Chapter 18 The Thing We Dont Plan #2
Because neither of them seemed interested in leaving.
They talked about everything.
Orm told Ling about her new job.
About her colleagues.
About the strange office printer that apparently hated her.
About the apartment she was slowly decorating.
About the neighbour who played music every morning.
Ling listened, occasionally asking questions.
Not the questions she asked during work.
Not the precise, efficient questions designed to extract information.
These were different.
Personal.
"What do you like about the new office?"
"What don't you like?"
"Are you happy there?"
"Do you think you'll stay?"
Orm noticed eventually.
"You really want to know."
Ling nodded.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because it's your life."
Orm smiled.
"You weren't this interested when I was still working at Veyra."
"I was."
"You just hid it."
"Maybe."
Orm laughed.
Then she reached across the table.
"Your turn."
"My turn for what?"
"Tell me something about you."
"You know everything."
"I absolutely do not."
"What do you want to know?"
Orm thought.
"What's something you do when nobody is watching?"
Ling frowned.
"That's difficult."
"Exactly."
Ling thought for a moment.
Then admitted,
"I sing."
Orm's eyes widened.
"You sing?"
"Sometimes."
"What?"
"Whatever is playing."
"Can you sing?"
Ling gave her a look.
"Yes."
"How good?"
"Good."
Orm laughed.
"You're so confident."
"You asked."
"I want proof."
"No."
"Why?"
"Because."
Orm leaned closer.
"Please?"
"No."
"One line."
"No."
"Five seconds."
"Absolutely not."
Orm laughed.
"Okay. Fine."
Ling smiled.
"Your turn."
Orm thought.
"I talk to myself."
"I know."
Orm froze.
"You know?"
"I've heard you."
"How?"
"When you were working late."
Orm covered her face.
"Oh my God."
Ling laughed.
"What do you say?"
"Nothing."
"You definitely say something."
"Sometimes I argue with myself."
"About?"
"Work."
"Who wins?"
"Me."
"Of course."
Orm smiled.
"Your turn."
Ling thought.
"I watch cooking videos."
Orm stared.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"You don't cook."
"I know."
"Why do you watch them?"
"I like watching people make things."
Orm smiled.
"That's unexpectedly cute."
Ling raised an eyebrow.
"Don't call me cute."
Orm laughed.
"You called me cute first."
"That was different."
"How?"
"It just was."
"You're blushing."
"I'm not."
"You are."
Ling looked away.
Orm laughed.
And Ling realised something.
She liked this.
She liked being teased.
She liked being the one who didn't have the perfect answer.
She liked being around someone who didn't care that she was supposed to be composed.
She liked being able to laugh.
?
After breakfast, they went walking.
There was no destination.
Orm had deliberately refused to make one.
Ling had objected.
"We're just walking?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
"Somewhere."
"That's not an answer."
"It doesn't need to be."
Ling looked at her suspiciously.
Orm laughed.
"You really hate not having a plan."
"I like knowing where I'm going."
"Today you're going wherever I go."
Ling smiled.
"That's dangerous."
"Are you scared?"
"No."
"You should be."
"Why?"
"Because I have no idea where I'm going."
Ling laughed.
"Wonderful."
They walked hand in hand through the streets.
They stopped at little stalls.
Orm became fascinated by handmade jewellery.
Then plants.
Then pastries.
Then a small shop selling stationery.
Then a bookstore.
Ling followed her everywhere.
At one point Orm stopped so abruptly that Ling nearly walked into her.
"What?"
"Look."
Orm pointed at a tiny orange cat sitting beneath a table.
Ling smiled.
"Of course."
"What?"
"You stop for every animal."
"He's cute."
"He's also judging us."
The cat stared at them.
Orm crouched down.
"Hello."
The cat ignored her.
Ling laughed.
"He's not interested."
"He will be."
Orm held out her hand.
The cat eventually approached.
Ling watched as Orm's entire face changed.
Her eyes softened.
Her smile became brighter.
She whispered something to the cat.
Ling couldn't hear.
She didn't need to.
She simply watched.
There was something about seeing Orm like this that always made her chest ache.
Open.
Gentle.
Unselfconscious.
The same woman Ling had first seen laughing around children and animals.
The woman who had somehow made the hardest parts of Ling's life softer simply by existing in them.
Orm eventually stood.
"Did you see?"
"Yes."
"He liked me."
"He tolerated you."
"He loved me."
Ling laughed.
"Of course."
Orm took her hand again.
"Come on."
They continued walking.
Ling looked down at their hands.
Then at Orm.
She smiled.
?
The bookstore was where they stayed the longest.
Orm disappeared between the shelves.
Ling eventually found her sitting on the floor with several books around her.
She stared.
"Again?"
Orm looked up.
"What?"
"The floor."
"It's comfortable."
"It isn't."
"It is."
Ling sighed.
Then sat beside her.
Orm smiled.
"You sat down."
"I did."
"On the floor."
"Yes."
"Voluntarily."
"Don't make a big deal about it."
Orm laughed.
"You are changing."
"Apparently."
They browsed together.
Orm found a novel she wanted.
Ling found a book on architecture.
Orm looked at it.
"Why?"
"I like buildings."
"I never knew that."
"There are many things you don't know."
Orm smiled.
"I want to know."
Ling looked at her.
The sentence was simple.
But it landed deeply.
"I want to know you too."
Orm's smile softened.
"I know."
Their hands touched between the books.
Neither moved away.
Orm eventually intertwined their fingers.
They stayed like that while sitting on the floor.
It was ridiculous.
They were surrounded by books.
People walked past them.
Someone nearly tripped over Ling's shoe.
Neither cared.
Orm rested her head against Ling's shoulder.
"You're comfortable."
"Very."
Ling smiled.
"Good."
?
They bought the books.
Then went looking for lunch.
They argued over where to eat.
Orm wanted noodles.
Ling wanted rice.
They eventually chose both.
"You always win."
Orm complained.
"How?"
"We're eating what you wanted."
"You wanted noodles."
"Yes."
"And we're getting noodles."
"And rice."
Ling smiled.
"Then you got what you wanted."
Orm narrowed her eyes.
"You manipulated the situation."
"I compromised."
"Executive director language."
Ling laughed.
"Fine."
Orm smiled.
They ate outside beneath an awning while rain began tapping softly against the pavement.
The sudden rain trapped them there.
Orm looked at Ling.
"Well."
Ling looked outside.
"We're stuck."
"I don't mind."
"Neither do I."
They sat closer.
The rain became heavier.
The world outside blurred.
For a while, neither spoke.
Then Orm rested her head against Ling.
"I like days like this."
Ling looked down.
"Rain?"
"No."
She smiled.
"Being with you."
Ling's fingers found hers.
"I like it too."
?
When the rain finally stopped, the streets smelled fresh.
They continued walking.
By late afternoon, they found a quiet park.
Orm sat on a bench.
Ling sat beside her.
The city moved around them.
People walking.
Children playing.
Dogs chasing one another.
Couples sitting together.
Orm leaned against Ling.
"Can I tell you something?"
"Always."
"I was scared."
Ling looked at her.
"Of what?"
"Today."
"Why?"
Orm looked down at their hands.
"Because our fake dates always had something protecting us."
Ling understood.
"The campaign."
"The cameras."
"The contract."
"Yes."
Orm took a breath.
"Today there was nothing."
Ling squeezed her hand.
"I know."
"What if it felt different?"
"It does."
Orm looked up.
"Bad different?"
"No."
Ling smiled.
"Real different."
Orm's expression softened.
"That's what I wanted."
"Me too."
Orm leaned closer.
"I like real."
Ling kissed her forehead.
"So do I."
?
They stayed until sunset.
The sky slowly changed colour.
The city lights began appearing one by one.
Orm took pictures.
Ling complained that she was photographing everything.
Orm took one of her.
Ling immediately looked away.
"Delete that."
"No."
"I don't like pictures."
"I do."
"Orm."
"You look pretty."
Ling sighed.
"You're impossible."
"I love you."
Ling looked at her.
"I love you too."
Orm smiled.
Then, very deliberately, she took another picture.
Ling rolled her eyes.
"That one better not go anywhere."
"I'll keep it."
"Why?"
"For me."
Ling smiled.
"Okay."
?
They had dinner somewhere small.
Nothing fancy.
Orm ordered dessert.
Ling ordered coffee.
They shared everything.
At some point, Orm stole a piece of food from Ling's plate.
Ling stared.
"Really?"
"What?"
"Your plate is right there."
"I wanted yours."
"Why?"
Orm shrugged.
"Because it tastes better."
"It's the same food."
"Still."
Ling shook her head.
"You do this deliberately."
Orm smiled.
"Maybe."
Ling took a piece from Orm's plate.
Orm stared.
"Hey."
"You started it."
"You can't copy me."
"Why not?"
"Because."
"That's not an argument."
Orm laughed.
They continued stealing food from each other's plates until neither remembered whose meal belonged to whom.
?
The evening was almost over when they finally returned to the car.
Neither seemed eager to leave.
Orm stood beside the passenger door.
Ling looked at her.
"Good day?"
"Very."
"Even though we did nothing?"
"We did a lot."
"We walked."
"Exactly."
"We ate."
"Very important."
"We bought books."
"Also important."
"We got caught in the rain."
"That was romantic."
Ling smiled.
"You think everything is romantic."
"Not everything."
"What isn't?"
Orm thought.
"Paperwork."
Ling laughed.
"Fair."
Orm stepped closer.
"I really liked today."
"So did I."
"No pretending."
"No pretending."
"No one watching."
"No one watching."
"No reason to do anything except because we want to."
Ling nodded.
"Exactly."
Orm looked at her.
"Then I want to do something."
"What?"
Orm smiled.