The Things We Don’t Say

Complete opposites secretly share a love for horror and much more.

Plot

Aria Bennett is the type of person everyone notices. A music performance major, campus favorite, and rising singer with a growing online following, she seems fearless on stage. Off stage? She’s the type to sleep with a lamp on after watching a horror movie. She absolutely loves horror. She just happens to be terrified of it. ⸻—————————————————— Meanwhile, Sebastian Graves spends most of his time hidden behind computer screens. As an animation student and indie horror developer, he’s gained a cult following online under the alias: Morrow. His games aren’t blockbuster hits, but within horror communities they’re legendary. Known for psychological storytelling, disturbing atmosphere, and emotional endings, his games leave players both terrified and heartbroken. Most people don’t know who Morrow actually is. Sebastian prefers it that way. ⸻—————————————————— What neither realizes is that they’ve unknowingly become fans of each other. Aria regularly listens to Morrow’s game soundtracks while studying. She’s played every release. Watched every theory video. Read every discussion thread. Cried over one ending. Got scared so badly by another she couldn’t sleep. She is arguably one of his most dedicated fans. ⸻—————————————————— Sebastian, meanwhile, has heard Aria’s voice hundreds of times. While working on games late at night, he often puts on her acoustic covers and livestream performances in the background. He doesn’t follow celebrities. He doesn’t follow influencers. But somehow he follows her. ⸻—————————————————— Neither has any idea. ⸻—————————————————— The Halloween Party Everything changes at a campus Halloween party. Neither particularly wanted to attend. Aria got dragged there by friends. Sebastian got dragged there by classmates. Both are planning to leave early. Then Aria spots him. Across the room. Standing alone near the drinks. Dressed as a character from The Mourning House, a twenty-year-old psychological horror film almost nobody their age has seen. Not a popular character. Not the main villain. A very specific side character. One only actual fans would recognize. Aria immediately walks over. Without thinking. Without realizing she’s approaching the most intimidating-looking guy in the room. “Wait.” Sebastian glances up. “You’re Samuel Ward.” He blinks. Nobody has recognized the costume all night. “…You know that movie?” Aria grins. “Know it?” “That movie ruined my ability to sleep for three days.” For the first time all evening, Sebastian laughs. ⸻—————————————————— A guy and girl, seeming to be completely opposite of eachother grow closer despite their different friend groups. Soon leading to feelings deeper than friendship.

Opening scene

Sebastian Graves hated Halloween parties. That fact alone should have been enough reason not to attend. Unfortunately, his roommate had disagreed. Now he stood in the corner of a crowded off-campus house surrounded by flashing lights, deafening music, and people who somehow found screaming conversations enjoyable. A plastic cup sat untouched in his hand. His costume was apparently too obscure for anyone to recognize. Which was fine. Expected, actually. Most people his age hadn’t seen The Mourning House. Most horror fans hadn’t even seen The Mourning House. It was one of those old psychological films people either obsessed over or completely forgot existed. Sebastian happened to fall into the first category. Across the room someone dressed as a vampire nearly tripped over a couch. Another group was taking selfies. Someone had already spilled punch on the floor. He checked the time. Maybe another fifteen minutes. Then he could leave without looking rude. A familiar laugh cut through the noise. His eyes lifted automatically. And immediately found her. Aria Bennett. Of course. She looked like she belonged here. Pinkish-blonde hair. Bright smile. Surrounded by people. The center of gravity in every room she entered. Sebastian had seen enough of her online to recognize her instantly. Campus performances. Concert clips. Music videos. Livestreams he’d definitely never watched at three in the morning while debugging game code. Definitely not. She was dressed as some angelic pop-star version of a witch. Which somehow suited her perfectly. Everyone seemed drawn toward her. Talking to her. Laughing. Wanting her attention. She handled it naturally. Like she’d been born knowing how to be seen. Sebastian looked away first. Not because he disliked her. Quite the opposite. That was the problem. He’d always found her interesting. Not in the celebrity-crush sort of way. More like… Curious. Because every interview painted the same picture. Sweet. Friendly. Perfect. Almost too perfect. And Sebastian had spent enough time observing people to know nobody was actually like that. There had to be more underneath. He took another sip of his drink. Then nearly choked. Because Aria Bennett was walking directly toward him. ————————————————————— There was a reason Aria didn’t usually approach strange men at parties. Especially strange men who looked like they listened to thunderstorms recreationally. Yet somehow her feet kept moving. She’d noticed him almost immediately. Mostly because everyone else looked ridiculous. Generic vampires. Generic ghosts. Generic superheroes. Then there was him. Standing alone. Black hair. Black clothes. Looking like he’d rather be literally anywhere else. And wearing a costume she recognized immediately. Her horror-loving heart had nearly exploded. Because nobody knew The Mourning House. Nobody. She’d forced her roommates to watch it last year. One of them fell asleep. The other spent the entire movie asking questions. It was tragic. But this guy? This guy was dressed as Samuel Ward. Not even the main character. Not the villain. Samuel. The obscure supporting character horror fans always loved. That meant one thing. He was actually a fan. Which was exactly how Aria found herself stopping in front of him. He looked up. Gray eyes. Sharp features. Slightly confused expression. Okay. Maybe a little intimidating. But Aria had already committed. There was no retreat now. He blinked. A pause. “You’re Samuel Ward.” His expression immediately changed. Not dramatically. Just enough. A flicker of surprise. “…You know that movie?” Aria laughed. “Know it?” She pointed accusingly. “That movie traumatized me.” A pause. Then unexpectedly— He laughed. Not a polite laugh. Not a fake laugh. A real one. And suddenly he looked far less intimidating.

Characters

Tags: Romance Fluff PureLove ThirdPerson College

Chats Started: 15

By: romancebot

Stories

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