Faking It, Lovin' It || Lingorm

Chapter 7: The First Real Kiss

The sun was setting as Lingling and Orm made their way back down the trail, casting long shadows across the path. The conversation had shifted back to lighter topics, and Lingling was grateful for the reprieve after Orm's candid admission earlier. Still, the air between them felt different—charged with an unspoken understanding that something had shifted.

Orm was walking ahead, her usual carefree attitude on full display as she balanced on a fallen log, arms outstretched like she was tightrope walking. Lingling watched her with a faint smile, shaking her head at Orm's playful antics. She was always so full of energy, so at ease with herself, and Lingling couldn't help but admire that.

Lingling didn't want to admit how much she had been thinking about Orm—about her earlier words, about how genuine she had been. Maybe that was what had made everything feel so confusing lately. It wasn't just the fake relationship; it was Orm herself. The more Lingling got to know her, the more she realized there was more to Orm than the playful exterior she presented to the world.

As they reached the bottom of the trail and made their way back to the car, the quiet between them was comfortable, yet charged. Lingling could feel her heart thudding in her chest, an unfamiliar sensation she tried to push away. This was supposed to be simple, straightforward—nothing more than a temporary arrangement. But the lines had blurred in ways she hadn't expected.

When they finally reached the car, Orm turned to face her, leaning against the driver's side door with an easy grin. "Not bad for someone who claims to hate the outdoors, huh?" she teased.

Lingling smirked. "It was tolerable, I guess."

Orm laughed, her eyes sparkling in the fading light. "I'll take it." She glanced down at her shoes, kicking a small pebble. "Hey, listen... about earlier—"

"Orm, you don't have to—"

"No, I want to," Orm interrupted gently, her usual teasing tone replaced with something softer. "I know we're supposed to be keeping this casual, but I just wanted you to know that... I'm really enjoying this. Being around you, I mean. Even if it's fake."

Lingling's breath caught. There was that word again—fake. The reminder of their agreement, the one that was supposed to keep things from getting messy. But as she stood there, looking at Orm, the word felt wrong. Everything about this moment felt real—too real.

"Orm..." Lingling started, unsure of what she was about to say. She wasn't used to letting her guard down, to opening up, especially not like this. But before she could finish, Orm took a step closer, her gaze locking onto Lingling's.

There was no teasing, no playful grin this time. Just Orm, standing there, watching her with an intensity that made Lingling's heart race. It felt like they were on the edge of something—something big, something Lingling wasn't sure she was ready for.

But then Orm leaned in, slowly, giving Lingling every opportunity to pull away. Lingling's breath hitched, her mind screaming at her to step back, to keep the boundaries they had set. But her body betrayed her, rooted to the spot as Orm's face drew closer.

And then, softly, Orm's lips brushed against hers.

It was tentative at first, almost as if Orm was testing the waters, waiting for Lingling to push her away. But Lingling didn't. Instead, she felt herself leaning into the kiss, her eyes fluttering closed as the warmth of Orm's touch sent a rush of emotions through her—confusion, excitement, fear, and something she couldn't quite name.

For a moment, everything else faded away—their fake relationship, the rules they had set, the expectations weighing on them. In that moment, it was just them, together, and nothing else mattered.

When they finally pulled apart, Lingling's heart was racing, her breath coming in shallow gasps. Orm stepped back, her gaze searching Lingling's face, as if waiting for her reaction.

"I—I didn't mean to..." Orm started, running a hand through her hair nervously. "I mean, I did, but... I don't know. I didn't want to make things weird."

Lingling stood there, still reeling from the kiss, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts she couldn't quite sort through. "It's... it's not weird," she managed to say, though her voice sounded distant to her own ears.

Orm's expression softened, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Good. Because I—" She stopped, biting her lip before continuing. "I don't know how much longer I can keep pretending this is all just an act."

Lingling's chest tightened. She had been so focused on keeping things simple, on maintaining control, that she hadn't allowed herself to consider the possibility that Orm might feel the same way. That maybe, just maybe, they had both been fooling themselves.

"I don't know if I can either," Lingling admitted quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

They stood there in the fading light, the weight of their unspoken feelings hanging between them. Lingling didn't know what came next—whether they would continue pretending, or if this kiss had changed everything.

But one thing was clear. This wasn't fake anymore. Not to her, and not to Orm.

And that realization scared Lingling more than anything.

A/N: hey, it's my birthday today and i'm kinda not feeling it 😞 anyway, congratulations to lingorm for winning the awards!! words can't describe how proud i am for them:(