the charm | winrina

eleven

Karina didn't mean to panic.

But she was panicking.

In all fairness, she was completely justified in her panic.

Last night had been something totally new.

Karina shook herself awake. Winter was still sleeping, curled in sheets, her bare back facing Karina. Karina's shirt was draped over Winter's back as a makeshift blanket, and the real blanket covered Winter's legs, which were curled tightly against her stomach, her head resting on her knees as she slept.

A soft tropical wind blew into the room, startling Karina, who toppled off the bed, landing with a soft thump in a pile of clothing. She stumbled up, propping herself against the wall. She felt her legs cramp from being sedentary and winced, bending down to relieve the feeling. Karina's arms and neck hurt too, and when she raised her hand to touch her neck, she felt exactly why.

Of course Winter left marks.

Last night had been chaotic. Although the two had never actually- well, they had certainly been over each other. Their feelings towards each other weren't quite clear yet, and while Karina still had no idea how she felt towards the girl sleeping feet away from her, she was sure it would turn out to be something potentially catastrophic.

Karina eased herself away from the wall and fumbled for clothes, tugging on a nightgown that was a little too showy for her taste, but then again dating shows required things as such. She combed fingers through her hair, reaching into her bag to dust on light makeup and moisturize her face, and then brushed her teeth in the adjacent bathroom.

When she walked back into the room, Winter wasn't in the bed: she was changing into a crop top and high-waist maong shorts. She combed her hair and turned to Karina, smiling with an award-winning smile.

"Hi, baby girl."

"Don't call me that," Karina grumbled, but she was trying to ignore the instant change in her heartbeat upon seeing Winter. It felt like she was a high school student again, young and in love. But she wasn't in love with Winter, obviously. They were just fun buddies. "I told you already."

"You told me a lot of things last night. My fault if I don't remember some of them," Winter winked, tossing on a sweater and strolling over to Karina. Winter placed a firm hand on Karina's waist and kissed her neck, smirking. "I love the new coloring on your neck. Looks great on you. Whoever marked it should definitely mark it more."

"Shut up, you perv," Karina muttered, shaking her head and jerking herself away from Winter. "You just took advantage of me because I was there."

"Oof, someone's getting cold feet," Winter snickered, tugging Karina tighter against her and bumping her nose against some of the marks she'd left. "You just dumped that stylist guy. I get it if you don't want to f-"

"I don't want to 'f,' period," Karina snapped, unsuccessfully trying to yank herself away from Winter for the second time. "Last night was a mistake."

"Progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged, I guess," Winter sighed theatrically, giving Karina a long kiss on her cheek. "That's a book quote, by the way. So you know that I'm not as airheaded as you think I am."

Karina wrenched herself away, successfully this time. "I don't think you're an airhead. I think you have commitment phobia, you're manipulative and deceptive, and you don't care about anyone but yourself. But no, I don't think you're an airhead. Being a controlling bitch requires at least some amount of brains."

"Whoa, ouch," Winter answered, a half-amused, half-wounded look on her face. "I wouldn't go so far as to say controlling. You consented to that last night, you know. However much of a fuck-around you think I am, I don't do anything without consent, whether it be drunk or sober. I like my green flags."

"You say you like green flags, yet you're the reddest flag I've ever seen," Karina snorted, folding clothes on the floor and tossing them into her suitcase.

Winter actually laughed, tossing her head back and cackling. "That was a good one, I gotta say, Yu. I'm impressed."

"Whatever," Karina muttered, but a smile tugged at the edges of her lips. "Now get your ass up and get off the bed. We have to go downstairs."

"Do we, though? We're off-camera and off-mic, you know," Winter grinned, approaching Karina again. "No one will see us."

"Because we won't be doing anything," Karina snapped. "I'm newly single, and you just love to fuck around with single people, don't you? Well, that was your only chance, Kim. Only chance. You might be my partner for this show, but that doesn't mean anything in real life. I don't mess around with people without actual feet on the ground. Maybe you are an airhead, Kim. All those delusions of grandeur in that head of yours have you floating above everyone else."

Winter stood there as Karina stomped outside and slammed the door. Her loud footfalls thumped down the hallway and disappeared into the stairway, and Winter sat back, her head lolling against the headboard.

Contrary to what Karina thought, Winter really was interested in her.

She'd never met a girl she couldn't charm.

It seemed that Karina was the first.

Winter officially made it her mission to make Karina fall for her, no matter how hard it would be.

However, Winter had yet to realize how much she really wanted Karina to fall for her, and how much Karina was already charmed.

It would just take a lot of commitment, a bit of care, and a sprinkle of persistence.