WINRINA ONESHOTS

NOT SO MUCH OF FRIENDS

Karina and Winter had rules, rules that kept things uncomplicated, or at least that’s what they told themselves. They were friends with benefits, simple. No strings, no questions, and definitely no feelings. That was the agreement.

But lately, Winter couldn’t help but feel like every time they followed those rules, a knot tightened inside her chest.

"You’re seeing someone new?" Winter asked, her voice neutral, though she couldn’t stop her eyes from narrowing slightly as she sat cross-legged on the edge of Karina’s bed.

Karina was rifling through her closet, casually pulling out a dress, barely glancing in Winter's direction. "I have a date tomorrow, if that’s what you mean," she said, her tone dismissive, as if the conversation didn’t matter.

Winter’s jaw clenched slightly. "Who?"

Karina finally turned around, her eyebrow raised. "Why do you care?"

"I don’t," Winter shot back quickly, but the edge in her voice betrayed her. "I was just asking."

Karina smirked, stepping closer, holding the dress up against her body. "Jealous?"

Winter scoffed, leaning back on her palms. "Of course not. Like I said, just asking."

"Right," Karina said, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she tossed the dress onto the bed next to Winter and moved toward her dresser. "Because we don’t care about that stuff, remember? Friends. With benefits. No mess."

"Yeah, no mess," Winter repeated, though the words felt bitter on her tongue.

There was a silence that followed, the kind that was too thick to ignore, the kind that made Winter’s stomach twist in knots. She hated it, hated how this unspoken thing between them kept growing, gnawing at her every time Karina mentioned someone else. But what was she supposed to do? Admit that the casual setup was slowly killing her?

Karina glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, noticing the tension in Winter’s posture. "You’re really acting like this date is bothering you."

Winter shook her head, laughing a little too harshly. "It’s not. I couldn’t care less what you do."

Karina walked closer, standing in front of Winter, crossing her arms. "Then why do you always act weird when I mention going out with someone?"

"I don’t act weird," Winter said, though even she didn’t sound convinced.

"You do." Karina’s eyes softened just a bit, but her expression remained guarded. "It’s like every time I bring it up, you get… tense."

Winter rolled her eyes, pushing herself off the bed. "I’m not tense. You’re imagining things." She walked toward the window, needing to put some space between them. The air felt too thick, too charged.

Karina let out a sigh, watching her closely. "You know, we could just talk about this, right?"

Winter clenched her fists, her heart pounding in her chest. "There’s nothing to talk about. We have an arrangement."

"Do we?" Karina asked, her voice softer now, as if she was tiptoeing around the real question.

Winter turned, her eyes flashing. "Yes, we do. Friends with benefits. No feelings, no strings, no jealousy."

Karina stared at her, her gaze piercing through Winter’s defenses. "You’re the one who said that."

"And you agreed," Winter shot back.

"I agreed because I thought that’s what you wanted," Karina said, stepping closer again. "But it’s not what you want, is it?"

Winter swallowed hard, her pulse racing. "Don’t act like you know what I want."

Karina’s lips curled into a half-smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. "Maybe I don’t. But I know you don’t want me with anyone else."

Winter’s stomach flipped, the jealousy bubbling up before she could shove it back down. "You can do whatever you want," she said, her voice tight.

"Then why do you care who I’m seeing?" Karina’s voice was sharper now, pushing, challenging Winter to admit something she wasn’t ready to.

Winter’s heart was pounding so loud she was sure Karina could hear it. She wanted to scream, to tell Karina that she hated the thought of her with someone else, that every time Karina went on a date, it felt like a knife twisting in her chest. But she couldn’t say that. They had rules. Rules that kept things simple.

"I don’t care," Winter finally said, her voice quieter, though the lie tasted bitter on her tongue.

Karina’s eyes softened, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. "Liar."

Winter’s breath caught in her throat as Karina stepped closer again, her presence overwhelming. "I don’t—" she started, but Karina cut her off.

"You do care," Karina whispered, her voice barely audible now, her gaze intense. "You just don’t want to admit it. To yourself. Or to me."

Winter felt like she was suffocating. She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe under the weight of Karina’s words. "You’re wrong."

Karina shook her head slowly. "No, I’m not."

Winter felt her hands shaking, her pulse racing as Karina’s face hovered inches from her own. This was too close, too real. "Stop."

"Why?" Karina asked, her breath warm against Winter’s skin. "Afraid of what might happen if you let yourself feel something?"

Winter’s head was spinning, her thoughts jumbled and chaotic. She wanted to run, to escape this conversation, to go back to pretending that everything was fine. But Karina wasn’t letting her, wasn’t giving her the space to hide anymore.

"I’m not afraid," Winter whispered, her voice barely audible.

Karina’s eyes softened again, and for the first time in a long time, there was no sarcasm, no teasing. Just honesty. "Then what are you?"

Winter swallowed hard, her throat tight. "Confused."

Karina’s fingers brushed against Winter’s cheek, the touch sending a shiver down her spine. "You don’t have to be."

Winter closed her eyes, leaning into Karina’s touch, her walls crumbling just a little. "What if I mess everything up?"

Karina’s hand stilled, her voice soft. "We’re already messed up."

Winter opened her eyes, searching Karina’s face, looking for something, anything that would make this easier. But there was nothing simple about this. Nothing easy about the feelings that had tangled themselves between them.

"Then what do we do?" Winter asked, her voice trembling.

Karina let out a small, sad smile. "Stop pretending. Stop lying to ourselves."

Winter’s heart clenched, her throat tight with the weight of everything she’d been holding back. "I don’t know how to."

Karina’s hand slid down to Winter’s, squeezing gently. "We figure it out together."

Winter looked at their intertwined fingers, her chest aching with a mixture of fear and longing. "And what if it doesn’t work?"

Karina’s smile faded, but she didn’t pull away. "Then at least we tried."

Winter’s pulse raced as she stared into Karina’s eyes, the truth finally too heavy to ignore. "I don’t want you to be with anyone else," she whispered, the admission falling from her lips like a confession.

Karina’s eyes softened, her hand squeezing Winter’s tighter. "I don’t want to be with anyone else."

And with that, the weight of their denial finally broke, shattering into a thousand pieces as Winter pulled Karina into her arms, their lips meeting in a kiss that held everything they’d been too afraid to say.