My Brother's Girlfriend [LingOrm]

20

 Orm's POV

The next day, I walked into the office with a heavy heart, knowing that this would be my last time stepping foot in the place where I had tried so hard to stay close to Ling, even if it meant living a lie. The realization that I needed to get out of her life was suffocating, but before I could do that, I needed to clear out my things.

View, my ever-loyal friend, was there to help. We worked silently, packing up my belongings from my desk into boxes. The weight of everything—every photo, every little memento—seemed to increase as I realized that these were the last remnants of the life I'd tried to hold onto.

As we finished packing, View looked at me with concern. "Orm, what's going on? Why are you leaving so suddenly?"

"I'll explain later," I mumbled, not ready to dive into the painful details. I just wanted to get this over with.

With everything packed, I took one last box and headed to Ling's office. She was typing something on her computer, so focused that she didn't even notice me enter. I walked in like a ghost, not saying a word as I gently placed the box on her desk. I was about to leave quietly, to slip out of her life as I had promised, when she finally looked up.

"What is this?" she asked, her tone neutral, but her eyes showing a flicker of curiosity.

"This is all your stuff," I said, my voice hollow. "Everything I had of you from when we were dating. This, Ling, is my final goodbye."

Her eyes widened slightly, but before she could say anything, I turned and walked out, my chest tightening with each step away from her. I went back to my desk, gathered the last of my things, and walked out of the company for good.

Returning to my apartment, I felt drained. I tossed myself onto the bed, my body aching from the emotional toll of the day. Sleep came quickly, a blessed escape from the turmoil in my mind.

"Well, this is my new life," I muttered to myself as I closed my eyes, hoping that the darkness of sleep would provide some relief.

...

I was jolted awake around 8 PM by the persistent ringing of the doorbell. Groggy and annoyed, I stumbled to the door, wrenching it open with a frustrated, "WHAT!?"

To my surprise, Ling stood there, holding a box, her expression unreadable.

"Going to stab me after stabbing my heart?" she asked, her voice tinged with a mix of sarcasm and sadness.

"I already left your life, Ling. I'm moving on," I replied, trying to muster some semblance of firmness.

"Sleeping since 3 PM?" she countered, raising an eyebrow.

"How did you know?"

"I've been waiting for you since that time," she admitted, her eyes softening just a fraction.

I glanced down at the box in her hands. "What's this?" I asked.

"My things," she replied simply.

"I gave you everything so I could 'move on,'" I said, the words feeling bitter on my tongue.

"Actually, they're your things. You used them so much they have your smell," she said with a faint smile.

"Good, then throw them in the fire," I shot back, starting to close the door, but she blocked it with her foot.

"Okay, I wasn't being literal," she said, her tone softening. "Can I come in?"

I hesitated for a moment, glancing around to see if anyone was watching. A neighbor was passing by, eyeing us curiously. "Urgh, fine," I grumbled, pulling her inside and closing the door behind her.