"I love skinship, what I do with Ling is genuine and sincere, as I am with my close friends."
When Ling heard Orm say this in the interview, her heart twitched, but she quickly recovered and carried on with the interview. The rest of the interview went on without a hitch.
When they were ready to leave, Orm gave Ling a hug. "See you, P'Ling."
"See you, N'Orm, Mae Koy." Ling smiled as always.
When Ling got into the car, she took a deep breath.
"Don't overthink it." She thought. "What you have with N'Orm is special, trust your feelings."
Ling got into her apartment, and placed the keys on the entryway table.
She walked to the kitchen, left the phone on the kitchen island and poured herself a glass of water.
Her phone lit.
"Reached home?"
Ling smiled, it's Orm.
She sent a quick reply. "Yes, have a good rest."
"You too, nite."
Ling put down her phone. "I need to have a shower and put this behind."
And she did, until two days later.
Orm's photo appeared on the internet.
Orm was back hugging another actress, who was her close friend.
Cheek to cheek, smiling brightly towards the camera.
Ling stared at the photo, not sure what to make of it.
Her mind went all over the place, and she didn't like that.
She closed her eyes. All she could think of was Orm, her smiles and her laughters.
She loved Orm.
If she's just one of Orm's close friends, then so be it.
As long as Orm was in her life, she'd be happy, she thought.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Two weeks later, Orm looked troubled in the make up room.
Something between Ling and her changed.
She couldn't point a finger on what exactly.
Ling was gentle and soft, as usual.
She patted her head when Orm said somehting endearing, as usual.
She hugged back, as usual.
She smiled and chatted, as usual.
She laughed when Orm teased her, again, as usual.
However, something was amiss, but it was so subtle that she didn't feel it until now.
"Something bothering you, N'Orm?" Ling asked.
I must be frowning, Orm thought.
She looked at Ling, smiled and shook her head.
Couldn't discuss it if she couldn't pinpoint what's bothering her.
Later that day, she asked Mae Koy, "Mae, did you notice anything strange with Ling lately?"
"What do you mean?"
"I'm not sure, something changed but I couldn't put a finger to it."
"I didn't notice anything. Both of you are clingy to each other as usual." Mae Koy teased.
Too distracted to react on Mae Koy's teasing, Orm was still wondering.
That night, she lied in bed, recalling every interaction she had with Ling, as detailed as she could.
And then it dawned on her.
For the past couple of weeks, Ling had not initiated any physical contact with her.
Ling did that much less than Orm did to begin with, therefore the change was so subtle it took some time for Orm to feel that something was off.
Now that Orm found it, she knew she had to talk to Ling.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
For the next few days, Ling and Orm worked together.
However, they were external events and Orm couldn't get a chance to speak to Ling in private.
And she didn't want to talk about it over the phone.
She waited, and finally found the opportunity.
Ling was alone in the room. She was walking towards the desk when Orm entered the room and approached.
"P'Ling."
"N'Orm?" Ling turned and smiled, but quickly looked slightly concerned as Orm wasn't flashing a big smile.
Orm didn't waste any time, she held out her hands with palms facing upwards. Ling was puzzled but her hands reached out to Orm's.
Orm took a deep breath, looked straight into Ling's eyes and said, "Talk to me. What happened? Why are you keeping me at arm's length?"
"I'm not sure I'm getting you, N'Orm." Ling was genuinely confused.
"While you reciprocate my affection, you stopped initiating any hand holding or hugs. You can be honest with me."
Ling was surprised.
She didn't stop that consciously, and certainly caught off guard with Orm's request, but she knew the reason.
Ling hesitated, but Orm waited.
For a while, the silence was deafening, but Orm wasn't letting go of her hands.
Fine, Ling thought. She owed Orm honesty at least.
"I couldn't."
Orm raised her eyebrows, and waited for more.
"I'm not sure what you expect, N'Orm. We are very close friends, best buddies, best work partners."
Ling wanted to say, we're not lovers, but it stuck in her throat.
Orm felt the pang in her heart, she knew she's getting closer.
"P'Ling. Please don't hold back."
"I'm not holding back. I'm saying as they are. I'm your close friend and I'm grateful every day that I have you in my life."
"You're not just a close friend, P'Ling. What did I do that made you think so?"
Ling paused, bit the bullet and said, "Skinship. You have that with everyone close to you. I'm no different, but it's fine. I'm fine with it. I'm not sure what you're asking of me and I'm not sure where this conversation is going."
Aha! Finally the reason!
"P'Ling..." Orm pulled Ling in and hugged her. Ling let her.
They hugged in silence for a minute.
"P'Ling, more than a few people get my hugs, but..." Orm stepped back and held up Ling's hands. Orm gently kissed the back of her hands. "they don't get this."
Orm placed her hands on her chest near her heart, "nor this."
Ling's heart was racing.
Orm gently kissed Ling's forehead, "nor this."
Orm gently kissed Ling's mole on her cheek, "nor this."
Orm's hands moved to Ling's back and waist. When she was closing the gap and going for the lips, she heard Ling say, "Don't... if you don't mean it..."
Ling couldn't help but closed her eyes. She didn't want to see Orm changing her mind, but Orm planted a soft kiss and said, "nor this".
Then Orm leaned in to kiss Ling again, this time with more aggression and passion, with unmistakable intent and message. Ling was overwhelmed with emotion, she knew they had crossed the line.