Lights, Camera & Action

Jed

The sun broke through Lingling's open windows, casting a lovely, yet blinding light across the white adorned bedroom. Lingling shielded her eyes, her hangover kicking in full force, as she threw herself out of bed to close the french doors that lead out to her balcony. As she slammed the doors shut, the room was lulled with complete and utter silence, drowning out the sounds of chirping birds and the rustling of leaves outside.

Lingling sighed, padding across her bedroom floor and out to the kitchen where she hoped to find a one, two, or maybe twenty headache pills.

Silently, Lingling wondered how she had made it into her apartment the night previous. She was absolutely piss drunk, and Lauren barely even remembered getting into the limousine last night, so as she twisted open the cap of the medicine bottle, she heard something move behind her.

Turning around, Lingling's eyes glanced over a dark brunette head of hair facing away from her on her couch. Lingling's stomach twisted in knots out of fear, and she let out a blood curdling scream, causing the girl to leap up. The girl whipped around, her hair half stuck to her face, with her clothes disheveled on her dainty body, and then Lingling realized it was Orm.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Lingling demanded, her voice a bit hoarse from both the scream and from the alcohol consumption.

Orm cleared her throat, her eyes innocent and sleepy, "I got your texts last night, and I messaged you back, saying that I would be here when you got home to help you get settled". When the limo dropped you off, you were passed out, so I had to pinch you awake. Don't you remember? I made you a glass of warm milk and helped you get into bed so you wouldn't feel totally useless when you woke up this morning," Orm explained, and slowly, memories from the night before came crashing through Lingling's brain.

Suddenly, Lingling was taken back to only a few hours earlier, where she was relaxing on her couch with a warm mug contently resting in between her hands. Orm was across from her, smiling and talking nonsense, and Lingling recalled smiling, and getting butterflies as she spoke.

But then, a feeling of dread washed over Lingling as the provocative texts flashed through her mind, and a sticky grime of guilt started to eat up her stomach.

"Barely," Linging lied, tipping her head back and swallowing the pills down dry, "I appreciate it, though."

Orm nodded pleasantly, standing awkwardly in Lingling's penthouse living room. There was an unacknowledged tension resting between them, eating at their new found friendship, and casting an undeniable barrier which neither of them wanted to cross. In the back of her mind, Lingling wanted to ask why Orm had come to her rescue and treated her like a damsel in distress, like the messages she had sent weren't totally friendship crushing.

Neither of them a word, so Orm pursed her lips and said, "I guess I better be going, I don't want to be a burden."

"Orm wait," Lingling blurted, not sure what she was going to finish her sentence with.

Orm stared up at Lingling, her eyes glistening with wonder and hope, and Lingling bit her lip harshly, almost to the point of drawing blood.

"Yeah?" Orm queried, moving toward Lingling.

"What I texted you last night," Lingling started, gulping slightly.

"Don't worry about it," Orm said, her spirit wilting like a flower in the winter, "You were drunk, and we're just friends. It's okay to be a little confused sometimes, we all are," Orm replied weakly, averting her eyes away from Lingling as she headed toward the door.