Chapter 21

With red-rimmed, half-closed eyes, Orm lay motionless beside Lingling's peacefully sleeping form.

Why had she stayed awake all night? And why was she even here, with Lingling's ring stuck fast on her finger?

She had no clear notion herself.

Was she here to ask for forgiveness?

If anything, Lingling, given her crackhead attitude and the messy events of the previous night, wouldn't buy her excuses.

Perhaps she was here to give the actress a shoulder to lean on after Prigkhing's rejection.

Yeah, that had to be the reason!

Her thoughts were interrupted as Lingling stirred beside her.

Acting on instinct, Orm swiftly shut her eyes tight and made sure her left hand tucked under the pillow.

She even let out a soft, rhythmic snore for good measure, hoping Lingling would buy her act.

Lingling stirred from her deep slumber, blinking away the lingering haze of sleep, her vision slowly coming into focus.

She sat up gingerly, one hand massaging her throbbing temples as she let out a pained "Ughh, what a hangover..."

Upon rolling over, she halted for a moment, her eyes widening and brows furrowing as she took in the sight of Orm.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Lingling's hoarse voice cut through the silence as she scratched her head.

She tried to piece it all together to recall the events of the previous night.

Fragments of memories flashed through her mind - the restaurant, the drinks, the tears... but the details remained frustratingly hazy.

Orm cracked one eye open cautiously, peeking at Lingling through her lashes.

"Just play dead!" she thought.

But Lingling was quick to notice. "Orm, I can see your eyelid twitching."

Orm had to bite back a grin, wondering how Lingling could possibly know such a thing. The actress was far too perceptive for her own good sometimes.

Lingling leaned in closer, a mischievous grin playing at her lips as she whispered in Orm's ear. "We both know you're awake. Get up, brat."

When Orm failed to respond, Lingling decided to take matters into her own hands.

Reaching out, she pinched the soft flesh of the girl's arm.

It wasn't partiularly hard, but knowing how much of a drama queen Orm can be, she was certain it would have the desired effect.

As anticipated, the gentle pinch did its trick.

Orm's eyes snapped open, and she glared at Lingling, rubbing the slightly reddened spot blooming on her arm. "Ouch! Lingling, what the hell?"

Lingling leaned back with a hint of annoyance, her voice taking on a sassy tone. "Well, well, well...care to explain what you're doing here, princess?"

Orm blinked at the question, unsure of how to answer.

A rush of thoughts raced through her mind - excuses, stories, justifications - but nothing seemed quite right.

Instead, she decided to play it off. "Just a friendly sleepover with my favorite actress, that's all."

Lingling cut her gaze to Orm, eyes narrowing. "Spare me the act, Orm. You're not fooling anyone, especially not me. Now, spill it. Why are you really here, hmm?"

Orm sighed, realizing that her attempts to deflect were being thwarted.

She held her head high, making sure her left hand was securely tucked behind her back, out of Lingling's sight.

"Look, Lingling, the whole situation with Ying was just a misunderstanding."

Orm added, putting on her most genuine and apologetic face. "We were only messing around, trying to get on your nerves a bit. It was never meant to be anything serious."

"I'm sorry, Lingling. Truly, I am."

She glanced back up at the actress, trying to read her expression. But the latter remained silent, studying Orm intently.

"It's fine, your love life is none of my business anyway." she finally broke the silence with a drawn-out sigh.

Orm blinked, taken aback by Lingling's nonchalant response.

She had expected more of a fight, more of the fiery retribution the actress was known for.

"Wait, that's it?" Orm asked, a hint of disbelief in her voice. "You're not going to yell at me or throw something at my head?"

As Lingling turned to leave, Orm called out. "Wait! Talk to me!"

Lingling paused, one hand on the doorknob, and glanced back at Orm.

"So, does that mean you're letting me in again??? I mean, it's not like I'm gonna stay at Ying's apartment forever, right? Getting back home is so much more convenient..."

She trailed off, a hopeful look in her eyes as she gazed at Lingling. "I miss... I miss it here."

Lingling let out an annoyed huff, clearly exasperated by Orm's relentless chatter.

Without uttering a word, she turned on her heel and stalked out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind her with more force than necessary.

Leaving Orm's mouth falling open in a perfect 'O' of surprise, trying to process what had just happened.

********

Lingling flopped onto the couch in the living room, grabbing the TV remote.

She flipped through channels with a critical eye, casually glancing over at Orm, who was still hovering in the doorway.

"Well? Are you going to stand there gawking all day, or are you going to make yourself useful?"

Lingling leaned back against the cushions, crossing her legs. "Go grab me some coffee."

Orm gritted her teeth, a muscle twitching in her jaw as she glared at Lingling lounging on the couch like a queen holding court.

She wanted to grab the actress by the shoulders and shake some sense into her, but she resisted the urge.

"Yes, Your Highness." Orm said through clenched teeth, a hint of sarcasm dripping from her words.

"Stupid Lingling. Stupid pride. Stupid idea to come here!"

She grabbed the steaming mug and headed to the living room. "Take it," she said flatly, extending the mug towards Lingling, while keeping her left hand tucked in her pocket.

Lingling took the mug without so much as a thank you, taking a sip and wrinkling her nose. "Hmph. It's drinkable. I suppose you're not completely useless."

She set the mug down on the coffee table, then glanced at Orm with a critical eye. "Well, don't just stand there. There's dust on the shelves. And the windows could use a good cleaning. And I think I saw a spider web in the corner..."

Orm's eyes flashed with annoyance, but she kept her hands at her sides, fists clenched. "Of course," she said, the words bitter on her tongue. "I'll get right on that."

She busied herself with the chores, scrubbing and dusting and polishing to Lingling's exacting standards.

The actress lounged on the couch, directing Orm's every move with a critical eye and a sharp tongue.

As Orm finished wiping down the shelves, Lingling sauntered over, inspecting her work with a critical eye.

She ran a finger along the wood, blowing off the nonexistent dust.

"Tch, not good enough," Lingling declared, handing the cloth back to Orm. "You missed a spot. Do it again, properly this time."

Orm gritted her teeth, a vein throbbing in her neck. "I did do it properly, Lingling," she said, trying to keep her voice level. "There was no dust to begin with."

Lingling scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Well, there should be. And if there isn't, that's your fault for not cleaning thoroughly enough. Now hurry up and make it spotless. I want to be able to see my reflection in the wood."

She turned on her heel, strutting back to the couch. As Orm watched her go, she muttered under her breath, "Bloody perfectionist..."

Lingling glanced back over her shoulder, a wicked grin spreading across her face. "Did you say something, Orm?" she asked, a dangerous lilt to her voice.

Orm quickly shook her head, grabbing the cloth and polish. "No!! Just... talking to myself."

"There's a certain zest to her. That's oddly... endearing." Lingling thought as she stared at Orm.

Having the girl back wouldn't be so terrible. She would be a great distraction from the Prigkhing incident.

In fact, Lingling found herself hoping, secretly, that the writer might decide to linger a while longer.

The thought brought a ghost of a smile to her lips before she caught herself and quickly looked away, hiding it from Orm's view.

********

Lingling's phone buzzed with an incoming message. She glanced down at it, seeing Ying's name flash on the screen. With a flick of her finger, she opened the text.

"I'm hosting a corporate party tomorrow. You MUST come. No objections allowed. And of course, bring Orm too—my little way of apologizing for our mischievous antics the other day ;)"

Ugh, a party? With Orm as my plus one? Lingling thought, her face twisting in disgust at the mere idea.

She shook her head, already imagining all the possible dramas that could unfold if the two of them went together.

"That's a disaster waiting to happen! I'll definitely go alone!"