Signals

Signals: Part 4

Their trial period of living together did not prepare Winter for a lot of things. She guessed their honeymoon period ended after a few months because they were both getting on each other's nerves. She couldn't tell if they were just seeing each other too much, or if they were too stressed from work, but something was not working and she could feel herself burning out from the constant bickering in addition to the stress she was getting from work.

She could tell that Karina was growing frustrated, and honestly, so she was too. Since she finished her exam, she decided to get whatever job she could instead of just lazing around before graduation. Winter's new job was in shifts, and Karina's job was still the usual office hours, unless she had a project deadline to meet that would make her come home around 9pm or 10pm. Their new schedules affected their routine, and sometimes, neither of them had the time to even spend time together, let alone do chores or prepare dinner.

Winter was at her wit's end because her job was tiring, and the work environment was so toxic that she could feel it sucking out her soul slowly. She hadn't told anyone about it, telling herself that she had to power through it. It was her first full-time job, after all.

It was past midnight, and she had just gotten home after the worst shift, mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted. She really needed to just get in the shower and then cuddle up to Karina, hoping it would make her feel better. She knew that they were bickering a lot, but she just needed to feel comforted that night but when she got home and saw Karina moving around the apartment, throwing her the hardest glare, Winter felt herself close up almost immediately.

"You forgot the laundry in the washing machine. It was still there when I got home. I had to do another run. It smelled funny," her girlfriend was ranting, semi-aggressively dropping a bag of clean laundry on the floor next to the couch.

Usually, this would be when they would start fighting because Winter hated coming home tired and getting nagged at, but she wasn't about to go for a round so she quietly dropped her things in the bedroom.

"Are you even listening to me?" Karina asked from the living room, annoyed.

"Yeah, sorry," was all she replied.

Winter sighed and got her pyjamas from the drawers. She absentmindedly reached for her favourite Karina's oversized T-shirt and shorts, and went straight into the toilet for a shower.

When she came out of the shower, hair still damp, she could hear the television on because they could have had a bigger argument but Karina never went to bed without her. This time, Winter didn't feel like talking, so she switched off the light to the bedroom and went to lie down on the bed without telling her. It didn't take long before she heard footsteps and Karina talking to her from the direction of the room's doorway.

"Winter. Aren't you going to eat?" Her tone was calmer now.

She curled up away from Karina's side of the bed, facing the opened doorway. "No."

She heard the older girl exhale softly before walking away and suddenly walking back, now into the room and kneeling next to bed and looking at her.

Winter looked back, and she didn't know how she looked but Karina rubbed her arm gently. "You need to eat something, though."

"I don't feel like eating," she said, shaking her head and curling up even more.

Karina watched her for a moment before getting up. She left the bedroom and there was cluttering in the kitchen, probably keeping the food into the fridge. The lights from the living room was switched off before Karina came back into the room and climbed into bed with her.