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The house was quiet when Winter returned, the sky outside already bruised with the deep hues of dusk.
Banana meowed once from the living room, his usual enthusiastic greeting muted, as if sensing her mood. Winter barely glanced in his direction, her bag sliding from her shoulder onto the floor. Karina, sprawled comfortably on the couch with a blanket draped over her legs, turned her head at the sound of the door.
"Hey, you're back," Karina said casually, but her smile faded when Winter didn't respond, didn't even look her way.
Winter didn't stop, heading straight to her room and closing the door firmly behind her. The muffled voices of Karina and Banana-yes, it sounded like Karina was actually talking to the cat-faded as she threw herself onto her bed.
She stared at the ceiling for a moment, the day's weight pressing down on her like the blanket she didn't bother pulling over herself. Her body ached, her mind raced, but exhaustion still pulled at her.
Winter squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block everything out-the hospital bills she couldn't stop thinking about, the guilt that clung to her like a second skin, and the increasingly complicated feelings she had for the girl currently occupying her couch like she belonged there.
this isn't your life, karina, Winter thought bitterly, her fists clenching around the sheets. You don't get to make it harder than it already is.
But the truth she didn't want to face burned in the back of her mind: Karina already had.
Because Karina wasn't just some random girl she'd stumbled upon; she was someone who had crawled into Winter's heart without permission, her warmth and teasing laughter lighting up spaces Winter hadn't even realized were cold. And now, selfishly-so selfishly-Winter didn't want to let her go.
Her heart twisted painfully at the thought of handing her over to those people, those faceless clients who'd paid for this whole mess.
She'd tried to tell herself it didn't matter. That all she had to do was keep Karina alive, feed her, make sure she didn't escape. That was it. That was the deal.
But that wasn't all it was anymore, was it?
Winter groaned, rolling onto her side, curling into herself. She was being ridiculous, weak. She wasn't supposed to feel like this, wasn't supposed to get attached.
But it was too late. She'd already fallen for Karina's ridiculous grins, her effortless charm, the way she managed to be completely infuriating and yet so comforting all at once.
Winter's chest tightened as her thoughts drifted to her mom. She thought about the quiet resignation in her mother's eyes when Winter handed over the payment earlier that day, the relief that followed. Her mom didn't know where the money came from-and she never would.
