Echoes of a Heartbeat [LingOrm]

Beneath the Surface

Narrator's pov

Yoko and Orm's apartment

Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock

"I'm going!" Yoko called out, running to the door. As she opened it, she saw her friend, an absolute mess of tears.

"Fuck, what happened?" she asked, immediately wrapping her friend in a hug.

"Ling happened," Orm managed to say, not wanting to delve into the details.

"Everything's okay now, come on," Yoko said, guiding her inside the apartment.

........

Orm hadn't left the apartment since the night she fled from Ling's, her heart shattered. She hadn't gone to school, she couldn't face the thought of seeing Ling, couldn't bear to pretend everything was fine when it was anything but. So she stayed, holed up in the small apartment she shared with Yoko, completing her assignments with the materials Yoko faithfully brought home each day.

Another day passed, and Orm found herself in her room, attempting to organize her thoughts along with her things. It wasn't working. Ling's words, their touch, the lingering warmth of their body next to hers—everything kept replaying in her mind, an endless loop of pain and confusion.

She heard the door open and called out, "Yoko?"

"It's me, I'll be there in a second—I just need to grab something," Yoko replied.

By the door, there were two girls.

"Okay, so you broke her heart. Go in there and fix it like you said. I'll be back tomorrow, and if she's not back to her old self, I swear I'll kill you. Now, go," Yoko said to the other girl, giving her a little push.

As they reached the bedroom, Orm had her back turned, facing the bed.

Yoko nudged Ling into the room and said, "Orm, you have a visitor."

When Orm turned to see who it was, her expression shifted from happy to grumpy in an instant.

"Here are today's notes!" Yoko said, handing Ling some papers. "Have fun, bye!" She quickly left, locking the girls in the room together.

Still in shock, Orm walked over, took the papers from Ling, and went back to her bed to continue her homework.

"Orm, I think we should talk," Ling said gently, placing a hand on Orm's shoulder.

But Orm suddenly stood up, advancing on Ling until she backed up against the wall.

"What did I tell you, Kwong?!" Orm snapped, angrier than ever.

"That's why I'm here. I can't follow your advice. I tried for like a second, and it didn't work. I know what I did was wrong, but can I at least explain? Or Yoko might actually kill me tomorrow," Ling pleaded, her tone softening.

"I don't care. You're already dead to me," Orm said coldly, returning to her bed to focus on her assignments.

"Alright, you don't have to say anything or even listen to me, but I'd really appreciate it if you did because I'm not great at explaining things," Ling sighed before continuing. "What I told you wasn't entirely a lie, but it wasn't the full truth either." She paused, noticing Orm was still ignoring her, absorbed in her work. "My brother mentioned that one of his students had a crush on me, but that was long after we met. When we first bumped into each other at school, I noticed how happy you were, and it made me feel... different. I'd catch myself holding my breath around you. What I said about being jealous was true. That day in the corridor, you and Yoko were so close that I just wanted to be in her place, to have you to myself. But I felt better when you both acted like friends in front of me." Ling hesitated, but Orm continued to study.

"You know I don't give a shit about this, right?" Orm finally said, her words hitting Ling like a knife.

"You don't have to," Ling replied, sighing again. "That day in the bathroom, I was being direct, like my friends suggested. I used my jealousy and possessiveness to get close to you. I wanted to hear you call me hot because it would mean you wanted me too. But yeah, I lied that day when I said you didn't look hot. You were, you always are. You're like a goddess to me, but I couldn't tell you that. I meant it when I said I didn't like when you wouldn't look at me while we talked, but I lied again the day we fought. I wasn't crying because I was stressed. I was crying because I was opening up to you, giving you cute nicknames like 'babe,' but..." She stopped, realizing she was crying. She moved to sit on Yoko's bed.

"You shouldn't sit there," Orm said coldly.

"Yeah, you're right," Ling said, moving to the floor instead. She sat there, still sobbing. "That day, I thought you felt the same way about me. But when you called me a friend, I felt hurt and started crying. I didn't want to tell you all of this because if you didn't feel the same way, it would hurt too much. But I chose the wrong words and ended up hurting you instead. Orm, I love you." She looked at Orm, but there was no reaction. "I didn't do all of this to find out if you liked me. I did it because I was into you. Love is weird—it made me do things I never would have done, like flirting and getting jealous. I even did something stupid, but I hope you don't know about it," she added with a weak smile, her confession trailing off.

The room was silent, the only sound coming from Orm's pencil as she continued her assignment. After an hour, Orm finally looked at Ling, who was still on the floor, her tears silently falling.

"What do you mean by 'was into you'?" Orm asked, not taking her eyes off her work.

"I was referring to the past. I was into you, but now I love you. That's the difference."

"I know you stalked me," Orm said, a hint of playfulness in her voice.

"Good, so you know that was true too," Ling replied.

Orm stood up, and Ling followed suit. Orm grabbed her backpack and put her assignments away.

"You know, even though you said it was true, you disobeyed me."

"Huh?"

"I told you not to touch me, yet you touched my shoulder. I told you not to talk to me, but you did. I said you shouldn't dare look at me, but you think I haven't felt your eyes on me? And didn't I tell you not to think about me?" Orm asked, making Ling cry even more.

"But I did all that because I love you," Ling said, her tears falling like a cascade. "I can't help it. I want to hug you, kiss you. I want to confess my love for you every day, give you ridiculous nicknames. I want to see you, not just because you're pretty but because every time I look at you, I feel something fluttering in my stomach, and it feels good. I'm sorry, Orm, but I've already imagined you as my wife more times than you can imagine, so I can't just forget everything because I love you. And if you don't love me, just tell me so I can pretend like you never existed."

At that, Orm walked over to Ling, cupping her cheeks and brushing away her tears.

"If you love me, can you stop crying? Please! You might dehydrate," Orm said gently.

"But you cried a lot more, from that day until now!"

"Yeah, but they weren't as heavy as this. You're pushing yourself too much. Come here," Orm said, signaling for them to go to her bed.

As Orm lay down, Ling did the same. Orm pulled Ling closer by the waist and began massaging her cheeks.

"You look so cute with these fluffy cheeks," Orm said, playfully pinching Ling's cheeks.

"You look so pretty when you look at me," Ling teased back.

They stayed in that sweet atmosphere for a long time before finally falling asleep in each other's arms.