"I thought you would be just another face in the crowd, until..." - Yu Ji Min
"You hold the keys to me, and I didn't even know it." - Kim Min Jeong
Where in, Karina and Winter are stuck together, literally!!!
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It seemed like an eternity suspended between them, and yet it wasn't uncomfortable.
It was just still. There were only the very far-off sounds of cars, and occasionally Karina sniffed. The lights did not flicker on, trapping them in the near darkness of the dim street lamp through the window.
Karina slumped forward, pushing her hand through the other since they had sat. Without much contemplation, Winter reached out, hesitating briefly to thread over Karina's hand, which seemed lost.
The back of Winter mind was buzzing, worried Karina would get mad, snap at her for crossing lines. What she saw - those hands just now shaking - something inside Winter tugged.
Slowly, hesitantly, Winter let her cool hand lay across Karina's warm one. It was almost tentative, hesitant.
Karina stood transfixed, as if her breath had caught up on itself, unwilling to move. Her eyes were trained on the space in front of her; it seemed that she stared wide open and wide staring, trying to process the jolt of contact.
Winter let out a soft breath of relief at the fact that Karina didn't move away or lecture her. Feeling emboldened, she shifted just enough to let her hand lie flat on top of Karina's own, curling her fingers loosely over her own. Her chill was a jarring counterpoint to Karina's heat, but it was stable, reassuring in its own cold way.
The hammering in Karina's chest was sounding like thunder within her ears, every pulse louder than the last. She prayed that Winter couldn't hear it-even though, at this point, it seemed to be resonating throughout the entire room. Her cheeks were burning up, not so much from embarrassment exactly but from something else.
The warmth creeping into her face, together with the remaining redness on her nose from crying, made her feel as if she were on fire.
But she didn't budge.
Karina kept her eyes clamped on anything but Winter, desperate to keep her breathing under control while it felt far too loud in the stillness.
What was this feeling?
She didn't know if she was more put out by Winter's touch or the pounding of her own heart, but the mix of everything was making it impossible to think straight.
The cold of Winter's hand seemed to seep into her skin, calming the remains of the panic that had painted her face earlier.
But inside, a fresh chaos pattered and roiled, driving her sense of Winter's presence deeper than she'd ever known.
Winter's voice was soft when she spoke, there being a strange gentleness to it, lacing her words.
"Are you okay?" she asked in a hushed tone, her eyes cautious as they flickered over Karina's face, waiting for some sign of reaction from her.
Karina nodded, her head jerking up and down in what was almost a desperate motion, but she didn't look at Winter. The air between them changed, took on a shape that was almost dense with tension, crumbling into the strained silences that stretched out.
Winter could feel it too, squeezing Karina's hand lightly before tugging back, thinking she might have been annoying her.
But she hadn't withdrawn far enough to get away before Karina's hand automatically shot out, snatching Winter's again, their fingers slipping back together in a firm, reassuring grip.
"It's all right," Karina said softly, quieter than usual, but calm. And when she looked up, her eyes met Winter's.
Winter blinked back, startled by the sincerity in Karina's eyes.
The lights flickered back on, pouring a warm, plastic glow over the room. Winter's eyes jerked away as she felt the light, but Karina shifted fully towards her, putting her other hand on top of their clasped ones.
"I'm sorry," Karina started soft and low, the weight of her words hanging there between them.
"Earlier... I know it must be hard for you, and instead of trying to understand, I argued with you." Karina's eyes wavered for a second before she continued, her grip on Winter's hand tightening slightly.
"It wasn't an excuse to say those harsh things just because I was upset in the moment. If I could, I'd take it all back."
Winter said nothing for a long moment, her eyes fixed upon Karina as if she saw into Karina. Karina's heart missed a beat at the stare, as if Winter pierced open windows from which nobody else had looked.
The intensity was overwhelming; eventually, Karina brought her gaze down to the floor. Winter did not let go.
Finally, Winter nodded, the set of her face easing a little.
"I'm sorry too," she said, her voice almost drowned by the stillness of the room.
"You were right. I was selfish." Karina opened her mouth to respond, but Winter went on before she could tell her anything.
"I understand how you feel and realize that it is essential to find out. To break the cycle."
Karina's chest eased into a soothing mix of relief and something else: something warm. Winter was finally saying the things she'd needed to hear from her for what felt like an eternity.
They were finally on the same page for the first time, and even though where they were headed was still uncertain, there was comfort in knowing they were in this together.
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