《Save Me (GL)》


 Sam and Judy

    "Hey, where the hell are you? I''ve been trying to get to you for a while now, didn''t we agree to spend some time alone this evening? It was even your idea, so where the hell are you?" The furious roar of a young girl was heard from the phone.


    "I''m really sorry honey, I will be there soon, just don''t be mad, ok? Please wait for a bit, just a bit, please." The girl who was holding it answered in a somehow fearful tone, but if someone was to look at her, they would have noticed something unusual, even though her tone was fearful and apologetic, her face had a beautiful blinding smile, making it seem as if she wasn''t meaning what she was saying at all, as if she was just saying whatever came to her mind to please the girl on the other side of the phone without meaning it at all.


    "You better be here soon, or you will regret it, you airheaded idiot." The voice from the phone said.


    "Ok, ok. I will be there soon, don''t worry." The girl said.


    Even though she knew that the conversation must have ended, she didn''t hang up but waited for the other side to hang up first, she knew how mad that can turn her girlfriend sometimes.


    After hearing the sound indicating that the call has finally been cut from the other side, she put her phone down while sighing, shaking her head, and smiling bitterly, her girlfriend Brittney, was almost perfect on every side, except that she had somehow of a short, bad temper.


    ''Better start moving or I''ll suffer when I reach there.'' She thought while smiling beautifully.


    Of course, before that she went to a nearby shop and bought a somehow expansive bar of chocolate, she was going to give it to her girlfriend as an apology, she wished it was going to help pacify her.


    Thinking about what that day was and what might be waiting for her home she couldn''t stop herself from clenching her hand tight on the handle of her bag, all while Wearing that beautiful, happy smile on her face.


    As she was trying her best to find a taxi so she can hurry to her girlfriend''s house, a hand was put on her shoulder, she jumped from fright and almost shouted, turning around subconsciously and in a hurry.


    What she saw when she turned was a beautiful face looking down on her, it was the face of a brown-eyed, black-haired girl.


    She herself was short and frail and was used to looking up to people, but even she knew that the girl was probably taller than average.


    The girl had her hand in the air, and her eyes showed a hint of shock, while the happy smile on her face was frozen. It seemed as if she didn''t expect that her small pat was going to give the smaller girl such a surprise.


    "Sorry did I spook you? I didn''t mean to, I just needed to talk to you." The tall girl soon returned to her senses and said while taking a few steps back, as if trying to give the smaller girl some space and to show that she didn''t mean anything bad.


    "Oh?.. No, it''s alright I was just a bit surprised, you don''t have to worry about that." The smaller girl waved her hands and then said as if she wasn''t sure, "You''re Judy? the girl whose shift is right after me, right?"


    "Yeah, that''s me." The taller girl, Judy, said while taking a deep breath, it wasn''t till then that the smaller one noticed that she seemed out of breath and had a bit of sweat on her forehead.


    "So what is it, what did you want to say?"


    "I''m really sorry for being late, I had something to do, and before I noticed the time had already passed, I swear it won''t happen again." Said Judy with an apologetic expression.


    The smaller girl, Sam, was taken aback seeing Judy apologising and she hurriedly said:


    "Don''t worry about that, it''s alright." While saying that she still had that same blinding smile, then she added:


    "I have something to do, if you have nothing else to add I''ll be leaving."


    "W... Wait for a second..." She was going to turn around and leave but she heard Judy''s voice, looking at her with a questioning expression, she saw Judy putting her right hand in her uniform''s pocket, and taking out a small present box.


    "I... I heard that today was your birthday, so I brought you something, I ho- hope you like it." Judy didn''t even look at Sam''s face while talking, her eyes were looking at the ground under her feet and they didn''t move an inch.


    Judy waited for a long time but she didn''t hear or feel anything, feeling somehow weird and panicked she lifted her head and looked at Sam, and when she did her face froze and she didn''t know what to do.


    Sam was just standing there frozen with her eyes frozen on the small box and tears threatening to fall out.


    "Sa- Sam what''s wrong? Wha... What happened to you.." Judy got frustrated and didn''t know what to do as she took a few steps towards Sam trying to question her, but then she took a few steps back while worrying if it was something she did that made her like that in the first place.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Huh?.. Oh... Sorry, I don''t know what happened to me, it... It''s not your fault don''t worry about it." Sam seemed as if she woke up from whatever she was experiencing and she hurriedly apologised to Judy, that same smile never leaving her face, even though, it was apparent than that it was a bit forced.


    Seeming as if she didn''t want Judy to question her more about it, she reached and took the small box from her while trying to steer the conversation to another thing:


    "Thanks for the gift, it was kind of you. Don''t tell me this was the reason why you were late today heh..."


    She meant the latter part of her sentence as a joke but looking at Judy she saw that she had an embarrassed expression and just stood there with her mouth half-open.


    "I... I tried to buy something for you earlier, bu... But I wasn''t sure about what to get you..." Murmured Judy to herself with a faint blush.


    She actually tried many times to find something appropriate to give to Sam, yet she didn''t know what she should give her, she kept hesitating time and time again till that day when it was already Sam''s birthday, leaving her no choice but to choose something.


    Yet even then it took her a while and she was late for her job, she took a taxi to get there as fast as she could, and she felt so happy seeing that Sam was still there.


    Calming down, she decided to give herself some time to collect herself and prepare before giving the gift to her, so she went to change to the shops uniform.


    What she didn''t expect was that when she got out ""after giving herself a little pep talk"" she found that Sam had already left and that she couldn''t find her.


    Asking the manager, she was told that the girl had already left because she had something to do.


    Hearing that, she ran outside as fast as she could, she somehow didn''t know why she did that, she just felt that she should give her the gift that day, no matter what.


    "Oh... I.. Y-You shouldn''t have worried about that, anything would have worked just fine." Sam was touched as she held the gift box in her hand while bringing it close to her chest as if holding something dear to her.


    Just as Judy was about to say something, a ring tone was heard, it was Sam''s phone.


    Sam''s reaction was incredibly fast, as soon as the sound of the phone was heard, she reached for it, answering without even looking at the screen, she put it next to her ear.


    "Hey, bring some beer with you ok, there''s no more here." The same voice from before was heard.


    "Ok, I will bring it don''t worry." With the same smile on her face, Sam answered.


    "Than hurry up, don''t let me wait anymore." The girl''s voice was heard before she hung up the phone.


    "Sorry I have to go, thanks for the gift I really love it and see ya tomorrow." Saying that Sam turned around and ran to a Convenience Store to buy some beer.


    Looking at the small figure of Sam running away, Judy just stood there frozen for a bit before sighing and turning around, while returning to her job she remembered a weird thing...


    "Why was she smiling...?"


    She remembered clearly that when she surprised Sam with that pat, the latter had a forced smile on her face when she turned to look at her...


    ...


    Change of P.O.V: Sam:


    Turning the key of the rented apartment I rented with my girlfriend I took a deep breath before pushing the door open.


    As usual, she was sitting there on the couch with her laptop in her lap while watching some tv show.


    Before I even get the chance to say anything, Brittney said without even looking at me:


    "Hand me that beer."


    I moved toward her and put it in her extended hand with my head lowered.


    While still keeping her eyes on the pc she took a sip and added:


    "It''s payday today, isn''t it? Here, hand me the money." She said it so naturally and nonchalantly as if it was the most normal thing to do.


    Somewhere deep in my heart, there was a part of me wanting to go against her, wanting to resist, but thinking about how three or four months ago when I still had control over my money I just kind of wasted it, I knew that it was probably for the best and that Brittney only wanted the best for me, so I don''t waste my money again.


    Thinking of that, I removed the envelop I got from my boss that day and gave it to her.


    Again, without even lifting her head, she took it and kept messing around with her laptop, which was actually something I bought for myself, but she had a lot to do those days and her laptop was kind of old and not that good so she was using it for the time being.


    I waited for a while thinking that she might bring it up, but after a long time passed and she didn''t even look at me, I found myself opening my mouth and saying in a faint voice, fearing that I might annoy her if I talked too loud:


    "I- It''s my birthday today..."


    She finally lifted her head and looked at me, she had a blank look on her face as if she didn''t understand why I would say that.


    Then she put the laptop down and stood up, walked toward me put her arms around me and brought me to a tight hug and whispered in my ear:


    "Honey, of course I know that, you don''t have to say it, after all, I''m the only one who''s gonna remember the birthday of someone as insignificant as you, no other person would."


    While caressing the back of my head she continued:


    "But you know how I don''t have a job right now, and it seems as if the whole world is against me, you get it right? So I''m sorry, I couldn''t get you anything, but you know that I will when I get a job again and when I have some money."


    When she finished saying that, seeming as if she thought of something, she released me and walked to the couch again, taking the envelope which was sitting next to the laptop, she opened it and counted a few notes before giving them to me while smiling.


    "Here, treat this as your birthday gift, for now, use it however you want." After that she leaned and kissed me, I wanted to avoid her, for some reason I started hating kisses.


    In my mind, I thought that it has been a long time since she kissed, hugged, or touched me out of love, those always happen when she tried to apologize or ask something of me.


    But even though I wanted to avoid her I couldn''t, I knew the chance was small, but what if, I mean just what if, she really wanted to kiss me out of love, what if it was just me how didn''t understand her and by avoiding her I would hurt her feelings, with all those thoughts in my mind, I watched her return to her seat and continue watching her tv show with the smile I was used to plastering on my face by then.


    Clutching the few dollars she gave me, I stood there for a while before moving to my room, I sat on my bed staring at space blankly for a while.


    Finally, I happen to turn my head and looked at my bag next to me, opening it, I took out the gift box Judy gave to me.


    Looking at the neatly warped gift and then at the few wrinkled dollars, I felt as if something exploded and tears started falling...

 Red

    For Judy, that day was one of the longest days she had been through, it seemed as if it was going to take forever for the time of her shift to come.


    She left her house around half an hour earlier than usual, a part of the reason for that was that she promised Sam that she won''t be late again and another part was because she wanted to meet Sam and spend some time with her and see if she liked the gift she gave her.


    After suffering for a while the day before, she finally chose a keychain, it was a little chain which its end had a cute little glass puppy, till that moment she was still wondering if it was a good thing to give, she had always been bad with gifts and what they might symbolize, she didn''t want to appear to close or too distant, in the time she was choosing the gift she even wondered if she was being way too self-conscious about it and she should just choose something she liked and be done with it.


    Anyway, she finally chose that glass puppy keychain, while still being not too sure if Sam was going to like it or not.


    And yesterday Sam ran before opening it, leaving her mind stuck on whether she liked it or not.


    While her mind was still wandering through the clouds, the taxi finally stopped and she made it to the shop.


    She, sam, and another two girls their age worked in a jewellery shop, they worked in pairs, the first shift was from 9 am to 3 pm, and the second from 3 pm to 9 pm, of course, there was also a manager there most of the time.


    And as you would expect from a somehow known jewellery shop, all four of them were pretty.


    unfortunately for Judy, she and Sam were on different shifts, they rarely worked together, only when one of the four had a part of her day busy, and she needs to delay or bring her shift forward, does they have a shift or two together.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    Walking to the door of the shop, She took a deep breath before pushing the door open, hearing the familiar chime, she looked around the shop and soon found her target.


    Unlike usual she saw that Sam seemed a little bit down and had an absent-minded expression on her face, she wanted to move towards her but another thing caught her attention then and she froze in her place.


    For some reason, Sam was holding her keyring in her hand, and looking closely, Judy was able to see that the little glass puppy was nowhere to be seen, noticing that, she felt a sting in her heart and a bitter feeling all of a sudden.


    "Oh, Judy you''re here! You came early today." The first to notice her was the girl in the same shift as Sam, her name was Alex and she was a lively blondie who had a smile on her face most of the time.


    Hearing her voice not just Judy, even Sam seemed as if she returned to her sense and she lifted her head, her eyes meeting Judy''s instantly.


    When their eyes met Judy''s heart skipped a beat, even though she was a little bit down seeing that Sam didn''t use her gift, the small girl''s stare still affected her.


    "Hey Judy, how are you?" Said Sam with a beautiful smile.


    "Hello." Judy first greeted Alex before turning to Sam and saying with a smile:


    "I''m great and you?"


    Sam seemed as if she wanted to say something but then she looked at Alex:


    "Hey Alex, can you please take my place for a bit? I have something to say to Judy."


    "No problem." Alex was a happy go lucky girl, so she didn''t mind at all.


    Sam gestured for Judy to follow her to the staff room in the back and lead the way there.


    After entering Sam closed the door before standing there with her head lowered.


    Judy didn''t have any idea why would Sam call her there alone, just as she was going to question her about what was happening she suddenly heard a faint sob.


    "Sa- Sam, what''s wrong, are you alright?" Judy was surprised and didn''t know what to do.


    Sam just stood there frozen for a few seconds before lifting her shaking right hand.


    Judy''s attention was caught by that and she noticed that her right hand was holding something tightly.


    Moving her eyes from Sam''s hand she saw that tears were threatening to fall from her eyes as she sobbed faintly.


    She wanted to ask her what was going on again but then she saw Sam opening her clenched hand, revealing what was in it.


    What caught Judy''s attention first was the bright red, Sam''s hand was bleeding, only after that did she notice that what Sam was holding was some glass shreds.


    Looking closely she recognized some part of them.


    It was the glass puppy she gave her, it had been broken.

 You Can Never Leave me

    Change of P.O.V: Sam:


    When I woke up the first thing I saw was the keychain Judy gave to me, I was still holding it in my hand.


    I remembered how I cried myself to sleep the night before and how I held that keychain close to my chest as I slept.


    I clenched the hand holding it and set on my bed, it has been a while since I and Brittney started sleeping in different rooms, it was her idea as she said that I was too clingy and she needed some time and space for herself, so she took our bedroom and left me to choose from the others.


    I remember that I was quite shocked and panicked back then and tried my best to think of a reason that might have made her mad, after all, it''s always my fault.


    But no matter how much I thought I couldn''t come up with anything, but I knew that it was something I did that made her like that.


    So trying my best to make it up for her, I woke up early the next day and made her a great lovely breakfast, trying to show her that I''m sorry for whatever it was that I did.


    Yet nothing changed, she just had her breakfast and left without even saying thank you.


    Thinking about all of that, I felt some bitterness in my chest and I held the keychain tighter.


    I stood and left the room heading to the bathroom, as I expected Brittney was still asleep, she was nowhere to be seen and the door to her room was closed.


    I was still holding the keychain, so I moved to put it on the table before going to the bathroom, but just as I put it down I heard a noise from the bathroom and Brittney came from there.


    I was surprised because she doesn''t wake up early most of the time, and she would only wake up after I left to work.


    "G- Good morning Brittney, you''re early today," I spoke to her in that soft tone I became used to using around her.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    "I have somewhere to be today.." She answered before her eyes fall on the keychain on the table.


    Seeing that my heart fall, Brittney was way too jealous of a person and she would even get mad at me if I just talked with an attractive girl, accusing me of cheating her and being unfaithful.


    I''ve suffered from that way more than I can remember, it reached the point where I''ve already cut contact with most of my old friends.


    And seeing her eyes and the expression on her face I knew what was coming.


    As I expected, Brittney''s expression fell before turning to me, smiling and saying:


    "That''s a new keychain, where did you get it from."


    "I- I..." I stuttered under her stare for a while before managing to blurt out: "I bought it."


    I was panicking and I didn''t know what to do, I knew that Brittney can always see through my lies and I was never able to trick her.


    "Huh, you bought it you say..." While letting out a mocking chuckle she walked towards me.


    I got scared and took a few steps back, yet she kept moving towards me till my back was against the wall.


    She then lifted her hands and put them around my neck, feeling the cold, slender fingers tightening bit by bit around my neck, my heartbeats got faster and faster but I felt cold all around.


    Brittney was physically violent with me only one time in our whole relationship, but sometimes when she gets angry, she would threaten me with it or try to recreate what happened back then, as if trying to make me remember and never forget it.


    Her fingers didn''t tighten a lot but it still made it uncomfortable to breathe, and along with my panicked state it was even worst.


    Bringing her lips close to my ears she whispered:


    "You aren''t cheating on me, are you? You should know that you can never leave me, I will always find you, and I will always get you, you''re mine, you get that?"


    Along with that last question, her hand tightened around my neck and I started choking, amidst my panic, fear and shock, I did my best to nod, showing that I understood what she just said.


    Removing her hand from my neck she stepped away from me and moved towards the table, while I fall to the ground holding my neck and coughing.


    lifting the glass puppy keychain, she waited for me to recover before saying to me while looking at it:


    "It''s actually quite cute, but unfortunately, it wasn''t from me."


    While shouting the last part, using all her strength, she threw it to the ground as hard as she can, breaking it.


    Looking at the few pieces on the ground I just sat there frozen.


    Brittney didn''t care about me anymore and she moved to her room to change before leaving the house, leaving me sitting on the ground crying.


    It took me a while to calm down and I moved to the glass shreds unsteadily.


    Maybe because the glass puppy was already so small after it broke there wasn''t a lot of pieces and I was able to collect all of them.


    Looking at the shreds of glass in my hand, the face of Judy, when she gave it to me, came to my mind, and I felt even worst.

 Care

    I don''t even know how I reached work that day, all that I can remember is that I collected all the glass shreds and I went with my daily routine in a half died state with my thoughts concentrating on that moment when Brittney held my neck.


    The memories of my shift that day were foggy, I can''t even remember most of what happened in the morning.


    It wasn''t till the evening came that I started acting a bit normal and I put my mask on, trying my best to act as if nothing was wrong.


    But even with that the few shreds of glass in my pocket and the faces of Brittney and Judy kept on appearing on my mind, Judy with her embarrassed and troubled expression when I asked her if she was late because of buying me the gift, and Brittney with that mad expression when she destroyed the glass puppy.


    While I was lost in my thoughts I heard Alex''s voice greeting Judy, it wasn''t till then that I noticed that Judy was standing there.


    I returned to my senses first so I was able to see her looking at the keys in my hand, and the somehow hurt expression she had.


    I knew what she must be feeling, she probably was wondering why I didn''t use her gift even though I didn''t have a keychain or anything like that.


    Seeing that expression I tried to run away from it, so as I most of the time do when I''m frustrated and not sure about something, I just smiled beautifully and said:


    "Hey Judy, how are you?" It was the only thing I could think of and my mouth blurted it out before I even had the time to understand it fully.


    Judy greeted Alex before turning her head towards me and smiling:


    "I''m great, and you?" It was the most normal of replies to what I asked, yet just that ''and you?'' Almost broke my mask,You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    For some reason seeing her smile and hearing her question, and remembering what happened to her gift, it seemed as if something inside of me moved, and I swallowed the generic reply I wanted to give her.


    I turned to Alex while doing my best to stop myself from crying right then and there.


    "Hey Alex, can you please take my place for a bit? I have something to say to Judy."


    "No problem." As expected Alex didn''t mind and accepted happily.


    I made Judy follow me and while walking I moved my hand to my pocket where the shreds were, I let Judy enter first before closing the door behind us.


    I just stood there frozen with the shreds in my hand, I wanted to speak up and tell her about what happened but I couldn''t, whenever I tried, Judy''s face would come to my mind, along with how troubled she seemed and must have felt before finally choosing that gift, thinking about all of that my hand tightened around the glass pieces and tears threatened to fall.


    I tried to hold it, I tried my best to calm down and think and act calmly, but I couldn''t and before I knew it a sob escaped my lips.


    "Sa- Sam, what''s wrong are you alright?" Judy said as soon as she heard my voice, there was worry, confusion and apprehension in her voice.


    I wanted to talk yet I couldn''t, so I did the only thing I could do, I lifted the hand holding the glass pieces shakingly and I opened it slowly.


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~


    Change of P.O.V: Judy:


    Seeing the blood on Sam''s hand I became confused for a second, but then before I even understood it myself I ran towards her and held her by the shoulders.


    My reaction surprised Sam for sure, and it even surprised me after I returned to my senses but I didn''t stop.


    "Ju- Judy...?" Sam''s voice between sobs had a hint of confusion, but I didn''t care as I lead her to a chair while saying faintly:


    "Just calm down for now, we will talk after I''m done."


    I let Sam sitting in the chair while I moved to get the first aid kit before returning to her.


    I knelt in front of her and held her hand gently then slowly and carefully I removed the glass pieces one by one, some of them were deeply in her hand yet she didn''t even flinch while I removed them.


    Lifting my head to look at her face I saw that she was just looking at me blankly, seeing her big black eyes looking at me without blinking, I felt my face become hot as I blushed and lowered my head hurriedly, returning to what I was doing.


    After dealing with her wound and covering it with a bandage I was finally done, yet I somehow didn''t want to release her hand, her hand was small and cute and holding it made my heart beat faster, but I knew that I had to let her go so I did with an unwilling heart, before saying to her:


    "Now you can tell me what happened."


    Our eyes met and she had a guilty expression mixed with sadness and pain.


    My question seemed to have reminded her of what had happened to my gift as tears appeared on her eyes once again, seeing that I moved my hand instinctively and held her''s while saying:


    "It''s alright, it had already happened, and also seeing your worried face right now tells me how much you cared about it, which is the most important thing for me, so just don''t worry."


    I did really mean that, when I gave her the keychain I did put all my feeling in it and wished for it to stay with her as long as possible, yet even though it broke so soon, seeing Sam''s expression and how much she seemed to care about it I was even happier and my heart was beating even faster.

 My fault?..

    The room was quiet and only the two of them were there, Sam''s hand was held between Judy two hands, who was doing her best to calm her down.


    The atmosphere and Judy''s gentle voice made Sam''s messed up emotion calm down and her breathing soon returned to normal.


    After calming down, Sam felt like an idiot, she wanted to apologize to Judy but in the end, she ended up being comforted by her instead, she really was an idiot who could do nothing right.


    She took her hand back and wiped her tears before looking at Judy who had a gentle, comforting smile and just nodded at her.


    For the first time, she felt something weird when she looked at Judy''s face and she hurriedly turned her face away while trying desperately to control her breathing which suddenly got fast.


    Judy on her side didn''t think much and just thought that Sam didn''t want her to see her in that state, so she stood up from her kneeling position and comforted her with a joke:


    "Don''t worry, you''re still as pretty as always, your eyes are a little bit puffy and red but nothing big."


    Sam calmed herself again and took a few deep breaths and stood up.


    "Thanks for your comforting, heh, I wanted to apologize yet it ended up like this." She knew that there was no need for her to mention the keychain anymore, Judy had already shown her stance in the matter, and she actually didn''t know how to explain it at all, she didn''t want people to know about her and Brittney''s problems, and for some reason, just the thought of talking about Brittney with Judy made her feel uncomfortable...


    "Come, fix yourself up and come out, Alex is all on herself," Judy said before turning around and leaving the room.


    Sam stood there staring blankly for a few seconds before turning and getting her bag and fixing her face, while doing that she looked at her bandaged hand, stared at it for a while before covering her face with her palms.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "What''s wrong with me..."


    Soon after Sam returned, her shift along with Alex''s ended.


    Before leaving she came to Judy,


    "Thanks for everything." After saying that with a smile she turned around and left without waiting for Judy to say anything.


    For the rest of her shift, Judy felt like she was flying, she felt that she had gotten closer to Sam, and she could hardly stop smiling, it even made her workmate, Robin, question if anything good happened to her that day.


    ~~~~~~


    Change of P.O.V: Sam:


    Opening the door to my house I found that it was dark, there was no light at all, I found it weird because usually Brittney would have been there and she hated staying in darkness.


    After taking a few steps inside the light was turned on and I saw Brittney standing there next to the light switch.


    She was smiling beautifully while holding a red rose in her hand.


    She moved towards me, which reminded me of what happened that morning, I tried to retreat with my body shaking and my breath choking in my throat, yet she was faster than me and reached me first.


    She extended her arms and seeing that I froze and my eyes opened wide.


    Yet she didn''t do anything to me, she just held my hand with one of hers and put the rose she had on her with the other.


    After that she leaned close to me and hugged me tightly, while I just stood there lifelessly like a statue, trying not to make any unnecessary movement.


    "Love, I''m really sorry about this morning, you know how I am, I would never hurt you, but you made me do that, it was your fault, only if you weren''t unfaithful, none of that would have happened." While still holding me tightly she started whispering in a gentle and lovely voice.


    She then released me, held my face with both her hands while still close to me, and with her eyes looking straight at mine she kissed me and added:


    "I forgive you for what you did, so I wish you forgive me too, after all, it''s was you who wronged me first, what I did was just the consequences of what you, yourself did." After saying all of that while still looking me straight in the eyes she smiled and led me to the table in the living room.


    On the table was a lit candle, and what seemed to be dinner, there was a romantic atmosphere. she had me set me on a chair before going and turning on the music.


    Seeing how gentle and caring she was, I almost couldn''t link her with the person from the morning, she seemed so different and loving, reminding me of how and why I fall for her in the first place.


    As always I tried to find a reason why her behaviour changes so much from time to time, and that led me to remember what she had just said, that it was my fault, that if I wasn''t unfaithful, none of that would have happened, I tried to deny that, I''ve always been a faithful person I would never cheat on her, but then Judy''s face came to my mind, and I felt horrible and confused, especially when I remembered how I reacted when I looked at her that day...


    "Was it really my fault..."

 Plan

    It was the first time in a while that I woke up in ''our'' bedroom''s bed, looking at the face of Brittney who was still asleep, I held my breath and just studied it.


    She was so beautiful and her features were so gentle, and the idea of her making that mad expression like the one she had yesterday was almost impossible to imagine, she just didn''t have that air about her at all, that can be the reason for why when I told some of our mutual friends about how she was treating me at first when it all started, none of them believed me, and some of them even hinted that I might be thinking too much into it, and that fights were bound to happen in relationships.


    I understood what they meant, there was just so much of a difference between how she showed herself to others, and how she was when she gets mad.


    That made me wonder if I was just overthinking, after all, she was my first girlfriend and I was still inexperienced in those things.


    Also, being a lesbian in her first experience, I wasn''t really that open to talk about my life with my family, especially when they weren''t that accepting of me coming out in the first place.


    Later on, my mom started calling more and asking about me and how I was doing when I started living with Brittney, it seemed as if she was starting to accept my true self, which made me way too happy, unfortunately, that didn''t last long.


    Soon after that Brittney started showing how much of a jealous person she was, and she started demanding of me to cut my contact with some of my close friends, when I didn''t do that, she used to say that I was unfaithful, that I was cheating on her and all of that, of course being in my first relationship, with the first taste of love and care, I wanted to be the perfect lover for Brittney, who for me, was the perfect lover, so I started panicking at the thought of hurting her and a misunderstanding arising between us, so I started lowering the contact with my friends till I cut it entirely in the end.


    Some of my friends had a good relationship with my mom and told her about how I was acting, which made my mom get worried about me.


    So in our phone calls she started asking about how I was doing with Brittney and if she was being good to me, I didn''t find it weird because it was a normal thing to talk about, and I even told Brittney about it, and then it started...


    Brittney told me that my mom didn''t want us to be together, that she didn''t accept who I really was and that she was trying to separate us from one another, I didn''t believe that, it was my mom I knew her, and she was accepting of me.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    But Brittney planted that thought in my mind, and I started noticing that mom was really asking more and more about me and Brittney and hinting that something might be wrong, and if there really was something wrong I should leave her and that love can be found again.


    I was shocked and hurt, how can my mom who I trusted so much, and thought that she was someone who would stand and understand me no matter what I did, try to separate me from my love just because she was a girl.


    I felt betrayed and hurt, and I started answering her calls less and less.


    I remember that in that period, Brittney was such an understanding person, she would hug me, console me, and comfort me, I felt safe with her, like being held between her arms was the safest place in the world.


    Remembering that time and what happened yesterday and in many times like that, I got confused again.


    Shaking my head and getting up because it was almost time for me to go to work, I stood up, had a bath and changed before leaving the house, as I did, Brittney was still asleep.


    While on my way to work I thought about yesterday, Judy''s interest in me was obvious, and I knew that I started having some feelings for her, which made me panic, that only got worst after what Brittney said, that I was unfaithful.


    So for the best of all the three of us, I decided that I would limit my contact with her, she and I worked in different shifts so it wasn''t going to be a hard thing to do.


    My heart did hurt a bit by thinking about that, but it was the right thing to do, I needed to be faithful to Brittney, she deserved that from me.


    Also, I was going to make our relationship work, she was my true love and I even fought with my family for her, I needed to make our relationship work and show my mom that she truly loves me and that I didn''t make the wrong choice.


    Feelings need time to grow and bloom, without time and contact even if I had feelings for Judy, I would forget them and they would eventually wither.


    I also had another thought in my mind, another reason for what I was doing...


    With those thoughts in my mind, I entered the jewellery shop, and on the door, I froze.


    Standing there, right in front of me, was Judy, she was talking to the manager who had her back towards me.


    The manager, probably seeing Judy look behind her and smile, turned and saw me standing there frozen.


    "Oh, Sam, you''re finally here, come, I have something to tell you." The manager said while putting her hand on Judy''s shoulder.


    Moving toward her with a confused questioning face, the manager smiled and said while patting Judy on her shoulder:


    "Alex decided that the evening shift is going to be better for her, she said that she''s not having enough sleep those days, I usually wouldn''t accept such permanent change like this, but because Judy had asked me before to change her shift, I accepted it as an exception."


    After finishing her words she looked at Judy than at me, before saying with a smile:


    "You two are now shiftmates, treat each other well."


    So while standing there with a frozen expression, looking at Judy who had a blinding smile, I watched as all my plans got destroyed...

 Kiss...

    "Hey, Sam what are you having for lunch?" Judy asked while standing next to Sam behind the counter.


    The distance between them couldn''t be considered that close but for Sam who became conscious about her behaviour with Judy and had already prepared herself to cut all contact with her, she couldn''t calm down and found the distance way too close.


    Judy on the other hand seemed as if she was on cloud nine, she had been smiling and sneaking glances at Sam non-stop as if she still couldn''t believe that she was in the same shift with Sam and that they were going to be spending so much time together from then on.


    "Emm, I usually just get something from the fast-food restaurant nearby and eat it in the staffroom," Sam answered after staying silent for a while.


    "Fast food can be bad for your body, it''s too hard trying to stay in a good shape," Judy Complained while looking down at her body.


    Sam turned her head and looked at her, she stole a glance at her shiftmate''s body before the latter lifted her head, Sam soon returned to her senses and reminded herself while blushing that she shouldn''t do that and she should remember what she thought to herself that morning, even though she was working with Judy now, she still had to control herself and put her relationship with Brittney first.


    "Oh, yeah, how''s your wound, is it well, does it still hurt you?" Judy seemed to have remembered something as she turned her head and asked in concern.


    "It''s good, it wasn''t much of a big wound anyway, there''s no need to worry."


    "C- Can I take a look at it?" Judy asked after a short while of silence.


    "..Yeah of course." Sam didn''t find anything weird with it.


    She had already removed the bandage because the wound was small and just after one night it started showing signs of forming scabs.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    She lifted her hand trying to show it to Judy, yet what she didn''t expect was that Judy would catch it and hold it gently.


    She was too surprised to react and she just watched as Judy brought her face closer and gave her wounds a light fast kiss.


    Sam''s mind blanked out and she felt as if an electric current has passed through her hand and to the rest of her body.


    When Judy lifted her head and released Sam''s hand there was a faint blush on her cheeks, but she soon calmed herself down and acted as if it was normal, Sam didn''t notice that because she was still in shock.


    "I remembered that I didn''t give you a pain pain go away kiss, hehe..." Chuckled Judy as if it was all just a joke.


    "Oh... Emm... Ok..." Sam got frustrated and with red cheeks, she stuttered.


    ''Damn it, this is harder than I thought.'' Sam thought during lunch.


    The jewellery shop didn''t stop working at lunchtime instead each person would have her lunch in the staffroom while the other took care of the shop, and then they would reverse their positions.


    Sam set in the staff room to have her lunch but her thoughts kept on repeating that moment when Judy''s lips touched the centre of her hand, she just couldn''t stop herself from replaying it and getting lost in the feeling.


    She shook her head and concentrated on her lunch, after eating for a bit she again fell in a trance like state, and before she knew it she found herself looking at the centre of her hand.


    Staying like that for a bit she finally moved it, bringing it close to her face, just as her lips were almost touching the centre of her palm she heard the sound of footsteps coming closer.


    Just like a startled deer, she moved her body before she could even understand what was happening.


    Bang!


    She brought her hand down on the table so fast and so powerfully that a loud bang was heard, and pain shot to her head.


    "Sam what was that, what just happened?" Judy''s voice was heard from behind her.


    "No- Nothing, what is it did something happen outside." Sam tried to act calm while enduring the pain coming from her hand.


    "Oh, nothing, it''s just that the manager is keeping watch and told to go and have lunch." She answered while walking towards her.


    Seeing her coming closer, Sam hurriedly stood up, cleaned the table and said while leaving the room as if she was running:


    "Oh, then... Then have your lunch, I''ve already finished, I''ll go keep watch with the manager."


    "... Is there something wrong with her..?" Judy thought before sitting down where Sam set.


    And just like that, Judy too started spacing out while thinking about the same thing Sam was thinking about.


    Sam on the other hand was having another emotional crises on her own.


    ''What was I doing..? What was I going to do if Judy didn''t come at that moment..?'' She knew the answer but was just avoiding it.

 Thats not Love.

    Soon it was the end of their shift, which went like a test of will for Sam, Judy was trying her best to get close to her which she found hard to deal with.


    And the burning heat in the centre of her palm didn''t help at all, she found herself many times looking at it or touching it gently while in an absent-minded state.


    What''s worst was that she even found herself once looking blankly at Judy''s lips, almost giving herself a heart attack when she noticed, fortunately, Judy didn''t catch her.


    While thinking about all of those and having a mini emotional breakdown, she heard fast footsteps coming from behind her, turning around as expected, she saw Judy walking towards her with a beautiful smile.


    "Hey Sam, I''ve never asked you before but in which part of the city do you live?" She asked as she stood in front of her.


    "The Eastside, and you?" Asked Sam with a fearful heart, she was worried that Judy might take the same road home as her, which would become a big problem if Brittney saw them together.


    Fortunately, Judy sighed in disappointment before saying:


    "I live on the Northside, that''s unfortunate..."


    Sam released a silent sigh of relief than said:


    "Than I''ll be leaving, see ya tomorrow."


    Before she could even take a step away, Judy held her by her sleeve.


    Sam turned around and looked at her questioningly, wondering why she stopped her.


    Judy on her part was surprised too, her action was mostly done without thinking, she just felt that she didn''t want to separate from Sam yet.


    So for a few seconds, which seemed like ages for Judy, the two of them just stood there, looking at each other without blinking.


    "..Emm, do you want to grab a coffee.." It was Judy who broke the awkward silence between them, her voice was soft and uncertain.


    Sam froze for a bit, a part of her wanted to say yes, but thinking about how Brittney never liked her spending time with other people alone, especially pretty girls, along with Judy''s feelings for her, she decided against it.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    She was going to just refuse her, but suddenly she realized that it was a good chance for her to stop Judy from continuing with her advances.


    Before she wanted to tell Judy that she already had a girlfriend, but putting it out just like that with no reason will probably hurt her, it felt totally wrong, so she had been searching for the right moment for her to deliver it harmlessly since the beginning, and now it seemed that the right time was finally there.


    "Sorry I can''t, I have an appointment with my..."


    "Sam? Is that you?"


    Before Sam could finish her sentence a voice was heard from behind her.


    Sam''s body shook when she heard the voice, it was a voice she never expected to hear there.


    Turning around shakingly, what she feared the most happened, right there, a few meters away from her stood a young man.


    He had short black hair, and dark brown eyes, his face was a normal looking face, but he had a refined and gentle temperament.


    Judy''s first impression of him was a good one, but looking at Sam''s face she knew that something was wrong.


    Sam had a shocked, guilty, and painful expression on her face along with many other emotions hidden deep in her eyes, it seemed as if she didn''t know how to deal with meeting that person there.


    Without thinking, she caught Sam by the arm and hid her behind her, she didn''t know what was happening or what that young man''s relationship with Sam was but from Sam''s expression she, at the very least, knew that Sam was reluctant to meet him, which was all she needed to know.


    The young man has been just studying them for the whole time, he didn''t say anything after calling Sam, and only when Judy hid her and acted as if she was protecting her did he show a hint of surprise.


    Then he smiled gently and said:


    "Is this your new girlfriend? She seems good, at least better than the last one."


    Once he said that, Judy felt he arm being held and she was pulled, turning around she saw Sam getting ready to start running while still holding her.


    She didn''t understand what was happening but she didn''t struggle, she allowed Sam to pull her as they ran.


    "Sam you can''t run from this, deep down you know it don''t you? that''s not love, you know that don''t you? THAT''S NOT LOVE..." they only took a few steps before Judy heard the young man''s voice again, the last few words he said were shouted so loudly yet they had a hint of hopelessness and pain.


    Turning her head for a last look she saw that he was getting ready to give chase but was stopped by a few people who came out of a shop nearby, they seemed as if they were with him.


    Sam run for a while, it wasn''t till Judy could barely keep on going that she stopped her, she felt as if Sam wasn''t in the right state of mind, she was running without thinking, as if she wanted to get as far as possible from something.


    "Hah... Hah... Phew, Sam what happened to you, are you alright?"


    After taking a few deep breaths she asked Sam, who seemed to be still in a muddle-headed state.


    Sam took a while to answer, but she finally lifted her head and said in a trembling voice:


    "I... I have a girlfriend..."


    Those few words stunned Judy, and she just stood there frozen, without understanding how things turned like that, and how would her question lead to that kind of answer.


    Seeing her like that, Sam''s lips trembled and while fighting the tears in her eyes, she mumbled ''I''m sorry'' before moving away, leaving Judy frozen where she was.


    Judy finally returned to herself and looked at the moving figure of Sam whose shoulders kept on trembling as if she was crying and she didn''t know what to think or do...

 Was

    Change of P.O.V: Judy:


    "I... I have a girlfriend..." Those words haunted me as I returned unsteadily home.


    They kept on repeating on my mind, and each time I felt as if my heart was being squeezed, it felt painful, my breathing got short, I felt as if a lump was on my throat, while I fought the tears which were threatening to fall.


    The thing which hurt me the most was how out of content that was, there was no need for her to say that right than at all.


    It was obvious that she understood that I had feelings for her and was cutting me entirely and straight away as if she was saying that I didn''t even have a chance.


    It''s not that I was sure she didn''t have anyone she loved, I expected that and I was even ready for her to hint to that, but for it to be said straight to my face without any indication of it coming, that hurt me even more, especially after I found that day with her so great and was still looking forward to the days coming for us to work together.


    She started working with us around two months ago.


    At first, it was just seeing her from time to time when shifts were going to end, just exchanging smiles and greetings.


    She was the newest arrival for a while and of course, I had a bit of curiosity about her.


    It wasn''t till the first few times we worked together because of some circumstances that that curiosity started growing to something else.


    Sam was too pretty, at least for me she was one of the prettiest women I ever saw, she also had a cheerful personality and one of the prettiest smiles I ever saw.


    After those times we worked together, I started paying more attention to her and I usually would find myself thinking about her more and more, I also had a feeling I never felt before when thinking about her.


    For me, who never was in a relationship and never loved anyone let alone girls, I got quite panicked when I realized what those feelings might be, but along with that panic, another feeling came.


    It was the first time I felt like that, those feelings which seemed as if they were locked, the feeling of wanting to tell everyone about the happiness and sweetness sealed inside my chest.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Smiling to myself without a reason, the random thoughts about her from time to time, my heart skipping a beat when I saw her, all those little details made my first experience in falling in love so special for me, and they made me fall even deeper.


    I even asked the manager to change my shift to be with her, unfortunately, she didn''t accept and I could only tell her in disappointment that if a chance comes for me to work in the same shift as Sam, to put me in it no matter what.


    So you can imagine how happy I was when I got a call from the manager telling me that Alex wanted to change her shift with mine.


    I gladly accepted with big expectations for the future.


    And it was even better than I expected, just seeing Sam standing next to me for most of the day made me so full of happiness that I almost exploded.


    Who would have thought that it would end up like that?


    At that moment I kept on destroying myself more and more, remembering all my expectations, my feelings, my happiness for that day before remembering Sam''s words, I knew I should stop but I couldn''t, I just couldn''t.


    "God, you look like hell."


    Just as I was holding my tears from falling for the umpteenth time I heard a voice coming from in front of me.


    Lifting my head, I looked at the person in front of me with blurry vision due to tears in my eyes, I hurriedly wiped my tears and noticed that the person in front of me was the young man from before.


    Remembering that it was mostly because of this man that Sam acted like that I got mad, and along with the pain I was feeling I threw everything at him and shouted:


    "What do you want? And who are you anyway? How do you kn... Know Sa... Sam... Sob.."


    Along with my release of emotions, the tears I was holding since the beginning started falling and I cried right then and there without caring about anything.


    The young man just stood there looking at me, he didn''t say anything nor did he make any movement, he just stood there and looked at me calmly, waiting for me to calm down.


    When I did he opened his mouth and said in a gentle calming voice:


    "My name is Dan, I would be happy to answer any of your questions, but not here, come on, let''s go and get a coffee, there''s a great cafe nearby... I might say that but actually I just heard that from a friend of mine."


    His voice was calm and it made me calm down a bit, some of my anger and frustration also disappeared as I nodded to him to lead the way, I wanted to know what happened to Sam, who was this man and why was Sam reaction so big when she saw him.


    We entered a cafe and I sat opposite to him awaiting his words, but he didn''t say anything he just called a waitress and asked for a coffee, before turning to me and asking me what I wanted, I felt like just shouting at him to start speaking already, but seeing the waitress looking at me I calmed myself and ordered a coffee.


    There wasn''t a lot of people in the cafe shop at that moment and our orders were given to us soon while waiting I calmed down even more and some of my rationality returned.


    "I see that you''ve finally calmed down," he said, smiled and then added:


    "As I said, my name is Dan and I''m... I mean, I was, Sam''s best friend."

 Sams Past

    "As I said, my name is Dan and I''m... I mean, I was, Sam''s best friend."


    Dan''s gentle voice reached Judy''s ear, it had a hint of helplessness and guilt as he said that.


    "W- Why was?" Judy asked, she somehow didn''t expect Dan to be Sam''s best friend, her reaction when she saw him was so weird after all.


    "Well... A lot of things happened, I''ll tell you all about it." He said with a faint smile before taking a sip from his coffee and adding:


    "We were neighbours since a young age, I somehow can''t remember a moment of my childhood when she wasn''t with me, Sam was always a happy cheerful girl, and as you can see I''m not actually one of the most active people, yet she always dragged me with her wherever she went, we were inseparable..."


    "This seems like a childhood sweethearts more than best friends." Judy couldn''t stop herself from saying with a weird expression.


    "I can''t say I never had any interest in her. You know, a time comes when you reach a certain age and start developing feelings, and as you would expect mine were for her, but Then..." He answered with a faint smile but he stopped mid-sentence as if remembering something.


    "Then what?"


    "Then... I was the first one she told she was gay... I still remember that day, she told me she had something she wanted to talk to me about, so we met in a somehow secluded place and she told me that with a normal tone and expression, I remember that I froze for a few seconds, I... I couldn''t accept it."


    Judy was a bit surprised when she heard that but Sam did tell her that she had a girlfriend so she wasn''t that surprised.


    "I almost raised my voice and asked her shouting if she was joking because it wasn''t funny at all, but then I saw her hands... Even  though she tried to act normal and as if she was gonna accept whatever was going to happen, she was holding her hands tightly and her eyes were full of expectations and fear..."


    "Swallowing what I was going to say, I calmed myself down and asked her, ''so what?'' While smiling."


    "She cried while smiling as she heard that before hugging me... She was always like that, seemingly strong and independent but she''s quite weak and tends to overthink things, leading to her hurting herself in the passing..."This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    "After she told me about her being gay she didn''t tell anyone else for a while, she said that she wasn''t ready and that she took a leap of faith with me because she felt pressured going through all of that alone, I couldn''t understand what she was going through entirely but what she told me and what I saw was enough for me to know the amount of pressure she suffered."


    "... Heh, I don''t know how I ended up talking about all of that, anyway it is linked with what I wanted to tell you so no problem there, anyway a while after she told me that she came to me and told me that she might be in love, and what''s more there was a big chance that the one she loved also had feelings for her, I still had some feelings for her so I can''t say I took that news happily..."


    While he started talking about the girl Sam loved he leaned forward, his gentle demeanour changed and he became more serious with a frown on his face.


    "She said her name was Brittney, she was a girl older than her with a few years, we were in our last year of high school but she was on her third year of university, Brittney studied in our high school before and for some reason, she returned one day and that''s when they met."


    "They spent some time together that day and at the end of it Brittney gave her her phone number when she told me about her a long time had passed since that day so she had been talking with her a lot and they had spent more time together."


    "I told her that I wanted to meet ''that'' Brittney and she accepted happily, she seemed like a proud child trying to show off her favourite toy, and when I saw that girl I got why, Brittney was way too pretty, she also had a great personality and she seemed almost perfect, too perfect that I got jealous of her taking Sam, but I soon threw those thoughts away, since the time Sam told me that she was gay I decided that I would accept whatever she chose and that I should not let my feelings stand in the way of her happiness..."


    "Now I know that that mindset is what pushed Sam to the depth of pain..." He had a guilty expression as he said that.


    "Soon after, they started dating. Brittney was the perfect girlfriend or at least that what Sam told me and from what I saw when all of us were out having fun... Then it started..."


    "A while after they started dating some of our mutual friends started complaining that Sam has been spending less and less time with them, I had been feeling something like that too, but I didn''t want to speak about it because I knew that after people get a lover they would spend more and more time with them and less with their friends."


    "I did feel something was wrong but I always thought that that was only because I still had feeling for Sam and that a part of me was searching for something wrong with her relationship with Brittney... I... I even told her that fights were normal in a relationship when she came to me saying that Brittney had been acting weirdly, I tried to be the best ''best friend'' for her, without letting my personal feeling affect their relationship, not thinking that it might not be just my jealousy at work when I noticed some minor details..."


    "When I finally noticed that there might really be something wrong, Sam had already cut contact with most of her friends..."


    Since Dan started talking about Sam''s girlfriend and her first relationship, Judy just sat there listening, trying to understand what all that was about, but the more she heard about her, the more she felt something was wrong.

 Help Her

    Judy started concentrating on what Dan was going to say next.


    "I was one of the few people who Sam was still talking to at the time, so I called her one time and asked to meet her, and when I did that I knew for sure that something wasn''t right, she kept on giving excuses for us not to meet, and her tone was a bit fearful."


    "So I became more convinced that something was on, I tried and tried and she finally accepted meeting me,"


    "We met in a coffee shop, we just talked normally, I didn''t want to mention anything about her weird behaviour right away, I just spent time with her while talking about normal subjects, I noticed that at the beginning of our meeting she was nervous and on edge but as time passed she calmed down and started opening up,"


    "We talked, had fun and laughed, and then I mentioned casually one of our friends who told me that she didn''t see her in a while, Sam tensed up as soon as I mentioned that, but she relaxed and acted normal as she said that she just didn''t have a lot of free time,"


    "That was what she said but I was able to see the nervousness in her eyes, I knew that I shouldn''t push her too much so I changed the subject, just as if that was just a random remark."


    "I met her for a few more times after that and each time her refusal to meet me would be stronger, till finally, she stopped answering my calls at all, right than I knew that something was totally wrong, in the last few times we met, she was always on edge and she seemed so self-conscious around me, it was so weird, thinking about all of that and how she wasn''t answering my calls anymore, I went to her family."


    "Her family didn''t really accept her coming out that well, her father exploded in her face as soon as she told them, shouting and cursing, her mother too didn''t accept it, but her reaction was still better than her father''s,"


    "So her family''s reaction was quite bad, but you know how it is, after she left them and started living with Brittney, they still got worried and had contact with her, I even know that her father, even though he didn''t talk to her, still asked about how she was doing from her mom who had close contact with her,"


    "I met her mom after Sam cut contact with me, we talked for a bit before I mentioned how Sam had been, I mentioned how she had cut contact with most of her friends, how something seemed to be in her mind in the last few times I met her and how she finally cut contact with me entirely."


    "Her mom was worried and she told me that she would look into it, I could do nothing more after that except keeping on calling her, I even went to her and Brittney''s house a few times, but it was always Brittney who answered and she always told me that Sam wasn''t there, I didn''t believe her and we even fought verbally a few times, yet nothing come out of that."


    "One time, Sam''s mom called me and she said that Sam wasn''t answering her calls anymore, her mom was really worried and she kept on saying that something was wrong with Sam and Brittney''s relationship, she said that she tried to get some information from her at the beginning and from that, she knew that Brittney was a jealous person and that she would complain about Sam spending time with some of her friends, especially those she had a good relationship with,"Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    "That time I was really mad, my worry for Sam clouded my thoughts, Sam cutting contact with us, her friends was weird and worrying, but her cutting contact with her mom for no reason was another thing entirely,"


    "So like that, I went to Sam and Brittney''s house and was going to meet her no matter what."


    "As always Brittney opened the door and as always she said Sam wasn''t there, I didn''t care about her at all and forced my way in,"


    "Sam was there as I expected, I told her to follow me outside because I didn''t want to talk with that girl around us, Brittney was against that and kept on shouting, but eventually Sam stopped her and said that we were just going to talk."


    "We went to a secluded place and talked."


    "...I can''t say I dealt with the situation well, I... I shouted at her and questioned her about what was wrong with her, why she didn''t answer my calls, nor her friend''s and even her mother''s,"


    "She just listened in the bargaining, her head was lowered and she didn''t say anything, I told her to answer me... And that''s what she did..."


    "She asked me if I never accepted her being gay and her relationship with Brittney if I was acting like that simply because her lover was a girl, if me, her friends, and even her mom were doing all of that just to separate them,"


    "Her voice was trembling as she said that, pain and hopelessness were apparent in her tone..."


    "No matter how I tried to explain myself and make her see how wrong what was happening to her was, she wouldn''t listen... It was as if she already had a thought implanted deep in her mind, a thought that wouldn''t change no matter what, finally at the end she told me to stop coming to meet her and to stop calling her because Brittney was having a misunderstanding about us and that I was destroying her relationship..."


    "So I stood there frozen as I watched her leave,"


    "I met her on the roads from time to time, but she would always act as if she didn''t know me... As if we were strangers..."


    "It went like that for a while till one day we crossed paths and I say that she had a black eye and was wearing a scarf even though it was a hot and sunny day..."


    Judy was like a statue while listening to the whole story, she just sat there frozen with a blank look on her face, but when she heard Dan say that he met Sam who had a black eye she shook and her heart felt as if it was gripped by a cold hand while a chill went down her spine.


    "Seeing her like that I couldn''t control myself, I went and asked her what happened, she said it was nothing while touching her scarf, she was way too defensive, I felt something was wrong and I used both my hands to remove her scarf forcefully, what I saw shocked me, ther... There were bruises on her neck... It was clear signs of being strangled..." Dan''s hands and teeth were clenched while he talked about that.


    Judy on the other hand couldn''t believe what she was hearing, her mind was a mess and her thoughts were all over the place, as she felt her body go cold, she didn''t know what to say at all.


    Dan took a few breaths to calm himself down before continuing:


    "She struggled to hide her neck and get away from me, seeing that some bystanders came and held me, while they held me she ran... I called her mom and told her about what happened, a few hours later, me, her parents and some of her friends went to her house, but unfortunately, we found that they had moved away... The landlord told us that they had talked to him about moving a long time ago and they still had a couple of days before moving, but Brittney suddenly came and gave him the keys that morning with no explanation... And that was the last time I saw Sam, till I saw you two today."


    Even after Dan stopped speaking Judy still had a blank look on her face and didn''t react for a while.


    She finally took a deep  breath  before asking with a trembling voice:


    "You... Why did you te- tell me about all of this...?" That''s all she could say, Sam''s circumstances were worst than her wildest imaginations.


    Dan showed a serious expression and while he looked at Judy straight in the eyes he said:


    "You seemed close to her earlier, you''re someone who she probably feels safer letting enter her life, not like us who know what happened to her and who she already cut contact with, I wish you can try your best to help her... However, you can..."


    Judy opened her mouth but no words came out...

 Hug

    Change of P.O.V: Sam:


    "I... I have a girlfriend..."


    I don''t even know how those words left my mouth, meeting Dan, Judy''s advances that day, Brittney''s sleeping face next to me and her gentle behaviour the day before, all those things made my head one big mess.


    I knew that I hurt her, I shouldn''t have said those words, but it had happened and I wouldn''t be able to fix it.


    I cried while leaving Judy standing there frozen, the further I moved, the more pain and guilt I felt, I knew what I was doing, I was cutting her like everyone who ever cared for me, it felt painful, suffocating, and lonely, but I had too, I already sacrificed too much for my relationship with Brittney and I had to make it work.


    Brittney loved me, and she was the only one left for me, I had already hurt a lot of people, my close friends, Dan, mom and finally, that day I hurt another person, Judy.


    Brittney was probably right, she was the only one who would stay with such a horrible person as me.


    She did have a few problems but those were mostly my fault, she never acted that way at the beginning of our relationship, she was a lovely person, she only started changing a while after we started dating, and whenever she shouted at me, pushed me or tried to recreate what happened that day... She would explain to me how it was always my fault.


    She was usually such a lovely person, way too different from when she acts up, that along with what she said made me believe her, ''she''s a lovely person but it''s my mistakes which makes her act like that, I should be better, for her... For us.''


    She hated me spending time with my friends and thought that I wasn''t faithful enough, so I should stop meeting them and was careful about how I was around them.


    She hated how irresponsible I was with my money, then giving it to her so she can use it better for the sake of the both of us was the best thing to do.


    She said that we should move because no one will accept us in my home town, So we moved and came here to live.


    She loved me since the beginning and her love for me never changed...Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    I hid in a dark corner where I calmed myself before taking a taxi back home.


    I opened the door slowly, fearing that she was there, I knew that she would be able to see that something was wrong with me, that she would ask me about it, and that I won''t be able to lie to her.


    Fortunately, she wasn''t home.


    Releasing a breath of relief, I took a bath and changed before leaving to my room, Brittney had made it clear yesterday that we still had to stay in separate rooms, we only spent a night together because she wanted to apologize.


    Lying on my bed my thoughts started wandering again, most of them were about Judy, her smile, her touch, the feel of her lips on my palm, and finally the frozen expression she had at the end.


    Fighting the tears and sobs, I finally fell asleep, way too early Than usual.


    The next day, I finished my morning routine like a machine before heading to work.


    I couldn''t remove the thought of how might Judy react to me from my mind, will she simply ignore me? Force a smile and act as if nothing happened? Or she might even ask the manager to change her shift back...


    With those thoughts I pushed the door to the shop, I only saw the manager when I did, I got a horrible feeling when I saw that, if Judy stopped coming because of what I did, I knew that I would blame myself to no end.


    I greeted the manager before heading to the staffroom to change, as I pushed the door my eyes met with a pair of shinning brown eyes.


    I got shocked and took a step back, then I recognized the owner of the eyes and started panicking, it was Judy.


    I stood frozen for a bit before I forced a smile as I entered and closed the door behind me:


    "He- Hey Judy..." That all I could say, and even saying just those few words was torture.


    Judy just looked at me all over for a few seconds before taking long strides towards me.


    I panicked as I didn''t know what she wanted to do, but I didn''t retreat I just stood there waiting for her to reach me.


    After just a couple of seconds which seemed like ages to me, she reached me.


    I kept my eyes on her''s as she lifted her arms.


    With my eyes opening wide and without her saying a single word, she just hugged me tightly, it seemed as if she was trying to make me a part of her.


    As I said I already had a petite built while Judy was longer than average girls so being held by her was especially comforting and gave me a warm, safe feeling.


    At first, I didn''t even know nor understand what was happening, but then as I returned to my senses the first thought which came to my mind wasn''t moving away or separating from her, but a weird sense of relief that she didn''t react in any way I imagined, and that she was still that girl which would always take surprisingly weird moves with no indications of them at all.


    Finally, after I don''t know how long, she released me in a hurry and took a few steps back, and said with a faint blush and an embarrassed smile:


    "So- sorry about that, I was just too worried about what happened yesterday, and how you seemed so out of it when we separated when I saw that you were well now, I... I just couldn''t control myself, hope you didn''t mind."


    Seeing her flustered like that, a smile couldn''t help but form on my face, not one of those forced ones I usually put, but a genuinely happy smile that surfaced without my control,


    "It''s alright... Judy."

 Ill

    A few days passed after that.


    Sam noticed that Judy''s behaviour wasn''t any different from before, if anything she seemed even more hell-bent on getting close to her, but what was different was that while before it was obvious that she was making advances on her, right than she seemed concentrated on being more of a friend.


    She still tried her best to get to know her, trying to spend most of their time in the shop together, but for some reason, Sam just didn''t feel as if Judy was doing it from a romantic front anymore, it was more of a person trying his best to be a good friend.


    For Sam, that was surprising, she felt weird at first, and of course, with Brittney still in the picture there was also worry and some stress, but then, as time passed and as she became more and more sure that this time Judy seemed more concentrated on being a friend rather than a love interest, those thoughts, stress and worry became less and less.


    There was a bit of fear because Brittney had been jealous of Sam''s friends before, but it was small.


    She started loving spending time with Judy, finding being with her relaxing, happy and funny.


    At first, she thought that it might be just Judy trying another approach after she was rejected, but with time, she became sure, there really was nothing under the surface, Judy really seemed as if she was trying to be a friend for her.


    The first time she realized that she was having a bath after work, and as soon as those thoughts hit her, tears fell without her control, she didn''t even know why she cried, she just did, but after she was done and looked at the mirror, she found herself smiling.


    Before she knew it, Judy became an important part of her life.


    She would expect to see her each time she opens the door to the shop, bring with her reminded Sam of feelings she almost forgot...


    She still had worry and fear about what would Brittney think if she knew about Judy, but with each passing day they decreased by a bit, just a bit but they were decreasing.


    Things went like that for a while till finally, something changed.


    Sam opened the door to the shop as always, she greeted the manager who was sitting behind the counter before heading to the staffroom to change.


    She didn''t find Judy there but she didn''t care much as there were times when Judy was late.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Leaving the staffroom she saw the manager talking on the phone:


    "...ok... No it''s alright just take care of yourself... Ok, get well."


    The manager turned after hanging up and looked at Sam who had a questioning expression:


    "That was Judy just now, she said that she''s not feeling well and that she won''t be coming to work today."


    "Judy..." Sam murmured to herself with a blank expression before asking worriedly:


    "Ho- How is she? Is she alright?"


    "Yeah, she said that it will get better soon, nothing to worry about." The manager said while patting Sam, then she added:


    "I can help you today or we can ask for Alex of Robin to join us, work in the evening is easier than now, what do you think?"


    "I think just us will be fine, there''s no need to call them."


    It wasn''t the first time Sam worked alone with only her and the manager in the shop, and even though she used to find it a bit hard, she never felt anything else.


    Yet, that time she felt bored and she kept on spacing out, for many times she turned her head to look at the place where Judy usually stayed, she felt that her shift that day was longer and tiering, way more than usual.


    When it was finally the end of her shift, she sighed as she left the shop, while taking the first few steps out she stopped in her place hesitating for a while before sighing again and leaving with her head lowered.


    For the rest of the day she found herself way less energetic than the last few days.


    The next day she pushed open the door to the shop with expectations, yet she was told after asking the manager that Judy was still ill, she even told her that Judy sounded worst than the day before.


    Just Judy not being there already made her on edge, after she knew that she was getting worst, she couldn''t even concentrate on her job right.


    This time after her shift ended, she hesitated for a long time while looking at the manager before finally sighing, turning around and leaving with a heavy heart.


    She wanted to go and see Judy, she wanted to make sure that she was alright, and to show her that she cared about her.


    But Brittney never liked her going to her friend''s houses, and she was sure that she wouldn''t accept it, Brittney had made it clear on more than one occasion that she wasn''t allowed to do that, so going against her directly was quite a hard thing for to do.


    So in the end she could only return home with a worried heart.


    The next day when she reached the shop the first thing she did was ask the manager about Judy, she told her that she didn''t even call that day.


    Sam''s heart skipped a beat when she heard that.


    The manager said that because it was the third day and she was worried that Sam might have got tired from working on her own for the last few days, she had called Robin and asked her to come for the morning shift too, she wanted to call Alex because she was used to walking with Sam, but she knew that that girl must be still asleep or half died so she could only change her mind and call Robin.


    The day soon passed, and not without Sam making a few mistakes and spacing out for most of it.


    After her shift ended she headed to the door, opened it and left.


    But soon the door was pushed open as she walked to the manager and asked:


    "He- Hey manager... Can... Can you tell me Judy''s address..."


    Her voice was trembling, her hands clenched and her heart was beating fast, but her eyes showed her determination...

 Friend

    Judy was having a horrible day, she felt weak all over and she just wanted to fell and sleep as long as she could.


    The first day she fell ill it wasn''t anything that serious, just some fever and a bit of weakness, so she called the manager and told her that she won''t be able to come.


    The second day, it became even worst and she started coughing.


    And that day, the third one, it became even worst.


    Her thoughts in the first two days were mostly wondering to Sam and how she will react to her not going to work.


    Will she miss her? Will she be worried about her? And of course... Will she come to visit?


    After what Dan told her that day, she decided to be a friend to Sam, she still had feelings for her and still wanted to be loved by her, but more than that she wanted to be someone who Sam can depend on.


    Knowing how Sam''s relationship with her girlfriend was from Dan, she did some research when she returned home that day.


    After she was done she knew that Brittney was trying to isolate her from her circle of friends and family, something common in abusive relationships, she was trying to cut her off, and make her dependent on her and have no one else to talk to or depend on.


    Judy knew that Sam was probably lonely and isolated, which made her situation even worst, so she decided to give up her feelings for Sam, she was going to help her, and doing so by trying to get her love wasn''t going to work.


    That was the reason why she hugged Sam without even thinking the day after meeting Dan, she just felt that she was so pitiful and needed love and care, especially after remembering how she didn''t notice anything wrong at all, she could hardly come to imagine how it is to live behind a mask.


    Sam had been with Brittney for a long time, and during all that long duration, the thing which was implanted in her mind the most must have been to never even try cheating on her, and so, anything she was going to try with romantic motives was going to be ringing the alarm bells that Brittney put in Sam''s head.


    So even though it was hard for her, she had to put her feelings aside, Sam at that moment didn''t need a romance, pure love wasn''t going to save her, she needed a friend, one who she can depend on no matter what, someone who would be there for her whenever she needed, and she was going to be that person.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    She also knew that Brittney didn''t want Sam to have friends around her, so that was also going to be hard, but it was going to be much easier than coming at her romantically.


    But even though she had already decided to be the best friend for Sam, she couldn''t control her emotions entirely...


    While she was lying in her bed in her haze, she felt as if she heard faint knocking on her door.


    She lived alone and her friends had already came and left because they had things to do.


    Getting up with some confusion and expectations she opened the door, she knew it was small but she really wished that it was going to be Sam.


    Unfortunately for her, the face she saw when she opened the door wasn''t the one she wanted to see, instead it was her landlord''s face.


    He was a middle-aged man with quite a good reputation and was actually loved by most tenants, Judy being one of them, but she still felt a bit down when she saw him.


    "Hey, Judy... You don''t look well, wanna go to the hospital?" He greeted her first before asking with some concern when he saw her horrible state.


    "Cough... No, I''m alright... What''s wrong?"


    "You should take care of yourself..." He first said that before turning behind him and adding with a smile:


    "I found a lost kitten who was searching for you..."


    Judy got confused and looked behind him, standing there with her head lowered was a girl with a small built who seemed timid and nervous at that moment, seeing her like that Judy totally understood why would the landlord call her a lost kitten, but that thought just flashed through her mind as another one soon filled all of it, ''Sam came.''


    "Sam!" She shouted happily, even though that made her go on a coughing fit.


    Sam lifted her head worriedly once she heard that, and took a few steps forward.


    Seeing that the two girls really seemed to know each other, the landlord told Judy to take care of herself and left.


    "Come on... Enter..." Judy couldn''t believe what was happening at all, and she had to stop herself from panicking, but then she remembered that her house was a mess, it was horrible.


    She hated to admit it but she wasn''t the best at keeping her place tidy, and it got even worst after she fell ill for the last few days.


    Her friends did help a little but not that much as they didn''t have a lot of time to clean and organise it entirely.


    Thinking that Sam was going to enter and see her house like that, she almost pushed her out so she can have time to do so, but she couldn''t as Sam had already entered and was looking around her curiously...


    Sam had a weird expression on her face as she did so, one which made Judy even more flustered, she could even swear that she noticed her sniff a bit...


    "Oh... Emm... Sorry for coming just like that... You didn''t come for the last few days and I got worried... Here, I brought you some fruits..." Sam seemed as if she finally returned to her senses after that sniff, as she said with a red face.


    Judy was going to answer but then her vision turned blurry and she almost fell, she already wasn''t that well, and getting excited over Sam being there only made her worst.

 A Smile

    "Judy!" Sam shouted and stepped forward to catch her.


    Holding her close, she helped her as they entered, after walking for a bit she finally saw an open door and behind it she saw a messy bed and room, lying Judy in the bed she told her that she''ll be back before going and closing the door.


    When she entered she saw Judy sitting on her bed, she looked at her and murmured in a low tone:


    "Sorry for troubling you..."


    "It''s alright, there''s no need for you to be sorry," Sam answered with a gentle smile.


    Then she got a chair and sit next to the bed, and they fell into an awkward silence.


    Neither of them knew what to say for a while and they just sit there in silence, listening to each other''s breathing.


    "How are you? Are you getting better?" Finally, Sam couldn''t take it and asked the most generic question. She couldn''t be blamed actually, it was the only thing she could think of.


    "I''m good, you know just the usual When you''re ill, cough... Just a bit weak and have a fever... Nothing unusual." Judy answered with a smile, before adding as she felt that if she didn''t they would fell into another wave of silence:


    "And how was work, did Robin or Alex help you?"


    "It was just me and the manager for the first two days but then she called Robin as she was worried that I couldn''t handle it for three days straight."


    After a few exchanges, they fell into silence again.


    Sam''s head was a mess, for some reason she could hardly calm down, everything around her had Judy''s presence, and she found that she was too self-conscious while in her bedroom.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Judy wasn''t wearing any makeup and it was Sam''s first time seeing her like that, she was surprised when she saw that Judy was actually quite a beauty even without her make up.


    "Hey, Sam... Ca... Can you tell me about your girlfriend..."


    While Sam was still lost in her thoughts she heard Judy''s faint voice and she froze.


    She opened and closed her mouth with quivering lips for a while but nothing came out.


    Seeing Sam''s expression and her struggle, Judy felt that she shouldn''t have mentioned that, but she just couldn''t stop herself from thinking about what Dan said while they were sitting there in silence.


    "I... If you don''t want to it''s alright, I was... Was just a bit curious, that''s all..." Judy hurriedly said after a while had passed and no voice was heard from Sam, she was actually a bit afraid that Sam might just stand up and leave.


    "N... No... It''s alright... I... I will tell you..." Judy heard a trembling faint, voice, it was Sam''s and each word she said was heavy and seemed as if took her all her strength to say it.


    "Sam...?" Even though she was the one who asked the question, Judy still felt that something was wrong with Sam at that moment.


    "It''s alright... Actually, Brittney is... My girlfriend''s name is Brittney... She is a great lover..." Sam said with a smile which was obviously forced and a clenched fists.


    Hearing the name which Dan said with all that hate, being said by Sam, Judy listened carefully with a beating heart, she wanted to know if something was wrong or if it was just Dan playing tricks on her...


    "I met her at first in high school... She is older than me, prettier than me, and had a great personality... I got interested in her at first sight... After that, we talked and met for a few more times... She was so interesting, gentle and lovely, I just couldn''t remove her from my mind each time after we met... She was just perfect..."


    Sam couldn''t keep on looking at Judy while speaking, she lowered her head and kept on talking.


    She had no idea why she was saying all of that to Judy, she just wanted her to listen.


    "... He... Hey, Judy... You''re my friend... Right..." Just as Judy was waiting for Sam to continue her story, she was surprised as the latter lifted her head and asked her with tears in her eyes.


    "Yes, of course, I''m, don''t you think of me as one?" Even though she was surprised, Judy still answered without hesitation.


    "... Yes... A friend... Of course, I think of you as a friend..." Whispered Sam faintly.


    Then she lifted her head and continued:


    "As I said... Was just too perfect and soon I fell for her... You know how the feeling of falling in love is, the excitement, the heart-throbbing, the angst and pain when you think that you''re not for them and that they will never be yours, I felt all of those, and she was my first love, si it was so special to me... I loved her so much..."


    "... I was the one to confess, it was mostly because I couldn''t hold it on anymore, I expected to get rejected, I thought that she was so out of my league after all... But she accepted my confession... I couldn''t believe it... I was so happy and I felt as if I could fly..." Talking about that, Sam''s face had a gentle smile as if remembering something so precious, a memory she lived in for a long time... A memory she replayed more than once.


    "So we started dating... And it was just like a dream... She was so gentle and sweet and so lovely... Sob... I loved her so much..."


    Judy just watched as tears fell down Sam''s eyes while she was still wearing the same smile, it was a gentle smile... A pitiful smile...

 Whats more important

    "Sam..." Judy whispered, not knowing what else to do.


    Sam wiped her tears as she said with the same smile:


    "It''s alright... Hehe, I''m good..." Then she added:


    "After dating for a couple of weeks I finally told my family... It... It didn''t go well... Especially for my dad... He didn''t accept it at all... Tha... That was the last time I saw or talked to him... Sob... I... I miss him, so much..."


    "... My mom on the other side, even though she didn''t accept it, still called and asked about how I was doing... I was living with Brittney then..."


    "I... I was still new to relationships and the like so... So I wasn''t that good of a lover... Brittney kept on telling me that I was being way too close to some of my friends... That what I was doing could be considered as being unfaithful for her, and that I was hurting her by doing that..."


    "I wasn''t... I really wasn''t, I loved Brittney I really did... But it was my first relationship so I just didn''t know how to behave with friends while in one... I tried to explain it to Brittney many times... She just didn''t believe me and... And she even told me that the lovers she had before weren''t anything like that... That it was just me, and that she was starting to worry about me cheating on her, but... But I would never do that... I loved her, I would never hurt someone I love... Never... Sob..."


    Judy hid her hands under the covers while she clenched them.


    Before, even though Dan told her about what Sam was going through, she didn''t know for sure if it was true, Dan was someone she never knew, and Sam''s reaction to seeing him wasn''t a normal one either.


    But then, hearing Sam''s words and seeing how she was so desperately trying to explain to her that she was a good girlfriend without even thinking that it might not have been her fault, any and all suspicion got destroyed.


    She wanted to expose Brittney right then and there, to shout as loud as she could that it wasn''t her fault, that Brittney was the one with a problem.


    Unfortunately, she couldn''t, just talking and shouting blindly wouldn''t help at all, she had to take it slowly, by making her feel that she did nothing wrong, that she was doing her best...This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "Of course you would never do that... You did nothing wrong at all..."


    Sam smiled when she heard Judy''s words, she then continued:


    "Then I was worried about it, so I started making less and less contact with most of my friends because of that... What''s worst is that even my mom and my best friend seemed as if they wanted to separate me from Brittney... I felt betrayed and pained... In the end, I even stopped answering calls from my mom..."


    "... Judy, do you think that love is more important or family..." Sam suddenly asked after a while of silence.


    "... It depends on you, your feelings and your happiness, no one should feel pain, no matter what''s the reason... Everyone deserves to be happy... No matter if it is family or love, without happiness and with only suffering and pain non of them is worth it..." If it was any other person who asked her that, Judy wouldn''t have answered like this and she would have probably just said she wasn''t sure, but in Sam''s situation, she wanted her to understand that she should put her happiness first and that without it, she would be just hurting herself.


    "Happiness huh... Hehe... I''m sorry Judy, you''re the one who''s ill and yet look at me, making a fool out of myself..." Sam was spacing out at first before saying to Judy with an embarrassed expression.


    "No, it''s alright... That''s what friends are for, right?" Judy said with a smile.


    "... Yep, that''s what they are for... Hey Judy, can... Can I hug you...?"


    "... Yes, of course, you can..." Even though Judy was surprised by the sudden request, she still accepted it gladly.


    Sam stood up for her chair, and she took a few small steps towards Judy who was still sitting on her bed, once she reached her, she extended her hands and put them around her, bringing her close and hugging her tightly.


    Last time, because of the difference in their heights and build, it was Sam who was being hugged by Judy, but this time, because Judy was sitting on the bed and Sam, was still standing, Judy was the one being hugged.


    Judy felt Sam holding her tightly and she couldn''t calm her heart down, it felt so warm and she felt safe.


    While she was lost in the moment and her feeling, she felt Sam''s body shake as she sniffed.


    "Sam...?" She asked, and the only answer she got was Sam''s arms holding her tighter, so she just calmed down and held her tightly too.


    After a while she heard a faint voice:


    "Judy... I''m really glad and happy that I met you... It... It had been so long since I had someone who I can talk to like this... Someone who I can call a friend... You have no idea how glad I''m and how I''m feeling..."


    Her voice was faint gentle and had a hint of peacefulness, it made Judy lose herself in the moment and in it.


    Sam released her a while later and took a few steps back, but as she was doing that she felt her hand being caught, looking at it she saw that Judy was holding it and that she was looking at her straight in the eyes.


    "Sam... I want you to know that I''m always here for you, no matter what it is, no matter what you need, I''ll always be ready to help you... Please understand that..." She said.


    Sam stared blankly for a bit before smiling and saying:


    "Yeah, I understand..."

 Meeting

    Sam sit with Judy and they talked a while till her phone rang.


    Answering it hurriedly she heard Brittney''s voice:


    "Hey, where are you? You should have been here ages ago, so where are you?" Brittney''s voice had a hint of anger and suspicion.


    "I... I''m coming, it''s just that my coworker was late, I... I''ll be there soon..."


    Seeing Sam like that, with a forced smile on her face and holding the phone with a strong grip, Judy felt that she was going to explode, she couldn''t accept how Sam was acting because of Brittney, and she never hated someone she hadn''t even met yet, as she did to Brittney.


    After Sam finally put the phone away from her ear, she couldn''t look at Judy straight in the eyes, she just stood there holding it in her hand, she stood there in an awkward silence not knowing what to do.


    "Emm... You have to go?" Judy didn''t want to see her like that any more sort she asked in a normal tone as if nothing was wrong.


    "Oh...? Yes, I''m pretty late... I''ll come tomorrow if you''re still ill and I have time..." Sam answered with a smile.


    "Will be waiting for you..."


    Sam then walked towards her and gave her a hug, one which Judy accepted gladly, after that she said goodbye and left.


    Judy''s illness continued for another three days, and during each one of them, Sam would come and spend a bit of time with her, she never stayed as much as she did on the first day, but she always came and spent some time with her, and they would always hug before she left.


    Finally, on the fourth day, Judy returned to work, Sam was happy that day, and she was way more energetic than a few days before, there was a smile on her face for most of the day, and looking at Judy made that smile even brighter.


    Judy too was in a great mood, in the days when she was ill, those few minutes with Sam was the moments she looked up to the most, and then being able to return to work where she can see her for most of the day and not just a few moments was fantastic.


    What''s more, it seemed as if something changed in Sam after meeting those days, she seemed less guarded around her, she really started acting like a friend around her.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    They would even chit-chat about whatever came to their minds when they have time, even though it was just talking about some boring subjects, for Judy those were some of the best moments of her whole day.


    Two days after Judy returned to work.


    Sam was waiting for Judy to finish changing so they leave the shop together, they had already finished their shift and both Alex and Robin had arrived.


    They had started leaving the shop together since the first day Judy returned to work, they would just talk while walking, till one of them gets a taxi and they separate.


    While waiting, she heard the shop''s door being pushed open, turning her head, the blood drained from her face.


    Standing at the door was a beautiful young woman with a breathtaking smile and a gentle face.


    When the woman''s eyes fell on Sam, her smile became even brighter.


    Alex, thinking that it was a customer went to greet her, but even before she could say anything, the woman said:


    "Hey Sam, surprise!" Her voice was comfortable and had a hint of mischief as if she was giving Sam a big surprise.


    Everyone in the shop turned to look at Sam, who had a pale face and a frozen expression.


    But as soon as she realized that everyone was looking at her, she returned to her senses, and put on a happy smile as she said:


    "O- Of course I''m, why didn''t you tell me that you were coming..."


    "Idiot, if I did it wouldn''t be a surprise would it?" The young woman said with a happy laugh.


    "Sam, who''s this pretty girl? Is she a friend?" The manager asked with an interested expression.


    "Em... She''s..." Before Sam could finish the young woman interrupted her:


    "My name is Brittney, I''m Sam''s girlfriend." While saying that she took a few steps towards Sam.


    Her words surprised everyone there, they all looked at them as Brittney held Sam and brought her for a hug.


    They were surprised but that''s all, Sam being gay didn''t make them feel anything else, they had all worked together for a long while and they knew what kind of person Sam was, knowing that she was gay didn''t affect their opinions of her at all.


    Just as Sam was still held by Brittney the staffroom door was pushed open, and Judy came out of it while saying:


    "Sam, I''m ready, let''s go..." Her last word trailed off as she saw Sam in the arms of an unfamiliar young woman.


    Brittney''s expression changed a bit when she heard Judy''s words, but it soon returned to normal.


    "Hey, Sam who''s this? She so pretty." She asked.


    "Sh- She''s Judy, my shiftmate," Sam answered.


    "Oh so that''s it, you never told me that you have such a beautiful shiftmate, hehe, I''m almost jealous," Brittney said and then she released Sam and took a few steps towards Judy.


    Once she reached her she extended her hand to shake her''s.


    "Hey Judy, I''m Sam''s girlfriend, nice to meet you."


    Judy lifted her hand and caught Brittney''s, and shook it lightly, all that while looking at the grill in front of her.


    She didn''t look or act anything like how she expected her to, she was pretty, acted in a lively cheerful manner, and was so lovely.


    After releasing her hand, Brittney smiled brightly and asked:


    "So, where were you too going? Hope I''m not interrupting anything, hehe..."

 Not allowed

    "It''s the end of our shift so we were leaving together, nothing important," Judy answered while shaking her head.


    "Oh, so that''s how it is? Then let''s leave together, you''re ready I guess?" Brittney said while looking at Sam with a smile.


    "Yep, let''s go." Judy acted like any normal person would and agreed with a smile.


    After saying goodbye to the manager and the others they left.


    "She was so pretty, I never expected that Sam was into girls, let alone that she has such a pretty girlfriend," Robin said after the three left.


    "... I don''t like her," Alex said while still looking at them moving away.


    "Eh? Why?" Asked the manager.


    "... Just Didn''t like her... Anyway, I just arrived to work and I''m this tired, manager can I leave early today?"


    "No." The manager gave a one-word answer and ignored her.


    ...


    As soon as Sam, Judy and Brittney left the shop, the atmosphere turned a bit weird.


    The reason why Brittney came to where Sam worked was because she was getting suspicious, Sam was getting home a bit later than usual if it happened just once or twice it would have been normal but it happened a lot and she started getting angry at her.


    But she didn''t show that, she wanted to go to her shop around the time her shift ends and see for herself what was making her stay late.


    At first, when she saw the manager and the other two workers she didn''t feel anything weird, they were like normal workmates, nothing was wrong there, but as soon as she heard Judy call her, she felt something was weird and guessed that she found the reason of Sam''s unusual behaviour.


    "So Judy, where do you live? We live on the Eastside, Should we take a taxi together?"


    "Nah, I live on the North, so no need for that." Judy shook her head, before asking:


    "What do you do Brittney? Where do you work?" She was interested in what Brittney was doing.


    "Me? I don''t, but fortunately, I have Sam, even though she''s not the brightest tool in the shed, she''s good at what she does, and she knows how to take care of me." While saying that, she held Sam and brought her close to her.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Judy frowned seeing that, which didn''t escape Brittney''s eyes.


    Sam on her end was just walking beside them like a doll, being between those two people was like a nightmare for her, her heart was on her throat the whole time they were together, that only got worst after she knew that what was waiting for her at home wasn''t a pretty thing for sure.


    "Actually Sam is a great person, she''s also good at her job and with customers." Judy couldn''t stop herself from saying.


    "Hehe... There''s no need to praise her like that in front of me, I know how much of a useless thing she can be." It seemed that seeing Sam being praised and defended made Brittney a bit angry as if she felt she was being challenged and felt a bit threatened, so her comments towards Sam wasn''t as gentle as before.


    Brittney didn''t like Judy since the first time she saw her, she felt that the reason Sam was acting like that was because of her.


    "You''re calling her useless while she''s the only one working? Don''t know what your definition of useless is but I think you should go and look it up in a dictionary." Judy''s feeling started boiling a bit as she said that.


    Stoping on her track for a bit, Brittney showed an angry expression but it soon disappeared and she smiled as she started walking again:


    "She''s my lover, I have the right to use her money, and if she doesn''t mind why would you? Right, Sam, you don''t mind me just staying at home with no job."


    Sam''s face fell even more, she didn''t want to answer that question, she didn''t want to go against Brittney but she also knew that Judy only said that for her sake, she didn''t want to hurt her either.


    "I''m Sam''s friend and I have the right to talk about things like this." Judy, understanding that Sam was in a difficult position, talked without giving her the chance to.


    "A friend..." Brittney murmured, but soon the smile on her face became somehow evil as she said, "Yep you''re just a friend, while I''m her lover, a friend can be replaced, while she will never leave me."


    After saying that Brittney held Sam who was trying her best to seem unnoticed between them and brought her close, trying to kiss her forcefully.


    Sam was surprised at first because she was spacing out while wishing that nothing between those two would happen, but as soon as Brittney caught her with a strong grip that hurt her, she returned to herself, but soon after that she froze as she saw Brittney''s glaring eyes while bringing her face closer, those eyes and that expression made her blood run cold and her action stop.


    If it was at home, or even if it was with any other person except of Judy, she might have just let it be, but it was Judy who was standing next to the last person she ever wanted to see her in a situation like that, so she struggled to free herself from her.


    Sam''s struggle only made Brittney''s fire burn more, she used both her hands and held her in her place strongly, not giving any care for how she was feeling.


    "You bit*h..."


    Judy exploded as she saw that, so she cursed and lifted her hand.


    SLAP!


    A loud slap was heard, shocking and freezing everyone who was there.


    Brittney held her cheek as she looked in disbelief at Judy who was painting with an angry expression.


    "You''re NOT allowed to treat her like that." After she shouted that she held Sam who was just standing there unmoving, and dragged her as she left, leaving Brittney standing there holding her cheek.

 Come Back to me

    Change of P.O.V: Judy:


    The way back to my house was quiet, me and Sam sit in the cab and didn''t say anything.


    I stole glances at her a few times but I saw that she was just keeping her head lowered, she didn''t say anything and just sit in silence.


    Her phone did ring a few times but she ignored that too, I had no idea what was going through her mind, I knew that I was way too rush, I shouldn''t have done that.


    Now I was on pins and needles waiting for how she will react.


    Back then, after I calmed down and the heat left me, panic kicked in.


    I knew that most abuse victims wouldn''t be clear about what''s really happening around them... What was really happening ''to them'', I was just too afraid that Sam would turn around and ask me why did I do that, why did I interfere, the last thing I wanted to go through was her getting in a fight with me just because I wanted to help, especially then, after all that time and with how far we had come.


    The taxi soon stopped, I paid the driver and went inside with Sam following after me.


    Opening the door, I stepped aside and let Sam enter before closing it.


    Again we fell into an awkward silence.


    "... Judy..." After a long while Sam finally spoke.


    Hearing her voice my heart skipped a beat and I froze, I didn''t know what she was going to say and I was afraid that it might be something that was going to destroy our whole friendship.


    Even  though I didn''t answer? it seemed that Sam knew I was listening because she continued:


    "... I''m... I''m sorry for making you go through that... I am, but... But you should know that Brittney isn''t bad... She... She just has a short temper... That''s all..."


    It was as if I was stroke by lighting, my heart twisted and I almost couldn''t stop my tears, I couldn''t understand how the first thing she said after all of that was an apology, an apology to me, and it was in defence of Brittney.


    "... She probably..." Sam was still going but I couldn''t take it anymore, so I moved towards her and hugged her, stopping whatever she was going to say.


    Sam''s body shook when I held her, but she didn''t struggle, we just stood there in silence hugging each other, a few seconds later, I felt her sob silently.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    I didn''t say anything just staying like that, a bit later she calmed down and I released her, I looked at her and said:


    "Let''s not talk about her... How are you?"


    "I''m fine, just a bit down..." As she was talking, her phone rang, interrupting her.


    She took it out and looked at it, even without her telling me I knew who it was, she had been calling non-stop ever since we got in the cab.


    "... I''ll answer it..." Saying that with a smile, Sam left my house.


    I lifted my hand trying to stop her, but I couldn''t, I felt that if I did I will only make the matter worst for me, so I watched her leave.


    ~~~~~


    Third-person P.O.V:


    "Sam, oh God, you finally answered, sob... Sob... I''m really sorry for what I did... Yo... You know how I get when I become jealous... Sob... But That''s only because I love you... You under... Sniff... Understand that right...? I really love you... Please come back... Where are you?" As soon as she accepted the call the first thing Sam heard was Brittney''s crying voice.


    She sounded so sad and seemed as if she regretted what she did, her voice was breaking and she was crying so hard.


    Sam didn''t know what to say, she just stood there holding the phone and not knowing what to do.


    "Sam?... You can hear me right?... Please answer me... I did make a mistake... But... But you also did... Who''s that girl, she hit me... Sob... You saw that right? She hit me... Come back Sam... Don''t tell me that you''re staying in her house? I''m your girlfriend... Sob... You... You said you would never cheat on me or hurt me... Now, what are you doing? Come back... I need you... I LOVE YOU..."


    With quivering lips Sam held the phone tightly as she answered:


    "... O... Ok... I will come back..."


    Hearing Brittney crying and begging she couldn''t take it... Brittney loved her... That she could see... Even though she had a bad temper and she would act up from time to time... She was sure that Brittney loved her...


    "Sam thanks God... Please come back to me... Sob... It won''t happen again, please come... I''m sorry, really really sorry." As soon as she heard Sam''s voice, Brittney started crying and apologising even more.


    After a while Sam finally returned to Judy''s apartment, she saw Judy standing there, in the same place she was standing in before she left, waiting for her.


    "Thanks, Judy... For what you did... I... I have to go..." She said with a lowered head.


    Judy clenched her hand and wanted to shout at her, telling just what was she returning for, but she knew she shouldn''t, most victims of abuse wouldn''t cut contact with their abuser just in one go, they would return to them sometimes after the abuser tell them that they had changed that it would never happen again, that it was just that time...


    She knew it was going to be a hard thing to separate Sam from Brittney, but she wasn''t going to give up, she was going to do it.


    So she went to Sam, held her hands and said:


    "You still have my phone number, right?"


    She had given her phone number to Sam a long time ago, but Sam didn''t give her hers, she just gave a bunch of random excuses and didn''t give it to her, Judy felt that the real reason was that Brittney didn''t like her being called so she didn''t concentrate on that.


    She even saw that Sam didn''t save her phone number but instead memorized it.


    "... Yeah... I still remember it..." Sam nodded.


    "Than call me whenever you need to, I don''t care if it''s day or night, raining or snowing, you just have to call me whenever something''s not right, alright? And give me your address, I''ll be there as soon as possible... Remember, call me." She stressed the last few words.


    Sam hesitated for a bit before nodding and giving her her address.


    After that, she left after hugging Judy for one last time.


    Seeing the small figure leaving, Judy took a deep breath before sighing...

 I Wont

    Sam was hugged tightly as soon as she opened the door to her house, feeling the warm feeling surrounding her along with the silent sobs from Brittney, Sam lifted her arms and hugged her back.


    After a while Brittney finally released her, lifting her head and looking at her, she saw that Brittney''s eyes were red and puffy.


    "Sam... I''m sorry... I really I''m... I just got jealous and... And... It was all because I didn''t want to lose you...  Please forgive me..." She apologized again and again, while in a horrible state.


    Sam didn''t know what to do, Brittney never acted like that to her in front of other people, the most she did was putting her down and making fun of her, it was the first time she acted like that with her in public, and she wasn''t sure how to respond to that, but after seeing Brittney like that and how she seemed to have regretted it a lot, she could only forgive her.


    "It... It''s alright... Just calm down..." She said while patting her gently.


    Soon after they had dinner and went to bed.


    Feeling Brittney holding her tightly while sleeping, Sam fell into another state of confusion, Brittney had been like that for a while gentle and loving in a second and... Terrifying in the other.


    She thought that it might be her fault and that it was her who was pushing Brittney to act like that, but as time passed, she started feeling more and more confused, especially on those nights she fell asleep crying, with her heart feeling as if it was being crushed, in those moments, she would feel as if she had already done her best, yet Brittney was still having those episodes.


    Even though she hadn''t cried herself to sleep in a while now, those thoughts started appearing a lot more lately, and they started making her feel even worst, confused and guiltier towards Brittney.


    With all those thoughts in her mind, she finally fell asleep.


    The next morning as she was getting ready to leave for work, Brittney suddenly appeared in front of her.


    "You going to work?" She asked in a faint voice.


    "... Yeah."


    "... That Judy will work in the same shift as you, right?" Brittney asked again.


    "I... I told you that she''s my shiftmate, so yeah we will work together..." Sam started having a bad feeling about all of that.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    "... Can you ask of your manager to change you to another shift... I... I think that she''s trying to get in between us... It would be better if you just change shifts, don''t you think?"


    "That can''t be done... Changing shifts is hard and the other two don''t have any reason to do so..." Sam answered.


    "Then... Then can''t you change your job... I seriously don''t like that Judy... She will only bring us trouble..." It seemed that Britteny was hell-bent on separating Sam from Judy.


    "Brittney... You know that finding another job like the one in the jewellery shop will be hard... The pay is great, the manager is understanding, and... And the shiftmates there are really great... So... So I... I won''t leave." Sam refused her entirely, and even though she was stuttering, she showed her determination.


    It was quite apparent that Brittney was surprised because Sam denied her, it had been such a long time since something like that happened.


    But she just stood there watching Sam while clenching her hands, she didn''t do anything, she just looked at her.


    "... See ya later... I''ll be back in the usual time..." Sam didn''t want to stay any longer, neither did she want to talk about that subject anymore, so she paid her goodbye and left.


    She had a weird feeling as she stepped out of the house, even though she seemed normal on the surface, for some reason she couldn''t understand, her heart was beating so fast.


    While sitting in the taxi going to work, She put her hand on her chest, feeling her beating heart which hadn''t calmed down till then.


    "Hey, manager, Judy." She greeted with a smile while opening the door and seeing Judy and the manager.


    "Sam!" As soon as Judy saw Sam she jumped towards her and gave her a strong hug, surprising her and the manager both.


    "Come on, whoever sees you will think that you haven''t met in ages." The manager said while hitting the back of Judy''s head and shaking her head.


    Judy turned around smiled at the manager before holding Sam''s hand and going to the staffroom.


    She too hadn''t changed yet, so she led her as they went to change and to ask her while no one''s listening.


    Closing the door behind her Judy asked in a hurry:


    "So nothing happened when you returned home yesterday right?" While asking that she scanned Sam to see if she can catch anything wrong.


    "Nothing happened... Please don''t judge Brittney with what happened yesterday... She''s just easily triggered..." Sam said with a troubled expression.


    "I just didn''t like how she treated you? She shouldn''t have done that." Judy said.


    "..." Sam didn''t know how to answer.


    Sam stood there thinking about all that had been happening for the last few days, ever since Judy gave her the glass puppy keychain, she felt that a lot of things had changed, yet also as if everything was still the same.


    Looking at Judy who had already turned her back to her and started changing, Sam started spacing out.


    She was sure that Judy was the source of all the change and thinking about that, she couldn''t stop herself from smiling to herself.


    "Hehe... What are you looking at and smiling like that?" As she was still lost in her thoughts, Judy''s voice returned her to her senses and she couldn''t help but blush after she noticed that she had been smiling blankly at Judy while the latter was changing.


    Seeing her like that, Judy laughed to herself before saying while leaving:


    "Hurry up and change, we have a long day coming."


    Sam followed her with her eyes as she left, before smiling to herself again...

 Life isnt a Fairy tale

    "Something on your mind?" While Judy was sitting on a high chair behind the counter, she was asked by Alex who came early for her shift, which was something so rare that Judy never saw it happen, she was the type of person who would take her time in everything.


    "Nah... Just need a bit of rest." Judy shook her head with a smile.


    Alex just gave a big smile at her answer, got close to her and whispered to her ear:


    "Down because you found that your Sam has a girlfriend... Hehe."


    Judy almost fell after she heard that then she turned her head to see Alex still smiling at her widely.


    "Wh- What are you talking about? What ''M- My Sam''." Judy asked in a frustrated manner.


    "Please, even if I was just joking before, your reaction tells me everything now hehe." Alex couldn''t control herself from teasing her even more.


    "Ahh... Just cut it... Please." Judy said in a pleading tone while looking at Sam who was talking with the manager.


    "No need to worry... Hehe... Anyway, I do believe that you two would be too cute together, and also... I didn''t like that Brittney..." Alex first teased Judy some more before adding with a serious expression.


    Alex''s words shocked Judy for a bit, she didn''t understand how Alex was able to notice anything, even she, who knew about what was happening to Sam, found it hard to link her to the person she knew about.


    "Ho- How did you know?" She asked in astonishment.


    "Hmm? There really is something wrong with her?" It seemed that Alex too was a bit surprised by Judy''s confirmation but not much as if she expected that.


    "Wait... You didn''t know? Then how did you...?" Judy asked with a confused face and tone.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "Hehe, this should be a good time to act mysterious and cool and call it intuition or something right? Hehe, it''s nothing like that... If you were thrown from home at the age of 18 with most of your family members cutting contact with you, you would be pretty good at judging people..." Alex answered with a faint smile.


    "Alex...?" Judy didn''t know what to say, she just looked at her with her lips closing and opening.


    "Come on, what''s with that expression? You better tell me what is wrong with that Britteny, I''ll help if I can." Alex patted her on the should as she said that.


    "Well... She... She doesn''t treat her that Well... She''s way too controlling... And Sam is a gentle person who can''t see it... She even made her cut contact with her friends..." Judy didn''t tell her everything but she said enough for Alex to understand that Sam wasn''t going through the best time of her life.


    "Is that so..." After hearing her words, even though they weren''t much, Alex still frowned.


    At that moment Robin entered, and her surprise was as big as anyone''s after she saw that Alex was there before her.


    "Robin take care of the shop with Judy for a second, I have something to say to Sam." As soon as she saw her, Alex stood up and dragged Sam to the staffroom leaving everyone there looking at each other.


    "At least let her change..." The manager said while shaking her head, but she still let her do as she wants, a few minutes weren''t going to do any harm.


    "What do you want?" Sam asked after Alex closed the door.


    "I just wanted to tell you that I''m actually gay too, Hehe, surprised!" Alex said with a smile.


    "Wh-What?" Sam had no idea at all where did that come from, nor what might be going through Alex''s mind, for her to drag her to the staffroom and tell her out of the blue that she was gay wasn''t something you would expect.


    "Hehe, I knew that you would be surprised..." Alex laughed at first before adding:


    "I just told you that because of what happened yesterday... I thought that you might need someone to talk to about all the stress that might come with it, after all, there aren''t many people who would accept how you are, and sometimes you might need to empty your heart to someone... Of course, the best person who you can do that with is a family member... Unfortunately, sometimes family don''t accept who you are... Did they accept your coming out?"


    "N- No..." Sam was overwhelmed with Alex''s approach, she could only say one word.


    "Same here, I even got thrown out of home when I told them... It was one of the hardest moments in my life... Wanna hear the funniest part of it?" She asked with a smile.


    "What...?" Sam asked while swallowing, she couldn''t help but think back to her own family, they didn''t accept her, but they didn''t throw her out, It was actually her who left the house.


    "Wh- What is it?" She couldn''t stop herself from asking.


    "I''ve broken up with my girlfriend at that time, she was my first love, the first girl I loved, the one my family threw me because..." Alex said with a smile.


    "Why...?" Sam felt something in her move when she heard that, and she felt a need to ask that.


    "What do you mean with why? Hehe, it simply didn''t work... Yep... I loved her, she loved me, we stayed together for three years, some of the best years of my life, but it didn''t work in the end... Nikki was a great person in our relationship, but you know... When it doesn''t work, a time comes when you start feeling that it isn''t as it used to be..." Here she stopped, looked at Sam straight in the eyes and continued:


    "Life isn''t a fairy tale, sometimes there''s no happy ever after, sometimes your story with someone must stop at some point, and you have to start another one with someone else."


    "Hehe, look at what this came to, just know that you can talk to me when you need to... That''s what I wanted to say since the beginning." Alex ended her speech, with a smile still on her face

 A Step Forward

    Judy''s P.O.V:


    As always we left the shop together, Sam was walking next to me.


    I don''t know if it was because of what happened yesterday or something else but she was unusually quiet, she was just walking next to me with her head lowered.


    "So Sam, what did you and Alex talk about, she seemed way too happy with herself when she left the staffroom earlier." I couldn''t take it anymore, so I asked her trying to get her to talk.


    We didn''t have much time alone since the beginning, and I sure didn''t want us to spend the bit we had walking in silence... Not that I hated it or anything, just being with her was an enjoyment, but I also wanted to hear her voice, her laughter, and see her smile.


    "Oh... Nothing just about normal things... You know how Alex is, hehe..." And what I feared happened, she just gave a small answer and went back into silence, how was I supposed to take that further.


    Just as I was still in a mess, I heard her voice again:


    "... He- Hey... Judy, do... Do you want to walk for a bit... I... I don''t feel like going home... Yet." Her voice was faint and she seemed to be struggling just to say those few words.


    But she said them, she totally did say them, and when I understood that, I almost jumped in my place and hugged her, but I controlled myself and said with what I''m sure was a big smile:


    "Of course, I also don''t feel like returning home yet, hehe..." I couldn''t stop myself from releasing a laugh while talking, I was just way too happy.


    "Yep, let''s go." She said with a smile and a sturdier tone, it was as if something in her had changed... As if she went through a barrier.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    I couldn''t control the happiness inside of me, Sam with Brittney, had lived her life like she was a robot, go to work then return home, she was too afraid to do anything in between, we only started spending time while leaving the shop, after all, that happened between us, and even then it was only walking together and talking while waiting for a taxi.


    But then it was different, she said that she wanted to walk for a bit, which meant that she was going against what was implanted in her mind, which I was happy to see, because that was... Change.


    "So... Where do you wanna go? Should go somewhere where we can have fun..." I asked in a high spirit, almost flying.


    "... Let''s just walk around or sit in some quiet place to talk... Don''t really find that much comfort in a crowded place..." She said in a faint voice.


    It was then that I knew that I should be the one leading, she was almost on her limit from just saying that she didn''t want to return home yet, I needed to take care of everything, it was a step forward and I wasn''t going to let her back down because of overthinking.


    So thinking about all of that, I started contemplating where to go, just walking and talking seemed good, and also sitting somewhere which wasn''t that crowded sounded like a good idea...


    After thinking for a while I just decided to combine them, looking at Sam I said:


    "Let go to a park, there''s quite a pretty and calm one close to here. We can sit if we want or just talk and talk, what do you think?"


    "Let''s go then..." She nodded.


    So we started walking towards it while just talking about random things, I was afraid that Sam wouldn''t be participating in the conversation much, but I was wrong.


    For some reason, she kept on asking me things about myself, my birthday, where I was born, my family, all of those.


    I didn''t know why she was suddenly interested in all of that, but I did tell her everything she wanted to know.


    I actually had a very normal life, a normal family, both my parents were still alive and well, I had one elder brother and one elder sister, both which I had a good relationship with, except being the youngest in the family and everyone''s spoiled child, everything else was normal.


    But Sam still listened with interest to everything I said.


    We stayed like that for around half an hour or so, and then, Sam''s phone rang.


    Hearing it my heart skipped a beat, I knew who it was even without having to look at it, or her to tell me.


    Sam lowered her head without taking her phone out to look at it.


    I didn''t say anything, you can say that I didn''t even breathe, afraid of what might happen.


    She finally took how phone out and put it next to her ear.


    I couldn''t hear what the person on the other side said, but I saw Sam''s hand hold the phone tighter, my heart hurt when I saw that but I didn''t say anything, I just watched, waiting for what was going to happen.


    "I... I''m taking a walk in a park..." Sam answered in a somehow trembling voice, then after a short stop she continued:


    "Y- Yes I''m- I''m with Judy... We''re just talking... I''ll be home soon... See ya." After going back and forth with her for a bit, she finally took the phone from her ear and looked at it.


    Then, with a trembling finger, and using what seemed to take all her strength, she hung up, before she did I heard Brittney''s angry voice shouting her name.


    That shout was the last thing she said, and it was as if a spell fell on us because of it, as we fell in a horrible silence.


    It wasn''t till a bit later that Sam''s voice was heard:


    "... Hey Judy... How was your first relationship..."

 See it

    Judy''s P.O.V:


    Sam''s question took me by surprise, especially after what I just saw her do, I was still lost in my shock and happiness, Sam was showing clear signs of going against Brittney, which was a great first step.


    So, it took me a While to understand what she just said, and after I did, I didn''t know how to answer...


    The reason was simple...


    "I... I never was in a relationship..." I said with a shy smile.


    Oh God if I wasn''t embarrassed, even at my age I still hadn''t gone through at least one relationship...


    Seeing Sam''s weird expression I tried hurriedly to explain:


    "I- I never got attracted to anyone before... When my friends were talking about their crushes, their lovers and starting relationships I... I was in a mess because I didn''t feel anything towards anyone... I mean I did find some people interesting... But... But that was all just interesting... Besides..." There I stopped for a bit, stole a glance at her before continuing:


    "... Besides... All those who I found interesting were girls... And then I hadn''t acknowledged who I truly was... I wasn''t clear that I was gay... So that interest never got the chance to grow..."


    I had to stop myself there because if I didn''t I knew that I would end up confessing to her indirectly, which I didn''t want to happen...


    "... The... Then, how do you think your first relationship will be...?" It seemed as if Sam was searching for an answer of some kind, I didn''t know what it was, but I still thought about what she asked seriously.


    "I... I don''t know... I will be just happy to be with her... To touch and kiss her... To hold her close... To listen to her telling me about what happened in her day... What she went through... All those small things... I just want my first relationship to be a happy one... To live with her happily... Yep, that''s it... ''Our'' happiness..." Those were my true thoughts... I also wanted Sam to understand again that it was her happiness that was the most important.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    "... Happiness..." Those were the only words she murmured.


    Seeing her like that, I couldn''t stop myself from asking a question... One which I didn''t know if it was the right time to ask, one which had a chance of backfiring...


    "Sam... Are... Are you happy in your relationship..."


    As I said those words I was able to see her body shake, she stopped walking and seemed frozen, it wasn''t till a long while later that she finally reacted.


    She opened and closed her trembling lips a few times before finally pushing the words she wanted to say:


    "... Happiness... I... I actually can''t rem... Remember the last ti... Time I fel... Felt that with Brittney... I... I... I... Sob..." It seemed as if what I said had triggered something inside of her.


    She seemed as if she was trying really hard to control herself while saying all of that, as if she didn''t want to cry, yet at the end, she still let out a sob, but she soon stopped talking, took a deep breath and closed her eyes as if she was stopping herself from crying... Forcing herself to stop... And seeing her like that, I felt a sting in my heart.


    "Sam..." I whispered while moving my hand towards her.


    "No... Phew... It''s alright... I just don''t want to cry... I will deal with this..." She stopped me and said, I didn''t know if she was talking to herself or me.


    Taking my hand back, I saw a bench a few steps away, pointing towards it, I said:


    "Let''s sit and talk, you can take your breath there..."


    Sam nodded and we sat, and again we fell into silence, but this time it didn''t last for long, as Sam broke it:


    "... Judy... Wha- what do you think about my relationship with Brittney... Just give me your honest thoughts... You probably noticed something didn''t you..." She had a pained smile as she said that... As if she didn''t want to believe what she was thinking, as if she was waiting for me to deny it, to help her stabilize her thoughts which were a mess.


    I could almost feel the plea in her eyes, it was there, asking me to notice it and to help her.


    Unfortunately, I wasn''t going to do that... That wasn''t the help she needed...


    I had been waiting for a chance like that since the moment I put my mind on helping her, and I wasn''t going to waste it... There was a crack on the seal which was put on her by that Britteny at that moment, I didn''t know what made that crack appear, but I wasn''t going to waste such a rare chance.


    Taking a deep breath I said, trying to make myself sound as serious and as determined as possible:


    "Sam, I didn''t like how she treated you yesterday, insulting you in front of other people, and forcing you to kiss her, I hate how you can''t even get calls from friends... I hated how you couldn''t even save my phone number in your phone, I hated how you acted around her, that''s not how lovers should be around each other, and I hate how you put on a mask on your face as if you''re alright... I hate how you can''t even spend time with your friends."


    The more I talked the angrier I got, I was so mad and I couldn''t stop myself from saying more and more, as I talked, it seemed that memories of what I was talking about kept on flashing through my mind, making my flame burn even stronger.


    "I hate all of that, you aren''t happy, you are suffering, she doesn''t love you, even if she does, that doesn''t give her the right to treat you like that... Love needs mutual respect and understanding, things she''s not giving you... And that''s what a healthy relationship is built on, respect and understanding... Please understand that Sam..." I tried to get her to understand... To see.


    "Her loving you doesn''t mean that she can control you, nor disrespect you, you''re a human being, not her toy..." I tried to destroy whatever that Brittney made her believe.


    "Please, Sam... Notice it... Your relationship with her isn''t right, there''s something wrong with it... Just open your eyes and see it... Please... Sam..." I tried my best to free her from her prison which was her mind.

 I Ran...

    Judy''s P.O.V:


    After I finished my words and I calmed down a bit, worry and fear started kicking in, what if I had gone too far? What if what I said was way too much for Sam to handle?


    But even though I was afraid and worried, I still didn''t regret anything, Sam had to hear that, especially at that moment when it felt as if something was on her mind and she seemed confused and uncertain.


    "... I... I have to go..." Sam didn''t talk for a long while, but the first thing she said after opening her mouth, was her, with trembling lips and shaking voice, telling me that she wanted to leave, and right after that she got up.


    My blood ran cold when my mind understood what she said, I felt a chill go through my whole body and I hurriedly stood up trying to stop her.


    I extended my arm trying to hold her, but she avoided it, I froze, it was the first time something like that happened.


    I looked at Sam blankly, waiting for her to say something...


    Our eyes only met for a second before she averted her''s as if she didn''t want to meet mine.


    "... I... I''m sorry... I have to go... Sorry..." After saying that she left as if she was running.


    I just stood in my place, while not knowing what to do, my feelings were a mess, I knew since the beginning that there was a chance of her acting like that if what I said was way above what she could handle, and I was ready for it... At least I thought I was ready.


    But it still hurt, seeing her leaving like that, it hurt me, more than I thought it would.


    Sam didn''t even turn to look back as she left, as if she was running for her life.


    I stayed like that looking at where she disappeared even after a long time had passed.


    After I was finally sure that she wouldn''t be back, I fell on the bench and covered my face with my hands while leaning forward.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    I felt like crying, and I felt mad at myself for saying all of that, I hated how I just went and made such a happy day so much worst.


    ''Did I go overboard with my words?''


    ''Maybe I shouldn''t have done that? Maybe I should have used a different way?''


    ''Why did I have to say that?''


    ''Idiot... Idiot look what you''ve done... I shouldn''t have done that... I shouldn''t hav..." I felt a lump in my throat and all my thoughts got messed up.


    I kept on thinking about Sam''s pained smile when she asked me about how I thought of her relationship with Brittney, about the plea in her eyes, the nervousness which was clear to see throughout all of her body, and finally how she left as if she was running.


    I just set like that for a while till I gradually calmed down, I wiped the tears from the side of my eyes and stood up slowly.


    The ride home was so bleak, I felt empty and my body was so heavy.


    I paid the taxi driver who had been trying to start a conversation with me at the beginning before stopping after seeing that I wasn''t in a state to do so and went home.


    As soon as I reached my bedroom I threw myself headfirst to my bed, without doing anything else and without even changing my clothes nor taking my shoes off, I just planted my face straight to my pillow as I let the tears I held for a long time fell down... And just like that... Soon after, I fell asleep.


    Change of P.O.V:


    "Little girl, you sure you want to get down here? It''s so late at night? I can give you some money so you can spend the night at some hotel, everything else can wait for the sun to come up." The old taxi driver said to me in a worried tone.


    I could understand why he was worried, it was around three in the morning, and I had nothing on me except my phone which I was clutching.


    Even my clothes weren''t something which someone who was walking in the middle of the cold night should be wearing, they were barely keeping any heat at all.


    But even though I understood that I didn''t want to impose any more on the kind old man, he stopped on his own when he saw me walking aimlessly on the streets while hugging my shoulders, he suggested to take me where I wanted to go without needing any payment, I couldn''t take his money on top of all of that.


    So shaking my head I said:


    "No It''s alright, thank you, grandpa... Without you, I don''t know what I would have done..."


    "Little girl... There''s no need for that, I''m really serious, it is 3 am right now, not exactly a safe hour for a young girl like you to be walking around." The old man asked again with a clear hint of worry.


    Smiling at him, I answered:


    "No, it really is alright... I... I''m going to the house of a friend... Yes, a close friend..."


    Hearing that the old man seemed to be finally put at ease as he said:


    "Ok, take care of yourself then."


    "Yeah, I will... Thanks again..."


    I said goodbye to the old man before leaving the car, yet he didn''t leave after I got down, he kept on sitting inside his car while waiting.


    Knowing that he was still worried about me, I lifted my phone, which got a few new cracks along with its screen due to what happened that evening and keyed in the phone number I memorized from before.


    It rang and with each tone my heart would skip a beat.


    The first time no one answered... So I called again... And the second time no one answered too, and panic started kicking in.


    So with a fast-beating heart, and a trembling finger... I called for the third time.


    And fortunately, this time it was answered.


    "Who''s this?" Hearing the drowsy voice, my heart stopped for half a second before it started beating even faster again.


    Holding my tears which were going to fell, I opened my mouth and said with a trembling voice, which I was barely able to recognize as my own:


    "... Ju... Judy... It''s me... Sam..."


    I heard a series of sound from the other side, as if someone jumped to their feet and almost fell in the process.


    "S... Sam, what''s wrong...? Where are you?... Do you need help... Don''t worry I''ll be there soon..."


    Hearing the worried voice from the other side and remembering the painful expression she had when I avoided her that evening, I couldn''t control my tears anymore as I said:


    "I... I''m at your door... I... I ran from home... From Brittney..."

 Change

    Sam''s P.O.V:


    ''How did it come to that...? How did I even ask that question?... Just... Just what was wrong with me today?'' While leaving Judy behind me I asked myself those questions.


    That day turned me into a mess, since the beginning of the day, after I went against Brittney''s wish to stop working at the jewellery shop, I felt as if something was changing, and I knew the reason for that.


    Having Judy by my side made me think about many things, and remember many feelings, it was like I was coming back to life again.


    I liked that, the feelings that I almost forgot, the happiness of having someone to talk to and who would help you no matter what was so sweet and fascinating...


    But that wasn''t all, there also appeared new feelings and thoughts, ones I didn''t think about before... Or at least since a long time ago.


    And it was those feelings and thoughts which made me go against Brittney that morning.


    It was as if something inside me was getting undone...


    It was there first thing in the morning, the change... But it was small and hard to notice... But all that happened in the morning with Brittney only made it stronger.


    The hug Judy gave me when I got to the shop, her asking about how I was and if anything happened the night before and of course Alex''s conversation... All of those made me notice some things... Which I didn''t want to.


    Especially what Alex said...


    I saw that before she came to me, she was talking to Judy, Alex is always a happy go lucky girl, so I didn''t find it that weird when she called me to talk, yet what she said had a tremendous impact on me...


    For some reason, her words ''Life isn''t a fairy tale, sometimes there''s no happy ever after, sometimes your story with someone must stop at some point, and you have to start another one with someone else.'' Hit me so hard.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    I couldn''t stop myself from thinking about them, repeating them, and linking them with my life...


    It was at that moment that I panicked, Alex left me and went out, but I still didn''t leave my shocked state, I felt... I felt fear... What she said then was going straight against my beliefs.


    Brittney was my first love, my first girlfriend, I loved her so much, so even after... After she found fault with what I did... I only tried my best to be the perfect girlfriend for her, putting her before me in everything... That''s how I lived for a long time, and I didn''t find anything wrong with that, she was my girlfriend after all.


    I felt since the beginning that I had to make it work, I didn''t want my first relationship to go downhill, I had to show my family that I made the right choice.


    But Alex''s words destroyed that belief, her family didn''t accept her, and she still left them and went to be with her girlfriend, but even after that, they separated...


    That along with all that had happened before and in that day, put me in an unstable state...


    I didn''t want that to go on anymore, I felt so worried, panicked and uncertain.


    I wanted to talk to someone about it, Brittney was the person which I should have talked to about that, but I couldn''t even bring myself to talk to her about it... I just knew that it wouldn''t end up well...


    There was also Alex, who just talked to me about asking her if I needed anything, and who was in a relationship before and seemed more experienced than me in that regard.


    She was a good candidate, but she wasn''t the one I thought about...


    Instead, it was Judy who came to my mind, she was the only one I wanted to talk to about that too.


    So while leaving work I asked her if she wanted to walk around a bit.


    Judy''s face lit up with the brightest smile I ever saw on her face, she even laughed happily, seeming as if she was going to start jumping around joyously.


    Seeing her liked that I couldn''t help but show a smile, she was just so cute sometimes...


    Then I thought about why was she so happy...


    I know that it was because I usually would never have asked that question to her.


    I would never have gone against what Brittney wanted... And then I felt it again... That weird feeling... That unpleasant feeling... That I was...


    After following Judy to a park we talked while walking for a while, I was the person asking most of the questions through.


    I avoided the one I wanted to ask the most as I kept on asking about her.


    She answered truthfully, and for some reason the more I asked, the more I wanted to know about her...


    Things went like that for a while till finally, my phone rang.


    When it did, both of us froze, I could feel it, Judy next to me became like a statue, she just stood in her place and didn''t move an inch...


    Many thoughts went through my mind, and my heartbeat got faster, along with worry and fear... So with those feelings in my heart, I held my phone tightly and answered...


    Even though I had all those feelings go through me, for some reason, I didn''t show any of that in my voice, my voice did tremble a bit, but that was it.


    I told Brittney that I was with Judy in a park, as you would expect she didn''t take it well, she didn''t raise her voice, but I was able to hear from her tone a suppressed rage.


    There was also a hint of a weird tone in her voice...


    I ended the call after that, something I hadn''t done in a long time and it happened with Brittney''s shouting voice sounding from the phone.


    Hanging up gave me such an uncommon feeling, it was weird and somehow scary... But I also felt a sense of... Of freedom, one I hadn''t felt in ages.

 Struggle

    Sam''s P.O.V:


    I got lost in that feeling for a bit and when I returned to my senses again I found that I wasn''t able to stop myself any longer, and I turned to Judy as I asked her about her first relationship.


    I don''t even know why I did that, maybe it was because of Alex''s words or I just wanted to compare other people''s relationships to mine... I just asked her...


    Even though for some reason I felt a bit calm when I heard her say that she never was in a relationship, I didn''t concentrate on that because my mind was on another thing at that moment...


    So I asked her again about what she expected her first relationship to be like... And again she mentioned happiness... Just that word, one simple word, it was a word I heard many times, I used many times and I don''t think that it could be any more familiar... It was happiness...


    After I murmured that word to myself, Judy asked me in a somehow timid voice if I was happy in my relationship with Brittney...


    ''Sam... Are... Are you happy in your relationship...'' It was as if I still could hear it echoing in my mind.


    That question broke the seal I had on my emotions, and as if a flood I felt something coming up from deep inside my chest as I talked between sobs about how I didn''t feel happy with Brittney in ages...


    My voice was breaking, I was choking on my own words and I had a problem calming myself down.


    Yet I tried my best to calm down, I didn''t want to cry in front of Judy because of that, and I didn''t want her to see me like that.


    Judy lead me to a bench and had me set, after sitting down I soon calmed down a bit and asked the question which was in my mind since the beginning...


    What did she think about my relationship with Brittney... I don''t know where did I get the confidence to do so, but I just did...


    To be honest, a part of me just wanted her to comfort me, to make all those chaotic thoughts in my head go away... I just didn''t want to continue how I was... So unsure and worried... Yet another part wanted from her to tell me something else... And till then, even I didn''t know which side was winning...


    Judy didn''t hold back at all as she talked... She seemed so agitated and her tone had a hint of anger in it.


    I just set there listening to her speak and even after she finished I just sat there frozen... I knew that what I heard from her had a bit of truth to it at the very least... It was just that a part of me didn''t want to accept it... I didn''t know what to do or think about...


    So I did what I did many times in situations where I felt unsafe... I ran... I couldn''t take sitting there any longer than that... I just wanted to run somewhere safe... So I left while apologizing...


    I didn''t even turn around to look at her, one reason was that I was guilty, I didn''t want to see more of her hurt expression, and another was because I was afraid that I won''t be able to stop myself from returning to her and crying between her arms...Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    With my head still a mess with those thoughts I finally reached home... I stood at the door for a long while... With my head lowered, my thoughts a mess and my heart beating fast.


    Finally, after who knows how long, I opened the door.


    Entering I smelt a faint scent, it took me a short while to recognize it, and just as I did I saw Brittney walking towards me.


    I was like a mouse being stared at by a cat, she had a weird air about her... She didn''t talk to me at all... She just held me by the wrist and pulled me inside before slamming the door shut behind her.


    I started having a bad feeling, at that moment I had already recognized the smell I noticed and also why Brittney''s voice sounded a bit weird on the phone... It was alcohol, Brittney was drunk...


    "Bri... Brittney...?" I asked in a trembling voice while she walked towards me after closing the door.


    "So you have finally returned huh? After spending your happy time with that b*tch... You... You think you can leave me NOW!... After all, I did for you... You will never leave me, you GET THAT! Never."


    Brittney was drunk and her voice was full of so many emotions, anger, madness and so many others, and hearing it, I started getting afraid.


    She was so similar to that time she strangled me all those years ago, the same anger and madness... The same smell of alcohol in the air... All of that.


    And noticing it I started to panic, my body shook and I felt a chill going through me as I heat was leaving me.


    Brittney closed on me while I just stood where I was like a shocked rabbit because of a car''s headlight.


    "Sam... It was your fault this is going to happen to you... You''re making me do it..." While saying that she stood next to me and took my bag from me forcefully.


    Opening it unsteadily she took out my phone and looked at me in the eyes with a maddened expression while saying:


    "You... You hang up on me... You ignored me... You b*tch, this is how you treat me, your girlfriend... For someone else... You don''t need this... You don''t deserve it..."


    After finishing her words she threw my phone against the ground as hard as she could.


    After venting some of her anger on it, she focused on me again, seeing her expression I finally moved, it was just a step back but it seemed as if that made her even angrier.


    She lunged at me and pushed me down, set on me and started strangling me, at first I didn''t do anything except looking at her pleadingly, wishing that she would release me, but she didn''t, she just kept looking at me with a twisted expression.


    Her hands were around my neck, it felt painful and I couldn''t breathe, I wanted to breathe my body was demanding air as I struggled as much as I could to make Brittney release me.


    I lifted my hands and tries to remove her''s, yet it didn''t work, she was holding me tight, making sure that I won''t be able to struggle free.


    I started feeling despair and my fear only grew at the thought that I might really die there.


    As a last struggle, I pushed my hands towards her face.


    I don''t know if it was because she was drunk or if she was lost on the thoughts of attacking me, but Brittney was leaning down on me way too close.


    So when I lifted my hands I reached her face, feeling hope amidst my despair I caught her hair with one hand while the other, following my instincts, went for her eye.


    She finally reacted and tried to move her head away, but because I was holding her hair she couldn''t, leaving her with no choice but to release me while trying to defend her eye.


    Seeing that, even in my relief I kept on holding her hair as I used it and tried pulling myself up.


    Brittney was pulled down as I set in my place and swung the hand holding her hair and moved her head with her body following behind it, pushing her away from me.


    While she was still laying a distance away from me and while I was still coughing with tears in my eyes, I crawled as fast as I could to ''our'' bedroom, one of the few rooms which could be locked from the inside and the closest one to me.


    After I entered I hurriedly closed the door behind me before locking it.


    When I finally did that I slid down the door while crying, coughing and holding my neck.


    "...B*tch... Open the door, I said, OPEN THE DOOR, YOU B*TCH..."


    while I was still like, that the sound of the handle moving along with Brittney''s angry voice reached me, I shook in my place when I heard that, and I hurriedly put my hand on my mouth, while still crying.


    Brittney didn''t stop hitting, shouting and cursing at the door for a long time, finally, after God knows how long, the sound from outside stopped.


    I couldn''t sleep at all that night, I didn''t even move from my place at the door, I just set there while crying at first, and to just sitting in silence while thinking at the end...


    I don''t know what time it was when it happened, but I finally stood up while trembling all over, it seemed as if I was in a trance, with no fear nor worry I turned to the door, unlocked and opened it.


    Walking out I saw Brittney laying on the ground next to the door, she seemed so different then from how she just was, no madness, no violence and shouting, just a gentle beautiful face... But I knew at that moment... That even though I still loved and cared about her... I was never going to look at her the same way ever again...


    Moving toward the door silently I saw my phone, it might have been luck, but it was still working, the screen had many cracks going through it but it was still working, it seemed that it hit the side of the sofa before finally hitting the ground.


    I also took my ID, put it in my pocket and left the house.


    Standing at the door, I turned to look behind me for the last time before murmuring while closing the door:


    "Farewell..."

 I Already Understand

    "You... You''re sure you don''t want to go to the hospital?" After a long while of silence, Judy finally asked while looking at Sam''s neck.


    She was going to explode on the inside, she almost couldn''t believe that that b*tch Brittney had strangled Sam.


    Sam''s neck at that moment was bruised, they were just a few faint traces of it, but even with just that, she was able to somehow guess how terrible it must have been, and thinking about it made her burn and want to go and give that Brittney a taste of her own medicine.


    That feeling only got worst after seeing how Sam was.


    Since she entered, Sam was just sitting there without saying anything, just holding the cup of warm water she was given by Judy and spacing out.


    She was in the worst shape Judy ever saw her in, Judy even saw her tracing the bruises on her neck absent-mindedly and as she did, Judy noticed that tears almost started falling down Sam''s cheeks yet she stopped herself and hurriedly wiped them.


    Then, noticing that Sam was going to turn her head towards her as if she wanted to know if she saw it, Judy lowered her head and acted as if she was busy and didn''t notice anything.


    Sam seemed as if she returned to her senses because of Judy''s question, she forced a smile and said in a trembling voice:


    "No... It''s alright... I''m sure that she didn''t mean it... She... She was drunk... You know how people can get when they are drunk... I''m sur..."


    "PEOPLE DON''T STRANGLE THEIR LOVERS WHEN THEY ARE DRUNK." Judy couldn''t even listen to all that Sam wanted to say, she shouted as loud as she could, not even caring about her neighbours who were be asleep at that hour of the night.


    At that moment she was mad at Sam, how could she act like that even after all that happened to her? Judy couldn''t understand it.


    "Ju... Judy, I just..." Sam wanted to talk, to explain, but Judy didn''t give her the chance.


    "She did it, that''s what''s important, she strangled you, and from what I see, she hurt you a lot, I don''t care if she was drunk, she did it, that''s what important." Judy was so mad at that moment that she did even care about what she was saying.


    If she was calm she would be overthinking about whether that was going to have an opposite effect, whether Sam could handle it or not, and whether it was the best thing to do.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Sam opened her mouth trying to explain, but then she saw Judy''s eyes, they were red and tears were starting to fell down her cheeks.


    "I... I don''t even know what I would have done if... If anything even worst happened to you... I would have never forgiven myself... Sob... Never..." Finishing her words, Judy pulled Sam into a strong hug while still crying.


    Sam lifted her hands and hugged her back with her tears falling too.


    A while later they finally separated and Judy let Sam go, she then looked at her straight in the eyes and said in a soft gentle voice:


    "Sam, please she..." This time it was her turn to be stopped, she watched as Sam stopped her from talking, and with a bitter smile she said:


    "I know that... What I meant is that I know she wasn''t in the right state of mind... That she still loves me and... And that she would never really hurt me when she''s sober... I know that..." Here she stopped for a bit and added after a short pause:


    "I know all of that... But I... I also know that I can never look at her again without... Without remembering what happened tonight... What she did to me... How she was while she was... Was... I just can''t look at her the same way again... Tonight I felt... Fear... Fear that I would die..."


    Sam''s voice was trembling and her expression was painful while talking... Her hands subconsciously went to her neck... Tracing the area where Brittney held her... As if she was still able to feel it, to feel her grip on her neck, feel the pain, powerlessness and despair she felt back then.


    "I... I can''t return to her... I already understand that..."


    "Sam..."


    Seeing Judy looking at her worriedly, Sam controlled herself and smiled as she shook her head:


    "I''m alright... Don''t worry..."


    After a short while of silence, Judy finally asked:


    "What are you going to do? What... What are your plans?"


    "...I Don''t know... I..." Sam was clearly troubled over that.


    "You can stay here," Judy said in a serious confident voice, with no sign of hesitation.


    "No how... How can I... You already did more than enough..." Sam said in frustration.


    Seeing her like that, Judy held her hands and told her while looking at her straight to the eyes:


    "Sam... I''m your friend right? So let me help you... Please..."


    "But..." Sam was still struggling


    "You have no saying in this, subject''s closed, no need for you to say anything else."


    While standing up she looked at the bruises on Sam''s neck and said:


    "Let''s deal with those first, let''s see if there''s any way to deal with them."


    It had already been more than five hours since she had been strangled, and the bruises were starting to appear.


    Judy know that in more than half of the strangling cases no traces are left, she searched for things related to domestic violence after her talk with Dan that time, so she was a bit knowledgeable in that subject.


    But even though she knew a bit she was still ignorant about things like dealing with bruises.


    So she did what anyone in her place would have done... She used Google, she searched for a bit before turning to Sam.


    After dealing with that, another problem hit her, one she didn''t think about while making Sam stay with her... Where she was going to sleep.


    Her house only had one bedroom which was her''s, but she thought about that for only a bit before deciding on what to do.


    "Come let go, time to sleep, also don''t worry about work tomorrow, I will talk to the manager about it, I''m sure she will understand."


    Judy would have loved to stay with Sam and take care of her, but she felt that both of them not going to work, especially with how they were in the same shift, with no prior notice wasn''t going to be a good thing, so she decided to let Sam rest and go to work.


    Not even giving her the chance to talk, because she knew that she would be just going against her, she pulled her to the bedroom, took out one of her spare pyjamas and put it on the bed.


    "Here, I know that it''s going to be bigger than you, but it''s still better than what you''re wearing right now, change and sleep."


    "What... What about you? Where will you sleep?" Sam couldn''t stop herself from asking.


    "I will just sleep in the living room, don''t worry the sofa is big and soft enough," Judy said with a smile before closing the door behind her.


    Sam didn''t even have the time to do anything, she just stood there with her mouth opened and her hand lifted.

 Returning

    Sam''s P.O.V:


    I was awakened by a stinging pain from my neck, I opened my eyes and found that it was sour and that even moving it was painful, a bit similar to how your arms and legs would be after an intense workout the day before.


    The pain cleared my mind fast and the memories of what happened to me the day before came to me... Along with some memories I tried to forget long ago.


    Pushing myself up I looked around me, the room was still messy, just like the last time I was there, it was a bit better, but that was it, just a bit.


    I lifted my phone and looked at the time, it was already 11, seeing that I knew that Judy most have already left and that I was probably alone in her home.


    I didn''t know how to act at that moment, staying at a friend''s house was something I didn''t experience for a long time, not to mention being alone, without the friend being there.


    I stayed in bed for a while unsure about what to do, but I eventually had to got up.


    I left the room and as I expected no one was there, the place was silent, giving that usual feeling of emptiness, along with how I was already feeling, it became even weirder for me.


    I looked around and my eyes fell on a paper which was on the table, I lifted it and found that it was, obviously, something Judy wrote to me:


    "Hey Sam


    First, I went and brought you a toothbrush, it''s still in its package in the bathroom...


    Second, the rightmost door of the closet in my room holds some of my clothes, if you want to change you can wear anything you want... I would have loved to prepare something for you to wear but you were sleeping and I didn''t want to come in and wake you up so... hehe... Also, there are some ingredients in the fridge so you can cook something for yourself... Is that all?? Arggh that''s all that I could come up with after squeezing my mind for a while hehe... Oh I almost forget, I will leave you a copy of my key, I''ll put it next to the tv, just in case you want to go out, also you can use the tv, my laptop or whatever, the password of my laptop is..... Sorry if I forgot anything... Also, you can call me or message me After you wake up if you need anything, you know how work is so I might not reply so fast, but I will reply whenever I can... Anyway, that''s all, I will be back as fast as I can, treat yourself at home, bye-bye."


    A storm of mixed feelings hit me while reading that, and I felt as if I was going to cry again, but more so, I couldn''t stop myself from showing a big smile.


    Judy was probably one of the best things that had happened to me since a long long time ago, and I understood that and I appreciated it, I treasured her.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    I first headed to the bathroom, where, as expected, I found the toothbrush she talked about.


    I looked at myself in the mirror and saw the few faint bruises on my neck, they weren''t that clear and they were not as bad as the last time it happened.


    I didn''t want to look at them anymore so I lowered my head hurriedly.


    I soon got out of the bathroom after I was done and looked around me in confusion, wondering what I should do.


    My stomach sounded at that moment, telling me the answer.


    I felt awkward, as I moved to the kitchen, opening the fridge, and looking at what was inside, I noticed that most of the ingredients were new and fresh, as if they were just bought, which I guessed was probably right from how Judy acted and was.


    After preparing something light for myself, in an awkward state because of using someone else''s kitchen, I set down to have my breakfast... Or lunch, whatever it was.


    I took small bites and chewed well before swallowing, and even then I felt a bit of pain.


    I knew from experience how things can be after being strangled, it''s just that this time it was much better.


    After washing the dishes, I again set in silence, I didn''t feel any boredom, because I needed a bit of time like that, to think about what I''m going to do from then on and how to deal with the situation.


    Staying with Judy wasn''t an option, and neither was returning to Brittney... Obviously.


    So I had to deal with that problem soon enough.


    Even though I knew that Judy didn''t have any problems with that, it was still going to be uncomfortable for me to stay in her place, and I simply didn''t want to be a dead weight to her.


    I don''t know how I lost myself in my thoughts for that long, but after I returned to my senses I found out that it was already so late, Judy was coming back soon.


    I found it surprising for how long I sat there, just thinking to myself while looking blankly at the air.


    I mean it''s not like nothing came out of it... A lot of things get sorted out in those hours... Things I didn''t even want to think about before... Things I just wanted to not deal with.


    So in the short amount of time, before Judy returned, I went around the house and cleaned what needed to be cleaned, I just needed something to put my mind on while waiting for her to come back.


    Just as I finished cleaning I heated the sound of the key being inserted and turned. Going to the front door, as expected I found Judy there.


    As I laid my eyes on her, I released a deep breath of relief, there was nothing wrong about her, she didn''t seem injured, her clothes were alright and her face had a pretty smile on it.


    One of the things I was most afraid of was Brittney going to the shop and Judy, or some of the others, getting in an argument or a fight with her.


    But from what I saw, at least it seemed that nothing bad happened to them.


    "Hey Sam, how was your day." Judy opened her mouth and said with a big smile on her face.


    "It was great, how was yours?" I said while walking towards her and returning her smile.


    "I... It was good." Judy showed a somehow unnatural expression before moving hurriedly in with what appeared to be a faint blush?


    After she changed and finally set down, I walked to her, set down and asked hesitantly:


    "How... How was work?" That wasn''t what I wanted to ask, but I couldn''t bring myself to ask her straight away about it.


    "It was good, you know how work can be, just the usual," Judy answered in a cheerful tone.


    "Then did... Did Brittney come there? Did she... Bring you any trouble..."


    I had to know the answer to that, I had a feeling that she was going to be there, that she will for sure come to search for me, and one of the first places she would go to was, of course, the jewellery shop, so I was a bit afraid about what might happen if she went there and a fight broke out.


    "... She came... But don''t worry nothing happened... Everything got dealt with well..." She hesitated at first, seeming as if she was wondering if she should tell me about what happened or no, but she did finally tell me something, it wasn''t everything, I was able to see that, but she did tell me that Brittney came.


    My heart tightened when I heard that and I worried about what happened, yet I also understood from her face, that she wasn''t going to add any more.


    "Let us not talk about that, tell me how was your day, I''m interested in what you did?" Judy tried to steer the subject.


    "... Hehe... I actually spent most of the day spacing out... You know... Thinking about what to do and my next step from here..." I was going to wait till dinner to tell her about it, but since she asked me I thought that I might as well tell her.


    "Really I''m glad that you had time to think it through, so what is it? What did you come up with?" Judy showed keen interest in my choice as she set straight up and leaned forward a bit.


    Looking at her like that, I opened my mouth and said in a voice which seemed a bit thick and hoarse:


    "I''m... I''m going home... I''ll return to my family..."

 Call

    "How are you Sam, need anything else?" I asked looking at Sam''s pale face.


    We were setting in the station and waiting for the bus to arrive, it had been around half an hour since we arrived there.


    Sam appeared lost and more than just a bit afraid but she seemed as if she was holding out well.


    She turned her face to me at my question and forced a smile:


    "Hmh, I''m great... I mean as good as I can be, considering all of this."


    I gave her a similar forced smile, held her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.


    She looked at me silently for a bit before looking at her feet and returning a gentle squeeze of her own, but after that, she said in a soft voice:


    "Thank you, Judy... For.. For everything, I brought you so much trouble over the last few days... I''m sorry for..."


    "Sam.." Without letting her finish, I called out to her, stopping whatever she was going to say "You have no reason to feel sorry, and I didn''t do much, neither was whatever happened any problem or trouble at all, I''m more than a bit happy that you''re doing all of this, it''s not easy, if I were in your shoes I don''t know if I even have what it takes to do what you did and what you''re doing..."


    I stopped for a bit, which made, Sam lift her head and look at me, seeing her holding my gaze I continued:


    "You never brought me or anyone trouble, and no one will ever see dealing with you and your matters as something troublesome, if they do, then, they simply don''t deserve your attention or interest, most people who care will do their best to help, that includes me, Alex, the manager... And of course.. Your family, I''m sure that they won''t find your returning troublesome in any way.."This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Sam just nodded at me and then we fall into silence.


    After a few seconds I felt Sam turn her head to me, turning my eyes towards her she said:


    "You should go to the shop... I feel bad that we left the manager just like that... It seems that the bus will be a bit late..."


    Only after her words did I look at my phone, it was later than I thought it was, I felt a bit sorry for the manager, I did call and tell her that I''ll be late and she knew that Sam won''t be coming as I had told her and the others about what has been going on with Sam after Britteny came to the shop, as I expected the manager was understanding on her side, she was always like that.


    After looking at my phone, I lifted my head and frowned a bit:


    "You sure you''re alright... You seem as if you can use some company.." I really didn''t want to leave her on her own, especially at that moment.


    "I.. I can handle it... I think..." She said with a bitter smile "But it''s coming no matter what... And I''ve already made my mind.. I''ll try my best to see it through.."


    We talked for a bit more and she finally got me to leave.


    I was still uncertain and hesitating but I had to go, but not before getting her to promise to call me as soon as she reaches home or whenever she feels like it.


    I reach the shop in an absent-minded state, opening the door I see the manager and Alex.


    The latter walked to me and asked in a worried tone:


    "Good morning Judy, how is Sam?"


    "She''s good, she''s returning home right now," I answered her while nodding to the manager who was listening to what I was saying while looking towards me.


    "That''s good, that''s good, she deserves the best, that Brittney..." It was clear that Alex wasn''t just a bit mad about what happened yesterday when Brittney came.


    It was around midday when she came, at that time I hadn''t told the others everything that happened between her and Sam the day before, I just said that Sam had a fight with her and came to me at night and that she was staying at my place at the moment.


    So not knowing what really happened the manger just greeted her normally as she would do anyone, but Brittney didn''t even acknowledge her and headed straight towards me demanding to know where she was and to take her to her.


    I was already burning inside from what she did to Sam the day before, so seeing her there demanding to see her and all, I couldn''t take it.


    I said some words that I normally wouldn''t say, Brittney seemed to have that effect on me, and almost took things physically if Alex and the manager didn''t stop me.


    It was only then that the manager and Alex understood that things weren''t as simple as a couple''s fight and that they were a lot worst, after chasing Brittney from the shop I explained some of what happened to Sam the night before and how she was when she came to me at around 3 in the morning.


    "At least she''s safer now and she had already taken a step forward." The manager sighed.


    The rest of the shift was, as usual, nothing weird happened nor did that Brittney come to seek trouble.


    Around 2 pm or so, when there were no customers, and the work was a bit slow, I got my phone and decided to call Sam, quite a considerate amount of time had passed by then and she still hadn''t called me yet, so I wanted to check on her and see how she was.


    I soon found her number and called her, but she didn''t pick up, my heart skipped a beat as I took a deep breath, forced myself to calm down before calling again, yet... It was the same.


    I started having a really bad feeling about the whole thing and called again, and again, and again, and again...

 Panic

    I don''t even know how many times I called her, and each time my state got worst, I''m sure that it became obvious because soon Alex came to me and asked me about what was happening,


    "I.. I don''t know, Sam''s not..." As I was still answering her, the phone call finally passed, I forgot what I was saying to Alex straight away and shouted into the phone:


    "Sam, Sam! Are you alright? Did anything happen to you..."


    ~~~


    Change of P.O.V: Sam:


    Seeing Judy leave while taking a look back every few steps, I forced a smile on my face till she disappeared.


    After that, I set on my own and waited for the bus.


    As time passed I started regretting getting Judy to leave more and more, the bus was late, and the more I waited the more my thoughts started wandering on their own, going down paths I didn''t want them to go through.


    Sometimes no matter how hard you try not to think about something you will end up doing just that, and even overthinking, the worst is that the clearer you know you''re doing that, the more you want to stop, the harder and the more those thoughts jump and make themselves apparent.


    I found myself thinking about my family, how they would react to seeing on their door? What faces they would show? Will.. Will they even accept me?


    What if they won''t? What.. What if I really get thrown away?


    I didn''t know how to face them myself, I wasn''t the best daughter or friend all these past years... I was going to just knock on their door, smiling as if nothing happened... As if I didn''t run away... Threw their goodwill out of the window and not calling or asking about them for such a long time...


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    I did think about all of this yesterday before deciding to go home... Yet going along with it was becoming harder and harder as time passed...


    I was lost in my thoughts and fears when the announcement was finally made that the bus was there.


    As soon as I heard it my heart started beating fast, I had no control over it at all, it beat faster and my breathing got heavier and shorter as I stood up and made my way towards the bus.


    I didn''t have much luggage with me, I only had a handbag which Judy made me take no matter what.


    I clutched it between my hands as I got on the bus, with each step I took, my heartbeats got faster and faster, and my breaths became shorter and shorter.


    Everything around me seemed as if it was getting blurry and hard to make out.


    I don''t know how I reached my seat, I just somehow did and set there shaking while trying my best to control myself.


    Yet it didn''t help... The idea that after just a few other minutes I''ll be on my way home couldn''t leave my mind at all...


    While still in that state and lost in my world and fear, someone patted my shoulder, I jumped up from that as I lifted my head.


    "Mam, are you alright?" It was a young woman around my age who asked me.


    "Y.. Yeah.. I.. I just need a bit of air.." I said as I stood up and left my seat.


    The young woman tried to stop me and called after me but I didn''t turn around, I just got down and went to the station''s bathroom, entered a cubicle and closed myself inside.


    I set on the toilet and started crying, I don''t even know why I did that, I don''t even know why I felt that way and all those feelings inside, I just cried and cried and cried...


    I don''t know how long that went for, I just know that when I finally returned to my self I was setting in the bathroom, with tears all over my face and me being in a horrible state.


    My mind was a mess, my thoughts were all over the place, and I knew that I messed up...


    With shaking hands, I took out my phone and took a look... It was way past the time of the bus''s department.


    Understanding that, I exploded into tears again, I felt as if I let down everyone, Judy, my family, my friends and... Myself.


    That I failed them all, as I always do... All these thoughts and more filled my mind.


    After a long time, I stood up with shaky legs and left the cubicle, seeing the face that greeted me in the mirror I wanted to cry again, but I stopped myself.


    I took my handbag and took out some tissues and a simple makeup kit that Judy put there, I think she guessed somehow that I would cry and make a mess out of myself.


    With those thoughts in my mind, and with quivering lips and tears on the edge of my eyes, I fixed myself a bit and left the bathroom.


    I didn''t even look at where the bus was before, and I didn''t even think about trying to get on another bus... I just knew that I will have the same reaction... That I will just run away again.


    A while after leaving the station and walking aimlessly for a while I suddenly stopped and looked around me...


    I didn''t know where to go or what to do then, I just found myself so lost and so empty...


    After staying like that for a while stopped a taxi, told the driver an address and fall into silence and the same state which I was in again.


    When we reached the address I paid for the taxi and stepped out, looking at the familiar door I didn''t know what I was doing there...


    The pain, self-loathing and guilt I was feeling just by being there was unbearable... Yet I couldn''t stop myself from returning to that place.


    Even without thinking it through, even without knowing what I was going to say or how she was going to react, this was the first place that appeared in my mind.


    I took a deep breath before heading towards that door...

 Afraid

    Judy had already told me where she would usually leave her keys, but neither did I take them out and enter, nor did I have the courage to call and tell her what happened after she left.


    I just set on her doorstep and waited in an absentminded state, thinking about what I was going to say to her when she would finally come home...


    I stayed like that for God knows how long before I felt my phone ring.


    I already had a fear of hearing my phone ring, but that time as soon as I heard it my heart stopped beating for a second and I remained frozen in the same position as I was before it rang.


    I couldn''t even move my hand to my bag to see who was calling, I just remind like that till it finally stopped ringing, once it did I finally released the deep breath I was holding.


    But that feeling of relief didn''t last long as I felt guilt and self-hate for ignoring her like that, but even that didn''t last long because soon after my phone started ringing again.


    This time, like the last, I couldn''t even reach to take it out, and it went like that till the call ended again.


    After it did, with a shaking hand I reached for my bag and tried getting my phone out, while I was doing that, it started ringing again, which made me freeze again, but I still went on and took it out.


    By the time I did, it stopped ringing, but just as that happened it started again as if the person on the other side was so worried and anxious.


    Seeing the name of the person calling I started crying again and didn''t know what to do, I knew that I was going to answer that call, I had to, but doing that was hard, way too hard.


    Finally, after my phone rang a few other times I gathered my courage and I pressed the accept button.


    "Sam, Sam! Are you alright? Did anything happen to you..."The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ~~~


    Change of P.O.V: Judy:


    Looking at the person who couldn''t even look me in the eyes and the clear feelings of guilt and depression on her face, I couldn''t help but give a gentle sigh.


    As soon as the call connected, I asked Sam about how she was and if anything happened to her.


    Her words were shorts and her voice was so gentle and soulless, yet it had a hoarse feel to it as if she had been crying just a bit before.


    Knowing that she was home, I apologized to the manager who was understanding and just told me to take care of Sam for the moment, I also apologized to Alex and Robin before leaving.


    I stayed on the phone with Sam on the way home, I knew that I wouldn''t be able to calm down if I didn''t.


    Even before the taxi reached home, I was able to see Sam, who was sitting at my doorstep, start to stand up after she saw the taxi, seeing her like that pained me and I told her that I was there before finally hanging up.


    After getting down from the car I moved and took a closer look at her, she was clenching her hands and didn''t want to meet my eyes, seeing that there was nothing wrong with her on the surface, I opened the door and entered before getting her to follow.


    "Sam.. How are you feeling right now? Are you alright?" I gently said while holding her hands softly.


    I didn''t want to ask her directly about what happened or why was she in that state, I wanted to take things slowly.


    Sam flinched when she felt my hands? she remained like that for a bit before finally opening her mouth:


    "I''m.. I''m better.." She uttered while looking at me straight for the first time, she had the hint of a weak smile on the corner of her lips.


    Just as I was going to continue she started again:


    "I.. I.. I chickened out.. For some reason I.. I just couldn''t take it... As soon as I realized that I was going home... As that idea truly made itself clear in my mind... I got afraid and I panicked and couldn''t calm down at all.."


    I didn''t interrupt her and just listened as she told me about all that she went through, and how she reacted to what happened, and the thoughts that went through her mind then.


    "I don''t even know if I''m going to be able to do that again... It''s probably going to be the same... Even by just thinking about that I''m having those same thoughts.." She concluded with a pitiful smile.


    "Sam..." I said while pulling her into a hug.


    She didn''t resist, she just moved towards me and buried her face into my chest before she started to sob faintly while I patted her back and whispered that it was all going to be alright.


    We stayed like that for a bit, till she finally said while we were still like that:


    "I''m sorry Judy.. You did all you could for me yet... Yet I couldn''t even do this... I''m sorry for being like this... I''m.."


    I didn''t let her finish, I tightened my arms around her to stop her from continuing before starting with the gentlest voice I could master:


    "Sam, it''s going to be alright. You panicked, so what? Don''t worry, no matter how you''re feeling right now, no matter what your mind is telling you, it will get better for sure..."


    "But.. But what if they won''t accept me? What if.. After.. After I go home I find that they don''t want anything to do with me. What right do I even have for returning? What right do I have for being mad at them then, feeling betrayed by them? I don''t have any right to be like that, because I deserve it, I deserve all that they might say and put me through, I deserve all that they might throw my way because what I put them through was worse, much worse... And I''m afraid that they would really do that to me..." She shouted suddenly from my embrace.


    Her voice just kept on getting higher and higher till, at the end, she whispered the last part and pushed herself deeper between my arms.

 They Want you Back

    "Sam..." I whispered gently while patting her.


    We stayed like that for a bit till I felt that she had calmed down a bit before adding:


    "Sam.. I''m sure that they won''t react like that... They are waiting for you, they want you back... You''re their daughter.."


    "What if they don''t?" She shouted before adding with a small voice that I could barely hear, "what if they want nothing to do with me anymore... I too want to think that they want me back... But.. But that''s just us comforting ourselves... Who knows what they might think.."


    My lips opened a bit after she was done talking, but I stopped myself from saying what I was going to say.


    I of course knew that her family wanted her back, Dan told me that when we met the last time, he said that they were still worried about her and would ask him if he heard anything about her each time they met.


    I wanted to tell her that, but I didn''t know how she was going to react to me telling her about my meeting with Dan, originally I wasn''t going to tell her about that till she got better, already met her family and Dan, and a bit of time had passed from her dealing with Brittney, just in case if that got her mad and got her to react strongly and badly.


    "Sam.. They do.. They want you back.." I finally said while holding her close.


    In the end, I chose to tell her the truth, it was what she needed to hear and what she needed the most then. The fact that I knew was going to come out in the end anyway, so telling her then when she needed it the most was the right thing to do.


    I felt Sam become a bit stiff at my words, I patted her while I continued:


    "Remember that time we met Dan? After we separated.. I met him again.. And we talked, he told me about what happened to you..."


    I told Sam about all that happened to me then, all that Dan said, including how her family were still asking about her and worried about her Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    "They want you back Sam, they really do, even your friends do, you just need to take those few steps towards them, I know that it''s hard but I''m here for you, and I will help you..." I concluded.


    We fall into silence after that, with no sound but the faint echoes of our breathing.


    The more it went like that, the faster my heartbeat, and the faster I felt the heat leave my body, I started worrying and different thoughts started swarming my mind.


    The worst scenarios I didn''t even dare consider before started surfacing on my mind and I started panicking.


    As I was like that I felt Sam start to move in my embrace, I stiffened and lightened my arms around her to let her move away.


    But she didn''t, she just moved her arms and hugged me back without saying anything.


    Feeling her arms tighten around me, I felt it all just leave me, the worry, the fear and the stress, it all just left me and in their place, I just felt like crying,


    Pulling her close and feeling her do the same, my tears just fall on their own for some reason, I didn''t even understand why I was crying, I just did I just cried right then and there.


    "I''m sorry for keeping it from you.." I finally said after controlling my emotions and calming down.


    "It''s alright, you did it for my own sake... I understand that much.." She answered.


    After that we remind like that in silence for a bit before I moved away from her and asked with a smile:


    "Are you hungry? You must be, you didn''t eat a thing since morning right?"


    Without even waiting for her to speak I added:


    "Go and clean yourself and we will talk after having something to eat."


    I sent Sam to change and clean before I headed to the kitchen and started making something for us.


    It wasn''t long before Sam returned and started helping me in the kitchen, even though I was against that she insisted.


    It was a bit awkward at first, with us working in silence. But soon, that awkwardness disappeared bit by bit and we started chatting and talking casually.


    "And that the last of it," I said cheerfully while putting down the last dish on the table.


    Turning to Sam she was smiling while facing me. Smiling back at her I motioned her to sit before joining her.


    Sam didn''t appear so keen on eating at first, but after taking her first few bites and with some pestering from me she seemed as if she got her appetite back and she started eating joyfully.


    Seeing her like that my smile got bigger and I too felt like eating.


    With the meal finally done we sat there in silence, looking at the other barely able to move we started laughing uncontrollably.


    After we stopped I contemplated for a while before saying:


    "Sam, you can stay here with me for a while..."


    My words must have surprised her because she lifted her head so fast and then just stared at me.


    I got a bit worried but I didn''t show it, I just returned her stare.


    "I don''t want to impose.." She started.


    "No you won''t, I''m asking you to, don''t worry about any of that I would be so happy if you accept." I interpreted her as I said in the sincerest voice I can muster.


    "Ok.. But just till I get better and be able to go home.." She finally said while avoiding eyes.


    With a huge smile on my face I half-shouted:


    "Great!"


    We talked after that about some other things, like how she wanted to return to work starting from the day after, how I insisted that we go shopping that day so I can buy her some moreclothess and the like.


    While we were talking about all of that I was so excited and happy, I was on cloud nine.

 Peaceful

    The next few days were like a dream, me and Sam lived in the same home, cooked and ate together, went and came back from work together, we spent most of our time with each other.


    We didn''t mention any of Sam''s problems at all, we just lived each day and enjoyed it.


    Sam''s return to work wasn''t something I was able to accept at first, but she insisted and wouldn''t accept no for an answer.


    And to be honest, after sitting down and thinking about it rationally for a bit, I had to admit that that was the best thing to do.


    Leaving Sam on her own at home daily wasn''t quite a good option, after all, I think it was just my overprotactiveness acting up.


    Sam on her side became better, she started smiling more, her interactions with the others became better and she returned to her usual self in the shop.


    Things went like that for around a week or so till one day when our shift ended Sam went to talk with the manager while I waited for her at the door.


    "What did you talk to the manager about?" I asked on our way home.


    "I was giving the manager an early notice, I told her that I will take a few days off the next week." She answered.


    "Oh..." Is all that I said.


    "It''s alright, I''m better this time... Also I thought of something That might help me..." She said with a determined expression on her face.


    "What is it?" She got my attention.


    "We will talk about it more when we''re home..." She smiled.


    After that, the conversation went in a different direction and I let it be.


    We returned home, took baths, prepared dinner before she finally brought it up again after we were done with our meal.


    "Judy remember what I said before..?" She asked and I nodded.


    By that point, I had already noticed that it must be something stressful that she wanted to do from the way she acted all that evening.


    "I was thinking about what if I get panicked like last time when the time comes... I mean don''t get me wrong, I''m not pushing myself right now, I do feel that I can try it again and that this time it will go better... But so I was last time.. Last time too I was ready... I mean I thought I was ready, and in the end ''that'' happened.."You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    I nodded slowly, I got it really, no matter how much you think you''re ready for something, when the time comes for it to happen, how you''re going to act still won''t be set in stone.


    "So... I want to deal with it beforehand... The main reason why I acted like that was that I was afraid of my parents'' reaction and how they might just not accept me at all... So in order not to react like that I just... I just need to ask them beforehand.." She finally said.


    I stared at her lost for words, I didn''t expect that at all. Her taking the initiative and doing that on her own wasn''t something that crossed my mind.


    "Sam, can you.." I started hesitantly.


    "I will try, and I''m sure that it will be easier over the phone than seeing them in person, like this if they want me back I will mostly be excited over returning rather than being afraid of their reaction or the like. And if they don''t want me... At least I won''t be wasting my and their time by going to them just to be met by rejection..."


    "Sam..."


    "It''s alright, I''ve thought it through, I ready for whatever outcome.." Her voice and eyes were determined.


    Looking at her like that, I took a deep breath before nodding:


    "Ok, I will support you and be here with you. You have their number?"


    "... No.." She said while shaking her head weakly, I must have been showing quite a face because she soon added:


    "But you talked with Dan, right? And said that he left you his number, you can try asking him if he knows their number."


    It wasn''t till then that I remember that, Dan did give me his number, but I just forgot about it with everything that was going on.


    "Oh, I forgot about that." I laughed embarrassingly, before adding:


    "Want me to call now...?"


    The room fell into a deafening silence, but it didn''t last long, Sam soon took a deep breath and nodded her head.


    "Who''s number should I ask for.." I knew that Sam''s father didn''t accept her coming out so I felt that she would choose her mom, but I still asked.


    Sam closed her eyes took a deep breath before saying:


    "D.. Dad.."


    I could barely believe it, it was clear from what Dan said that her mom was the one who showed sympathy and understanding and pitty, at least openly, while her father only did so in a not so clear manner, so hearing her say her dad was a surprise.


    "But your.." I started.


    "My mom might say anything to get me back if she''s missing me truly... She might even say that dad wants me while he don''t.. I... I prefer to hear the truth... Calling him is better.." She said in a faint voice.


    "Sigh... Okay.."


    "Also.. Ask of him not to tell them that I might be calling..." She added, to which I nodded slowly.


    I stood up and went to get my phone, after returning to my place I searched for Dan''s number and after taking one last look at Sam, I called him.


    Waiting for the call to connect was a horrible experience even for me, not to mention Sam who I''m sure even stopped breathing and held her breath at some point.


    "Hello? Who''s with me?" Suddenly the call was connected and I heard Dan''s voice, he didn''t have my number as I didn''t give it to him so not recognizing that it was me was understandable.


    "H.. Hi Dan it''s me.. Judy," I said while keeping my eyes on Sam, who had her head down all the time.


    "Judy?.. Oh, Judy! What is it? Did something happen to Sam? Is she alright?" He was confused at first but it appeared that he remembered the name fairly quick before asking me worriedly.


    I saw Sam''s shoulders shake a bit at that. His voice was quite loud so I''m sure she must have heard him.


    "No no.. Nothing like that, she''s... She''s doing great actually, you don''t have to worry about her." I explained hurriedly.


    "Thank God! That gave me a scare, I thought that b*tch did something to her, anyway, why are you calling me then?" It was clear that Dan wasn''t just a bit relieved.


    "Well.. I need Sam''s father''s number..."

 Hello Dad...

    "Sam''s father''s number? What do you need it for?" His voice had a bit of suspicion and he appeared as if he turned a bit defensive.


    Looking at Sam questioningly, she hesitated a bit before nodding.


    Getting her approval, I answered Dan:


    "She.. I mean Sam want to talk to him.."


    There was silence from the other side for a long while, as if the call got cut, but I didn''t hear the peeping of a disconnected call so I just waited.


    "Sam wants to talk to.. To her father?" He repeated.


    "Yeah, she wants to talk to him."


    "And.. She''s with you right now?" He asked after a long period of silence.


    "Ye.. Yeah." I answered hesitantly.


    There was another long period of silence, I didn''t know what Dan was thinking, but I still waited for him to talk again and didn''t push him.


    "Okay, wait for a bit." He finally said.


    After I got the phone number from him and thanked him, then I added:


    "Also, can you not tell them that she might call them? That''s something she specifically asked for.."


    "... Ok, I won''t do that.." He said


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    "Thanks a lot," I said and as I was going to hang up I heard him say faintly:


    "Tell her we miss her..." After that, he hung up.


    Lowering my phone I released a deep breath I didn''t even know I was holding till then and turned to Sam.


    She wasn''t any better than me in any way ? she had her head lowered and was holding her face between her hands.


    "He.. He said that they miss you.."


    She shook a bit before nodding slowly.


    "Do you want to try and talk to your father right now or.." I asked.


    "... Let''s leave it to tomorrow.. I need a bit of time... Now that I''m thinking about it and I''m going to do it... I''m.. I''m starting to panic a bit..." She stuttered between fast breaths.


    "It''s alright, you don''t have to push yourself, let''s just take it slow. Come here." Finishing my words I brought her close for a hug.


    The next morning everything was well, Sam appeared much better than she was the day before and we had our breakfast normally.


    At work, she was a bit absentminded but nothing big, as our shift was ending and we were leaving, she got called by the manager who appeared as if she had just remembered something:


    "Oh, right! Sam, when will you need that vacation? I will have to work things with the others."


    Sam froze in her place for a bit before answering:


    "I will get back to you later tonight.."


    Leaving the shop after saying goodbye to everyone, Sam signed heavily. I just moved my hand and held hers tightly.


    "Judy.. Can you be the one who talks to him first... I don''t even know if I can handle that at this point." Sam said while gripping my hand.


    "Of course, there''s no problem


    We returned home, made dinner and then set down in silence for a bit before Sam finally said:


    "You can go on? Ask him if he wants to talk to me.." If not for how quiet the room was I wouldn''t have heard her.


    "You sure?" I answered.


    She nodded.


    I held my phone and searched for the phone number before calling.


    Listening to the peeping sound before the call connected my heartbeats got faster peep by peep.


    "Hello, who''s this?" Finally, a man''s voice answered, it was clear and sounded a bit old, but also calm and collected.


    "Hello, is this Randy?" I tried my best to keep my voice even and not to stutter.


    "Yeah it''s me, what do you want?"


    "My name is Judy, I''m.. I''m a friend of your daughter, and she wants to speak to you, is...Is that alright with you...?" No matter how hard I tried to stop it, I still stuttered and I felt as if my speech came out a bit weird,


    There was no replay from the other side for quite a long time, just as I was wondering if I should say something I finally heard the sound of someone taking a deep breath before I heard:


    "Sam.. Sam is in there with you?" He asked, this time his voice was a bit crisp and hoarse.


    "Yes, she''s right next to me.." I answered him while throwing her a glance.


    Her head was lowered and she was clenching her hands together till her fingers became white, hearing my answer, she lowered her head even more.


    "Can... You pass her the phone..?" He continued in the same hoarse crisp voice.


    "Ok.. Wait for a bit please..."


    Moving the phone away a bit from me, I whispered to Sam quietly so he can''t hear me:


    "He wants to talk to you.."


    She shook a bit before lifting her head and reaching out for my phone. Taking it from me, she held it for a while before finally taking a deep breath and bringing it to her ear:


    "... Hello dad.." She finally said.

 Im Sorry

    Change of P.O.V: Sam:


    "... Hello dad.." I said in a hoarse voice and on the brink of tears.


    My heart was beating fast, my body was shaking and I could barely hold myself from just hanging up or throwing the phone away and breaking out into tears. I was afraid of what was coming next and what he was going to say.


    ".. Hi Sammy.." He said gently, his voice just as hoarse and clearly trying his best to keep it under control.


    I broke into tears at that moment. Hearing his voice again, and not feeling any trace of hate, anger or blame, I just started crying.


    "I''m sorry dad. I''m sorry, sorry for leaving, sorry for not listening to you, sorry for not getting in contact all those years. I''m sorry.. Really really sorry... For everything.." I exploded while I cried.


    All that was inside me, all that I felt, it all came out exploding. I just cried and I couldn''t stop at all.


    "Sammy, Sammy, baby it''s alright, don''t be sorry you did nothing wrong, it''s alright baby, it''s alright..." Dad tried to comfort me while I was crying and while he was sniffing.


    After trying real hard and for a while, dad was finally able to get me to calm down, and by that time he too was a lot better.


    "Sammy.. I''m.. I''m sorry.." He started.


    "Dad what.." I tried to talk but he stopped me:


    "No, just let me speak.. I need to get this out of my system... I''m sorry Sammy, I shouldn''t have reacted how I did at that time... I shouldn''t have just treated you as I did... Many times over those years that passed... I would just think about how it would have all ended if I didn''t react how I did... If I tried to listen.. To understand how you were feeling... Non of all of this would have happened... I would have been there for you, as a father and I would have been close to you and been able to see what was really happening... To see If anything was wrong...Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    "Yet, none of that happened... I didn''t accept you, I didn''t try to understand you, I wasn''t there for you and I wasn''t of any help at all... So I''m sorry baby... I hope you forgive me.." Dad''s voice was cracking at the end and it appeared as if it took him all that he had not to cry on the phone right then and there.


    "Dad.." I said between tears, "You don''t have to be sorry... I also made some mistakes... A lot of what happened was on me... So please forgive me.."


    "There''s no need for asking forgiveness baby, I never blamed you nor did your mom.."


    I cried a bit more and after I was calmed down by my father he asked:


    "So Sammy that... That girl.. That Brittney.. Is she still with you?" It was clear that he was hesitating.


    "No... I left her a few days ago..." I answered softly.


    "Good, good.. And you? Are you alright? There''s nothing wrong with you? Where are you staying right now?" He asked worriedly


    "No I''m alright, I''m staying at a friend''s house right now."


    "Was she the one who called?"


    "Yeah, her name is Judy, she''s my best friend..." I said while looking at Judy who had been next to me this whole time and never left my side.


    It was only then that I realized that she had been holding my free hand this whole time. I squeezed her hand a bit while giving her a reassuring nod.


    "Good, having a friend in a time like this is great.. What about now then? What will you do for the time being?" He asked me hesitatingly.


    "I... I called you because of that.." I said, and with that, my heart and feelings that calmed down a bit started moving going crazy again.


    "Yeah..?"


    "Can.. Can I return home?" I finally said it out loud.


    ".. Yes.. Of course you can.." My dad said while crying.


    After that I talked with my dad for a bit before finally hanging up, I also promised that I would call later after my mom returned home so I can talk to her as she wasn''t there at that moment.


    I finally put the phone done and took a deep breath after saying goodbye for the nth time and giving him my phone number, before breaking out into tears once again.


    Except that this time they were tears of relief, I felt so light and free and carefree, and I couldn''t stop myself from crying while smiling.


    I suddenly felt a pair of arms pulling me close while I was like this, I didn''t resist it, instead, I leaned into the now-familiar embrace and felt the warmth and security.


    "We need to call the manager then." As I was still lost in the comfortable embrace, I heard Judy''s soft voice next to my ears.


    "Yeah.. I think I''ll go home in the next couple of days.."


    Even though I was really happy that it all went well and that my dad and family were still accepting of me, and I felt as if a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders, I still felt a bit sad about not living with Judy anymore.


    It was quite a weird feeling, and it seemed as if Judy felt the same because all she said was a ''Hmm..'' And just continued hugging me.


    A bit after that and I called the manager and told her that I can go home at any time in the next week and that I would like to take a week off.


    Usually, we don''t take that long of a vacation, but the manager would give it to us if we had good reasons for that, and she did accept this time.


    She told me that she will call me back when she gets a part-timer to hold my position for a few days.


    We usually don''t accept them and just make do with the workers on the other shifts, but when a long vacation like this is taken, the manager would try to find someone to take our place for the time we are away.

 With me

    In the days before, even though I was having a good time being with Judy and all, I still had many thoughts and problems swirling in my mind, leaving me unable to concentrate nor be truly relaxed.


    But in the next couple of days, I was so happy and carefree, I knew that in just a few days I will be able to meet my family again, and even though there was a bit of nervousness from the thought of meeting them, it wasn''t anything serious, after all, I was speaking with my mom and dad daily, I even spoke with Dan for a bit even though that was a bit awkward, I think it will be better for me and him to take face to face, that would be much better.


    So when at the end of the second day the manager told me that she had already got a part-timer and that my vacation had started officially right than, I got excited and happy, yet there was still a few mixed feelings as I looked at Judy, who just smiled at me and nodded.


    We didn''t head straight home, instead, we went shopping first, Judy insisted that we should celebrate before I leave home and wouldn''t accept a no for it.


    We had celebrated that night, laughed, had fun, and cried a bit at the end.


    "Hey, Sam.." As we were setting down after a bit of crying, I suddenly heard Judy''s voice from next to me.


    "Yeah?" I answered.


    "After... After you return... Do you have a place in mind to stay in?" Her head was a bit down while she asked me.


    I froze for a bit, I did think about that when I had time, I had no place to return to or stay in, and I couldn''t stay with Judy forever, at least not like that...


    So that thought did leave me in a bit of a conundrum, and I somehow didn''t want to think about it right then, I was going to think about it more at home.


    "I don''t know... I don''t have any plans for that at the moment." I answered.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    "Then... Do you want to stay with me?" She added.


    I did guess that that might be what she was getting at when she asked me that question, but hearing it from her still made my heart beat fast and my happiness jump through the roof.


    "Do.. Do you mean it? I don''t want to annoy you..." Even though I was happy I still asked hesitatingly.


    "Yes, I''m sure, the place here is a bit small but not by that much, I can also speak with the landlord, there are other bigger apartments around here, we can move to them if you want to." It was clear that Judy thought quite a bit about that from how she explained excitedly.


    "Then... Alright, I will be staying with you from now on I think..." I said with an embarrassed smile, trying to hide my happiness and excitement. Before I added:


    "But we will have to share the rent." I wasn''t going to accept anything else apart from that.


    The rest of the night was spent talking about us living together and what we might need and other subjects before we finally fall asleep next to each other.


    The next day, we woke up and headed to the station after having breakfast and getting ready.


    This time as last time Judy followed me there, but unlike last time she didn''t leave after I made it there, not that I asked her to. I wasn''t going to get her to leave anyway, I was better than the last time, yes, but I wasn''t going to push it, who knows how it would turn if I was left alone with my thoughts.


    "How are you feeling?" A hand was put on mine while I was lost on thoughts.


    "I''m good, a bit nervous only," I said jokingly.


    I mean I was a bit nervous, but it wasn''t anything intolerable, and I still had the heart to joke around.


    "Good, and don''t worry, everything will be alright, your parents are just as excited and nervous about this as you are." She told me.


    I knew that actually, I had been in close contact with my parents all these few days after all and truly, they were just as excited and nervous over this, and it made me a bit calm knowing that they were like that.


    "Yeah, I know." I smiled.


    We waited for a while longer, just chit-chatting about random stuff and passing time till the bus finally arrived.


    I stood up and as I did my heart started beating faster and faster, just as I started panicking a bit, I felt the now familiar feeling of a soft, warm hand held mine, calming me down a bit.


    "Don''t worry, take deep breaths and don''t overthink, everything will be alright..." She whispered to me gently.


    The more she spoke the more my heart calmed down and the more I relaxed.


    "I''m.. I''m alright now, thank you." I said after a bit while releasing a deep breath.


    "There''s no need to thank me, what''s important is that you''re alright." She smiled at me.


    After that we headed towards the bus, standing next to it, I turned to Judy who gave me an encouraging smile and nod.


    I nodded to her before taking a small step and putting my arms around her, bringing her to a tight embrace.


    Judy was surprised for a bit, but she soon returned it with one of her own and held me close.


    We stayed like that for a bit before I had to step away.


    "Take care of yourself and be sure to call me a lot, ok?" She said.


    "Yup, same to you." I smiled.


    "Yeah, don''t worry."


    "Then... See you later Judy... I will miss you." I said quietly.


    ".. I will too.." She said, her voice breaking a bit and her eyes a bit watery.


    Seeing her like that, I couldn''t control my self, I too felt my eyes turn watery and a lump on my throat.


    And just like that, with both of us crying, I went home.

 Phone Calls

    "How are you feeling? How is everything on your side?" Judy''s voice asked through the phone.


    "You know... And you probably can hear it too, I''m quite nervous actually." I joked nervously.


    The bus was almost at the station, and I was a bit surprised at how calm I was at that moment, I mean yes, I was nervous, but not to the extent that I thought I would be. I even could joke.


    The main reason for why I was like that was probably because, as the bus got closer and closer home, I got a call from mom, who was excited and told me that everything was going to be okay when she felt that I was nervous.


    Talking with her and dad was a great help in keeping me from panicking.


    Judy also checked on me from time to time and made sure that I was well, which helped a lot too.


    "It''s alright, there''s no problem with you being nervous, it understandable, hell, even I am nervous..." She laughed.


    We talked a bit more before she finally hanged up, at that time the bus was already entering the station, and my eyes opened widely as I looked through the window, searching for those two familiar faces.


    It didn''t take long before I laid my eyes on them, both of them appeared so nervous while holding their hands looking at the bus entering the station.


    Just by seeing them like that, tears started falling on their own and I saw that mom''s state wasn''t any better than mine once she noticed me too.


    I don''t remember how I left the bus, I just remember finding myself in the embrace of my mom and both of us crying our eyes out.


    Once my mom finally released me, I felt another pair of arms bring me to a strong embrace.


    After we calmed down and with us being between smiles and tears we finally left the station.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    The drive home was full of laughter and smiles. We had been talking to each other on the phone for a while already so there was no sense of awkwardness.


    The closer we got home the more familiar sights I saw. The streets I once walked through, the playgrounds I played in as a kid, the schools I studied in, and finally the house I grew up in.


    It was quite weird seeing the house getting closer and closer, just a few weeks ago I thought that I would never return home. Actually of thought of that happening was so out of my mind that it was closer to a dream.


    Yet, there I was, and there it was, the house I grew up in...


    I got out of the car and entered the house slowly, and I just started around me blankly.


    ***


    Judy''s P.O.V:


    Opening the door to my house I was suddenly struck by this feeling of emptiness, the house seemed so empty and quiet.


    I put my things aside before going on with my daily routine, everything seemed so bland and gave an empty feeling, the kitchen, making dinner, eating dinner, setting on my own after I was done with all of that... It all gave that feeling of emptiness and that something was missing.


    Sam''s presence had, before I noticed, became a big part of my life, having her in my sight all the time, hearing her voice, feeling her presence, it was just for a short while, but I felt as if it had always been like that.


    So when she went away, I found it a bit hard to accept and get used to, and even though I knew that it will be just for a few days, I was really sad, especially on the first day.


    As I was still in that state, my phone suddenly rang, looking at the name on the screen I couldn''t stop a smile from appearing on my face:


    "Hi Sam, how are you?"


    ***


    Sam''s P.O.V:


    Setting on the sofa at my parents'' home, I felt so relaxed and content, my stay there went better than I ever expected and being next to mom and dad and at home was more than I ever could have wished for.


    Yet at moments like those when I was alone, I would find my thoughts wandering on their own, and I find myself thinking about Judy. And I would find myself smiling or shaking my head.


    I soon realized that I was missing her and that our phone calls weren''t helping much in keeping those feeling under control,


    Judy for me was... A special existence, she was a friend, a helper, even a guardian angel of sorts, and much more.


    So even though I was happy I was home and I was over the top being with mom and dad, I was still, deep inside, looking forward to returning to Judy and spending time with her,


    ***


    "Judy! Judy! Hey Judy!" I jumped as Alex''s voice finally brought me back.


    ''Wh.. What?" I asked her, a bit panicked.


    "Nothing I just saw you spacing out here and wanted to bring you back to earth, no need to thank me." She laughed mischievously.


    "You..." I said while lifting my hand in mock anger.


    She retreated a bit while laughing before saying:


    "It''s alright Judy, Sam will return soon, so just stop acting like an abandoned puppy."


    Before I had the chance to say anything, the manager came and hit her to the back of her head as she said:


    "Leave her alone and go get ready for your shift," She then turned to me before adding, "You can go now, it''s alright."


    I said goodbye to everyone before heading home.


    I kind of hated to admit it, but Alex was correct, I was spacing out because of Sam, and I found that that was happening more and more often.


    With a sigh, I lifted my phone and called Sam, something I did quite a lot those few days.


    ***


    Sam''s P.O.V:


    "I''m hanging up then, the bus is entering the station, see ya in a bit," I said to Judy while looking out the window.


    "Ok, see ya soon," Judy answered happily.

 She was Wrong

    My heart was beating fast and I was excited about the idea of meeting her again and seeing her right in front of me.


    The visit to my parents passed fast, I almost didn''t feel it and when the time came for me to return, mom, dad and even Dan, whom I talked with, were quite against that and didn''t want me to return, they tried their best to get me to reconsider.


    But there was nothing to reconsider, I wanted to return, and I had enough reasons to do so, the biggest and most important of which was of course Judy. I just couldn''t bring myself to think about how she will react if I told her that I won''t be returning anymore how hurt she was going to be. And of course, I couldn''t wait to be by her side again, so there''s that too.


    The scene at the station when I was leaving was the same as when I got there, with a lot of tears from me and mom, dad didn''t cry that time but he did give me a tight long hug.


    The bus finally stopped and I got down and looked around me in anticipation and excitement, soon I saw her and it seems that she saw me before I did because she was already moving towards me while smiling.


    She hugged me as if she hadn''t seen me in ages, she held me so tight and buried her face in my neck, I too buried my face in her embrace.


    We stayed like that for a bit before she finally let me go, looking up at her, she had a few tears at the corner of her eyes as she was looking at me.


    "I missed you so, so much." She said.


    "Me too, I missed you so much."


    We left the station while laughing and joking around, and while we were walking Judy suddenly stopped moving from next to me.


    Looking at her I saw that she was staring transfixed in one place, following her gaze I froze too.


    A tall, beautiful, young woman was looking our way, noticing both of us looking at her, she showed a big bright smile before while continued towards us.


    It was Brittney, and I was frozen, I didn''t know what to do or how to react, I just stood there while looking at her getting closer and closer, with that same smile that she always had.


    Suddenly, she was cut from my line of sight as Judy took a step forward and stood in front of me, seeing that familiar back I calmed down a bit but just as I did, I heard that voice:


    "Look who we have here, isn''t this a happy surprise?" It was the same tone, the one I was so used to, and just the sound of it made me take a few steps back while I felt the blood leave my face.


    "Just let us be Brittney, I don''t want to waste any time on you," Judy said with clenched teeth, it was clear that she was beyond mad just from seeing her.


    "What are you saying? I''m just saying hi, also.." She stopped her words for a bit, and I could feel her try to throw her gaze towards me, she didn''t succeed if Judy changing her position and her grunt was any indication, "That''s my girlfriend you''re with, isn''t she? I think I have the right to talk to her." She continued.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "She isn''t your girlfriend, so you better leave soon or I will make you." Judy was getting even angrier,


    "Sorry, but who are you anyway? I need to speak to my girlfriend, and I don''t see how that concern you? Here, let me ask her, Sam, can we talk for a bit, I need to tell you some things." I could feel Brittney''s eyes on me while she said that.


    I didn''t say anything, I ''couldn''t'' say anything, I was petrified and couldn''t move a muscle.


    "See? You''re making this hard for her, why don''t you just leave and let us speak, I''m sure that she would prefer being with me than with you." She continued,


    "Listen here you b*tch, you better stop this act and leave right now, or I will be sure to make you do so." Judy released a low growl while taking a step towards her.


    I also heard Brittney take a few steps back before she shouted, this time concentrating her attention on Judy:


    "Yo.. You slut! Why are you even doing this? Why are you even putting yourself between us? Do you love her? Is that what all of this is about? You think that she will eventually turn to you? That by doing this, she will look at you as her saviour? Hahaha, you''re pathetic, she only loves me, she only needs me and I''m sure that she hadn''t even looked at you that way, for her, you''re but someone that can be thrown away at any time, all I need to do to bring her back to my side is a five-minute talk, and she will happily throw you away for me. You are nothing to her..."


    "SLAP!"


    The scene froze, Brittney''s eyes were wide as she held her cheek and looked absent-mindedly at me who was shaking with her wide eyes, even Judy froze for a bit, not expecting that I would do something like that.


    I released a heavy breath as I lowered my hand while saying in a trembling voice:


    "I would never throw away Judy... She means the world to me... A.. And.. And I would choose her over y... Y.. You any and every time..."


    After I said that, I held Judy''s hands and dragged her as I left Brittney standing there in a daze as if she had just seen a ghost.


    As I was walking I couldn''t stop myself from shaking and tears from falling.


    I don''t know how I moved back then, I just did once I heard what she said, Judy became someone special to me, she was there for me in some of my life''s hardest moments, and she would always try her best for me, and I was for sure going to try my best for her and to repay her and show her that I appreciated her and what she did for me.


    So hearing what Brittney said just maddened me and I couldn''t control myself,


    After who knows how long of me dragging Judy by the hand while walking aimlessly I suddenly felt a pull from the hand that was holding Judy,


    Turning around, Judy was looking at me with concern written all over her face and seeing that, my emotions got even more unstable as I started crying heavily while I threw myself at her.


    She held me and started caressing my hair and back while whispering to me gently that it''s alright and everything was over.


    I felt calm and relieved while I was held between her arms, listening to her words and feeling her touch, it didn''t take long before I calmed down and stopped crying.


    Moving a bit back and lifting my head, I looked at Judy who was looking at me too, seeing the concern and worry in her eyes as she looked back at me, I tried to smile at her.


    "How are you? Any better?" She asked,


    "Yeah... I''m better." I said while nodding slowly.


    "Good, so... Should we head home? I''m sure that you''re way too tired."


    "I think that would be both of us, I''m sure that you''re just as tired," I said with a bit of a smile.


    We started walking slowly while keeping an eye for a taxi, we didn''t speak much, we just walked in silence, and as most of the time in situations like that, that made me overthink, so it wasn''t long before I found myself opening my mouth and saying:


    "... She was wrong you know.."


    "HmIm, What?" Either my voice was way too quiet or Judy herself was spacing out, but she turned to me with a confused expression on her face.


    "... What Brittney said... It was wrong... I care about you... I would never throw you away... I would never exchange you for anyone else... I... I... I love you..." I finally said.


    Judy wanted to interrupt me at first, but I stopped her and as I said those last three words, she just froze and looked at me like a statue, her eyes were wide and her mouth was half-opened.


    The words I said weren''t said in the heat of the moment, but what they represented was something I come to understand truly during the days I spent home with my parents, I loved her, and just the thought of that made me feel a sense of fear and dread as if I somehow didn''t want to accept it, as if I wasn''t ready...


    "Sam..." She started.


    "No Judy, can you please let me finish? I love you, I really do... I want you to know and understand that, yet... I''m also not ready for something like that at the moment... I need time... Both for you and me... So can you please wait for me?"


    At that moment, Judy''s eyes were full of tears and her face was flushed while she looked at me, after I was done speaking, she brought me to a tight hug as she cried while saying:


    "It''s alright... Sniff... I''ll wait... Of course, I''ll wait, don''t worry... Take your time..."


    Right then and there, while hearing those words and while being held by Judy, I felt so peaceful and happy, as if nothing in the world would ever hurt me.

 Epilogue

    The days after that were happy days, my relationship with Judy was the same yet different, sometimes I would just catch her looking at me while smiling and her smile would brighten up even more when our eyes met, it was just small things like those, but they still would make my day.


    Living together in an environment like this made us get even closer and understand each other even better.


    Judy was understanding all the way through and never once did she push me or anything like that, she was always there for me, and she always stood by my side.


    Even though we weren''t officially dating, we would still go on dates and the like, most of our time was spent together and just that was enough for us at that time.


    It took me around half a year or so to finally decide to take things further.


    At that time I had already thrown away any delusional thoughts I had, I knew then that my relationship with Brittney wasn''t healthy in any way. I accepted that, and I was going to try and be a better me.


    Taking that final step towards our relationship was hard, I knew deep down that Judy was nothing like Brittney, and that she would never do anything to hurt me, but I still found it hard to remove those thoughts from my mind, hard to make myself believe it deep down.


    Yet, I still felt that I was ready to take that step, to try and take things further with Judy.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    I still remember that day...


    We got home from work, and as Judy was lying on the bed I stood in front of her and gave her a small box, she was confused at first about what it was and what it was for, but as she opened it, I saw her eyes go wide.


    Inside the box was a glass puppy keychain, it was the same as the one Judy had given me all those months ago, and what started all of this.


    As she was still frozen and surprised over that, I leaned closer to her, and I asked:


    "Wi.. Will you go out with me...?" I did practise all of that before yet I still messed it up a bit, not that Judy cared, she was frozen with a shocked look on her face, and as she understood what I just said, tears started falling while she nodded her head and said yes repeatedly.


    We hugged as we cried for a bit... And on the same day, we had our first kiss.


    I would like to say that it was ''a happy ever after'' after that, but unfortunately, it wasn''t...


    Because of what happened to me before, I found it hard to react in a certain way to some things, and dealing with that in my relationship with Judy was hard.


    Many times when she leaned in to give me a quick kiss I would freeze and I would start panicking a bit, entering a panicked state with my mind remembering what I used to deal with, Judy would always notice and try to calm me down and apologize after that, she soon stopped doing that and would always make it known whenever she would try to kiss me.


    There are also those times when we would be just messing around, wrestling, tickling each other or play fighting while laughing, when she would pin me down suddenly, or set on top of me and without I know it, I would find myself entering a panic attack, Judy would notice it fast enough and stand up and do her best to calm me down,


    Even small things, like her being in a bad mood or a bit angry about something would make me turn panicky and jumpy, thinking that it might be because of something I did or that she might turn to me to vent.


    They weren''t things I had control over, It was just my body and mind still living in that same state, and reacting in the same way.


    Nothing of what I feared ever happened, and instead Judy would always try to get me to calm down, apologize and make sure that something like that would never happen again. She was everything Brittney never was and more.


    And because of that, I''m getting better, I''m improving day by day, and both of us are doing our best to strive for our happy ever after. We might not have had it straight away, and I''m still living in the shadow of my old relationship and self, but, we are working towards our happy ever after, and we know that we will eventually have it.


    ""The End!""