Is there a way to create an interaction where I can click on a link to open a preview of the page as a main interaction?
Example is this Area 17 website ( Select work — AREA 17) - when you click on a project, it opens like a preview - but it is also an actual page if you go to that URL.
This one can be little tricky to implement.
There is a JS library barba.js.org which will help you achieve this. But still achieving quick response like that Area17 website can be little challenging with Webflow.
By the way, Webflow also has a Preload option that you should try first, you can find this on the link elements settings, under the URL field.