As Karina settled on Winter's lap, her arms instinctively looped around Winter's neck, their quick, warm breaths mingling in the silence of the kiss's wake.

Winter’s eyes softened, a glow dancing in her gaze as she smiled, and the look made Karina’s heart race. Karina’s lips curled into a smirk, pulling Winter back in for another kiss, deep and fervent.

Winter's lips brushed along Karina’s lips, and a hint of playfulness flickered as she nipped gently, earning a soft, stifled moan from Karina, who clung closer, her fingers threading tightly around Winter’s back.

The warmth both of them contained spread within them. There was charged air in a shared unspoken desire that filled every breath.

Karina, unable to hold back, tried to reach over to catch hold of the jacket; her hands trembling slightly she pulled it open and sent it slumping to the floor.

She drew Winter to her neck, breathlessly whispering, "Please."

It came out soft, a word edged in need and one she had no hold on. She felt her skin rise against Winter's lips as they sought her; each mark she left was deliberate, lingering upon her skin; she would know the small bruise it left on her with the morning.

But as Winter moved over, Karina's body began shaking, faint shivers trickling within her. A familiar fear clawed its way up; her heart pounded faster, breaths ragged and forced.

Yet she tightened her hold around Winter's waist with her legs, as if the closeness could silence that growing unease.

Winter, too focused to miss it, trailed kisses down her neck, feeling the sudden tension in Karina's muscles and her heartbeat racing—not with excitement but with something far more intense, and shaky breaths followed.

Winter pause, pulled back, looking into Karina's face, noting the way her lashes danced against tightly closed eyes, the faint crease in her brows. Concern crept over Winter's earlier smile as she softened, leaning in close enough that her voice came out in a near-whisper.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"
Her fingers hovered just at the hem of Karina's shirt, brushing lightly, almost as if to calm, waiting.

There was gentleness in the face of Winter, that patient care, the expression of someone who wouldn't even move forward if it meant she would end up hurting her loved person.

Karina's eyelids were sealed shut, avoiding Winter’s gaze as if holding in her own thoughts. Her face was flushed deeply; her breath was still a little unsteady. She shook her head faintly, but leaned forward, pushing her lips to Winter's again without a word. Her hands tightened around her.

But this time, Winter couldn't ignore the change. A feeling of frustration simmered beneath the surface, an unwillingness to go along as if nothing was wrong.

She gently pushed Karina back, creating space between them, a mix of confusion and unease shadowing her expression. Her voice came out steady, a firm but caring insistence.

“Love, stop. I can’t... not like this.”

Winter's eyes lingered, trying to understand, the soft hurt in her eyes plain as she waited, giving Karina a moment to process.

Karina sat still, her face lowered, cheeks flushed with shame that burned hotter than any other feeling. She was silent; her mind spiraling into the belief that she had pushed things too far, that she had made Winter uncomfortable.

Maybe she’d even managed to destroy everything between them in a single moment. Her heart clenched at the thought that Winter might hate her now.
 
That all the warmth and love that once filled Winter’s eyes would fade, now replaced by disappointment, maybe even disgust.

Winter, beneath this anger, still tender and soft, calmed the tone, steady though firm.

"Please… what is going on?" she whispered, low and pleading, with a leaning forward, with her eyes steady and seeking. She reached out and cupped Karina's face, tracing slow soft circles with her thumbs along the planes of her cheeks.

Karina flinched at the touch, her entire body tense as if bracing for something painful, and Winter felt her heart crack just a bit at the reaction, at how broken Karina seemed in her arms.

Winter's fingers tightened slightly, her jaw clenched as she tried to manage the frustration brewing within. She wanted answers—she deserved answers.

She couldn’t understand why Karina would hide something this deep, something that brought so much hurt and fear into her eyes. With every second of Karina's silence, the pain within Winter was growing more cuttingly sharp, as if every silent word was a punch into the trust she and Karina had built together.

She was deceived, and she just didn't feel that perhaps she never really knew Karina, or even worse—perhaps Karina wasn't even capable of trusting her enough to let this pain inside come out of her.

"Jimin," Winter breathed quietly with a cracked voice, yet her eyes locked without an inch of a flicker, a tinge of care, anger, and worry. And Winter found tears in Karina's eyes—wet sheen glistened and would have struggled to be put behind.

With a shuddered breath, Karina closed her eyes, a tear slid silently down to carve a meandering track down her cheek.

Finally, she looked away and could not bear her eyes to see the ache that creased her features of frustration and hurt etched upon her face. The weight of it all came crashing down, and her shoulders trembled, breath hitching as she surrendered to the tears she’d fought so hard to hide.

Seeing Karina breaking apart, and Winter's own eyes welled up with tears. Frustration gave way suddenly to something more primeval: an ache, a desperation. She pulled Karina into her chest, gripped the girl's shoulders as if she could reach in somehow, make her realize she was there, strong and solid, pressing against her chest like a second heartbeat.

"Please," Winter's voice cracked, a mix of hurt and hope, begging softly as she shook her slightly.

"Please, love… tell me what's really wrong."