Live With Your Blood || LingOrm

Chapter 10: Groceries Shopping

It was a bustling weekend at the supermarket. The aisles were packed with shoppers pushing carts loaded with groceries, while children tugged on their parents' sleeves, begging for snacks. The scent of fresh bread and roasted chicken wafted through the air, mingling with the sounds of beeping cash registers and the low hum of conversations. Ling found herself in the midst of it, pushing a half-filled cart while her younger brother, Gulf, trailed beside her, casually tossing items into the cart.

"If I lived with you, I wouldn't need to buy all this stuff. Neon would take care of everything," Gulf's voice cut through the clamor.

Ling chuckled, adjusting a bag of rice in the cart. "It's not that I don't want you living with me, Gulf. But you've got your own life now, and it's about time you learned to be independent. Ever since you started modeling, you need to handle things on your own."

Gulf looked at her, a mix of amusement and exasperation on his face. "I've lived with you for over 160 years, and it's only been two years since I moved out. It's harder than it looks, you know."

"You'll get used to it," Ling smiled at his familiar whining. "Besides, don't you have someone you like now? If you're serious about her, you need to learn how to be on your own. You can't rely on others if you want to be a husband."

Gulf rolled his eyes and nudged her playfully. "June's just a crush, nothing serious. You know human and us, it's hard to be together. Why are you jumping so far ahead?"

The nudge, however, sent Ling's cart veering off course, and before she could react, it collided with another shopper's cart.

"Franky? What a small world..." Ling exclaimed, surprised to see one of her patients from the therapy center.

"Dr. Ling?" Franky, equally taken aback, blinked before smiling. "I didn't expect to run into you here."

Ling glanced at Franky's cart, which was noticeably empty. "Just got here?" she asked.

Franky nodded. His attention then shifted to Gulf. "Is this your boyfriend?" Franky asked with a smirk, admiring Gulf's appearance. "He's handsome."

Gulf, hearing the compliment, puffed out his chest and shot a fake macho look at Ling, as if playing along with the assumption.

"Actually he's my younger brother," Ling quickly burst Gulf's bubble, giving him a smirk. "And yes, I'm his prettiest sister."

Franky laughed, clearly embarrassed. "Sorry about the misunderstanding." He extended his hand toward Gulf, introducing himself. "I'm Franky."

Gulf, however, didn't take the handshake. Instead, he bowed slightly, placing his hand over his chest. "I'm Gulf," he replied, with a hint of dramatic flair, but actually he tried to avoid the human sensing his cold vampire body temperature.

Ling grinned and quickly interjected, "My brother's got a fever. He's avoiding handshakes, just in case he passes it on the virus to you."

Franky nodded understandingly, though a bit puzzled. Before any more could be said, another voice called out.

"Ling?"

"Gulf?"

The siblings turned to see the source of the voice.

"Orm?" Ling exclaimed.

"June?" Gulf said in disbelief.

Orm and June stood a few feet away, both equally surprised by the encounter.

Franky, now thoroughly confused, glanced between Orm, June, Ling, and Gulf. "Wait, how do you all know each other?"

June, still processing the situation, chimed in first. "Gulf's my colleague. Next week we have another next project together, maybe we'll meet more often again."