Maybe This Time

014

Weeks had passed since Orm returned from the business trip, yet Anada couldn't ignore the changes she saw. Orm seemed preoccupied, lost in thought, as though her mind was somewhere far from them.

Anada had tried to brush it off, hoping it was just post travel fatigue or work stress, but now, the signs were too many to overlook.

Tonight, at dinner in the quiet corner of the restaurant she'd booked for their date, Anada finally decided it was time to confront Orm.

They ate mostly in silence, the only sounds the clinking of cutlery and low hum of the restaurant around them. Anada kept glancing at Orm, who seemed unusually quiet, picking at her food without much enthusiasm.

"Orm," Anada began, her voice soft yet steady. "I need to ask you something... and I need you to be completely honest with me."

Orm looked up, caught off guard. "Of course, Ana. What's going on?"

Anada hesitated, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She searched Orm's face, her eyes serious. "Ever since you got back, I've noticed... things. You're here, but not really here. It feels like part of you is somewhere else, somewhere I can't reach."

Orm froze, the fork slipping from her fingers as her heart pounded. "Ana, I..." She trailed off, struggling for words.

Anada's gaze was unwavering, though her voice was gentle. "Did something happen on your trip, Orm? Something you haven't told me?"

Orm hesitated, the truth hovering on her lips, but guilt clamped it down. She looked away, her voice barely a whisper. "I didn't want to hurt you, Ana. I thought I could just push it aside, that it would pass. But.. yes. Something did happen."

Anada's face fell as she looked down, trying to steady her trembling hands. "It's about Ling, isn't it?"

The silence was answer enough. Anada's eyes glistened as she took a deep breath, her voice small and breaking. "Orm, do you still have feelings for her?"

Orm's heart ached as she nodded, her words heavy with regret. "I thought I'd moved on, Ana. I thought I could leave the past behind, but... seeing her brought everything back. I never wanted to hurt you. You've been my peace, my light."

Anada's hand shook as she placed her fork down, blinking back the tears that were now filling her eyes. "So, everything we had, was that just... temporary? Was I just a distraction from your past with her?"

"No," Orm's voice trembled. "You mean so much to me. I love you, Ana. You gave me something I didn't even know I needed."

"But it's not enough, is it?" Anada looked away, her voice filled with hurt. "I knew... deep down, I knew. I could feel it. And yet, I kept hoping you'd eventually leave the past behind. I thought you'd choose us."

Orm reached across the table, her own eyes glistening with tears. "Ana, please... never wanted it to be like this. I thought I'd moved on. I thought I'd closed that door, but... that night, I... I kissed her."

Anada closed her eyes as the words sank in, a tear sliding down her cheek. She slowly shook her head, her voice barely audible. "That's all I needed to know."

Orm's face fell, guilt stretched in every line. "Ana, I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you like this."

Anada looked at her, a sad, understanding smile breaking through her tears. "I know, Orm. I know you didn't mean to. But you can't help what's in your heart."

She dabbed at her eyes with a napkin, her voice steady but full of sadness. "You need to figure out what you really want, Orm. Because I can't keep hoping you'll give me all of yourself when part of you is still somewhere else."

As they finished dinner in silence, the weight of Orm's confession hanging heavily between them, Anada forced a polite smile and signaled for the check.

The server returned with the bill, and Anada insisted on paying, brushing off Orm's offer with a gentle shake of her head.

"I've got it," Anada murmured. "Just... let me do this." They walked to the car in silence, and Anada drove them back to Orm's apartment, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

When they arrived, she parked, and they sat in the stillness of the car, neither wanting to break the silence.

Anada finally turned to Orm, her face a mix of heartbreak and acceptance. "I had a great time with you, Orm," she said softly. "And... I'll always cherish what we had. But I think it's time I let you go."

Her voice wavered, but she leaned over, pressing a gentle, lingering kiss to Orm's lips, a goodbye wrapped in tenderness.

Then, with tears in her eyes, she whispered, "Goodbye, Orm.." and pulled away, her hand brushing against Orm's cheek one last time before she got back in the car and drove off into the night.

Orm watched the taillights fade, her heart breaking as the reality of what she'd done settled in. She walked up to her apartment, each step heavier than the last, until she closed the door behind her.

The stillness of her empty apartment was suffocating, and she sank onto the floor, her body wracked with sobs.
She cried, guilt and heartbreak overwhelming her.

She had hurt Anada, someone who had been nothing but good to her, because of Ling. Ling, who had haunted her for so long.

In that moment, Orm realized the truth she'd been avoiding all along. She was not over Ling. She had never truly moved on, and in trying to deny it, she had shattered someone else's heart.

Orm buried her face in her hands, whispering to herself, "What have I done.."