Ink & Intentions (Lingorm)

23. Stolen Kisses

Ling's whisper lingered in the air, her voice fragile yet heavy with doubt. "Orm, we can't."

Orm froze, her heart sinking as she watched Ling pull back, retreating from the fragile connection they'd just forged. Ling's hands trembled as they fell away from Orm's waist, and she couldn't meet Orm's gaze.

"This isn't fair," Ling continued, her voice cracking. "To Wisanu. He's... he's a good guy. He doesn't deserve this."

Orm's chest tightened at the name, but she forced herself to stay calm. "Ling," she said gently, leaning closer. "You're not being fair to yourself either."

Ling shook her head, her hair hiding her face. "I—" She faltered, her breath coming fast. "This... this isn't me. I can't do this. I can't hurt him."

"You're not hurting anyone right now," Orm said, her voice steady but soft. "All you're doing is running away from what you feel. From what we feel."

Ling's head snapped up, her wide eyes locking onto Orm's. "That's not fair," she whispered, her words trembling on the edge of anger and heartbreak.

"Maybe not," Orm admitted, reaching out to take Ling's hand. "But it's the truth." She laced their fingers together, her grip firm but not forceful. "I'm not asking you to make any big decisions right now. I'm just asking you to stop fighting this. Stop fighting us."

Ling's lips parted as if to argue, but no words came. Orm's eyes—so open, so earnest—made her chest ache with emotions she couldn't fully name. Slowly, she exhaled, letting some of the tension drain from her shoulders.

"I don't know if I can do this," Ling murmured, her voice barely audible.

"You don't have to know," Orm replied, her thumb brushing soothing circles on Ling's hand. "Just... be here. With me. Right now."

Ling hesitated, her gaze flickering between Orm's eyes and their joined hands. She wanted to resist, to keep the walls she'd built around herself intact. But as Orm leaned closer, her warmth enveloping Ling like a comforting embrace, those walls began to crumble.

And then Orm kissed her again.

This time, there was no hesitation—no careful, tentative testing of boundaries. Orm's lips moved against Ling's with quiet confidence, her hand cupping Ling's cheek as if to anchor her in the moment. Ling melted into the kiss, her arms wrapping around Orm's shoulders as if they belonged there.

Orm's fingers threaded through Ling's hair, tilting her head to deepen the kiss. Their breaths mingled, each touch sending sparks racing through Ling's body. She gasped softly as Orm's lips trailed along her jawline, the gentle scrape of teeth and the soft press of kisses making her shiver.

"Orm..." Ling whispered, her voice a mix of plea and surrender.

Orm pulled back just enough to meet Ling's gaze, her eyes dark with emotion. "I'm here," she murmured, her hands sliding to Ling's waist. "I'm not going anywhere."

Ling's heart thundered in her chest as she leaned in again, capturing Orm's lips in another kiss. This one was hungrier, filled with the kind of longing they'd both kept buried for far too long. Orm's hands roamed up Ling's back, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them.

They shifted, the couch cushions creaking as Ling found herself pressed back against the armrest, Orm leaning over her. Ling's hands wandered, tracing the lines of Orm's shoulders and the curve of her waist, learning the shape of her with a kind of reverence that made Orm's breath hitch.

Their kisses grew slower, deeper, each one lingering as if they were afraid to let go. Time seemed to blur around them, the rest of the world fading into nothingness.