Chapter Text
Lingling Kwong sat comfortably with her legs crossed and her hands in her lap as the acting coach started counting all the new attendees, crossing them off from the list one by one. This wasn’t the first time she had attended one of these classes, so it no longer felt as daunting as the initial few times.
The other boys and girls sitting nearby were all so fresh-faced and young. Ling was probably one of the older members of this class, but despite that fact, in the looks department, you wouldn’t even know she was a few years older than the rest.
So far, she’d had a pleasant experience working with the various coaches and classmates, so she was happy she was settling in well. Everyone was especially kind when she asked to clarify bits and pieces. Thai was not her first language and while she was able to communicate well, she was well aware that her pronunciation still needed a bit more tweaking.
Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a door bursting open, followed by hurried footsteps shuffling in.
“Sorry, I’m late! I’m Orm Kornnaphat ka!” the young girl chimed, her face flustered and seemingly out of breath. She must have run here with those long legs of hers, and goodness, did she look so young and pure.
Ling watched silently as the bubbly young girl happily introduced herself to the rest of the group.
“I’m Orm ka. I just signed up with the channel recently. It’s nice to meet everyone and I hope we can all get along!” she chirped.
Ling smiled as the girl’s gaze fell on her. Such beautiful brown eyes…her eyes seemed to reflect lighter shades of brown as she bounced around. In the few years that Ling lived in Thailand, she noticed that the average Thai person often had dark brown or sometimes almost obsidian-coloured eyes. Never had she encountered someone here with such sparkly brown eyes as this new girl. There was indeed something special about her.
“Y-you’re Lingling, right?” Orm said as she crouched beside the older woman.
Ling, only just realising that she had probably been staring this entire time, nodded.
“Do you mind if I sit next to you?” Orm smiled.
Ling shook her head and gestured for the young girl to join her, “Please, feel free.”
The way that Orm grinned had her heart fluttering for a moment.
What a charming smile this girl has…
It was from there that Ling became more hyper-aware of Orm’s presence. Being the ultra-shy type, Ling never really had the opportunity to chat up Orm more than what was required. Everyone in the channel was friendly with one another, sure, but as each person had their own schedule, it was always difficult to freely meet with everyone outside of acting classes and workshops.
As the years passed, Ling would see Orm around the building from time to time. They no longer needed to attend group acting classes as often, so Ling busied herself with her Thai studies and her various small roles in TV series. Orm seemed to be doing the same, and while it disappointed her that she never mustered up the courage to get to know Orm a little better, she was content that she got to see her during the various annual events Channel 3 organised.
Fast forward to late 2023, Ling recalled her excitement when an announcement came through that Channel 3 would finally be jumping on the Sapphic Series bandwagon. There was so much buzz within the building that the entire week, most of the young actresses expressed interest in giving the casting a shot. While initially hesitant, upon reading the novel, Ling realized that she would have a good shot at this. The gratifying pull she felt towards the character within the novel gave her the confidence she needed to pursue the casting.
Anddd thanks to her naturally calm demeanour, Ling passed with flying colours.
From there, a flurry of other young women came in to audition. Many auditioned on their own, while a good handful auditioned with Ling. As each young woman approached Ling to run their lines with her, the older woman felt that…something was missing. The directors seemed to feel this way also as they cycled through the various people during the casting call.
Something also nagged at the back of Ling’s mind because all the people who had come to the audition were from her acting class, and she honestly wondered if Orm would perhaps make an appearance at all as well.
Finally, on the last day, she was notified that a young woman had been selected as Earn. She was told that this bubbly personality suited Earn’s character so much that the director was excited about wanting both girls in the next day to see how their chemistry together would fair.
Ling didn’t have a clue who the person was….until that woman walked into the casting room that next day.
Ling, eyes wide at the time, remembered that moment vividly. Why? Because again, Orm had come bolting in, face slightly flushed just like the first time she had met the young girl.
But…she was taken aback when she realized just how much Orm had matured since the last time she had seen her. She was a uni student already? A beautiful one at that. Her face was still so bright and full of wonder, her skin a milky white and her legs…her legs went on for days. Orm was no longer a young high schooler but a mature young adult.
Ling blinked as Orm approached her, her smile wide as she reached out to grasp the older woman’s hand, their fingers interlacing. The action caught Ling slightly off-guard, but at the same time, the warmth radiating from Orm’s hand felt so right, like a perfect piece of a puzzle fitting right into where it belongs.
“Lingling, it’s been far too long. It’s so nice to see you again,” she said, those lovely brown eyes so full of hope and purity piercing her soul once more.
For just a moment, Ling felt herself completely drawn to Orm’s gaze. While it lasted mere seconds, she felt this sudden clarity, a peace within those eyes that smiled back at her.
Flashing her most dashing smile, Ling greeted her back and pulled Orm into a warm embrace. As their bodies melted into each other, all sense of time seemed to halt. Ling took note of the light floral perfume Orm was using, committing the scent to memory because the strange calming sensation floating within her now seemed to want to envelop her whole.
Surprisingly, there was no tension on Orm’s end either. The younger woman’s arms embraced her comfortably. All of a sudden, Orm shifted so that her nose brushed lightly against the side of Ling’s neck, sending a shudder down the older woman’s spine. It was highly likely that the young woman hadn’t the slightest clue that she had just found the ultimate erogenous zone on Ling, and as a result, someone’s cheeks were definitely burning up like FIRE.
“Mhm..you smell so niceee,” Orm breathed in, lingering longer than anticipated. Before she could pull back, she gasped as she felt a soft pair of lips grazing against the side of her neck, the caress turning her knees into jelly. She tightened her grip around Ling in a bid to steady herself.
“Oh? You smell pretty amazing yourself, I must say,” Ling breathed against her, tracing lazy circles against the small of her back.
When the two girls finally pulled away to look at each other, it was as if the air surrounding them suddenly became so charged with electricity. The sensation enveloping Ling’s body felt so…surreal…magical, even.
Their noses almost brushed, and Orm could feel the blood rushing to her ears and cheeks like crazy. She hadn’t the slightest clue why the room suddenly felt so hot right now and why she couldn’t stop looking at those eyes shaped like crescent moons. She could feel a thundering roar in her chest, and this sudden urge to kiss Ling almost overwhelmed her. She had to keep it together, though. They were just greeting each other, for fuck’s sake, but why…why does her body want to do so much more than just…hug this woman? She wanted to trace her fingers over this woman’s nose and mouth. God, Ling had such a pretty face. Orm had always found Ling so beautiful since the very first day she stormed into that acting class, but seeing her up close like this was…a whole new experience. Why did her legs wobble, though? Surely it was the nerves, right?
Not far from the thoughts wreaking havoc in Orm’s mind, Ling’s train of thought was causing her just as much confusion.
She had never desired a woman’s lips as much as she had desired Orm’s lips just now. They were so pink and plump, and goodness, they looked so soft. The logic in her brain was telling her how weird it was for her to be standing here tangled in this young woman’s arms, but her heart was telling her that this was home. But…this really was so strange. Sure, in the past, she had been in brief relationships with men, but why had none of them ever felt like this? Like she wanted to pull Orm onto a sofa right now, nuzzle her neck, cuddle her and fall asleep with the woman in her arms. That’s…normal, right?
Unbeknownst to the girls who were still locked in their embrace, the director and other crew members looked on in awe at what was occurring in front of them. Their idle chatter had silenced completely as the seemingly innocent hug turned…um, not so innocent. That gasp Orm let out just now? Not innocent at all, oh nooooo.
Director Nay looked around at her peers, her eyes practically bulging out of her face as if to say, “ARE YOU ALL SEEING THIS?!” before nudging her co-director and excitedly whisper-hissing, “This is it!! This is the chemistry we’ve been looking for!”.
Much like her, everyone else seemed to be blushing as well, which was fantastic. She had a good feeling about this as she watched the girls pull back and continue to stare at one another. She had a bubbling excitement that this was going to be the beginning of something very special between these two. The urge to nurture whatever it was that was brewing in the air between them, she had no clue, but she would protect it with all her might.
Fahlada and Earn were going to win everyone’s hearts on screen, yes but off-screen, Lingling and Orm were going to have the same devastating impact, she just knew it.
“Ahem,” Director Nay finally coughed, breaking the girls out of their trance.
Startled, Ling and Orm let go of each other, blushing like mad as they realized that the entire room was now staring at them with wide eyes and equally flushed cheeks.
“Now that you two have finally become…acquainted with one another as Fahlada and Earn, I think it’s time we get you both to test out a scene together. Let's get straight to the nitty-gritty of this series because, if I am completely honest, your chemistry together is incredible…I can feel it. Let’s get you both started on a light love scene together, shall we?” Director Nay said, her eyes sparkling with conviction.
The girls looked at each other, eyes wide. A l-love scene? Straight off the bat? Like. They hadn’t even completed a workshop yet but the directors want them acting out a love scene already?
Ling ruffled her top in a motion that told everyone, ‘WHEW, is it hot in here or what?!’ and nodded. She didn’t make it this far in her acting career to chicken out when an unexpected situation popped out in front of her.
She intertwined her fingers with Orm’s once more, the younger woman flashing her with that cheeky smile she knew was going to start tugging at her heartstrings.
Orm nodded confidently as their fingers interlaced comfortably, “Let’s do it!”.