springtime | winrina

five

She stares at the empty desk in front of her longingly, right hand clicking her pen mindlessly. Karina was later than usual, she noted, glancing at the clock hanging on the wall. Time ticked away slowly and Winter started to grow impatient. It was only two days since Monday, the day she held Karina in her arms. She had marked the exact date on her calendar, drew a flower and a heart, smiling goofily to herself as soon as she arrived home.

There was still a bit of time before their first class and the morning broadcast should start anytime soon.

"Good morning everyone."

Winter's heart skips a beat, hearing a familiar voice greet her mornings again.

"This is Karina standing in for your Wednesday morning broadcast today. We have exciting news today."

She exhales a breath she had been holding in, slumping back into her chair. Her day just got a little better knowing that she had something to look forward to again, she had Karina Yu.

"Due to popular demand and many requests from you, the broadcast club has decided to bring back our mini segment 'Secret Messenger'. All you have to do is write a note you'd like for us to announce and drop it in the box outside our club room every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It's completely up to you if you'd like to leave your name or not. Just remember to be respectful and polite."

Winter remembers this segment from last year. Most of the messages were either ridiculous, funny jokes, or love confessions, sometimes also seeking advice. She had never really paid much attention to the broadcasts back then because of its repetitiveness and boring announcements. However, things have changed since then. Just like the previous Mondays, Winter listens to her favorite angelic voice over the speakers.

"We'll try our best to read out as many messages as we can. However due to time constraints, messages not read during broadcasts will then be uploaded onto our page, so do check them daily for those messages. There's no other school announcements as of today, so I'll just give you some weather updates. The rest of the week will be cloudy with slight chances of rain. So remember to bring an umbrella and raincoat with you."

She looks out of the window, up at the sky which was once a clear blue now replaced in grey.

"That's all I have for you today, thank you for listening. This has been Karina Yu."

The morning broadcast comes to an end, the school bell ringing shortly after. Winter picks up the stack of blue post-it notes, deciding to leave a message for Karina to read when she returns to class. Of course, she remembers to fold it into a crane before placing it on her desk.

"Class is dismissed, please remember to review pages 100 to 110 for tomorrow's class test," the teacher reminded, voice drowned out from the excited chatter from students eager to head home after an exhausting day of school.

Karina slipped her books and files into her bag pack neatly, zipping it up before slinging it around her shoulders. She reached for the blue crane seated by the corner of her desk the entire day and got up from her seat before looking over at a pair of brown eyes which have been staring at the back of her head for god knows how long.

By then, most students had already evacuated the classroom, leaving just the pair and few who were staying behind.

She tucks her dark hair behind her ear, looking down at Winter with a smile. "Aren't you going to head home?" she asked curiously, tilting her head.

Until this day, Winter was not accustomed to her heart doing weird things whenever Karina gazed at her with a smile that could melt anyone's heart. Sometimes, she thinks that she turns into a complete idiot around her, unable to function properly. Today was no different as she continues to stare up at her in awe of her beauty.