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65

Winter closed her bedroom door.

The lock was a soft click shutting off the world outside. She had just parted ways with Ningning and traces of that funny banter still echoed in her mind. Setting her bag by the bed, she let out a long breath, sinking into the mattress as though it could absorb all the weight she carried.

The day had worn her thin, yet what lingered wasn't exhaustion—it was a deeper, quieter longing that pulsed beneath her surface.

Without much thought, she reached for her phone, her thumb hovering over Karina's contact. There was a beat of hesitation before her phone lit up, Karina's name flashing across the screen.

Winter's heart still then smiled, unguarded and bright, as she answered softly. "Hello?"

There was a beat of silence, and then Karina's gentle exhalation filtered through, a quiet sigh that seemed to carry relief. Winter felt the pause and leaned in, furrowing her brow with concern. "You okay?"

Karina's answer was almost a whisper, as if she were carefully masking something under her tone. "Yeah. I just... I needed to hear your voice."

Warmth spreading across her chest, Winter smiled softly.

"Well, you’ve got it now," she teased lightly.

“You’re stuck with me.”

She chuckled, a sound that usually drew a laugh from Karina but on this day, she let it ring out in dead silence. A difference was so slight that almost no one would notice-but Winter felt it.

As the moment stretched out before her, Winter's tone grew firmer, edged slightly more with concern.

"Seriously, is something wrong?

There was the soft rustle, the gentle hitch to Karina's breathing. Winter's heart beat harder as she had this almost desperate sense that she wanted to close the distance, to be next to Karina.

Karina's voice finally emerged, barely above a whisper.

"I just... miss you... So much." There was something weighty about her words that she wouldn't unpack.

Winter's face softened at the words, her lips curving into a gentle smile even as Karina's words brought an ache to her tone. She wished she could see her, wished she could erase whatever weight Karina bore.

"I miss you too," she said, infusing warmth into the words, hoping they reached her.

"I think of you every day, you know that?"

Hearing Winter’s happiness only deepened the ache in Karina’s chest, twisting her heart. She pressed her lips tight to prevent the tears from spilling over.

Yet a quiet tremor slipped into her voice, unsteady. Winter picked on it right away, a sharp concern spiking in her as she listened to Karina's uneven breathing.

"You... crying?"

There was worry bleeding through Winter's tone as she softened.

"Don't cry, please."

Karina gripped the phone tightly as she tried to keep the voice from shaking too much.

"I'm just… overwhelmed." She wept silently, swallowing her sounds.

"Love...," Winter's voice grew firmer, the quiet determination of a person who would fight tooth and nail to hold onto something.

"Listen, I'm gonna try as hard as possible. I'll get into KS University, and I will be with you. Each and every day." The sound of her voice steady was a promise for herself and for Karina: an anchor to cling onto during stormy weather, the one which held people close to her when fear overwhelmed them.

"You don't have to go missing on me for an eternity, okay? All I asked is you to wait for me. A little longer."

But Karina's suppressed sobs were growing; she was shaking all over with a feeling of guilt gnawing at her. Winter's promise became both soothing and a new ache to be dealt with those feelings that had st stirring up feelings she wasn’t ready to face.

She bit down on her lip, holding back the urge to confess, to spill the truth she carried. But fear, the thought of tainting Winter with that knowledge, held her back.

Karina breathed with shuddery tension as she finally whispered, “I love you, Winter.”

Her voice broke, the words barely audible through the tightness in her throat.

Winter's heart hurts at the raw quality of Karina's voice.

"I love you too," Her words were steady and warm with it, but concern hung buried beneath them. She clung to that promise still, hoping it might have to do.

Karina closed her eyes, her fingers squeezing the phone as she allowed Winter's words to calm her for just that moment. She could not tell her everything; not now, but Winter's voice was an anchor, keeping her grounded in a sea of chaos.

Winter's voice was a soft breeze warm in silence. Karina's silence made her believe there must be something; she just could not see it. She held her phone to her ear to fill the silence with mere presence, hoping her words could cross miles.

"Love...are you sure, you okay?" Winter's gentle voice was like nudging, concerned but controlled with space for Karina if she wanted to answer that.

A small, shaky breath, and Karina replied, the words tight in her throat.

"I'm just… really tired, Winter. I missed you. So much." The words hung in the air as fragile as if they pain her to admit.

Winter moved onto her back, arms tensing around her pillow now, wishing it were Karina.

"I, too missed you," she said gently, warmth in her tone being a soft quiet strength.

"Don't explain just…just let me just be here with you. Okay?"

A faint laugh, edged with something Winter couldn't reach, escaped Karina. Winter bit into her lower lip, letting questions not asked hang suspended in air as she made room with her warmth where words alone were failing to bridge those gaps.

"I just... want you close," Karina's voice cracked and the gulf of exposure. Winter presence, even from afar, had become the only anchor thing in a world, too sharp and unforgiving.

Winter took a deep breath. She closed her eyes tightly and clutched at her phone, her voice steady.

"Then I'll work harder than ever. Just wait for me a little longer, all right? I’ll be there with you, just like we promised."

Winter's mute promise did something to Karina-something a mix of pride and guilt, churning up inside her till the cup ran full of feelings. She could almost envision Winter, late, into the night, a long vigil held and intense as she might be with fatigue, never faltering, her eyes unblinking. It warmed as full of life, with nothing to reject the light while her secrets bore in.

And in that moment, Winter felt it inside of her; she whispered softly to him, soft words, and said, "You do not have to do all this by yourself. I am not there yet, but you are not alone, okay?"

Karina’s grip on the phone trembled, a tear slipping down her cheek as she let Winter’s words wrap around her, a quiet comfort amidst the turmoil. She sniffed, managing a shaky smile.

“I love you,” she whispered, the words raw, carrying a depth Winter could feel even from afar.

Winter smiled, held the phone close to her ear, as if getting closer to Karina.

"I love you too," she whispered softly, steady and warm, the worry there, but pushed back by the love.

Karina's voice steadied. Gratitude was inscribed in the soft "thank you" she breathed, and for this instant, into a stillness where Winter's quiet strength could hold her together in ways Karina hadn't known she needed.

Winter's patience and unyielding warmth were healed. She had given Karina enough strength to breathe for just this one moment.


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