Chapter 2 The Photograph #2
Eventually, she found herself standing near the edge of the dance floor with a glass of champagne she had forgotten to drink. The music changed to something faster, and the crowd surged toward the center of the room, leaving Orm slightly disoriented as the lights shifted across the walls.
She suddenly decided she needed air.
Orm stepped away from the dance floor and headed toward the quieter corridor leading to the hotel terrace. She had barely taken two steps when her heel caught slightly on the edge of the carpet.
"Careful."
A hand caught her arm.
Orm looked up.
Ling.
Of course.
"Hi."
Ling looked at her for a moment before glancing down at the hand she had wrapped around Orm's arm.
"How much have you had?"
Orm frowned.
"Why does everyone keep asking me that?"
"Because you're having trouble standing."
"I'm standing."
"Technically."
Orm laughed.
Ling's hand was still around her arm, steadying her.
Orm looked down.
Ling seemed to notice at the same moment and immediately released her.
"Sorry."
"It's okay."
Orm smiled.
"I wasn't actually falling."
"You were."
"I was adjusting."
"To what?"
"The floor."
Ling stared at her.
Orm grinned.
"Don't look at me like that."
"Like what?"
"Like I'm ridiculous."
Ling's expression softened.
"I don't think you're ridiculous."
"Really?"
"Not usually."
Orm laughed.
"There. You did it again."
"What?"
"You made fun of me."
"I was being honest."
"Same thing."
Ling shook her head.
"You need water."
"You really like telling me that."
"Because you don't listen."
"I listen."
"Then drink."
Orm sighed dramatically.
"Fine."
She reached toward a passing tray without checking what was inside and grabbed the nearest glass.
Ling's eyes widened.
"Orm, that's—"
Orm drank.
She immediately made a face.
"That's not water."
Ling laughed.
"No."
Orm stared at the glass.
"What is it?"
"Champagne."
Orm looked at her.
"Why didn't you stop me?"
"I tried."
"You said it after I drank it."
"Yes."
"That's not helpful."
"I noticed."
Orm started laughing.
Ling did too.
For a moment, they simply stood there laughing together, completely unaware of how they looked to anyone watching from across the room.
Then someone shouted from the ballroom.
"Orm!"
She turned.
Bow was waving at her.
Orm raised her hand.
"I'm coming!"
She took a step.
Her heel caught again.
This time, she actually lost her balance.
Everything happened at once.
Her glass slipped from her fingers, her foot twisted awkwardly, and she instinctively reached for something that wasn't there. Before she could fall, Ling moved.
One arm went around Orm's waist while the other caught her shoulder, pulling her firmly against her before she could hit the floor.
Orm froze.
Ling froze.
For one suspended moment, they were standing impossibly close.
Orm could feel Ling's hand against her waist and the warmth of her body through the thin fabric of her dress. She could smell Ling's perfume, something subtle and warm that she had never noticed at the office, and she could hear the quiet breath Ling took when she realized just how close they were.
Neither woman moved.
Then Ling whispered, "Are you okay?"
Orm looked up.
Their faces were inches apart.
"Yes."
Neither moved.
"Are you sure?"
Orm nodded.
"Yes."
Ling's eyes dropped briefly toward Orm's lips before returning to her eyes.
Orm noticed.
Or perhaps she imagined it.
She wasn't sure anymore.
The champagne had made everything feel slightly unreal, as though the ballroom had disappeared and there were suddenly only the two of them standing beneath the soft lights.
Someone nearby laughed.
A camera flashed.
Neither woman noticed.
Another flash followed.
Still nothing.
Ling finally helped Orm straighten, but her hand remained at Orm's waist for another second before she seemed to remember herself and slowly pulled it away.
"You're definitely done drinking."
Orm laughed nervously.
"Probably."
Ling shook her head.
"Come on."
"Where?"
"Somewhere you can sit."
"I can walk."
"Let's test that theory."
Orm smiled.
"You're very bossy."
"And you're very stubborn."
"You already knew that."
"Yes."
They walked toward a quieter seating area, with Ling keeping a discreet hand near Orm's elbow in case she stumbled again.
Neither woman noticed the photographer across the room lowering her phone.
?
The photograph had been taken at exactly the wrong moment.
The photographer had been trying to capture candid shots of employees dancing when she noticed Ling catching Orm.
The angle was perfect, with the warm lights behind them creating a soft glow around their silhouettes, while Orm's hand rested against Ling's shoulder and Ling's arm was firmly wrapped around Orm's waist.
Their faces were close enough to suggest intimacy.
The expression on both their faces made the photograph even more convincing.
There was no context.
No explanation.
Just a single image that froze one private moment in time and made it look like something entirely different.
The photographer smiled as she looked at the screen.
"That's beautiful."
She didn't know what she had captured.
Not really.
She only knew it looked like a love story.
?
Orm woke up the next morning with a headache.
Not a terrible headache, but enough to remind her that she had made several questionable decisions the night before. She groaned and pulled the blanket over her face, hoping that darkness might somehow make the pounding behind her eyes disappear.
Her phone buzzed.
She ignored it.
It buzzed again.
Then again.
Then again.
"Why?"
She reached blindly toward the bedside table and grabbed it without opening her eyes.
The screen was filled with notifications.
Messages.
Mentions.
Tags.
Orm frowned.
"What happened?"
Another notification appeared.
Then another.
Orm finally unlocked her phone.
The first message was from Bow.
Bow: Call me.
The second was from a coworker.
Coworker: OMG.
The third simply said:
Coworker: Girl.
Orm stared at the screen.
Then another message arrived.
Unknown: WHEN DID YOU AND LING START DATING???
Orm sat upright.
"What?"
She stared at the message as though it had been written in another language.
Then another appeared.
ARE YOU TWO TOGETHER?
Then:
I KNEW IT.
Then:
Congratulations!!!
Then:
Since when???
Orm's eyes widened.
"No."
She opened the company group chat.
There were hundreds of messages.
Her stomach dropped.
Someone had posted a photograph.
Orm stared at the screen.
Her heart seemed to stop.
It was the photograph from the night before.
The one where Ling had caught her.
The one where they looked—
Orm swallowed.
They looked like a couple.
A very convincing couple.
The caption beneath it read:
"Okay... are we finally allowed to talk about this?"
The comments were endless.
THE WAY LING IS HOLDING HER.
I THOUGHT THEY WERE JUST COWORKERS.
WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?
SHE'S SO SOFT WITH ORM.
THE CHEMISTRY???
WAIT, ARE THEY ACTUALLY DATING?
Orm's face turned hot.
She immediately opened Bow's chat.
Orm: WHAT IS THIS?
Bow replied almost instantly.
Bow: Good morning.
Orm: THIS IS NOT A GOOD MORNING.
Bow: I know.
Orm: WHY IS EVERYONE SAYING WE'RE DATING?
Three dots appeared.
Bow: Because of the photograph.
Orm: I KNOW THAT.
Bow: Then you have your answer.
Orm threw her phone onto the bed.
"No."
She paced across her bedroom, running both hands through her hair as the reality of the situation slowly sank in.
It wasn't just a few coworkers teasing her; the photograph had apparently escaped the company group chat and was now circulating beyond Veyra, which meant people she didn't know were suddenly discussing her personal life.
"No, no, no."
Her phone buzzed again.
She ignored it.
It buzzed again.
Again.
Again.
Finally, Orm picked it up.
A new message had appeared from someone she barely knew.
Please tell me this is real because you two look ridiculously good together.
Orm covered her face.
"This is a nightmare."
Her phone rang.
Bow.
Orm answered immediately.
"Tell me this isn't real."
Bow laughed.
"I'm sorry."
"Why are you laughing?"
"Because you're panicking."
"Of course I'm panicking!"
"Orm, breathe."
"Everyone thinks I'm dating Ling."
"Technically, the photograph doesn't say you're dating."
"The comments do!"
Bow laughed again.
Orm dropped onto the edge of her bed.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"I don't know."
"You're supposed to know!"
"Why?"
"Because you're my friend."
"Being your friend doesn't make me a public relations expert."
Orm groaned.
"What if Ling sees it?"
"She probably has."
"That's worse."
"Why?"
"Because she's going to kill me."
Bow was quiet for a moment.
Then she said, "I don't think she's going to kill you."
"How do you know?"
"Because she hasn't called."
Orm stared at the phone.
"Maybe she's planning it."
"Orm."
"What?"
"You've been watching too many dramas."
"This is worse than a drama."
Bow sighed.
"You're right about one thing."
"What?"
Her voice became more serious.
"This is going to be all over the office on Monday."
Orm closed her eyes.
Monday.
She had completely forgotten about Monday.
She had to face Ling. She had to face the people at Veyra. She had to walk through the same lobby where everyone would now know that she had apparently become romantically involved with the executive director.
She had to explain the photograph.
Except there was nothing to explain.
Nothing had happened.
Ling had simply caught her.
That was all.
Orm opened her phone again.
She looked at the photograph.
She hated how intimate it looked.
She hated how Ling's expression seemed so gentle.
And, more than anything, she hated the strange little flutter that appeared in her stomach whenever she looked at it.
Because that part had nothing to do with the rumors.
That part was hers.
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