"Come on, let's get you back to bed," she said softly, helping me up. Once we reached my room, she situated me down on the bed and then proceeded to taking off her shoes.



"You're going to cuddle with me?" I asked in a half-asleep mumble.



"Mm-hmm. I've got time before I need to head to the airport," she replied, climbing into bed beside me. I wasted no time settling into her, my head finding its place on her shoulder, her arm wrapping protectively around me. I drifted off almost immediately, wrapped in her warmth.



When I woke up again, it was to the sound of gentle movements. I opened my eyes to see Lingling sitting on the edge of the bed, lacing her shoes.



"Hey," I whispered, my voice rough from sleep. She turned and smiled softly.



"Good morning again," she said. "I've got to go now."



I nodded, but before she stood up, she leaned down, her face inches from mine. "Do me a favor?" she asked, her eyes locking with mine. "Miss me." She kissed my forehead gently and left with a wave.



Funny thing is, I already did.

End of Flashback



I had been filming with Éclair for the past few days—shooting scenes where my character was supposed to be acting within a movie. It was meta, and Éclair had been my co-star. Out of nowhere, she turned to me while we're on a break.



"Do you know if Lingling's seeing anyone?" she asked casually, her eyes focused on her phone.



The question caught me off guard. My heart stumbled for a moment, caught between fear and something else—territorial, maybe. "Uh—no? I don't think so."



The words felt foreign in my mouth. It was strange talking about Lingling like this, as there was some invisible line that hadn't yet been crossed. Also, I wasn't used to sharing my personal life with anyone except the people closest to me. And even then, this was different—Lingling was different.