Riptide

09: My Heart Longs For You, Pizza

Winter yearned for many things.

She longed for the days when she could move freely without the burden of crutches for even the simplest tasks.

She also desperately wished for the sporadic bursts of pain in her leg to finally stop but without Karina around, there's no one nagging her to stick to her medication schedule.

She was stubborn, lazy, and generally averse to taking pills. The whole dependency issue was just dreadful. And don't even get her started on the withdrawals from missing doses.

She stood by the shoreline as the waves inched closer, their foamy edges nearly brushing against her before gently receding back into the sea leaving behind a ripple of water that reached only inches away from her feet.

Typically at this hour, she'd be out on her morning run.

The cool breeze tousled her hair as she relied on her crutches for support; eyes captivated by the rhythmic motion of the waves. The soft fabric of her oversized sweater enveloped her frame like a comforting hug, sleeves extending past her hands. She stood seemingly motionless, staring blankly into the sea.

It was a quiet morning.

Ning and Aeri were still in Japan, Sohee still out cold, probably nursing a Krush beer-induced hangover from the night before. She downed a few cans as soon as they arrived home last night. The evening was spent with Soh doing most of the talking, still caught up with the whole Jaemin incident and gushing over Karina, going on about her vampire show. Winter had to endure all of that while quietly nursing her mild leg pains.

"You're gonna scare her off acting like an obsessed fan. Take it down a notch." It was probably her discomfort doing the talking last night but Soh was too out of it to even take offense. She crashed at the apartment. They stayed up until five.

The actress ended up at the hotel. Winter doubts she's going back after the events of last night.

For the past few days, Karina was everywhere. From fetching breakfast, getting coffee, and pestering her about taking her medication. Not having her around when Winter woke up was hitting her in a whole new way.

With a sigh, she walked back inside their apartment and stumbled into the kitchen like a zombie, body on autopilot.

The usual routine of finding breakfast and coffee waiting on the kitchen counter was absent this morning. There was no note with that familiar handwriting reminding her to take her meds on time either.

A small pang of heartbreak coiled in her gut, making her even more reluctant to take her medication. She went back to bed with a dramatic sigh punctuating her frustration.

She was convinced that even just one heavenly slice of a piping hot, extra cheesy pizza topped with juicy pineapples would miraculously solve all her problems today (it won't) but the mere thought of peeling herself out of bed, abandoning the blissful comfort of the cozy apartment, and enduring a short drive quickly killed her enthusiasm.

Her mind drifted back to Karina as she lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling. No matter how hard she tried to focus on something else, whether it was the faint hum of the ceiling fan above or the sounds of the waves crashing outside the window, her thoughts always seemed to gravitate back towards her.

Karina was just a short car ride away, likely holed up in her hotel room. Winter couldn't shake the thought of Jisoo and Mrs. Yu giving her an earful. She wasn't certain if the whole incident made its way online, but she genuinely hoped Karina was holding up alright.

Whenever drama unfolded back then, Karina vanished without a trace for days. No texts, no calls, and conspicuously absent from school.

Winter would worry a lot, glancing at her vacant seat during classes.