"Orm," Lingling murmured, her voice quieter now, almost a whisper. She leaned forward slightly, her face inches away from Orm's. "Do you want to kiss?"
"Wh-what?" Orm stammered, her voice barely above a whisper.
"You heard me," Lingling said, a smile tugging at her lips. "Do you want to kiss...me?"
Orm's mind raced. She wanted to say yes. God, she wanted to say yes more than anything. Lingling was beautiful, intoxicating, and in this moment, heartbreakingly human. But then the image of Lingling's girlfriend flashed in her mind.
"You're drunk," Orm finally managed, her voice trembling slightly. "You don't know what you're saying."
Lingling leaned back, a bitter laugh escaping her. "That's what everyone says, isn't it? I'm drunk, so I must not mean it. But what if I do? What if, for once, this is the most honest I've ever been?"
Orm didn't know how to respond. She wanted to believe Lingling, to give in to the pull she felt toward her, but the weight of reality held her back. "You have a girlfriend," Orm said quietly, the words feeling like stones in her mouth.
There are moments in life so small, so ordinary, that you barely notice when everything changes. A glance held a little too long. A laugh that feels different in your chest. A touch that lingers.
She became my best friend, my constant. Late-night calls, endless adventures, secrets whispered into the dark. It was always easy with her, natural. Safe.
But somewhere between laughter and promises, something shifted. I didn't know it at first-not really. I just knew that when she smiled, it felt like the sun had chosen me. That when she cried, it hurt more than my own heartbreaks. That when she was near, the world made a little more sense.
This is the story of how we found each other-not as we were, but as we were meant to be. From friends, to lovers, and somewhere even deeper than that.
Because sometimes, the greatest love stories start with a simple truth: it was always you.