#kallmekris

It's been a year since you've passed away from a car accident. And since then, you've been attached to your boyfriend and your boyfriend's best friend who indulges in the paranormal.

Naturally, you found it very difficult to accept. Imagine, you lost your life, which was filled with the most valuable memories and connections you tried your hardest to keep, and it was all gone in the blink of an eye.

It was difficult to think about. It was unbelievable; unimaginable.

Before you knew it, you found yourself at the hospital. Everything before that was a blur.

You tried to get some of the nurses' attention, yet to no avail.

You tap the shoulder of a male doctor, yet, he ignored you.

"Excuse me? Hello—" you start to mentally insult the man, until a certain blonde haired boy caught your eye.

Sam sat on a bench that was outside one of the rooms, his eyes were bloodshot red, and his faced flushed the same color.

Beside him was another boy with dark hair, his hands covering his face. That was his best friend, also your friend, Colby.

You ran towards them, trying to catch their attention.

To make them look at you. To get them explain everything to you. Anything.

"Sammy!" You called his name before you took a seat next to him at the edge of the bench.

"Sam!"

"Colby!" You poke out your head to face the other boy.

Both of them ignored you.

You start to get irritated as you run your hands through your hair, threatening to pull the strands out. Why isn't anyone talking to you?

Your patience was about to snap. You reach your hand out to grab Sam's blonde hair.

Lo and behold, it passes through his head.

You stand up, startled. "What the hell?!"

You cover your mouth with the same hand.

"Sir," a voiced called to Sam. “Time of death: 10:11 PM."

You and the other two snap your heads at the voice of the doctor.

More tears flow down Sam's eyes like he hasn't shed enough.

"No way..." you hear his voice crack.

Colby wraps an arm around his best friend, doing his best to comfort him and himself. He needed to be strong for him; He was the shoulder Sam could cry on.

"I'm very sorry for your loss." The doctor smoothes his coat before he walks away with his head down in pity and guilt he somehow felt.

Regardless, you still had doubts. You still had a thought at the back of your mind that this could just be a prank. You had a gut feeling, but you knew all too well to never trust it.

You walk towards the room, and just before you could walk through the door frame, your legs give up at the scene in front of you.

You saw your own pale face, and blood soaked clothes. Your body rested on the hospital bed. Many doctors and nurses around you with a downcast look on their faces.

It was definitely you. It was undoubtedly you.

You felt your soul separate from your body.

That was the day you died.

You shake your head, realizing you zoned out. Who knew ghosts still had the ability to zone out too?

"And today, we are at the haunted location of—" Sam says with his utmost excitement and enthusiasm to the camera. He appeared content. Keyword: appeared. His face and hair were neatly groomed, and he held a charming smile. His blonde hair glowed with a golden hue that shone despite the surrounding darkness of the haunted location. He resembled the Sun, amidst the vast vacuum of the universe, endlessly radiating, providing warmth and light to those in need who scatter and reflect them in return. Notwithstanding that, if you peered closely enough into those sea-blue eyes, you could see your own face burned in the orbs, beneath the sadness he so tried to conceal.

You knew he blamed himself.

He felt liable for your demise. He thought he could've, should've done something. If he didn't make you leave that night, he would've stopped the sorrowful events that followed. He let you walk out of his house that night; and that resorted to you walking out of his life. Had you still been alive, things would've been so different. You would've been beside him—not as a ghost, but alive. Guilt ate him up inside out, and despite all the what-ifs, he can't do anything about it. You were gone. He could've killed, cried, prayed to God for all of eternity—done everything in your name. But you'd still be dead. He pled himself guilty for a crime he didn't commit—because in his heart, he believed he had. In the face of all his pain, he knew that it would never rival yours.

You longed for his warmth—his touch. Being a ghost didn't leave you warm in any way. Sam was your everything. And you missed everything.

After following them around the location for a few hours, it was finally time for both your favorite and least favorite part of the paranormal investigation: The Estes Method. At first, you loved it—another opportunity, a chance at finally reaching your boyfriend from the spirit world. But most of the time, that same hope almost faded, hence why you disliked it just as much. They always thought it was some angry ghost, threatening them. Not once did they consider that it could've been you.

Your words came through the device jagged and broken, lost in static and distortion. You couldn’t blame them for misunderstanding. But it didn’t make it hurt any less.

"Sam? Sam Golbach!" You call out, trying to get your voice over all the radio signals. "This is your girlfriend—"

It was Colby wearing the headphones and the blindfold, while Sam was the one holding the camera, listening. Two brains, and still, nothing made sense to them.

"Uhhh... Is—your—and—" Colby repeats what he heard, which were all just fragments of what you originally said. "It's all static, man."

Sam just continued watching, his eyes narrowed in focus. His grip on the camera was tight as his mind was still set that an angry spirit was speaking to them, and not you.

Almost on the verge of giving up, irritated, you groan, "This is Y/N guys!"

Colby visibly flinches, frantically prying the headphones and the blindfold off. "Dude. I swear to fucking God—"

Clearly panicked, Sam quickly helps Colby as he almost drops the camera in the process. Distress was evident in his eyes. His mind was racing, spinning, thinking of all the possibilities what the "restless spirit" might've said.

"I swear, on my life, dude," Colby glanced at sam, his gazed filled with hope and distress. He nearly couldn't believe it, but he was too sure of what he had heard.

"That shit just said 'Y/N'."

Sam couldn't believe what just dawned on him. It was almost unbelievable. It was the same sort of feeling he had when he learned of your death. This was nearly unreal for him.

"...You're kidding." Sam's voice broke, and it sounded as though his heart wasn't already broken enough.

In an attempt to comfort himself and his best friend, Colby places a hand on his shoulder. "I promise I'm not, Sam."

Sam sets down the camera close by, and once he turns to Colby, tears well up in his eyes, threatening to flow like a dam that is about to burst.

"Y-Y/N?" He croaks out, like it was almost too impossibly painful to call out your name. It seems as though uttering your sweet name is taking all his vigor.

You slowly approach him, each step becoming heavier and heavier as you go. The world seemingly came crashing down, either of you knowing if it was a good or a bad thing.

The fortress Sam built around him has fallen like it was never real, contrast to the amount of time he'd spent on it, trying to hold it up. All those months spent attempting to move on from you were in vain. He had the same hollow ache in his eyes as he had that day. He’d spent months building a castle out of glass, convincing himself it was stone—only to watch it shatter at the sound of your name.

Colby rushes to him, his own heart breaking for his best friend's pain. That broken look Sam held was too much for him. He reaches out a gentle hand to his buddy's shoulder, soothingly rubbing indistinguishable circles in the name of comfort. He embraces the blondie, as both of them helplessly kneel on the ground.

You look down at your boyfriend, his back facing you. He shook, trying to compose himself, aware that he's failing miserably.

"Y/N," he calls out, surprising you as he finally acknowledges your presence. You could feel your own tears well up, desperately blinking like you're trying to keep them at bay.

Sam croaks out. "Is it really you? Are you here?" He sounded crazy, insane, even. He looked so desperate, desperately looking for any sign of you. His sobs come out restrained, broken, and painful. Grief had its claws and it was dragging itself through your boyfriend's throat. At the same time, the wound you thought you'd healed had rehashed itself.

You break into your own fit of sobs as if it were the only things holding you up. You embrace Sam, your hands touching absolutely nothing. Sam speaks out again, his heavy breathing in between words. "I miss h-her. I m-miss her, m-man...!"

Your arms around nothing becomes tighter before Colby patted Sam's back in a brotherly manner as he tries to compose himself. He held himself and Sam up, but a wave of shivers running through his spine does not go unnoticed by him.

"I'm sure she knows, I'm sure..." Colby says with a shaky sigh, as his eyes go directly through you—not to you—but through you. He was almost subconsciously aware of your presence, yet he couldn't totally wrap his finger around what was truly going on. He senses something there, but also not there. You were too out of reach to comprehend.

You whisper sweet nothings into Sam's ear albeit knowing he couldn't hear you. You knew damn well the silence would meet you. Hope is a cruel habit.

For a few minutes, Colby holds Sam in his arms as he continues breaking down. They decided that it would be better if they cut the recording for now, as it already took a mental toll on Sam.

As you watch them stand up, you helplessly stay seated on the floor, feeling empty if that's even possible. If spirits could feel nothing, you were the proof they could.

As they take their equipment, the sounds were locked out. The noise and quiet conversation between the two of them were distant—almost like you're underwater. And when the door closes with a click behind them, you stayed in that room, your figure still as a statue. You could feel the room around you exhale from the tension—but you don't.

Dobie’s eyes squinted at the man, “Because you and Kris are both blonde. It looks better if you stand next to Colby and Kris next to Ce.” She explained before picking up the camera again. 

Sam grumbled a bit before moving- earning laughter from both Kris and Celina. “Whipped!” Celina yelled out jokingly, now making Colby laugh. Dobie smirked, watching Sam’s face redder through the lens of the camera.

Meanwhile, Sam’s heart felt like it was about to pop out of his chest and throw itself right into Dobie’s arms. 

She did have nice arms.

Sam waved away his thoughts; begging his brain to let him focus on anything but the way his heart fluttered everytime Dobie ordered him to do something. He knew that when Dobie said move, he was going too. When Dobie said jump, he was going to ask how high. When Dobie said-

“Sam! Do the intro!” 

“Sorry!” The blonde blinked before beginning the intro to the video.

After meeting with the cat manager of the Crescent Hotel and grabbing their room keys- the group were set to actually explore the hotel.

 One of the main downsides to making “spooky” videos in Dobie’s opinion was that the stairs almost always looked creepier than the inside of an elevator thus the four were beginning their trudge up the long flight of stairs.

“This screams haunted.” Sam said, looking up at the spiraling staircase. Dobie opted to only point the camera up, feeling slightly nauseated by the vibes of the hotel- a common occurrence for her. 

“It just keeps going!” Colby amused, eyes bright with excitement as he followed Kris and Celina up the stairs. “You okay?” Dobie asked, putting the camera down for a second as she noticed Sam fell behind.

Sam stammered for a response, a mixture of nerves and excitement in his belly- He felt like a teenage girl speaking to her crush for the first time.

“Y-Yeah, I’m good.” He tried covering up, shifting his weight from one leg to another. Dobie eyed him up and down, “Does your foot hurt? I can carry you.” She half-joked, making Sam’s heart race once again.

“You can’t carry me.” Sam rebutted, despite knowing she could and would. Dobie quickly moved towards the blonde man, causing him to let out a playful shriek as he ran up the stairs- catching up with the others.

Dobie chuckled softly, focusing on filming the art on the walls before joining the group.

“This literally-” Kris cut herself off, “Sorry but, it’s very shining vibes.” She continued. Dobie agreed, pointing the camera down a hallway. “It’s giving reeedruuuummm….” Dobie made her tone gravely and high-pitched, earning a round of laughter.

“We have a giant tricycle!” Celina commented, earning a confused look from the camera-woman. “How do you have a giant tricycle?” Sam asked, equally as confused.

“We don’t need to talk about that!” Celina joked, putting her hands on her hips and acting serious. Dobie’s laugh echoed down the hallway, etching a smile onto Sam’s face.

The five friends made their way to their rooms, deciding to start with room 202. 

One of Dobie’s least favorite part of her job was that she couldn’t always bud in with commentary Sam and Colby held with their guests, she was in charge of holding the camera and getting good shots- not laughing at Celina’s jokes.

It was really hard when Celina was hilarious, though.

Once the five finally entered the room, Dobie made sure to get a couple medium close-ups of details she found intriguing; certain pieces of art, the detailing of the decor, etc etc.

“You guys got a god-dang suite! This is sick!” Sam gawked as his blue eyes looked around the room, pointing at the window that Celina was staring out of. Dobie smiled at the blonde’s excitement as she filmed Colby and Kris near the bed, “So he’s gonna stand right here and be like, NIGHTMARE NIGHTMARE NIGHTMARE-” Kris joked as she stood at the foot of the bed.

Dobie and Colby laughed, “That’s how I seduce men.” The woman commented, earning a couple of surprised faces from her friends- in the corner of her eye, she could’ve sworn that she saw Sam blush.

“So uh…we’re gonna be in this bed…together?” Celina began patting the fresh linen on the bed, staring into Kris’ eyes. “We are…” Kris smirked, “Ooh…” Colby teased, making Sam chuckle.

Dobie made sure she got both women in the shot, already visualizing how Sam would edit the footage, he’d probably add in some stupid saxophone noise.

Kris looked towards the camera-woman, winking and tilting her head towards the bed. “I mean…if you get lonely Dobie…” She joked. Dobie pretended to blush, waving a hand at the platinum blonde as if to say “Oh stop it”.

Sam felt a bit silly for the way his shoulders sunk in and his smile melted away. 

The sun had long set and the five friends had just finished their first tour of the night. Now, the group was standing outside in the chilly night, trying to see the ghost of a woman who’d apparently thrown herself from the balcony of Kris and Celina’s room.

Dobie laughed softly, never a dull moment with her boys.

 “Did we miss it?” Colby asked Sam as the blonde pulled out his phone. Sam checked the time, 10:44.

“We fucking missed it.” Sam frowned, making Dobie’s head shoot upwards. “Are you serious?” She asked, looking between Colby and Sam. The blonde shook his head, laughing- “M’ just kidding, it’s 10:30 to 11:00…so maybe we’ll still catch it.” He explained.

Dobie rolled her eyes and shook her head as she followed Kris, Celina, Sam and Colby to a better viewing area. They seemed to be the only one’s out at the moment; which was nice.

It was sort of peaceful outside the Crescent Hotel. The greenery and landscaping still held an homage for the time the hotel was built, but with a cleaner modern feel. It was much better than inside, at least in Dobie’s opinion.

As Dobie finished setting up a second camera on a tripod, she heard Celina ask her if she had touched the light switch in their room. Dobie shook her head, “No? Sam, did you?” She asked- knowing for a fact that Colby or Kris hadn’t.

Sam shook his head quickly, each friend looking at each other with a puzzled expression on their face. The light-switch conversation continued for a few minutes, every repeating the same questions they’d already been asked- or had asked someone else.

“I can check the footage before I go to bed.” Dobie offered, shrugging her shoulders to motion to her backpack. “Maybe we’re just stupid.” Colby joked, making Dobie stifle a laugh as she moved around the friend group to get everyone in the shot.

“Yeah, maybe we’re stupid or maybe it’s haunted.” Kris quipped, not taking her eyes away from the balcony. “I am…scared now.” The platinum-blonde girl said, keeping her sweater-covered arms wrapped around her body.

Just as Dobie crouched down to check the tri-pod, she startled as she heard Kris let out a gasp followed by an “Oh my god!”.

Dobie quickly glanced towards the balcony, her heart sinking into her stomach as she saw a figure in the window of Kris and Celina’s room.

“Holy shit!” She yelled, standing up and reaching for her hand-held camera- praying she’d caught it on one of the devices.

“What?” Sam, Colby and Celina asked the two girls. Celina moved to place a comforting touch on Kris' shoulders. Kris instantly began apologizing for scaring the group, turning away and shielding her face; Dobie took this as a sign to not focus the camera just on her.

“What? What happened, what did you see?” Colby stammered, his brain moving too quick for his mouth to keep up with. Kris spilled out a string of “No’s”, claiming that if she said it- it made it true.

“I saw it too, Kris- it’s…it’s fine.” Dobie attempted to sound comforting, though she’d never been the best at it- she would always try, especially for her friends. Kris’ teary eyes turned to Dobie as the others began asking what it was. 

Kris held onto Dobie’s arm tightly, now having an unspoken bond- Dobie laughed softly as Kris practically used her as a human shield from the paranormal. 

“What did you see?” Celina repeated, her eyes glancing between the two girls and the window. Dobie pointed at the window with her free arm, “There was someone in the window.” She explained, Kris nodding in agreement. 

Slowly but surely, Kris’ cries turned to laughter as she calmed down- finding it funny how she started crying whilst Dobie managed to stay level headed.

“It’s not like- uncommon for me to see that.” Dobie chuckled, Sam and Colby nodding in agreement; distant memories of the horrors that Dobie had seen throughout her life flashing in the back of her mind.

“Is that your first time seeing something like that?” Colby asked, sincere eyes looking towards Kris. The girl shook her head, “No, it’s not.”. “You’ve seen them before?” Dobie asked genuinely. 

Kris nodded, “When I was younger but…only twice.” She let out a shaky breath- finally stabilizing her breathing.

The Crystal Dining Room had a sort of air to it that just made Dobie feel…weird. Not in the spiritual sense, it just felt so…formal. 

Formal and Dobie did not mix.

Her back hurt from how stiff she stood and she could tell her camera-work was lacking because of it. She listened closely to their tour guide, Eddie, talk about the different types of paranormal experiences that took place in the dining room but she just couldn’t seem to pay attention.

Dobie really should’ve paid attention though.

“I don’t want to do this.” She grumbled as Sam put his soft hands onto her waist. Colby, Kris and Celina laughed- continuing to make mocking “Aww” sounds as the two swayed side to side.

“What’s the point of this?” She asked, Sam would’ve answered if he could think of anything other than the deep cherry scent of Dobie’s perfume.

“To attract ghosts!” Celina called back, making Kris and Colby laugh. Dobie’s brows furrowed as Sam nearly tripped over her foot, “Let me do it.” She said firmly, in that tone.

That stupid tone that made Sam go dumb. 

Sam’s heart beat faster as Dobie’s hands moved onto his hips, her firm grasp sending a shiver down his back. Suddenly, Dobie was swaying them side to side; allowing Sam to kinda just…follow.

The blonde hated how…peaceful it allowed him to feel. He trusted Dobie, admittedly, he had since the week he met her. She took zero shit from other people and had put herself in more than one dangerous situation all in the name of a “good clip”.

Of course he trusted Dobie as a friend but this…this type of trust felt different. 

Before Sam could ponder how it felt different, Dobie pulled away and pointed towards the cat ball that was now flashing red and blue.

Sam did his job, playing up his reaction ever so slightly. Not for the camera but for him- in some hope that if he focused on the flashing cat toy, he’d forget about the butterflies that were currently doing cartwheels in his stomach.

Dobie let out an exhausted sigh as flopped onto the bed- glad to finally be done with filming for today. She stretched her arms for a few moments, praying that tomorrow they wouldn’t ache from carrying around the heavy camera all day.

Colby was in the shower, taking ridiculously long- as usual. Sam was already uploading the footage onto his laptop; hoping it would reduce the chances of any files corrupting.

“Dobie, do you have the footage from the ballroom?” Sam called, pulling Dobie out of her half-dozed state. The girl sat up, immediately grabbing her backpack from the side of the bed and placing it next to Sam before falling face-first into her pillow once again; earning a laugh from the blonde boy next to her.

Dobie let her eyelids fall shut, another sigh escaping her lips as she rolled onto her back. Sam’s lips formed a smile as he watched Dobie’s breathing move her ribcage move up and down rhythmically, she looked so…soft.

Which was a complete 360 from her normal, rugged self.

“It’s rude to stare, Sam.” Dobie’s words made Sam’s face as red as a tomato- the man instantly began to stammer out an apology and explanation. “I’m sorry- I- You just- I was-” 

Dobie’s laughter eased Sam’s nerves- yet only deepened the blush on his cheeks. The girl sat up, using her elbows to support her upper-body as her eyes interlocked with Sam’s.

“You just…you looked soft.” He finally spat out, making Dobie’s head tilt in confusion. “Soft?” She asked, laughing at how unlike her the word was. 

Sam hummed, turning his attention back to the footage uploading onto his laptop. “Usually you scare me.” He shrugged, before he realized what he said. Dobie threw her head back as she laughed, now fully sitting up and leaning against the headboard. 

“I scare you?” She asked, eyes practically demanding Sam to look at her. Sam nodded, “Not in a…bad way…I like it.” He admitted sheepishly, he wanted to peel his eyes away out of embarrassment but there was a silent command from Dobie to keep his eyes on her- so he followed it.

Dobie smirked, her eyes trailing up and down Sam like she was sizing him up- Sam hated how it made his hands squirm. “You like that I scare you?” She asked, amused by the man’s words.

Sam bit his lip before nodding, Dobie raised an eyebrow and Sam realized she wanted to hear him say it. 

“I…I do. It makes me feel…” Sam trailed off, his thumb coming up between his lips as he gnawed on the skin around it. Dobie put a stop to that quickly, grabbing his wrist and pulling it away from his mouth before interlocking their fingers together.

“Feel what?” She pressed, subconsciously leaning in closer- Sam didn’t mind.

Sam didn’t mind at all.

“I dunno…I guess, sometimes I just feel like I have to do everything. Y’know?” He explained, his breath hitching as he felt Dobie rub her thumb over the back of his hand. “Finding haunted places, ordering equipment…talking to ghosts…” Sam laughed at the last one- so did the girl next to him.

“Colby helps but, still.” He shrugged before continuing, “I have to make so many decisions all the time.” His eyes were cast downward watching Dobie’s thumb-pad dance around his skin. Dobie thought his eyelashes were beautiful.

“When you tell me to do something…” Sam let out a shaky breath, gulping down the nervous lump in his throat. “You don’t say it like it’s a choice, you’ve already…” Sam thought over his words for a few moments.

“You’ve already made the best choice for me, I just have to follow it.” He said bashfully, smiling at finally being able to put words to the emotions he felt.

Dobie’s smirk formed to a smile, “I’m glad you trust me enough to do that.” She replied honestly. “But if you ever don’t want to do something, you can say no.” The girl made sure to tell Sam.

“Bossing” Sam around was only fun when they both liked it.

Sam nodded quickly, “I know! That…that only makes me trust you more.” He breathed out an excited laugh- realizing just how much better he felt with his feelings out in the air.

Dobie lowered her head slightly and Sam knew what that meant. She wanted him to close the gap between them.

So he did.

Their lips connected and Sam melted into her, allowing Dobie to set the pace and length of the kiss.

It was deep and passionate, but nothing too crazy. It was their first kiss after all.

As Dobie pulled away, she kept a hand cupped on Sam’s cheek- smiling widely at him. Sam let out a soft breathy laugh before pushing his laptop away and quickly curling towards Dobie; desperate to be in her space.