly stunning, but, despite this brutal change in how she dressed, she still seemed mostly the same underneath, still loving games and comics, and speaking about them with the same passion she had.

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 some time, and my attraction for her returned, even stronger than before, thanks to her enjoying herself even more than before. Whenever we were hanging out, her smile was radiating with happiness.

 

~~~~~

 

Now, we're a month after that event, and I finally feel courageous enough to ask her on a date.

I decide to make myself more presentable, and stare in the mirror of my bathroom for a moment, brushing away some of my brown hair from my face.

"Should I cut it?" I ponder as I grab a lock. It is starting to get fairly long, but I don't mind it all that much.

In the end, I put my hair into a ponytail and leave, ready to finally confess my love for Sam.

 

Once done with our last class, we go to a café, enjoying some drinks and cakes.

At this point, Sam has fully embraced the goth look, wearing platform boots with fishnet stockings, a pleated skirt, nylon gloves, and a semi opaque top. She is a goth through and through, a far cry from the modest girl from before.

 

"So, hmm..." I start, toying with the cake using my fork to try to reduce my nervousness. "I... wanted to ask you something..."

 

She leans closer and smiles.

"Oh, what would you like to ask?"

 

I take a deep breath.

"W-would... Would you like to go out with me?"

 

"Finally! Took you long enough!" is 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."

 

I'm stunned by her reaction.

"Y-you… knew?"

 

She smirks and winks 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 facepalms and sighs.

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

"I love her…" is all I could think as I get lost in the delightful kiss.

 

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

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

 

"T-thanks… I-it was great." I shyly reply as I come 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 leave the café and go to the arcade, me still on cloud nine.

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

 

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

The rest of the evening goes by in a flash. We play, we party, we drink… until I black out.

 

~~~~~

 

I regain consciousness the next day with a massive hangover.

I'm confused, as I realise that I'm not in my dorm room, but then notice Samantha's boots laying in the corner, her clothes from yesterday hanging from a chair.

I look around me: The room is slightly messy, with hundreds of games, books, and movies on two shelves, next to a gaming computer. The closet is open and show a lot of gothic clothes, the same ones I saw Sam wearing whenever we met each other. On the walls are posters of games and manga, some I recognise and some unknown to me. One is of the vampire game Samantha recommended to me a few months ago.

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

 

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

I turn my head and see 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.

 

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

"W-wow…"

Memories from last night start to come back to me. Drinking with Sam, her leading me to her flat, us going to her room, and... spending some intimate time together...

 

My blush only grows stronger, making Sam chuckle.

"Hehe, you're so cute, David~" She says as she sat next to me. "Here, for your hangover." She give me the glass and some pills, which I immediately swallow.

 

"T-thanks. I needed that."

 

"You don't know for how long I've been waiting for this moment…" She whispers, 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 starts, before sticking out her tongue when she sees my embarrassed face.

 

"I'm joking, Davey. I know I'm hot, and that it's most likely a big part of why you love me."

She then looks down and murmurs, her tone more serious, and, I feel, a tad sorrowful.

"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 ask.

 

"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 replies 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 say, gently caressing her hair.

 

At that, she looks away again.

"Something… I can't tell anyone." As she says that last part, her arms coil around me and she moves 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 lay on the bed, enjoying each other's embrace.

She's warm, her presence is so comforting that I can forget about my headache.

 

 

We are interrupted shortly after by the sound of my phone ringing. I stand up and grab it, seeing that it was my mother.

"Good morning, mom."

 

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

 

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

"I'm... good."

 

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

 

My mother apparently hears her, as she immediately asks:

"Who's with you, honey?"

 

"Huh... It's... my girlfriend." I reply truthfully, blushing as I do so.

 

"You have a girlfriend and you never told me?" I can hear the surprise and shock in her voice. It's the first time I'm going out with someone, after all.

 

Sam leans closer and takes the phone from my hand.

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

 

"How has he never mentioned you before?"My mother asks. She likes to pry on my life, like most mothers.

 

Samantha giggles.

"Probably because we started dating recently."

 

"In that case, would you like to come with him during the next holiday? 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 chirps, visibly really happy about the invitation.

As for me, I"m a bit embarrassed, but I knew that this outcome would happen eventually. My mother always wants to know about my romantic life and my friends. She's a bit too clingy sometimes, and it's part of why I'm glad to now live by myself, even if I still love her.

 

"Yeah, we'll get a break in two weeks, after the exams. We'll visit then, alright, Mom?" I say after grabbing back my phone.

 

"Alright! I'll have to make sure that we welcome your girlfriend properly. See you!" The excitement in my mother's voice is noticeable.

 

"See you, Mom. Love you."

On that, I hang up and looks back at Sam, who stick out her tongue at me.

 

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

 

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

 

"I'm sure I will..." she starts, leaning towards me. "But that's for later, for now, let's keep enjoying ourselves~" she adds, pushing me back onto the bed and kissing me.