forum "You DO like me!" "I don't think 'like' is the right word." "You tolerate me." "Maybe." one on one

Started January 29, 2021 by @cryptic-glitch

tune

"Well, what am I supposed to think?! How the hell is that a good metaphor?!" Lin clenched his hands into fists, obviously stressed and upset.

"I'm not good at metaphors. I don't know. I don't know." She looked away from him, clutching the steering wheel hard.

Lin closed his eyes, trembling a bit. "I-I'm sorry, I just… I can't… lose you…" He said through gritted teeth. "I can't."

"You aren't going to. I'm here. I'm not leaving." She didn't look at him, eyes straight ahead.

Lin sighed shakily, pressing the base of his palms against his closed eyes. "B-But I just… I-I dunno what I would do if something happened to you…"

She slammed on the brakes, pulled over, and grabbed the collar of his shirt. "Shut. The. Fuck. Up. I'm not going anywhere. If you keep blubbering like this I will push you out of a moving car."

Lin paled when Orion grabbed him, his breathing hitching. He held his hands up defensively as he trembled in her grasp. "I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry, just… please don't hurt me…"

"I'M NOT GOING TO HURT YOU!" She stopped. "I might kiss you."

"H-Huh?" Lin looked up at Orion meekly, still quivering with fear. She looked angry, and he didn't want her to be angry with him.

"I said, 'I might kiss you.' I'm asking for permission to kiss you." She loosened her grip on his shirt.

"I… u-um… you can if you want to…" Lin replied softly, relaxing a bit when she loosened her grip on him.

She kissed him gently, then pulled away and let go of his shirt.

Lin was pretty flushed by the time she pulled away, obviously flustered and not quite sure what he was supposed to say.

"I'm s-sorry. Was that okay?" She shifted in her seat.

"Y-Yeah… it's fine." Lin fidgeted a bit with his hands. "I just… haven't kissed anyone before…"

"I don't want to push you to do anything you don't want to do." She held her hands up. "I'm not going to do it again unless you give me permission."

Lin nodded a bit. "Right… thanks. I appreciate it." He replied softly. "I'm really new to this kinda thing, so it's hard to tell whether or not I'm doing it right…"

"Here. Give me your hand." She held out her hand to him. "I'll teach you."

"Huh? O-Oh, um… okay…" Lin did as he was told, tentatively taking Orion's hand.

She put his hand on her cheek. "Now kiss me."

Lin flushed red, not seeming quite sure what to do with himself. "O-Oh! Um… I… I-I don't really know… how…"

"Yes, you do. You just did it," Orion said. "Give it a shot. What's the worst that'll happen?"

Lin still seemed uneasy, his heart pounding in his chest. "I-I don't… I dunno, Orion… I don't know what I'm doing…" He whispered weakly.

"It's okay. You're okay." She moved away from him. "I didn't mean to make you freak out."

Lin nodded weakly and looked away, fidgeting uneasily with his hands. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to relax.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She rested her forehead on the steering wheel. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay! Don't… d-don't feel bad…" Lin insisted, holding his hands up a bit.

"Then what do you want me to do, Lin? What?" She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, head still on the steering wheel.

"I-I dunno! I just… I don't know, okay?" Lin sighed shakily. "I don't know anything. I don't know what to tell you."

"Think about it for a minute." She crossed her arms. "You know a lot of things. Just- take a minute and collect your thoughts."