Chapter 42 #2
She gently touched her arm.
"Are you okay?"
Lingling nodded.
"Yeah."
She looked at the pictures again.
"I'm just going to keep these."
Orm smiled.
"Keep them."
"I will."
Liam grabbed Lingling's hand.
"Wingwing!"
"Hmm?"
"Next time, more pictures!"
Lingling smiled.
"Deal."
The word next time stayed with her.
Because next time meant there would be another time.
Another meeting.
Another beach.
Another picture.
Another memory.
Hope.
Small.
But alive.
-
Eventually, evening arrived.
They returned to Lingling's hotel room.
Her suitcase was waiting.
Reality had finally caught up with them.
Lingling had to pack.
Her flight to Paris was only a few hours away.
Orm helped fold her clothes.
Liam tried to help too.
Though most of the time, he simply threw clothes into the suitcase.
"No, champ."
Lingling laughed.
"Fold them nicely."
Liam tried again.
His version of folding looked more like crumpling.
Orm covered her mouth.
"Don't laugh."
"I'm not."
"You are."
Liam suddenly became quiet.
Lingling noticed.
She turned.
"What happened?"
Liam's eyes were already wet.
"Wingwing..."
Lingling's heart dropped.
"What's wrong?"
"Don't go."
Orm stopped folding.
"Liam. Baby.."
"I don't want Wingwing to go mommy."
His little voice cracked.
Lingling immediately crouched down.
"Hey."
Liam's tears fell.
"You're going to Paris."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I have work there."
"But you'll be far away from us. Can't you stay?"
Lingling's heart broke.
"I have to work, champ."
"No."
Liam shook his head.
"You can work here with mommy."
Orm smiled sadly.
"Baby, Lingling has work in Paris."
Liam looked at Lingling.
"But I want you here."
Lingling reached for him.
Liam immediately ran into her arms.
She held him tightly.
"I know."
"I don't want you to weave."
"I know."
"Pwease."
Lingling closed her eyes.
She wished she could promise him she wouldn't.
But she couldn't lie.
So she gave him something better.
A promise she could keep.
Lingling pulled back and held his little face.
"Listen to me champ."
Liam sniffled.
"I'm going to Paris because I have responsibilities there."
He nodded reluctantly.
"But that doesn't mean I'm disappearing."
"You'll come back?"
Lingling smiled.
"I'll come back."
"When?"
"Soon."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Liam looked at her suspiciously.
"Reawy?"
"Really."
Lingling kissed his forehead.
"And I'll call you."
"Every day?"
Lingling smiled.
"Whenever I can."
"Every day Wingwing."
"Okay."
She laughed softly.
"I'll call you every day."
Liam finally smiled through his tears.
"And you can tew me about your day and the buiwdings you're going to buiwd."
"Okay."
"And I tell you about mine too."
"Deaw."
"And Mommy too."
Lingling looked at Orm.
"Especially Mommy."
Liam nodded.
Lingling hugged him again.
"I'll see you soon, champ."
Liam buried his face against her shoulder.
"I'w miss you."
"I'll miss you too."
Orm watched them.
Her eyes filled.
Because she knew what Lingling wasn't saying.
She didn't want to leave either.
-
The drive to the airport was quiet.
Sean drove.
Fluke sat in the passenger seat.
Orm sat in the back with Liam.
Lingling sat beside them.
Liam had fallen asleep halfway there.
His little head rested against Orm.
Orm looked at Lingling.
Their eyes met.
Neither spoke.
There were too many things inside that silence.
I don't want you to go.
I know.
I'm scared.
Me too.
Come back.
I will.
When they arrived at the airport, everything suddenly felt too real.
Lingling's flight was boarding soon.
She stepped out of the car.
Orm followed.
Liam woke up and immediately reached for her.
"Wingwing."
Lingling took him into her arms.
"Hey, champ."
"Don't forget."
"Forget what?"
"Your promise."
Lingling smiled.
"I won't."
She kissed his forehead.
"I'll call you."
Liam nodded.
Then he hugged her tightly.
Lingling held him just as tightly.
When she finally released him, she looked at Orm.
For a moment, neither moved.
Orm's eyes were already wet.
Lingling stepped closer.
"Orm..."
"I know."
Orm smiled sadly.
"You have to go."
"I do."
"I'll wait."
Lingling's heart broke at those words.
"Don't wait for me."
Orm frowned slightly.
Lingling reached for her hand.
"Live."
Orm stared at her.
"Keep living."
She squeezed her fingers.
"Keep being happy and take care of Liam."
Orm's eyes filled.
"And when I come back..."
Lingling smiled softly.
"We'll take another step."
Orm nodded.
"One step."
"One step."
Now Lingling stood near the gate.
She set her bag at the side and walked towards Orm again.
She pulled her into a hug.
Orm immediately wrapped her arms around her.
Neither wanted to let go.
Four years ago, goodbye had meant an ending.
Tonight, it meant something different.
It meant distance.
Not abandonment.
It meant waiting.
Not losing.
It meant...
See you again.
Lingling whispered against Orm's hair.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For waiting for me."
Orm pulled back.
"You came back. And thank you too for giving me another chance."
Lingling touched her cheek.
"And you still chose me all this time."
Orm smiled through her tears.
"Come back again."
Lingling nodded.
"I will."
She gently kissed Orm's forehead.
The same place she had kissed that morning.
A promise beginning and ending in the same gesture.
Orm closed her eyes.
Lingling stepped away.
Then she looked at Liam one more time.
"I love you, champ. Thank you for welcoming me home."
Liam's eyes widened.
"I wove you too, Wingwing. Pwease come back to us."
Lingling smiled.
"I will. Take care of mommy for me and continue being a good boy."
Liam kissed her cheeks.
Then Lingling looked at Orm.
"I love you."
Orm's lips trembled.
"I love you too."
But neither said anything more.
Because they weren't rushing.
They weren't pretending.
They weren't promising forever.
They were simply acknowledging what had always been there.
Lingling picked up her luggage.
Fluke hugged her.
Sean shook her hand.
Then Lingling looked back one final time.
Orm stood there holding Liam.
Liam waved.
Lingling waved back.
Then she turned.
And walked toward the departure gate.
Orm watched until she disappeared.
Only then did she allow the tears to fall.
Liam reached for her hand.
"Mommy?"
Orm wiped her cheeks.
"I'm okay."
Liam looked at her.
Then squeezed her hand.
"She's coming back."
Orm smiled through her tears.
"Yes."
Liam nodded confidently.
"Wingwing promised."
Orm looked toward the gate.
"Yes, baby."
She whispered,
"She promised."
-
Hours later, high above the clouds, Lingling sat by the airplane window.
Phuket slowly disappeared beneath her.
She looked down at the lights.
For four years, she had flown away from Orm.
Tonight was different.
She was flying away from her...
But she was not losing her.
There was a difference.
Lingling reached into her pocket.
She pulled out the photo booth strip.
The three of them.
Orm.
Liam.
Herself.
Lingling smiled.
Then her eyes filled with tears.
She pressed the photograph against her chest.
"Wait for me."
Not as a command.
Not as a promise that demanded anything.
Just a whisper.
A hope.
A prayer.
Because they hadn't gotten back together.
Not yet.
And maybe that was exactly how it needed to be.
They weren't going to erase the past.
They weren't going to pretend four years hadn't happened.
They weren't going to rush into something simply because they missed each other.
They were going to take their time.
Heal.
Forgive.
Learn each other again.
And if love was still waiting for them at the end of that road...
They would choose it.
Again.
The airplane disappeared into the night.
Back in Phuket, Orm held Liam's sleeping hand.
And somewhere above the clouds, Lingling held their photograph.
Two women.
One little boy.
Three hearts carrying the same fragile hope.
They had not found their forever yet.
But they had found something almost as precious.
A reason to believe in tomorrow.
And perhaps that was enough.
Enough to try.
Enough to forgive.
Enough to wait.
Enough to love.
One step at a time.
One call at a time.
One reunion at a time.
One morning at a time.
Because sometimes, beginning again doesn't mean immediately running back into someone's arms.
Sometimes, it means standing at an airport and letting the person you love leave...
Trusting that they will come back.
And this time...
They both had something they had never had four years ago.
Hope.
As Lingling's plane carried her toward Paris, she looked once more at the little photograph in her hand.
She smiled.
And whispered the words she had been too afraid to say four years ago.
"See you soon, Orm."
Then she closed her eyes.
And for the first time in four years...
The distance didn't feel like an ending.
It felt like a promise.
A promise that somewhere ahead of them was another morning.
Another beach.
Another photograph.
Another embrace.
Another chance.
And perhaps, one day...
A home.
Together.
-
Paris welcomed Lingling with cold air.
The moment she stepped out of the airport, the familiar chill brushed against her skin, carrying with it the scent of rain, stone, and the city she had called home for the past four years.
Everything looked exactly the same.
The streets.
The buildings.
The distant sound of traffic.
The hurried footsteps of people wrapped in coats.
The cafés glowing warmly behind glass windows.
Paris had not changed.
But Lingling had.
Four years ago, she had returned to this city carrying a heart that felt like it had been shattered beyond repair.
This time, she arrived carrying something different.
Hope.
It was fragile.
Terrifying.
Still uncertain.
But it was there.
And the first thing Lingling thought about after landing wasn't her home.
It wasn't her office.
It wasn't even sleep.
It was Orm.
And Liam.