The Girl Between Us (Ling x Miu, Lena x Orm)

CHAPTER 1 - The Girl

Lingling Kwong noticed a girl, she was kneeling on the pavement.

Not crying.
Not panicking.

Just quietly trying to fix the wheel of a stranger's broken suitcase.

Students walked past her like background noise, expensive shoes tapping against marble floors. No one stopped.

Lingling did.

She didn't know why.

Lingling Kwong did not stop for people.

She especially did not stop for strangers.

Yet there she was, standing in front of a girl crouched on the ground, sleeves rolled up, fingers smudged with dust, lips pressed in concentration like the world depended on that stupid suitcase wheel.

"It's broken" Lingling said flatly.

The girl looked up.

Lingling forgot what she was about to say next.

She stared...

Soft eyes
Gentle face
No fear
No recognition
No attempt to impress.

Most people looked at Lingling Kwong like she was power.

This girl looked at her like she was... just a person.

"I know," the girl smiled. "But she looked like she was about to cry. I thought maybe I could try."

Lingling followed her gaze.

An elderly janitor stood nearby, clutching the suitcase handle nervously.

Lingling felt something unfamiliar twist in her chest.

Annoying.

Inconvenient.

Dangerous.

"You'll get your hands dirty," Lingling said.

The girl laughed softly.

"I can wash my hands after."

Lingling had negotiated million-peso deals without blinking.

But somehow, she didn't know how to respond to that.

So instead, she did something even more unusual.

She crouched beside her.

The girl blinked in surprise.

Together, silently, they fixed the wheel.

When it finally clicked back into place, the janitor nearly cried with gratitude and walked away bowing repeatedly.

The girl exhaled in victory.

Lingling watched her like she had discovered a new language.

"What's your name?" Lingling asked.

"Miu."

One word.

One name.

And suddenly Lingling Kwong understood something terrifying...

she had just found something she wanted.

And Lingling Kwong never lost what she wanted.

******

Lale Schuett noticed a girl, she was laughing.

Not the polite kind.
Not the careful kind.

The real kind.

The kind that escapes before you can stop it.

Lale heard it before she saw her.

It floated across the university café like sunlight slipping through curtains. Bright. Effortless. Warm.

Lale looked up from her psychology notes, mildly annoyed that something had broken her concentration.

Then she saw her.

Miu sat at the far table, head thrown back slightly, eyes squeezed shut as she laughed at something her classmate said. Her shoulders shook like she didn't know how to laugh quietly.

Lale stared longer than she meant to.

Because people didn't laugh like that here.

Students in this university smiled strategically. Spoke carefully. Existed competitively.

Most girls here were curated.

But that girl?
She didn't look curated at all.

She looked real.

Lale closed her book slowly.

Her curiosity had already won.

She walked to the counter, bought an extra iced latte, and walked straight to girl's table before she could overthink it.

"Hi," Lale said brightly, placing the drink down in front of her.

Miu blinked in confusion. "Oh-I didn't order this."

"I know," Lale smiled. "You looked like you needed it."

That made Miu laugh again. Softer this time.

"And how do I look like I need coffee?"

"Because you laugh like someone who hasn't slept properly in three days."

Miu stared at her for a second... then burst into another laugh.

God, Lale thought. I did that.

"I'm Miu," she said, offering her hand.

Lale took it without hesitation.

"Lale."

The handshake lasted a second longer than necessary.

Not awkward.

Just... warm.

Lale noticed everything in tiny details the way psychology students always did. The faint calluses on Miu's fingers. The way she made eye contact without intimidation. The way her smile reached her eyes before her lips.

Kindness lived in this girl. You could see it immediately.

And Lale had always been weak for kind things.

"So... what made you buy coffee for a stranger?" Miu asked.

Lale tilted her head, pretending to think.

"Professional curiosity."

"Professional?"

"I like understanding people."

"And what do you understand about me so far?"

Lale met her eyes, smiling gently.

"That you help people even when no one is watching."

Miu froze.

A tiny flicker of surprise crossed her face.

"How did you-"

"I saw you earlier," Lale said softly. "With the janitor's suitcase."

Miu's cheeks turned pink.

"Oh. That."

"That mattered."

For a moment, the noise of the café faded.

Miu looked at Lale like she didn't know what to do with that kind of attention.

Lale knew the feeling.

Because at that exact moment, she realized something quietly life-changing.

She wanted to keep seeing that expression.

Wanted to keep making this girl laugh.
Wanted to know what made her sad.
Wanted to know everything.

Slowly

Quietly

Like sunrise.