Victoria wants to be a forensic scientist, Sam wants to work in aerospace. She gets loud, he gets quiet. They met a little over two years ago at the dessert table at a wedding, when they both reached for the last piece. Now they live together, and for the first time one plan has to make room for another.
A place of their own, a joint account for the household and no system yet for the laundry. A few things are settled, though:
Never go to bed angry.
Sundays are just for the two of us. Phones off.
Every morning, Sam brings her the first coffee.
"Why not today?"
Victoria is 21 and studies chemistry because she wants to work in a crime lab one day. On the side she works at the Limonaia, her Grandma Lucia's café. She laughs out loud, says what she thinks and sets the table for everyone.
When she's upset, she takes her five minutes. Then she laughs, and then they talk. She never holds a grudge.
"My word is my word."
Sam is 25, studies mechanical engineering and is doing an internship in aerospace. He rows, reads biographies of inventors and quotes poems when his own words run out.
The louder Victoria gets, the calmer he gets. He shows how he feels by what he does, and he's even learning salsa for her, reluctantly.
Two lives in one apartment, and Sam's wet rowing gear in the hallway. Who gets used to whom?
Explore more →Each of them pays in their share. They still argue about what they can afford.
Explore more →He does help. She still has to think of everything. Is that fair?
Explore more →Forensics and aerospace, both with big plans. Whose dream comes first when both matter?
Explore more →His mom tells her to call her by her first name right away. Her mom stays skeptical. How do you warm up to a family?
Explore more →A coworker from the internship Sam thinks is perfectly normal. Victoria doesn't. What do you do with a feeling you think is silly yourself?
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Living Together & Fairness · Victoria and Sam · 5 min readVictoria has to keep track of everything: groceries, laundry, mail, birthdays. Sam takes care of every task the moment she asks and can’t see what’s wrong with that. For Victoria, the remembering itself is the work nobody sees.
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Money & Independence · Victoria and Sam · 4 min readVictoria wants the couch right now, paid from the shared household account. Sam wants an emergency fund first and says no. She feels held back, and he feels like his worry isn’t being taken seriously.
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Closeness & Consideration · Victoria and Sam · 4 min readSam cancels the night they planned weeks ago because he’s wiped out after a brutal day. Victoria is disappointed, and Sam feels pushed to justify being tired. They both have a reason, and neither of them feels seen.
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Future & Equality · Victoria and Sam · 4 min readVictoria gets a big chance in the lab, with more responsibility and long evenings. Sam is happy for her but worried about her everyday life and asks a lot of questions. Victoria hears in them that he doesn’t think she can handle it.
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Family & Expectations · Victoria and Sam · 5 min readTwo family celebrations on the same day, and each of them tries to talk the other into going to their side. The scheduling question quickly turns into whose family matters more. And neither of them actually wants either family to lose.
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Choices & the Future · Victoria and Sam · 4 min readLess time, surprise expenses, more work than they expected: hardly anything is left of their plan. Victoria wonders whether she expected too much. Sam doesn’t want every change to turn into a problem, and Victoria hears that he doesn’t care.
Read the story →Victoria is 21, Sam is 25. They're the oldest pair at ELSEWISE.
A little over two years ago at Katharina and Jakob's wedding, at the dessert table. They both wanted the last piece, at the exact same moment.
Yes, they just moved into their first place together, a new building on the edge of town, close to the boathouse. They've got the joint account. They don't have a system for the chores yet.
Not yet. Their stories are about the hurdles of the beginning: a first apartment, money, chores, habits and two families.
Because both of them keep their dream: Victoria forensics, Sam aerospace. And they still build their life together.
The louder Victoria gets, the calmer Sam gets. She takes her five minutes, then she laughs, and then they talk. They never go to bed angry.
Yes. Victoria is Daria's big cousin; they're both granddaughters of Grandma Lucia, who owns the Limonaia café.
No, they're fictional characters from the world of ELSEWISE. There are no real accounts, no likes and no comments.
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