"You called me," Winter muttered. "Because you want me to sing for you? Really?"
"What?" Karina chuckled. "That's what you do, right? Sing?"
"...Yes." The singer sighed. "But God, not when it's eleven in the evening."
"I can't sleep."
It's true. Karina tried all the things she could do to make herself fall asleep. She watched a movie, played a game, made herself a glass of milk, but to no avail, she still can't sleep.
She wanted to call her friends, but she knows they are snoring on top of their beds already and she doesn't want to disturb them.
To her luck, she went online and saw a green dot next to Winter's username. She decided to call the girl and within just a few rings, Winter answered the call.
"Why can't you sleep?"
"...I don't know?" Karina muttered, as if she's also questioning herself.
"You don't know?" She heard the singer chuckle.
"I guess I was too energized earlier."
"From my kiss?"
Karina snorted. "Whatever makes your night, Kim."
Winter's chuckle turned into a full blown laughter.
"How about you?" Karina spoke again. "Why are you still awake?"
"Hmm..." Winter hummed. "I'm stargazing."
"Stargazing?"
"Yup." The singer said. "Look at the sky."
Karina stood up from her bed and went to her balcony. She looked up, and saw millions of stars above.
"Where are you right now, Winter?"
"At our rooftop."
"I'm watching too." Karina whispered. "At my balcony."
A comfortable silence grew.
"Take it from the top, If I start I just can't stop..."
Winter started singing a song. And although Karina is unfamiliar with it, she still wanted to listen.
"All the patience that I've got, It's not enough to save me..."
Karina might not say it in front of Winter, but she really loves the girl's voice. Even before when they were still not talking to each other, Karina wondered how someone could have such a beautiful unique voice like Winter's.
"It's a race against the clock, But we don't wanna watch..."
She also likes Winter's love for singing.
"Keep running 'til we're lost, Got me thinkin'..."
She has seen Winter on top of the stage so many times already. And she swears she never once saw the girl looking bored or tired of what she's doing.
"Ooh, baby, You take me on a ride...Gonna drive me crazy..."
She sees a burning passion. A desire to sing. Winter stands there on the stage, looking confident, wanting to serenade everyone with her heavenly voice. Not once did Karina see that passion missing in Winter's eyes. It's always there.
"Ooh, baby, I feel like we made it pretty far, Now we're stargazing..."
And that is something she admires from the singer.
"It's a good song." Karina said softly when Winter stopped singing. "What's the title?"
"Stargazing, by The Neighborhood." Winter answered. "Hey..."
"Hmm?"
"Want me to pick you up tomorrow?"
"Why?"
"If you want to, I could."
"But why?"
Winter chuckled. "You really want to know?"
"Of course."
"Because...that's me."
"That's you...?"
"Yeah." Winter muttered. "You're feeling sleepy now?"
As soon as Winter said it, Karina found herself yawning.
"...A bit."
"Sleep now." The singer said. "Send me your location tomorrow."
"Okay."
"Goodnight, Karina."
"...Goodnight, Winter."
The call ended.
Karina put her phone down, before looking up at the sky again.
'Weird.'
____
Winter: I'm here.
Karina took her shoulder bag from the couch as soon as she saw Winter's text.
Karina: Wait for me.
"Mom," She called her mother, Tiffany Yu, who's currently in the kitchen. "I need to go."
"Okay. Drive safe, hun."
"Uh...I won't use my car."
"You'll walk?" She heard her Mom ask. "The academy is like three kilometers away from here."
"Someone will drive me there, Mom. Don't worry about it." Before her mother could even ask more questions, Karina went outside the house. "I'll go now! Bye, love you!"
She closed the door.
She then looked at Winter, who's wearing a neon green shirt, casually leaning on a BMW.
"Good Morning."
"Good morning." Karina greeted back and went closer. "Nice car. Looks good."
Winter pointed at herself. "How about the owner?"
Karina gave her a teasing smile. "Hmm, just fine."
"Bummer." Winter shook her head, smiling afterwards. She opened the door of the passenger seat and gestured at Karina. "Take a seat, Mademoiselle."
"Thank you." The taller girl went inside the car. Winter closed the door before going to the driver's seat.
"Breakfast?" Winter lifted a sandwich wrapped in parchment paper.
Karina stared at her. "I...I already had breakfast."
Winter stared back, before glancing at the sandwich. "...Oh, sorry." She chuckled awkwardly. "Force of habit."
"You usually do this?"
"With Yeji." Winter answered. "That girl doesn't eat breakfast and I used to pick her up everyday. But she got her own car just yesterday so, yeah."
"Hmm." Karina hummed, taking the paper bag. "I'll take it."
Winter looked at her. "You don't have to."
"It's fine. I'm not that full yet, anyway."
The singer stared at her for a few seconds before shrugging. "Sure."
She started to drive.
"It's good." Karina said after taking the first bite. "You made this?"
"Nah. Just bought it. I'm not good in the kitchen."
"Maybe that's why you're a red flag."
Winter laughed. "Maybe."
Karina looked at her. "I can teach you."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I mean, not to brag, but aside from academics, I'm also good at cooking."
"What's the catch?"
"Nothing." Karina shrugged. "If we're doing this setup, we might as well do other things."
"Other things." Winter smirked. "I like the sound of that."
"Pervert."
The singer chuckled.
"What kind of songs do you listen to, Winter?" Karina asked while looking out of the window.
"Hmm..." Winter hummed. "I don't have any specific genre. I listen to all of them."
"All?"
"Yup." She nodded. "From trap to classical."
Karina chuckled. "That's like two polar opposites."
"But I enjoy it. It's...music, you know? I don't want to stick to just one specific genre without listening to other masterpieces. Music is freedom, singing is freedom. You get what I mean?"
"...I do." Karina slowly smiled. She is just like that before. "Now I'm curious about your playlist."
"Ah, the playlist." Winter shook her head. "I don't share my playlist, Karina."
"Why do you always have to keep everything a mystery?" Karina groaned, which made Winter laugh.
"Okay, how about this..." Winter trailed off. "I'll give you one song every single day. The songs will only depend on my mood."
"Deal." Karina immediately said. "So what's your song of the day?"
The traffic light turned red.
Winter took her phone and connected it to the stereo.
"This one."
I can't wait for you
To come my way,
I've been far away
But I'll keep runnin'
Just to find a way to you 'til then
"Mariposa." Karina muttered.
The lights turned green.
Winter continued driving while humming to the music. Karina also continued eating her second breakfast for the day while listening to Winter's humming.
The day is starting off well.
____
Or not.
Karina has totally forgotten about one thing.
"So," Yeji trailed off. "Care to tell me why you two came here..." She looked at them both. "...Together?"
Winter and Karina arrived at the school at the same time that Yeji arrived. So when they got out of the singer's car, they saw Yeji standing from afar, looking at them with wide eyes.
The good thing is, Yeji was the only one who's at the parking lot.
The bad thing is...
"Uh..." Winter glanced at Karina, and saw the latter also looking at her.
Her gaze shifted to Yeji again.
"Because I picked her up?"
Yeji just stared at Winter, then to Karina, then back to Winter. After a few seconds of intense staring, she sighed.
"Okay," Yeji nodded. "Fair enough."
Karina raised an eyebrow.
'...That's it?'
"Oh shoot." She and Yeji both looked at Winter. The latter is looking at her watch. "I'm late."
The singer looked up. "I need to go. Yeji, I'll see you with the boys later." She looked at the girl beside her. "Uh, I'll see you around?"
Karina nodded. "Okay."
They watched as the singer ran away from them.
"You won't ask?"
"Huh?" Yeji mumbled.
Karina faced her. "You won't ask why she picked me up?"
"Oh, that?" The dancer chuckled. "It's not really an issue. That's just her."
"...Just her?"
Didn't she heard this from Winter last night?
"Yeah." Yeji nodded. "Winter treats people fairly, but she treats her friends even more special, especially when it's a girl." She chuckled again. "But then, I was her only girl friend before so I received all the spoiling."
She looked at Karina.
"That just means she treats you as a friend, Karina. She's just like that."
'Just Winter, huh?'
She slowly nodded.
"I get it."
It may be too early to say, but she is starting to doubt the rumors about Winter being a red flag.
Why not when all the treatment she got from Winter since yesterday is...good?
She knows she couldn't make a conclusion just like that, though.
She's interested, and when she's interested, she seeks.
And she has yet to seek a lot more from Winter.
A lot, lot more.