Ling yanked her hand back abruptly and stepped away.
"Don't say that," Ling snapped, eyes burning. "Not like that."
Rhea watched her really watched her the way Ling usually watched everyone else.
"Why?" Rhea asked. "Because it still works?"
Ling laughed once, sharp and hollow. "Because you don't get to disarm me and call it trust."
Rhea stepped forward again, closing the distance Ling had created. "You already disarmed yourself," she said. "Every time you touched me like I was yours and then pretended I wasn't."
Ling's voice dropped. "You think this is a game."
"No," Rhea said calmly. "I think this is the only place you're honest."
Ling looked at her then really looked. Her eyes were dark, unreadable, torn between control and collapse.
"You're playing with something you don't understand," Ling said.
Rhea's lips curved, not smiling, cruel. "Then teach me."
Rhea's words were barely out when Ling moved.
Not slow.
Not careful.
Instinct.
Ling stepped back into her space and kissed her not soft, not asking. It was sharp, claiming, fueled by everything she had been denying since the locker room.
Rhea's breath hitched in surprise for half a second.
Then—
She laughed.
Not mocking.
Not cruel.
Amused. Warm. Knowing.
Ling froze mid-kiss, her control snapping back too late. She pulled away just enough to see Rhea's expression eyes bright, lips curved, completely unafraid.
"You see?" Rhea murmured, still smiling. "That didn't take long."
Ling's jaw tightened. "Don't laugh."
"Why?" Rhea tilted her head. "You kissed me. I didn't force you."
Ling's hand was braced against the locker beside Rhea's head, close enough to trap her without touching. "You wanted me to lose," Ling said lowly. "You enjoy it."
Rhea shrugged slightly, playful and dangerous at once. "I enjoy you forgetting who you pretend to be."
Ling leaned in again not to kiss this time, but close enough that their noses almost brushed. "You think this means you won?"
Rhea's smile widened. "No. I think it means you're lying to yourself."
Ling exhaled sharply through her nose, eyes darkening. "You have no idea what you're asking for when you say things like that."
Rhea's voice softened, but didn't weaken. "Then don't teach me with your mouth," she said. "Teach me with the truth."
Ling straightened abruptly, stepping back as if burned. "You don't get that version of me."
Rhea watched her carefully. "Because you're afraid?"
Ling laughed once humorless. "Because I don't trust what I'd do if I stop being afraid."
Rhea pushed off the locker herself now, closing the distance again. "You already crossed that line."
Ling met her gaze, unblinking. "And you laughed."
Rhea smiled again, softer this time. "Because you're terrible at pretending you don't care."
Ling turned away suddenly, fingers raking through her hair. "Next time," she said, voice tight, "don't provoke someone who knows exactly how to hurt you."
Rhea answered without hesitation. "Next time don't kiss me if you don't want me to know how much it affects you."
Silence stretched between them heavy, unresolved.
Ling finally glanced back, eyes sharp. "You think you're brave."
Rhea's voice dropped. "No. I think I trust you."
That did it.
Ling looked away again, control barely holding. "You shouldn't."
"Next time you say teach me," Ling said, low and controlled, "don't laugh when I do."
Rhea lifted her chin, the bent ring glinting between her fingers.
"I can give it back," she said calmly. "Think about it."
Ling didn't hesitate. "Give."
Rhea smiled slow, deliberate. "One condition."
Ling already knew she wouldn't like it. "What."
"You make me wear the new one," Rhea said. "With your own hands. Then I give you this."
Ling dragged a hand down her face. "Ughhh! you're—"
"Annoying?" Rhea finished sweetly. "Manipulative? Or just someone who knows exactly how to negotiate with you?"
Ling shot her a glare. "You enjoy torturing me."
Rhea stepped closer, close enough that Ling had to tilt her head to keep eye contact. "You started this war," she said softly. "I'm just choosing my battlefield."
Ling clenched her jaw, then snatched the small box from her own pocket. "Fine. But don't get ideas."
Rhea's eyes softened not teasing now, just honest. "Too late."
Ling opened the box, fingers suddenly less steady than she wanted. "Turn around."
Rhea didn't. "No."
Ling looked up. "What."
"You make me wear it," Rhea replied. "Not order me."
A beat passed. Then Ling stepped in, voice low. "You're pushing your luck."
Rhea held her gaze. "You won't hurt me."
That confidence hit harder than any insult.
Ling exhaled sharply and moved closer, her fingers brushing Rhea's waist as she knelt despite herself. The locker room felt too quiet, too open, too dangerous.
"Hold still," Ling muttered.
Rhea's breath caught not from touch, but from the way Ling's focus narrowed, all arrogance stripped away, replaced with care she hated showing.
Ling dropped to one knee again, jaw tight, movements controlled like she was diffusing a bomb rather than holding a piece of jewelry.
"Stop moving," she muttered.
Rhea immediately inhaled sharply. "Ah—"
Ling froze. Her head snapped up. "What. Did I hurt you?"
Rhea bit her lip, eyes wide, then winced again on purpose. "Mm… maybe."
Ling's hand hovered mid-air, panic flashing across her face for half a second before she masked it with anger. "Rhea. Don't play with me."
Rhea couldn't hold it anymore. She laughed soft at first, then fuller. "Relax. It isn't hurting."
Ling stared at her. "…You lied."
"I teased," Rhea corrected, smiling. "Big difference."
Ling exhaled hard, shoulders tense. "You think this is funny."
"It is," Rhea said gently. "Because for once, you're scared."
Ling looked back down, fingers careful again. "I'm not scared."
"You are," Rhea insisted. "Your hands are shaking."
"They're not."
"They are."
Ling clenched her jaw. "If you keep talking, I'm stopping."
Rhea immediately quieted, lifting her hands in surrender. "Okay. Quiet."
Ling focused again, slower now, deliberate, making sure nothing tugged, nothing hurt. The silence stretched, thick with everything neither of them was saying.
Rhea broke it softly. "You always act like you don't care… but you always do."
Ling didn't answer.
Rhea watched her, eyes warm. "That day… when it hurt… you still don't forgive yourself, do you?"
Ling's fingers paused for a fraction of a second.
"Don't," Ling said quietly. "Don't go there."
Rhea nodded. "Okay. I won't."
Another careful second, then Ling secured it. She leaned back slightly, inspecting her work like it was a victory she didn't want to acknowledge.
"…Done."
Rhea looked down, then back at her. "You did good."
Ling scoffed. "It's a ring. Don't exaggerate."
Rhea smiled, then reached down, fingers brushing Ling's wrist. "Thank you."
Ling stiffened at the touch but didn't pull away. "Don't thank me. This was a deal."
"Still," Rhea said. "You were gentle."
Ling finally stood, stepping back like distance would save her. "You faked pain just to see my reaction."
Rhea tilted her head. "And?"
Ling met her eyes, voice low. "Don't do that again."
Rhea's smile softened. "You don't like feeling weak."
"I don't like losing control," Ling corrected.
Rhea stepped closer. "Then don't pretend you don't care. It only makes you easier to read."
Ling's lips parted, then pressed together again. "You're impossible."
Rhea shrugged lightly. "And you're still here."
Ling looked away first annoyed, flustered, and very much not leaving.
Rhea held the bent ring between her fingers, metal still warped proof of that day, that pain, that silence.
She placed it slowly in Ling's palm.
Her voice wasn't loud. It didn't need to be.
"Answer me one thing," Rhea said. "That day… in the hospital. Why didn't you come?"
Ling's fingers closed around the ring instantly, knuckles whitening.
Rhea continued, eyes fixed on her face. "Were you so angry that you couldn't watch me fighting with death?"
A pause.
"Or was leaving easier?"
Ling's breath hitched.
"I—" She stopped. Swallowed. "I did come."
Rhea laughed once, hollow. "Don't lie to me now."
"I'm not," Ling snapped, then lowered her voice. "I came. I reached the corridor. I saw you."
Rhea froze.
Ling's jaw tightened. "She stopped me."
Rhea's brows furrowed. "Who?"
Ling looked straight at her. "Your mother."
Rhea's breath faltered. "…Mom?"
Ling nodded, eyes dark with memory. "She stood in front of your room. Told me you were unconscious. Told me I did this to you."
Rhea whispered, "She said you never came."
Ling's head snapped up. "She told you that?"
"She said," Rhea's voice shook, "that Zifa called you… and you said you didn't care."
Ling's face drained of color. "That's a lie."
Rhea's lips trembled. "She said I was nothing to you."
Ling took a sharp step forward. "I begged her to let me stay."
"She told me," Ling said, voice breaking despite herself, "that if I stayed, I would break you more. That you didn't need me."
Rhea shook her head slowly. "I needed you."
Ling's breath came uneven. "I stood there thinking you'd wake up and hate me. That my presence would hurt you more."
Rhea whispered, "I woke up calling your name."
Ling closed her eyes hard like that sentence physically struck her.
"When she told me to leave," Ling said, voice raw now, "I believed her. I thought… maybe loving you was the problem."
Rhea stepped closer, tears spilling freely now. "I thought you abandoned me."
Ling opened her eyes. They were wet. "I thought you were better without me."
They stood inches apart, the truth finally between them heavy, cruel, unavoidable.
"Mom lied to both of us," Rhea said softly.
Ling nodded once. "And we destroyed each other for it."
Rhea reached out, grabbing Ling's shirt, fist tight. "I almost died thinking you didn't care."
Ling's voice cracked. "I almost lost my mind thinking you didn't need me."
Silence fell thick, painful.
Ling let out a broken laugh. "I regret believing her."
Rhea's forehead rested against Ling's. "I regret letting myself believe you could stop caring."
Ling whispered, "I never stopped."
Rhea closed her eyes. "Neither did I."
But for the first time, the lie was dead and the truth, painful as it was, finally breathed between them.
Ling leaned in without asking.
She pressed a soft kiss on the small mole between Rhea's throat and jaw, the one she always pretended not to notice but never forgot. Her lips lingered there for half a second longer than necessary.
Rhea's breath caught.
Ling smiled not cruel, not teasing soft, almost peaceful for the first time in days.
"Today is Friday," Ling said quietly, her voice low, certain. "I'll come tonight."
Rhea lifted her eyes. "Ling—"
Ling cut her off gently, resting her forehead against Rhea's for a brief moment.
"And you," she continued, lips curving, "will complete your promise."
Rhea swallowed. "What promise?"
Ling pulled back just enough to look at her, eyes shining with that familiar dangerous warmth.
"Of hiding me in your room," she said. "Saturday and Sunday. No excuses. No running."
Rhea's lips parted, heart racing. "You act like I have a choice."
Ling chuckled under her breath. "You don't."
She brushed her thumb once along Rhea's jaw, slow, deliberate.
"We'll lock the world outside," Ling added softly. "No lies. No voices. Just us."
Rhea whispered, "Ling…"
Ling leaned closer again, voice dropping to a murmur meant only for her.
"And we'll bathe together. Future couple can. Just warmth."
Rhea's eyes glistened, emotions colliding relief, longing, fear, hope.
"You're assuming I'll let you stay," Rhea said weakly.
Ling smiled wider, that confident Kwong smile returning. "You always do."
She stepped back before Rhea could respond, already turning away.
"Be ready," Ling said over her shoulder. "I'll come at night."
Then she left calm on the outside, heart racing on the inside leaving Rhea standing there, fingers unconsciously touching the spot where Ling had kissed, knowing this weekend would change everything, whether they were ready or not.