Twilight of Shadows | LingOrm (GxG)

EIGHT

Earn unlocked the door to her apartment, her body heavy with exhaustion. Bangkok had drained her dry tonight. The chaotic energy of the city usually felt like a lifeline, but not tonight. Tonight, the weight of everything had pressed down on her, making her feel like she was wading through quicksand.

She dropped her bag onto a chair, barely caring where it landed, and headed straight for the kitchen. Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since breakfast, and it was well past one in the morning. She yanked the fridge open, the cool air hitting her face like a brief, welcome distraction.

Her eyes landed on a container shoved behind a carton of milk and a jar of pickles-leftover som tum and sticky rice from a few days ago. It wasn't fresh, but right now, she didn't care.

"Good enough," she muttered to herself, pulling it out and setting it on the counter.

As she filled the kettle with water for some tea, her mind wandered back to earlier that evening-to Lada, to the kiss she couldn't stop thinking about. She leaned against the counter, closing her eyes for a second, but all she saw was the heat in Lada's gaze, the way her lips had felt against her own.

Her heart tightened. "Damn it," she whispered under her breath. What the hell had she been thinking?

When the kettle clicked off, she poured the hot water over a spoonful of honey, watching it swirl as she stirred. The tea didn't do much to calm her racing thoughts. She needed to clear her head, needed some air.

With her tea and leftovers in hand, Earn stepped onto the balcony. The night air was cooler than she'd expected, but it felt good-bracing, like a slap in the face to snap her out of the fog she was in. The city was still alive below her, lights glittering against the darkness, the distant hum of traffic filling the air.

She settled into her usual spot, picking at her som tum without much enthusiasm. Her appetite was there, but her mind was elsewhere-back at Lada's office.

"I really screwed up, didn't I?" she said aloud, though no one was there to answer.

The kiss had been a mistake. Or had it? Earn wasn't even sure anymore. The way her body had betrayed her, responding before her mind could catch up-she felt like a fool. And Lada's face, that mixture of surprise and... something else. She hadn't stayed long enough to figure it out.

"I should've stayed," she murmured, setting her food down and rubbing her temple. "Why didn't I just stay and talk to her?"

The silence between them since then gnawed at her. Why hadn't Lada reached out? A text, a call-anything? Was she angry? Confused? Hurt?

Earn took a sip of her tea, letting the warmth spread through her. It did little to ease the tension sitting like a stone in her chest.

"Maybe she's just as confused as I am," she said, trying to make sense of it. "Maybe she doesn't know what to say."

The words felt hollow, though. Lada had never been the type to stay silent when something bothered her.

"Maybe it's for the best," she whispered, more to herself than to the empty air. "Maybe it's better if we both just... forget it happened."

But even as the words left her mouth, she knew they weren't true. She didn't want to forget. She wanted to talk to Lada, to understand what she was thinking, how she felt. Did Lada feel it too? The connection between them, even after all this time?

Earn rested her head against the back of the chair, staring up at the sky. "Damn it, Lada. Why won't you just call?"

The city continued to hum below, indifferent to her turmoil. She took another sip of tea, but the calm she was searching for stayed out of reach. Until Lada reached out, Earn knew she wouldn't find peace.