Chapter Text
Ling didn’t mind going out; what she couldn’t stand was the crowd. It was her best friend’s final days in Bangkok, and he had chosen the setting for their farewell. Toni, restless for a celebration but still wishing everyone felt at ease, settled on a “three-in-one” place, as he’d described over the phone: a bar with a DJ, a dance floor, and great menu.
In fact, the place, slightly removed from the chaos of the city center, was a large house that separated the restaurant from it’s party-driven side. Ling was delighted by the contemporary food options; she and Toni shared two dishes so they could try a wider range of flavors, and she was so absorbed in thoughts of dessert that she barely noticed the table emptying as the other guests, all strangers to her, slipped through the heavy door from which a synthesized pop beat filtered into the room.
“Let’s go?” Toni and two of his friends pushed back their chairs, and she rose almost instinctively, the crease between her brows betraying her confusion. “They’re closing the kitchen, from now on it’s late-night bites only.”
Ling tried to hide her disappointment behind a smile as she set the menu down and let herself be pulled along by the arm. Of course the bar didn’t offer anything sweet among its late-night bites, she did check. She considered ordering a drink, if only to keep herself busy sipping something, but she had stopped drinking years ago. Her body didn’t take well to alcohol. In the end, she ordered sparkling water, which was serverd with a slice of lemon in a tall glass to wich she clung to for nearly twenty minutes, her body stiff as strangers brushed past her on the dance floor.
She even liked the music and was genuinely glad to be close to Toni, but that didn’t cancel out the anxiety tightening in her chest, and she ended up straying from the little group that was buzzing with energy. She headed toward the bathroom, giving up the idea of splashing water on the back of her neck upon seeing the length of the line, and wound up, almost by accident, right in front of a door painted the same color as the wall, noticeable only because of a neon-yellow smoking sign.
As soon as Ling stepped into the smoking area, her shoulders relaxed. The space was open, almost like a backyard. She traced the direction of the wind and placed herself in a corner opposite its flow, avoiding the smoke from the handful of people scattered in small groups. She pulled her phone from her pocket, scrolled through Instagram for a while, and gradually felt herself calm down.
When she lifted her head again, she began to notice the people around her. Not everyone there was smoking; some groups were simply talking, perhaps having stepped off the dance floor, like herself, to escape the chaos and loud noise. Three tall, stunning women were chatting a few meters away. The one with black hair held a cigarette but never actually drew from it; she gestured with the smoldering tip, which sparked faintly with each movement of her hand. A bronze-skinned girl with a loose, easy smile leaned against the one with the cigarette, and Ling found herself wondering whether they were friends — or something more. She’d always been a bit slow to catch on to those things, and she didn’t like interpreting people based on guesswork anyway.
Her curious eyes then fell on the third woman in the group—the first to truly capture her attention. She had her back turned, wearing a green dress open down the back, revealing the graceful line from her lower spine to her neck. Her light hair was gathered in a small low bun, a few loose strands clinging to her nape with the sweat of someone who had spent most of the night dancing. Ling had always enjoyed looking at beautiful women, and she was utterly transfixed by those bare shoulders and that sweep of back. The woman with black hair crushed her cigarette against the wall and said something that made the one facing away turn toward her to hear better.
Ling recognized that wide, gummy smile, and a rush of heat crept up her face, her ears burned, and she found herself muttering nonsense under her breath when the woman recognized her too. That smile doubled in size, and Ling felt herself smiling back, a smile so big and so full of embarrassment that her eyes vanished into tight little slits.
“LingLing Kwong!” Orm left her friends behind and threw her arms around her former acting classmate. Ling wasn’t wearing her usual smartwatch, but she was certain her heart rate had shot through the roof. She could feel her heart trying to burst out of her chest after being caught red-handed staring at the back of someone who was, more or less, a coworker. She returned the hug a little awkwardly, her fingers brushing lightly against the curve of Orm’s waist.
She didn’t know what to say, so she accepted the hug in silence. Orm smelled like so many things at once that Ling felt light-headed: smoke, a hint of alcohol, warm skin scent, and a lovely floral perfume — the same one from back in 2019. My God, Ling thought, has it really been six years…
“It’s been so long,” she managed to say, giving a light tap on Orm’s lower back, hoping for just a bit of space so she could breathe again.
“What are you doing here? Are you alone?”
“Just getting some air.”
"Come dance with us!" She finally let go of the hug, and Ling almost fell backward. Orm caught her hand between both of hers, those striking light eyes shining — and it was hard to tell whether the glow came from whatever she’d been drinking throughout the night or from the thrill of running into LingLing Kwong at a party.
Ling had a “no, thanks” right at the tip of her tongue, but what came out was: “I don’t know how to dance.”
Orm laughed and started rambling about the cheesy choreography they’d had to learn the year they signed with the channel, saying she distinctly remembered seeing Ling dance. And all of a sudden, Ling found herself back inside the party, Orm’s friends being swallowed by the thinning air of the dance floor.
"Let’s wait for a song you like, okay? Want a drink?” Orm wasn’t expecting an answer — she tossed questions and random comments one after another while steering Ling toward the bar.
“Gin and tonic for me, and…”
She faced Ling, who shook her head.
“Ah, okay — just the gin and tonic, then,” she told the bartender.
Resting both elbows on the counter, Orm looked at Ling again. She seemed so happy it was impossible not to smile every time Orm glanced her way.
Because of the music, Orm leaned closer to Ling’s ear to speak, each word tickling her neck. The blonde sipped her drink slowly and talked about the sequel to Matalada, which she would star in come 2026. The script was being rewritten to cut off a character, industry scandals and all. Ling was aware, she’d seen the news and worried the network might be negligent enough to let a known predator on the project. She felt a genuine wave of relief when she realized they wouldn’t.
Talking to Orm was, strangely, turning her crowd-induced anxiety into something else entirely, something Ling couldn’t name it quite yet.
She thought back to their classes in 2019, to how often she’d been paired with the girl who had seemed so young at the time. Despite the physical changes that had thinned her face and made her features more striking, Orm still had the same way about her. It was warm and disarming, like a hug without the actual contact, which Ling found perfect. In the middle of their conversation, Mantra started playing, and Ling tapped her fingers to the beat on the counter. Orm’s amber eyes lit up again.
“Come on!” She set her drink aside and tugged Ling onto the dance floor by the belt loop. A cold sweat gathered along Ling’s neck and underarms, her body tensing instantly. Orm moved with such fluidity, she knew how to let herself go, whereas Ling swayed stiffly, moving without any real sense of rhythm.
“Relax,” Orm said, pressing her body to Ling’s and loosening Ling’s stiff hips by moving her own. Ling felt on the verge of fainting. Orm’s hands touched the warm skin at her waist, and Ling had no idea what to do with her own hands; instinct told her to pull Orm closer, which only confused her more. Ling had never been the type to seek physical contact. But she felt so comfortable with this… friend? Colleague? She wasn’t sure what to call the closeness forming between them — she only knew she felt warm, inside and out.
The song was over and another began. Feeling Orm’s body against hers left Ling torn between clinging to Orm and running away from her. But there was nowhere to go, they were surrounded by other bodies that kept pushing them against eachother. Orm turned around, now facing away, sliding a hand along her neck and up into her hair, glancing at Ling over her shoulder with a smile Ling couldn’t decode. All she knew was that she wanted to lick the tiny beads of sweat forming along Orm’s back. She pushed the intrusive thought aside, settling for staring without blinking, mouth slightly open at the way the lights shimmered over all that damp skin. The heat that had been burning in her chest and face spread through the rest of her body.
“You okay?” Orm’s mouth was right against Ling’s ear, and Ling hadn’t even noticed her getting that close. She nodded and let her body move with Orm’s, who kept those light eyes fixed on her darker ones. The tension that had been building between them since they recognized each other in the smoking area finally seemed to settle. Ling realized that what she was feeling was more than just liking to look at women — it was attraction. A kind of desire she couldn’t remember ever feeling before.
A voice in her head was practically shouting, kiss her, kiss her. And Ling, half-panicked, did the opposite: she turned her back on Orm and scanned the crowd for Toni, or for Orm’s friends — anyone who might anchor her against whatever current was pulling her under.
She spotted Toni. Thank God, she thought, and waved at him. He raised his eyebrows at her with a little grin and gave her a thumbs-up. Ling was ready to take a step in his direction when she felt the full heat of Orm’s body wrap around her from behind, Orm’s hand sliding over her stomach, thumb and forefinger slipping under the hem of her shirt. Then that mouth brushed her ear again. For a moment, Orm didn’t say anything; she just breathed Ling in, nose in her hair as she moved to the beat, Ling’s knees nearly gave out.
“Can I tell you a secret?” Orm’s voice was velvety against Ling’s ear. Ling turned her head slightly, unconsciously relaxing into Orm’s embrace, and nodded. “I had a crush on you during the workshops.”
“Yeah?” was all Ling managed to say.
“I think I still do.” Orm’s voice dropped even further, smoky and warm. Ling felt Orm’s mouth against her neck, just below the ear. Orm wasn’t kissing her, she was only breathing deeply against that spot, but Ling wanted her to.
“Kiss me.” Once the words left her mouth, Ling wasn’t sure if she had actually said them out loud. Orm froze for a second, as if processing the request — and then Ling turned in her arms, and she didn’t have to wait anymore. Warm, soft lips met hers. She parted her mouth slightly, kissing back, tasting the orange and smoked rosemary from the drink Orm had been nursing earlier.
Ling no longer heard the music, no longer felt anyone else on the dance floor; kissing Orm sent the whole world into standby. It was disorienting, and she wanted more. Orm deepened the kiss as if reading her thoughts, threading a hand through Ling’s dark hair and pulling her closer. When Orm’s tongue found hers in a slow, deliberate sweep, the heat Ling had been feeling pooled low between her legs. Dizzy, she grabbed a fistful of Orm’s dress just to stay upright.
Orm tugged her hair, lifting Ling’s face and trailing her mouth down Ling’s chin, jaw, and neck, sucking hard enough to pull a gasp from her, a gasp that made Ling jerk back and slap a hand over her own mouth, eyes darting around.
“Sorry, I got a little carried away.” Orm laughed, covering Ling’s face with quick pecks and smiling against her mouth before kissing her again. “I never thought…” she began, then shook her head and hid her face in Ling’s dark hair. Ling ran a hand up and down Orm’s arm and pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder, dazed as she tried to process what had just happened.
“I’d never kissed a woman before.” She said it out loud, mostly to herself.
“Really?” Orm pulled back just a little, making a funny face, and Ling laughed. It was strange how comfortable she felt with this woman.
“And I don’t go around kissing people in public either.”
“Oh, I don’t usuallly do that either.” Orm sounded sincere, and Ling felt an urge to hug her. She was surprised at herself, but she let the new feeling go and leaned in to find Orm’s mouth again — she wanted to keep kissing her. No one at the bar seemed to notice what they were doing, and that flutter in her stomach each time Orm’s tongue brushed hers was addictive.
Ling let her hands wander down Orm’s bare back, chilled from the air-conditioning, her touch warming the skin quickly, as if her fingertips radiated heat. She stopped when she reached the edge of the dress covering Orm’s lower back and ass, felt the thin, soft fabric, and slid her hand slowly down along that curve. The kiss grew a little more desperate, and Orm made a sound in her throat that Ling felt vibrate right into her own mouth. They smiled into the kiss, and Orm finally pulled back as Ling’s hands rose back to her waist.
“If I didn’t live with my parents, I’d take you home right now.” Orm said it while breathing in Ling’s hair. “You smell so good.”
“I don’t live with my parents.” Ling answered without thinking. In all the years she’d lived in Bangkok, she’d brought only a handful of people to her apartment — just her closest friends like Toni and Junji, and, of course, the woman who cleaned the place. Ling was very protective of her personal space, but all she wanted now was Orm in her personal space.
Orm smiled with closed lips and half-lidded eyes. “LingLing Kwong… is that an invitation?”
Ling suddenly grew shy, lowering her head so a curtain of hair fell over her face. Orm looped an arm around her waist. “Let’s take a breath.”
They returned to the smoking area, each with a glass of water in hand, cheeks flushed despite the party’s freezing air-conditioning. Outside, they sat on a wooden bench, and Orm took Ling’s hand as they watched the crowd in silence. Holding hands felt like the most natural thing in the world, and Ling brushed her thumb over Orm’s skin, earning herself a wide, glowing smile from the blonde.
“Gorgeous. Way too gorgeous,” she said, smiling as well.
Orm touched her nose to Ling’s forehead, and Ling cupped Orm’s face in her hand. The blonde leaned in to kiss her, then stopped halfway and suddenly burst out laughing.
“What?” Ling asked, confused.
Orm doubled over beside her, laughing hard.
“N’Orm?!” Ling slapped her arm.
“Sorry, but it’s just really funny.” Orm took a deep breath, eyes watering.
“What?”
“I’m kissing P’LingLing. I mean, I had a crush on you when I was seventeen, a totally impossible crush.” Ling didn’t say anything, so Orm kept going. “It’s just… unexpected, that’s all. You know I never leave the house, right? I had to be talked into coming out tonight.”
“I wouldn’t have come to this bar on my own either.”
Orm took Ling’s hand again and pulled it against her chest. “It’s such a crazy coincidence. I haven’t run into anyone I know tonight and, honestly, it never even crossed my mind that I’d find you here.” She kissed the back of Ling’s hand. “I think I’m laughing because I’m happy… and a little nervous.”
Ling could feel Orm’s heartbeat through the dress — fast and strong. She loved how sincere Orm was; there was something so spontaneous about her, sweet and sexy at the same time.
“I know we don’t talk that much, but I keep up with you on Instagram. And…” Orm looked at her, resting her chin on their joined hands, thoughtful. “I don’t think I want to go home with you tonight.”
Ling’s mouth fell open — she wasn’t sure if it was to protest or to ask why. She had been genuinely ready to take this woman home. Orm squeezed her hand and went on. “My body really wants to,” she said with a soft laugh. “You have no idea how much.”
Her light eyes looked darker now, pupils blown wide, and Ling believed every word. “But this feels so good… I don’t want it to end, you know? I’m scared that if we sleep together tonight…”
Ling faltered, ears burning. Orm’s words hit her so suddenly she almost lost her breath. Of course if they went home they’d end up in bed, but she hadn’t put any of it into actual words yet. Hearing Orm say it so openly made her pull her hand away and scratch her head, hiding her face again.
“That’s exactly it,” Orm said, catching her wrist. “I don’t want you running away from me.”
Ling felt a twist of frustration and relief all at once. Orm was right. Ling had no idea whether she would bolt or not if things went too far that night. The whole situation was new to her; she could react in ways that might even surprise herself. She sighed, letting her back sink into the wooden bench, eyes drifting toward the door that led back to the dance floor. Her only point of contact with Orm was the gentle stroke of Orm’s fingers over her wrist.
“What are you doing next weekend?” Orm asked.
Ling looked at her, confused and a little dazed. She took so long to answer that Orm nudged her lightly.
“Hey, I’m trying to ask you out.”
Ling pressed her lips together, she had no idea. P’Mam was the one who managed her schedule. She pulled her phone from her pocket to check.
“Photoshoot on Saturday and Sunday,” she said, sounding genuinely sad, a tiny pout forming without her noticing.
Orm smacked a kiss on her pout, squishing Ling’s cheeks between both hands, a smile lighting up both their eyes. “I’m free the Saturday after that,” Ling said, face still all squashed by Orm’s grip.
“I have a Maybelline event on Saturday.” Orm wilted a little — juggling a career with any kind of relationship, friendship or otherwise, was nearly impossible. “And the next one?”
“Let me check.” Ling pulled away just enough to look at her calendar. Twenty days felt like far too long to plan something like this, but she was, indeed, free.
Orm took the phone from her hand and added her name to Ling’s schedule for Saturday night, twenty-one days from now.
“A Dinner?”
Ling brightened. “Where?”
Orm kissed her with a smile, fingers brushing the back of Ling’s neck.
“Wherever you want.”
NA: English is not my first language, but I did my best...
Thanks for reading all the way through!
I should be posting part 2 soon…
First time trying my hand at writing.
Comments are always welcome :D