Karina couldn't help but be relived that she didn't have any classes when she woke up. All of her other roommates did, though, so it was only her and Winter in the apartment. She realized that the younger girl loved sunrises when she was awoken by a soft voice.
"Yooji," Winter whispered, tapping Karina's arm softly. "Yooji, look."
Karina groaned, wiping her eyes and checking the time. Earlier than she was used to. She yawned, sitting up and looking over at Winter. The small girl was sitting on the edge of Karina's bed and gazing through the window only a few feet away. She turned around with a wide smile on her face when she heard Karina sit up.
"Look, Yooji, look at the sky," she chimed, pointing to the window. Karina couldn't help but smile at Winter's excitement this early in the morning. She crawled next to the girl and widened her eyes when she saw what Winter was looking at.
"It's pretty," Karina whispered. The sunrise was amazing that morning. It was bright orange, illuminating the sky and even leaving orange tinted streaks of light across the floor of Karina's bedroom. There were flecks of pink sprinkled throughout, too. If the sky was this gorgeous every morning, Karina wouldn't mind waking up so early.
Winter nodded softly. "Colorful," she added, turning to Karina with a genuine smile. Karina laughed quietly and ran a hand through her messy morning hair. Winter's comment suddenly gave her an idea and she stood up.
"I'm gonna go get something, okay? I'll be right back."
Winter turned to look at her, concerned. She held up her pinky finger and bit her lip. "Promise?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Of course," Karina smiled and locked their fingers together. She pointed out the window. "See that black car right there?" she asked. Winter nodded. "I've gotta get something from inside it, but then I'm coming back up here."
"Okay," Winter smiled softly. She stood up and pressed her palms against the window. "I will wave to you."
Giggling, Karina nodded. "I'll wave back," she laughed. Winter watched her as Karina slipped out of the room, and the brown eyed girl was soon on her way down the stairs of their apartment building.
Normally, she wouldn't leave the apartment in her pajamas. But Winter made her do crazy things, and for some reason she didn't mind it. Once she was in the parking lot, she looked up, trying to see if she could find where their apartment window was. She noticed a flash of white and giggled, waving back to Winter from the ground.
She probably looked like an idiot in the moment, but Karina could care less. She finally got to her car and popped her trunk, gathering the easel and paints she'd borrowed from her professor. Locking her car, she jogged back into the building.
Before she could put her key in the door, it was flung open. Karina giggled when she saw Winter smiling widely on the other side.
"I saw you! You waved!" Winter chimed. Karina nodded and slipped inside the apartment. She made her way over to the wall of windows in the back of the room and began setting up her supplies. Winter followed close behind.
"What is this?" Winter asked. She bent down and picked up a paintbrush, waving it back and forth in front of Karina's face. The brown eyed girl quickly took it from her and laughed.
"My paintbrush," she set the brush on the sill of her easel. She began to open the tubes of paint and mixing small drops together to create the colors she needed. Winter watched in awe.
"You are painting?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. Karina nodded.
"I'm painting the sky," she pointed to the window and then down to the colors on her palette. "That way I don't forget it."
Winter clapped her hands excitedly. She stood over Karina's shoulder, watching as the older girl quickly started blending the mix of oranges, pinks, and yellows together on the canvas in front of her.
"Pretty," Winter murmured, mesmerized by what Karina could do with a brush. The brown eyed girl laughed softly and dipped her brush in the darker shade of orange. Swiping it across the material quickly, she added the streaks at the bottom of the canvas.
When she looked back up at the window, there was a figure in the way. This reminded her all too much of the time in the park when Winter had picked the daisies she'd been sketching. Karina bit her lip.
Without another thought, she bent down and grabbed a few new tubes of paint. Soon, Winter's small silhouette was appearing in the middle of the canvas, with her palms outstretched. In real life, Winter had her hands pressed against the glass. But in the painting, she was reaching out and touching the sunrise.
"Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you," Winter hummed softly. Karina looked up from her painting and smirked.
"Don't you know any other songs?"
Winter turned around to look at Karina and tilted her head to the side. Karina laughed softly and motioned for Winter to come towards her. The small girl smiled widely and watched as Karina scrolled through her phone. She walked over to the speaker and plugged her phone in, pressing the play button. Winter's eyes widened as music started to play throughout the apartment.
Screen falling off the door, door hanging off the hinges
My feet are still sore, my back's on the fringes
We tore up the walls, we slept on couches
We lifted this house, we lifted this house
Karina sang along to the song, causing Winter to giggle. The brown eyed girl grabbed her paintbrush and began using it as a microphone.
Firecrackers in the east, my car parked south
Your hands on my cheeks, your shoulder in my mouth
I was up against the wall, on the west mezzanine
We rattle this town, we rattle this scene
Winter giggled wildly when Karina accidentally smeared orange paint on her nose. The older girl crossed her eyes to try and see the paint, causing both of them to laugh even more. Karina shrugged it off and continued to sing.
O, Anna Sun!
O, Anna Sun!
Winter still stood by the easel, and Karina held out her hand and motioned for her to come towards her. The younger girl tilted her head to the side as she padded over. Karina grabbed her hand and pulled her closer, setting her paintbrush down and twirling Winter around.
What do you know? This house is falling apart
What can I say? This house is falling apart
We got no money, but we got heart,
We're gonna rattle this ghost town,
This house is falling apart.
Both girls laughed as the song continued playing. Winter grabbed the paintbrush and placed a dot on Karina's forehead. The brown eyed girl, in return, swiped a dot of yellow paint on Winter's nose. The smaller girl gasped, causing both of them to erupt into giggles moments later.
Screen falling off the door, door hanging off the hinges.
My feet are still sore, my back's on the fringes
We were up against the wall on west mezzanine,
We rattle this town, we rattle this scene.
O, Anna Sun!
O, Anna Sun!
What do you know? This house is falling apart
What can I say? This house is falling apart
We got no money, but we got heart,
We're gonna rattle this ghost town.
This house is falling apart.
The song ended and both girls collapsed back onto the couch, out of breath from dancing around for so long. Winter looked over at Karina and giggled, scrunching up her nose when she smiled. Karina couldn't remember the last time she'd had this much fun. Pure, innocent fun. She'd missed that. Winter brought out a side of her that she never knew she had.
"See, now wasn't that better than happy birthday?" Karina raised an eyebrow at the younger girl. Winter laughed even harder, grabbing a pillow and burying her face into it. "I'll take that as a yes," Karina joked.
"You are fun," Winter giggled, looking up at the older girl. Karina's heart fluttered and she had to turn away to hide how red her cheeks had grown. Winter had this effect on her that she couldn't explain.
"Same goes to you," Karina smiled, pushing herself up off of the couch. "Are you hungry?" Winter nodded furiously at Karina.
"I'll make us waffles, then," Karina nodded and headed into the kitchen. She gathered the ingredients she would need and placed them all on the counter. Winter didn't follow her, but Karina assumed she was still watching the sunset. She mixed the batter and poured the first small amount into the waffle iron, flipping it and setting the timer.
"They're cooking right n-," Karina froze when she walked back into the living room and saw Winter standing in front of the easel with a paintbrush in her hand. "What are you doing?" she asked frantically, running over to the small girl.
Winter turned around and pointed to the canvas. "More pink," she motioned back and forth from the sky to the painting. Karina narrowed her eyes, looking where Winter had added a few extra streaks of pink. It actually didn't look too bad. She'd been expecting a tornado of colors.
"Not too bad," Karina smiled softly, taking the paintbrush from Winter's hand and setting it down. "But next time, ask me before you add something, okay?" Winter nodded softly.
"Waffles?" the small girl asked, wandering off into the kitchen. Karina laughed at how easily she flowed from subject to subject, and quickly followed her.
"This one's almost done," she checked the timer on the waffle iron, flipping it over and grabbing a plate. She used a fork to peel the waffle out and plopped it down onto the plate. Sliding the plate across the counter to Winter, she grabbed the syrup and passed it over as well.
Winter clapped her hands excitedly and popped open the syrup bottle. Karina went to work on pouring more mix into the machine and setting the timer. When she looked back up, Winter had completely drenched her plate in syrup, and was now eating the waffle with her hands, peeling small pieces off and popping them into her mouth.
"So I'm guessing you haven't had waffles in a while, huh?" Karina sighed, shaking her head at the girl, who now had syrup all over her hands and dribbling down her chin. Winter only giggled and smiled widely, with a mouthful of food.
The timer went off, signifying that Karina's waffle was done. She tossed it onto a plate and poured a small puddle of syrup on the side of her plate.
"Who needs forks, right?" Karina shrugged, peeling off a piece of her waffle and dipping it in the syrup. Winter watched her and giggled. She attempted to do the same, but her waffle was already soaked in syrup, which caused Karina to laugh with a mouthful of food.
They finished their breakfast and Karina put their plates in the dishwasher. She checked the time and laughed when she realized that if Winter hadn't woken her up, she probably would've still been asleep.
"Here," she giggled, walking over to Winter and helping her clean off her hands with a damp towel. She swiped the syrup off the smaller girl's chin, which made both of them laugh.
"Pretty," Winter murmured, bringing her hand up and running her fingers down Karina's jawline. The older girl shivered at the contact and took a deep breath. Winter smiled widely and skipped into the living room. Karina gave herself a minute to compose herself before following Winter. She plopped down onto the couch and pulled her phone out of her pocket.
[9:38 - Giselle] How's everything there? ;)
[9:43 - Karina] I don't know what that winky face is for.
[9:44 - Giselle] Hush. You got it bad, Yu.
[9:45 - Karina] Too bad, I've got to go. Winter just trashed your bedroom ;)
[9:45 - Giselle] What?!
Karina smirked and slid her phone back into her pocket, ignoring the buzzes that followed. Winter scooted over near Karina and studied the older girl.
"Yooji?"
Karina tilted her head to the side. "Yeah?"
Winter pursed her lips in thought. The smaller girl also took the opportunity to not-so-sneakily scoot even closer to Karina. "I don't want to get hurt," Winter mumbled. Karina could tell she was trying her best to stay calm.
"Hurt?" Karina questioned. She grew concerned. "Who would ever hurt you?"
The smaller girl's whole body stilled, as if she was frozen. Karina could tell she'd struck a nerve, and she knew she had to run with what she said if she wanted to get an answer out of Winter.
"Winter, what are you talking about?"
Playing with her hands nervously, Winter shook her head. "No. Bad."
"What's bad?" Karina bit her lip.
"Me," Winter pointed to herself, knocking on her chest with her fist. "Stupid."
"Hey, don't call yourself that," Karina said softly. Her instinct took over and she pulled Winter closer to her, letting her lean against her. "You can talk to me, Winter."
Winter swallowed hard and pulled down the collar of her shirt slightly. Her fingers traced one of the many bruises that lined her torso and she shivered. "I don't want to get hurt again," she mumbled.
"Again?" Karina held her breath when a sudden possibility crossed her mind. "Winter, did someone hurt you?" She watched as Winter's hands froze and the small girl's eyes darted back and forth around the room, as if she were scared someone could hear them.
"Yes," Winter nodded once, but not looking directly at Karina. The older girl ran her fingers up and down Winter's arm in an attempt to keep her calm. She took a deep breath and tried to choose her next words very carefully.
"Did the person who hurt you... do these?" Karina asked, pointing to the bruises on Winter's stomach where her shirt had ridden up. The small girl quickly tugged it down to cover the bruises and proceeded to nod hesitantly.
The thought of someone hurting Winter like that made Karina's blood boil, but she forced herself to remain calm for the sake of the younger girl. She took a few moments to collect herself before speaking again.
"Can you tell me who?" Karina asked gently. She saw Winter's breathing quicken and crossed her fingers that she wouldn't scare the smaller girl into secrecy. A few, long moments of silence passed.
"Bad Danny," Winter whispered. Karina almost didn't catch what she had said. Danny. Dan. Dan Levi. One of her father's business partners. Winter's uncle.
Karina sat up straighter and took both of Winter's hands in hers. "Winter, can you try to tell me what you remember?"
"Bad. Stupid," Winter shook her head and pulled her hands out of Karina's. "I was bad. It hurt. He hurt," Winter's voice softened and she looked back at the older girl with tears in her eyes. Karina immediately decided that she had done enough digging for the day.
"Okay, okay, c'mere," Karina whispered, not waiting before scooping Winter up into her arms. "We don't have to talk about it now." Winter wasn't crying, but Karina could tell she was scared by the way the smaller girl was practically shaking in her arms.
"I won't let him hurt you again, okay?" Karina pressed a soft kiss into Winter's hair, rubbing soft circles in her back. "I've got you. You're safe here."
"Sing?" Winter lifted her head and looked at Karina hopefully. The older girl reached up to wipe the few tears from Winter's face and bit her lip.
"Only for you," Karina sighed. She hated singing around people, mostly because as a child her parents had forced her into voice lessons when she would have rather been drawing. But now, she was thankful for them, if her singing somehow helped calm Winter down.
What day is it? And in what month?
This clock never seemed so alive.
I can't keep up and I can't back down,
I've been losing so much time.
Cause it's you and me and of all people,
With nothing to do, nothing to lose.
And it's you and me and of all people,
And I don't know why I can't keep my eyes off of you.
All the things I want to say,
Just aren't coming out right.
I'm tripping on words, you got my head spinning.
I don't know where to go from here.
Something about you now,
I can't quite figure out.
Everything she does is beautiful,
Everything she does is right.
Cause it's you and me and all of the people,
And I don't know why I can't keep my eyes off of you.
Karina sighed softly when she finished singing, noticing that Winter had calmed down significantly. The smaller girl lifted her head from Karina's shoulder and smiled softly.
"Pretty, Yooji," she murmured. Winter pressed three fingers against Karina's lips and studied her dark brown eyes intently. "Chocolate eyes," she whispered, leaning in even closer and gazing into her eyes. Karina's heart sped up.
Winter just giggled and curled back up beside Karina. The older girl wondered if Winter knew the effect that she had on her. Karina remembered what the smaller girl had said the previous night, about wanting to kiss her.
What if Winter did try to kiss her? Would Karina let her? The brown eyed girl sighed and gazed up at the ceiling. She might as well admit it. She had feelings for Winter. Oh god.
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