Chapter 19 - The Contract

Orm had spent the entire night battling her own mind. She'd tossed and turned, reliving every detail of Lingling's confession: the steady calm in Lingling's eyes, the way her words carried absolute certainty, and, of course, the kiss that left Orm's thoughts in chaotic disarray.

She had tried telling herself it was just a game—some insane flirtation that got out of hand.

But deep down, she knew she'd lost her heart weeks ago.

Finally, she resolved: no more running.

The next morning, Orm decided she was going to do the impossible: confess to Lingling on her own terms. She marched across campus, ignoring Becky and May's curious looks as she single-mindedly pursued her target. She found Lingling near the end of a hallway, fresh from a class, and seized her wrist without warning.

"Kidnapping me, Orm?" Lingling teased, arching an eyebrow while still looking far too amused for someone being dragged away.

"Shut it," Orm muttered, trying her best to sound intimidating. "You're coming with me."

Lingling smirked but didn't resist, allowing herself to be pulled into an empty study room. She even had the audacity to look perfectly composed, arms folded elegantly over her notes.

"And please. You came willingly," Orm said defensively, realizing how insane she must look.

"True," Lingling conceded, tilting her head. "Go on."

Orm took a deep breath to steady her racing heart. I can do this, she told herself. I'm an econ student. I know how to negotiate. She was definitely not shaking on the inside.

"Well," Orm began, trying to keep her voice from trembling, "here's the deal. I, uh... I like you." She cleared her throat, determined to keep going. "A lot."

Lingling's expression barely changed, but Orm saw the slight flicker in her eyes—like a spark of interest or satisfaction. It gave Orm the tiny boost of courage she needed.

"I don't want this to be just teasing and stolen moments anymore," Orm continued. "I want it to be real. And since I'm an econ major, I figured we should have, y'know, terms." She tried for a joking tone, though it came out more awkward than humorous.

"Before we officially date, we finalize a deal."

She'd half-expected Lingling to roll her eyes or burst into laughter. Instead, Lingling's gaze sharpened, and she reached into her bag. With a perfectly calm motion, she pulled out a document. A thick, neatly stapled stack of papers, complete with crisp edges and a proper header.

Orm stared at it. "Uh... Lingling? What is that?"

"Your proposed agreement, in written form," Lingling replied evenly. "Dating contracts need terms and conditions, right?"

"Wait. YOU were ready for this?!" Orm sputtered. She snatched the document and gaped at the title: DATING CONTRACT – ORM SETHRATANAPONG & LINGLING KWONG.

Beneath it lay multiple lines of text, typed in a professional, bullet-pointed format.

Lingling shrugged, utterly unruffled. "I anticipated your approach. You're fairly predictable, sweetheart."

Orm's stomach twisted at the endearment. She rifled through the pages, scanning the lines.

Article 1: Orm Sethratanapong and Lingling Kwong hereby agree to enter an exclusive romantic relationship.Article 2: Physical displays of affection (PDA) are permissible at any time, especially when it amplifies Orm's flustered reactions.Article 3: Lingling shall be entitled to a minimum of one kiss per day (negotiable up to indefinite kisses in extreme circumstances).Article 4: Under no circumstances may Orm deny the extent of her feelings for Lingling (penalty: additional kisses as determined by Lingling).Article 5: In the event of any dispute, both parties shall engage in "affectionate negotiation" to reach a compromise.

Final Clause: Orm Sethratanapong acknowledges that Lingling Kwong has already effectively "won this case," and signing this contract is a mere formality to formalize their relationship status.

Orm gawked at the final line. She looked up, flustered, at Lingling. "You're insane," she whispered.

Lingling offered a small, patient smile. "And you're stalling."

"Ugh, I hate you," Orm groaned.

Lingling set her bag down, eyes sparkling with mild amusement. "Then don't sign. No one's forcing you."

A tense pause followed, during which Orm's mind whirled. She took a pen from her bag, inhaled sharply, and scribbled her signature at the bottom. What am I doing? she wondered. By the time she finished, her heart was thundering like a stampede.

Lingling plucked the contract from her hands, slid it neatly into her folder and smiled in a way that made Orm's knees tremble. "Congratulations, Orm. You're officially mine."

Orm had a sinking suspicion she'd just unleashed a whole new level of chaos in her life.

Being the object of Lingling's covert affections was one thing—annoying, flustering, but vaguely manageable.

Being Lingling's actual, legally contracted girlfriend?

That was something else entirely.

Orm soon discovered Lingling had no concept of restraint once the relationship was official.

It began innocently enough: hand-holding on the way to class. But whereas before, Lingling might let go the second they crossed paths with someone, now she refused to let go—even if the professor walked by with raised eyebrows. If Orm tried to slip free, Lingling would just re-establish her hold without missing a beat.

Kisses, too, escalated at an alarming rate. Orm would be halfway through a conversation, only for Lingling to calmly brush her lips against Orm's cheek before striding away as though it were the most normal routine in the world. During one library study session, Lingling leaned over mid-equation to press a chaste kiss on Orm's temple. Orm forgot what she was calculating and had to start over from scratch.

Sometimes, it was a subtle brush of knuckles under the cafeteria table or a hand placed gently at Orm's waist in the hallway. Other times, it was a bold, blatant kiss that left half the campus stunned (and the other half cheering).

"Worse" was an understatement.

Lingling seemed to treat flirting like an advanced academic subject, one she excelled in.

If Orm tried to concentrate, Lingling would lean in to whisper, "You're adorable when you're focused." The resulting flush on Orm's face usually ended with her stumbling over her notes.

When Orm tried to retort with, "You know, you're kind of cute yourself," Lingling just gave a lazy smile.

"Am I?" she'd say, and Orm's confidence would collapse like a house of cards.

Once, out of nowhere, Lingling said, "I've already won this case, sweetheart."

Orm had groaned, "What case?" only to get the infuriating reply:

"The case of making you fall even harder."

Orm felt dangerously close to a meltdown on a daily basis.

While Orm's life turned into a swirl of affectionate chaos, Becky and May found themselves front-row witnesses to the dramatic shift. Far from being excited for their friend, they were practically exhausted by the constant lovey-dovey assault on their senses.

May folded her arms one afternoon, watching Orm and Lingling walk across the quad hand in hand—again.

"They're at it again," she groaned, rolling her eyes.

"I swear they've been glued together for the last hour."

Becky dropped her fries. "Why do they have to be so CUTE about it? My heart can't handle this."

"Maybe we should impose a No PDA Zone," May suggested. "I mean, we're best friends, not innocent bystanders in a romance film."

Orm, overhearing, smirked. "You could just stop watching, you know."

"No. We can't," Becky replied in mock horror. "It's like witnessing a train wreck—impossible to look away."

"A very romantic train wreck," May added, though her tone was less than thrilled.

Lingling, catching the tail end of the conversation, casually leaned toward Orm's ear and whispered, "Let's make it worse for them."

Without waiting for a reaction, she pulled Orm in for a light, lingering kiss.

Becky clutched at May dramatically and let out a strangled yelp.

"I CAN'T DO THIS!" Becky cried, while May held a hand to her chest, feigning a faint.

"I miss when Orm was emotionally constipated," May lamented.

Orm, cheeks aflame, shot back, "I CAN HEAR YOU!"

Lingling, smirking as she threaded her fingers through Orm's, said,

"Good. Then hear this: Orm is mine now."

Becky pretended to collapse onto the grass, while May fanned her rapidly. Clearly, they weren't taking it well.

Despite her exasperation at Lingling's unstoppable girlfriend mode, Orm tried to fight back.

She tested bolder flirting methods, surprising Lingling with quick kisses or sly compliments.

She even attempted to catch Lingling off guard in the corridor—only to find that Lingling had an almost psychic ability to see it coming.

One late evening found them in the library, studying side by side. The hours dragged on, and Orm felt a growing fuzziness in her brain from all the reading.

Lingling, however, remained silent, methodically typing up notes on her laptop.

The hush between them might have felt comfortable if Orm's heart weren't still hammering from earlier incidents of casual affection.

Finally, Lingling set her laptop aside and turned to Orm, voice soft enough to make Orm's stomach flip.

"You're my favorite investment," she whispered, her eyes reflecting genuine warmth.

Orm dropped her pen. Her mind blanked. She stared at Lingling in stunned disbelief. Investment? Her mouth opened, but no words came out.

Lingling simply leaned back in her chair, an unreadable smile playing at her lips.

She didn't elaborate, didn't need to.

The meaning was clear: Orm was worth every emotional risk, every flutter of uncertain heartbeats. Orm thought she'd won when she'd stolen that first kiss. She hadn't realized that by becoming Lingling's girlfriend, she'd surrendered entirely to the unstoppable force that was Lingling Kwong.