Faking It, Lovin' It || Lingorm

Chapter 10: The Confession (Part 1)

Lingling hadn't expected her family to take so quickly to Orm. Every time she visited, they found new ways to gush about how wonderful she was—how lively, how warm, how good she was for Lingling. And now, after weeks of fake dating that had turned into something very real for Lingling, her family had begun dropping hints about the next steps.

It started innocently enough: subtle questions about how serious their relationship was, lighthearted jokes about moving in together. But recently, her mother had begun asking more direct questions, like, "So, when are you two going to take the next step?" Or, "Are you thinking about living together?"

Lingling felt the pressure mounting, and she wasn't sure what to do with it.

One evening, as she was scrolling through emails, a message from her mother popped up. It was brief, but it carried the weight of a much larger expectation:

"Your father and I were talking, and we think you and Orm should come for dinner soon. It's time to discuss the future."

Lingling's heart dropped into her stomach. Discuss the future? The weight of the words felt like a heavy stone pressing on her chest. Her parents had always been traditional, and while they had come to terms with Lingling's life choices over the years, they still wanted her to follow a more conventional path. Now that they thought she was in a serious relationship, it seemed like they were ready to push her into the next phase: commitment.

She closed her laptop and leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples. The thought of moving in with Orm wasn't the problem—it was the uncertainty of what their relationship even was that terrified her. They hadn't officially defined it, despite their recent closeness and the vulnerability they'd shared. Orm had admitted she was scared of commitment, and Lingling had confessed her own fears of failure in relationships. Yet here they were, facing the possibility of something more, something real, and neither of them had said what they truly wanted.

Lingling glanced at her phone, the screen lighting up with a new message from Orm.

"Movie night at mine? Got the perfect pick."

Normally, she'd welcome the distraction, but tonight, all Lingling could think about was the looming conversation with her family. She needed to talk to Orm before this spiraled out of control.

"Sure, but we need to talk first," Lingling typed back.

"Ooh, serious talk? I'm intrigued," Orm replied, always playful even when Lingling was feeling tense.

A short while later, Lingling arrived at Orm's apartment. Orm greeted her with her usual grin, holding up a bag of popcorn and a stack of DVDs. "Ready for a deep dive into bad 90s movies?"

Lingling smiled despite her nerves. "Not tonight. I need to talk to you about something."

Orm's expression shifted, the grin fading into something more serious. "Alright. What's going on?"

They sat down on the couch, and Lingling took a deep breath. "My parents want us to come over for dinner. They want to 'discuss the future,' and they're expecting us to take the next step. Moving in together."

Orm raised an eyebrow. "Whoa. That's... fast."

"Yeah," Lingling agreed, her voice tight. "But the thing is, I don't even know where we stand right now. We've never really talked about it, and now my family thinks we're practically engaged."

Orm leaned back, her gaze thoughtful but guarded. "So... what are you asking?"

Lingling swallowed, her heart pounding. She had to say it. She had to be honest, no matter how scary it was. "I guess... I need to know if this is real for you. Because it's starting to feel real for me, Orm, and I don't know what to do with that."

Orm's playful demeanor vanished entirely, her face growing serious as she processed Lingling's words. She didn't respond right away, and the silence between them felt heavier than anything Lingling had ever experienced.

Lingling felt a lump forming in her throat, the fear of rejection creeping in. "I'm not asking for anything more than honesty. I just need to know if we're on the same page."

Orm sighed softly, running a hand through her hair. "Lingling, you know me. I've never been good at commitment, and when we started this whole thing, it was supposed to be fake, right? But... yeah, I've been feeling things too. Real things. And it's been freaking me out."

Lingling's heart skipped a beat. "So, what does that mean?"

Orm looked at her, her eyes soft but conflicted. "It means I'm scared, okay? I don't want to hurt you, and I don't want to mess this up. But I'm not used to this. I'm not used to us."

Lingling felt a rush of emotions—relief, fear, confusion—all crashing into her at once. "I'm scared too, Orm. But I can't keep pretending like this is just some fake relationship for the sake of our families. I need to know if we're going to try for something real."

Orm stayed silent for a moment, her gaze dropping to the floor. Lingling could see the wheels turning in her mind, the battle between Orm's fear of commitment and her growing feelings. After what felt like an eternity, Orm finally spoke.

"I don't know what the future looks like," Orm admitted, her voice low. "But I want to try. I want to try with you, Lingling."

Lingling's heart swelled with a mix of joy and trepidation. It wasn't a perfect answer, but it was real. Orm was scared, just like she was, but she wasn't running away.

"That's all I needed to hear," Lingling said softly.

They sat in silence for a while, the tension between them easing into something gentler. The conversation wasn't over—they still had a lot to figure out—but for now, it felt like they were finally on the same page. Both scared, both uncertain, but both willing to try.

As they settled in to watch a movie, Lingling couldn't help but feel that they had just crossed a threshold. There was no going back to pretending now. This was real, messy, and complicated—but it was theirs.