Ink & Intentions (Lingorm)

21. The confession

Orm was pacing around the small living room, her arms folded across her chest as she looked over at Ling, who was sitting on the couch with her legs tucked underneath her. The silence was thick between them, making Orm more anxious by the second. She couldn't take it anymore. Ling had been distant for days now, ever since they'd come back from the mountains. It wasn't like them—Orm couldn't remember the specifics of what happened, but she knew something had shifted between them.

"Hey, Ling," Orm started, her voice steady but laced with impatience, "What's going on? Why are you acting so weird around me?"

Ling flinched at the question, her eyes flickering toward Orm for a brief moment before looking away. She didn't want to talk about it, not really. The guilt that had been building up in her chest since that night was suffocating. She didn't know how to explain it, especially when she wasn't even sure what to make of it herself.

"Nothing's going on," Ling muttered, her voice softer than usual. "You're just overthinking it."

"Overthinking? Ling, we've been friends for how long?" Orm's voice was tinged with confusion. "I know something's wrong. You've been avoiding me ever since we got back from the holiday. I don't understand."

Ling looked up, meeting Orm's gaze, but she quickly looked away, as if she couldn't bear to keep eye contact. "I... I'm sorry, Orm. It's not about you," she said, her words heavy with unspoken emotions. She hesitated, her hands fiddling with the hem of her sweater. "It's just... I need to explain."

Orm sat down next to her, sensing the tension in Ling's posture. "Explain what? What happened, Ling? You've been acting like I did something wrong, and I don't even know why."

Ling took a deep breath, her fingers tightening around the fabric of her sweater. She couldn't avoid it anymore. The weight of what she had been holding back was unbearable. "I mean the kiss, Orm," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Orm froze. Her heart skipped a beat. "The kiss?" she repeated, confusion written all over her face. "What kiss?"

Ling's gaze flickered nervously toward Orm, her hands trembling slightly. She swallowed hard. "You were drunk," she said softly. "I didn't want it to happen. But... you kissed me. And I... I didn't stop it."

Orm's mind went blank for a moment. She couldn't remember a thing. The night after the double date—everything after that was blurry. The only thing that stood out in her mind was the feeling of Ling being near her, of being cared for. But this? A kiss? She shook her head.

"I don't remember that," Orm said slowly, her brows furrowing in confusion. "I was drunk?"

Ling nodded, her voice tinged with regret. "Yeah. You don't remember, and maybe that's for the best. But it made things... complicated for me. After that night, I started pulling away because I didn't know how to act around you anymore. I thought it would be better if I just kept my distance."

Orm sat there, stunned, trying to process what Ling was saying. She had no memory of the kiss, but the way Ling was talking—her tone, her hesitation—it was clear that something had shifted between them, something Orm hadn't even realized.

"Why didn't you just tell me sooner?" Orm asked, her voice quiet, though there was a hint of hurt behind her words. "I thought we were okay. I thought everything was fine."

Ling bit her lip, looking down at her hands. "I didn't want to make things awkward between us. And... I didn't want to hurt Wisanu. I'm with him, Orm. I felt like if I told you about the kiss, it would ruin everything. I didn't want to lose him, but I also didn't want to lose you. And I guess I was scared. I didn't know how to handle it."

Orm's heart ached at Ling's words. It was clear now that this wasn't about her or Ling's feelings for her. It was about Ling's conflict—her fear of hurting Wisanu, of betraying him in some way, even though it was a moment that Orm didn't even remember.

"But Ling, you didn't need to retreat," Orm said gently, her voice softening. "You didn't have to push me away. I didn't want to make things complicated either. I just want us to be okay. I don't care about the kiss. You don't have to worry about that. I just care about you being okay."

Ling let out a breath, the tension slowly easing from her shoulders. "I guess I should have talked to you sooner," she admitted. "I was just so confused. I didn't know how to deal with everything."

Orm smiled a little, the hurt from earlier still lingering but slowly starting to fade. "Well, we're talking now," she said, nudging Ling playfully. "So, no more running away, okay?"

Ling chuckled softly, a small, genuine smile tugging at her lips. "Okay," she whispered. "No more running away."

For the first time in days, the air between them felt lighter, the heaviness lifting like the clouds parting after a storm. Orm wasn't sure what would happen next, but she knew one thing for sure: they would get through this. They always did.

Ling leaned back against the couch, closing her eyes for a moment, letting out a deep sigh of relief. "I've missed this," she said softly, almost to herself.

Orm raised an eyebrow. "Missed what?"

"You," Ling replied, her voice suddenly teasing. "Us. It's been so weird not hanging out with you like we used to."

Orm smirked, nudging her with her elbow. "You mean, you missed my annoying self, huh?"

Ling laughed, nudging her back. "Well, yeah. What else was I supposed to do? Hang out with Wisanu all the time? I mean, I love the guy, but he's not you."

Orm raised a brow. "Oh? You just love me, huh?" she teased, grinning mischievously.

Ling rolled her eyes, pushing her lightly. "Not in that way! You know what I mean."

Orm gave a dramatic sigh, leaning back and putting her hands behind her head. "Okay, okay. But I'll take it. I think I'm pretty loveable."

Ling snorted, clearly amused. "Only you would say that with a straight face."

Orm shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, it's true. I'm a lot to handle, but that's part of my charm, right?"

Ling laughed again, the sound light and genuine. "Yeah, you're definitely a lot to handle. But... I wouldn't change a thing."

There was a long pause, a warm silence that filled the space between them. It was comfortable, easy. Like nothing had ever been off between them. Orm leaned her head back, staring at the ceiling, her mind finally starting to relax after the tension of the past week.

"So," Orm said, breaking the silence, her voice lighthearted again. "We're good, right? You're not going to run off and hide from me again?"

Ling smiled, a little mischievously, her fingers absentmindedly playing with a loose strand of her hair. "Not unless you do something ridiculously annoying," she teased.

Orm grinned, nudging her again. "I'll try to keep the ridiculousness to a minimum, but no promises."

"Good," Ling said, her smile softening. "I'll hold you to that."

Orm couldn't help but smile back, the old, comfortable camaraderie between them returning. It felt right. They'd gotten past the weirdness, and they were back to being themselves—teasing, laughing, and just being friends.

Ling gave her a small, fond glance, and for a moment, Orm saw the flicker of something unspoken in her eyes. It was fleeting, but it was there.

As they sat together, the lingering tension from their recent conversations seemed to fade into the background. Orm wasn't sure what the future held, but for now, it felt like things were going to be okay. And that was enough.