The couple made their way to the hotel room after dinner, both feeling a little awkward and unsure of what to do next. The conversation that took over the night was so intense that they couldn't make out the dynamic between them.

As they stepped into the room, Karina looked around nervously, unsure of how to break the tension. "Um, would you like something to drink?" she offered, motioning towards the small refrigerator.

Her companion nodded, following her over to the small refrigerator. They stood there in silence, each feeling the weight of the uneasiness between them.

Finally, Winter cleared . "I'm sorry if I'm making things awkward."

Karina turned to her, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. "It takes two to tango. I'm sorry too."

Both of them stood there for a moment longer, lost in each other's gaze before Winter took a deep breath and grabbed the glass of water from Karina's hand.

The latter watched in amazement as Winter downed the liquid in one go. Karina went towards her suitcase.

"Why don't you wash up first before going to bed?" she suggested.

"I don't have a change of clothes."

"I got it covered," Karina answered, picking clothes that she thinks could fit the other girl.

She walked back to Winter and placed a set of new clothes in her hand. "Let me know if you find the clothes uncomfortable."

Winter could only nod before walking like a robot toward the bathroom. The moment the door closed, Karina started cleaning the room, trying to ease her nerves.

She straightened the pillows on the bed, picked up the discarded clothes from the floor, and even rearranged the toiletries in the bathroom. Anything to keep herself occupied.

Meanwhile, Winter stood in the middle of the shower, lost in thought. The warm water cascaded down her body, washing away the grime and exhaustion of the day, but her mind was elsewhere.

She couldn't help but wonder what was going on with Karina. Is she still okay with all of this after hearing Winter's story? Will she kick Winter out tomorrow morning when she finally realizes the danger? Is she going to ask Winter to stay away from her…. permanently?

When she was finally done washing up and stepped out of the shower, she found Karina standing in the middle of the room, looking lost and preoccupied.

"Hey," Winter said softly, walking over to her. "Is everything okay?"

Karina looked up, her eyes clouded with worry. "Yeah, yeah, everything's fine," she replied quickly, almost too quickly.

Winter raised an eyebrow, sensing that there was more to the story than her companion was letting on. "Are you sure? You seem really nervous."

"I am but it's a good kind of nervous… I think?"

"Good kind?"

"Yeah. Like I'm excited with you being here."

Winter tilted her head like a puppy, "You are?"

"Of course," Karina gulped before taking a quick pause. "You look good by the way."

Her lover's gaze roamed around Winter's body without a hint of any shame.

With the sudden compliment, Winter immediately blushed. "I- it's your turn!" She says panicking.

Winter pushed Karina towards the bathroom using her used towel which made the other girl's clothes soak in the abdomen area.

"I- it's cold! H- hey wait!" Karina protested, laughing at Winter.

"Bye!" Winter quickly says before slamming the bathroom door shut.

She can hear Karina's deep chuckle from the other side of the door. Winter couldn't help but beam at the sound of it.

She missed this.

She missed Karina.

So much.

To pass the time, Winter opened the television mounted on the wall, hoping that Karina wouldn't mind. She scanned the channels before settling on watching a random episode of a cartoon.

Winter patiently watched the cartoon playing on the TV as she waited for her lover to finish taking a bath. She couldn't help but feel a little bored and sleepy as she watched the brightly colored characters move across the screen.

She yawned and rubbed her eyes, feeling the weight of the long day starting to catch up to her. She knew that Karina was taking her time in the shower, but the cartoon was making her feel even more tired.

As she tried to stay awake and focused on the cartoon, Winter's eyes slowly started to drop. She tried to fight it, but eventually, she gave in to the drowsiness and let her head fall back onto the pillows.

When Karina emerged from the bathroom, she found Winter sound asleep, her body curled up in a cute little ball on the bed. Karina smiled, feeling a sense of tenderness wash over her as she watched her lover sleep.

She quietly walked over to the bed and laid a blanket over Winter's sleeping form, tucking it around her gently.

"Hmmm," Winter hummed in her sleep.

The older thought she woke her up but Karina took notice of how Winter's chest rose and fell rhythmically.

Karina smiled, feeling a sense of contentment dawn over her as she watched her soulmate sleeping peacefully below her.

She then slowly walked over to the TV and turned it off, letting the room fall into silence. She climbed into bed beside Winter, feeling the warmth of her body radiating against hers.

She had to stop herself from invading Winter's space.

Karina longed to be closer to Winter, to feel her skin against hers, and to hear her breathing in the quiet of the night.

But she also wanted to be respectful of the other girl's personal space, to give her the freedom to rest and rejuvenate after a long day. So, Karina lay there, trying to keep her distance while still feeling the pull of Winter's energy.

As she lay there, she couldn't help but feel a longing deep inside her. She wanted to reach out and touch Winter, to feel the warmth of her skin against her own.

'God, I'm so pathetic,' she thought to herself.

With a trembling hand, Karina reached out and let her palm settle in the space between them, close enough to feel the heat radiating from Winter's body.

Karina lay there, lost in her thoughts and feelings until the rhythm of her own breathing slowed and deepened. She closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh, feeling a sense of satisfaction flood through her.

Halfway through Karina's sleep, Winter turned to her side. She was only half awake, visions blurry, as she watched her lover's face in front of her.

Winter rested her hand on top of Karina's and the latter, despite being asleep, absentmindedly held it tight.

"Good night love," Winter whispers in the dark before closing her eyes to sleep again.

Karina groaned and opened her eyes as the smell of delicious food filled her nose. She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the grogginess from a good night's sleep.

She glanced around the room and noticed her girlfriend bustling around near the entrance, setting up a small table with a plate of food.

"Good morning," Winter said, noticing Karina's movements. "I ordered a small breakfast just in case you woke up hungry."

Karina smiled and stretched her arms, feeling grateful for her companion's thoughtfulness. "Thank you," she said, appreciatively.

Winter walked over to her and leaned in for a kiss. But as she got closer, she stopped short, her eyes wide with realization.

"Sorry," Winter said quickly. "I was about to kiss you out of habit."

Karima, on the other hand, had her heart hammering in her chest. She furrowed her brow, "O- out of habit?"

Winter took a deep breath before explaining, "I- I might do things to you out of habit like kiss you or hold your hand… the things I used to do with the other version of you.”

Understanding where Winter was coming from, Karina simply nodded. “I mean, you could kiss me after a proper date,” she teased. 

Winter stammered and pushed Karina back to bed. “Let’s eat!” she orders before walking away to the small table. The other one just laughed as she sat up again, following her soulmate.

Winter stumbled into the table, still flustered and in desperate need of caffeine. She reached for the coffee mug with shaking hands, barely registering the slickness of the handle before it slipped out of her grasp and dumped hot coffee all over her trousers. 

"Oh, !" Winter exclaimed, jumping back and frantically trying to wipe the coffee off their clothes.

Karina sprang into action. "Wait, here, let me help," they said, grabbing a towel and trying to wipe the coffee off Winter's pajamas. 

The younger pushed her hand away and attempted to take off her trousers. 

Karina clutched Winter's hands in an attempt to stop her, "What are you doing?!" 

"Baby—" Winter gave her panic-stricken eyes, "It burns!!" She pleaded and continued taking off her pajamas. 

Karina was left dumbfounded for two reasons: 1) she couldn't help but stupidly watch as her soulmate took off her trousers, revealing Winter's slim thighs and 2) she called her BABY!!!

Baby?!??!!?!

The older continued to stand there, her face as red as a tomato, while Winter tried to compose herself.

Karina felt a warm towel being thrown at her face. "Look away, ert!" Winter shouted, blushing in embarrassment. 

Karina nodded, still feeling a little rattled by what had just happened. "Well, let me help you," she said, reaching for the towel again before attempting to wipe the coffee from her soulmate's thighs. 

Winter pushed her away gently. "I- I think I can manage," she said with a nervous smile

Suddenly, the door to Karina's hotel room opened, revealing a scandalized woman. 

"Oh! T-this is happening?" Yeji says with a sly grin, pointing her fingers at the two. 

Karina grabs the towel from her shoulder and swiftly covers Winter's exposed legs. "Aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon??!!?!" 

The gesture didn't go unnoticed by Winter. It was a simple action, really, but something about it made her feel all flustered and hot. 

Maybe it was the way Karina's hands lingered on her skin for just a moment too long, or maybe it was the way Karina's eyes met hers, full of concern and care.

"Well I'm checking up on you before we go to Cebu," Yeji informs. "But it looks like… I'll just leave you two alone." 

Karina rolled her eyes, feeling her face grow warm again. "It's just a coffee spill," she insisted.

Yeji raised an eyebrow. "Is that what they're calling it these days?" she teased.

"IT'S N- NOT LIKE THAT H- HEYY!!" Karina suddenly shouted, her face in all shades of red. 

Yeji just winked at her before chuckling to herself, "Have fun!" She says before closing the door. A few centimeters before the door finally closes, she peaks again. "Be good to her or else I'll beat you up!" Yeji sneers at Winter. 

"I- I will!"

Yeji raised an eyebrow at Winter's state, specifically her situation. Karina noticed this and stood in front of Yeji, blocking her view. "Weren't you leaving?" 

Her best friend gave a humorous laugh, "Chill there tiger, I'm going."

They both let out a sigh of relief the moment they heard the door close. The older quickly locked the knob, not wanting a repeat to happen. After that, Karina then looked at the ceiling. 

"I.. uh.. I'll grab you a new pair of pants."

"The one I wore last night is fine, I'll go get it." Winter stood up and wrapped the towel around her bottom. "Go eat your breakfast."

Karina gulped and tried to keep her gaze on the ceiling. Winter noticed this and couldn't hide her smile. 

'Silly girl,' she thought. 

Karima sat alone at the small kitchen table, absentmindedly shoveling spoonfuls of rice into . 

The chewing noise filled the room, but she hardly noticed. Her mind was elsewhere, lost in thought.

Baby. 'Ah, ,' Karina thought.

Winter had called her Baby for the first time. It wasn't a particularly significant moment, objectively speaking. 

Just a simple term of endearment tossed off without much thought. But for Karina, it had landed like a comet, shaking her to her core.

If she was being honest with herself - and when was she ever not? - the feeling that the word had ignited within her was akin to madness. It was as if the air in the room had thickened as if every cell in her body was humming with new electricity.

She heard the bathroom door opening. "You're going to Cebu?" Winter asked, seating in front of her. 

"Oh, no. Yeji's just bidding her farewell."

Winter nods, looking pleased. 

"Why?" Karina asked further, "Were you going to follow me if I would?"

"I'm not a puppy," Winter retorted, knowing full well that she would. 

"Awww you won't?" Karina teased. 

"Shut up," Winter whispers. 

"That's too bad," Karina utters. "I would've brought you to Korea."

This earned a look of confusion for the other girl. "Why Korea."

"I live there."

Winter grew silent. The distance between them is sinking in again. 

"How many more days before you go back?" 

Karina felt her heart tug, "A day or two."

"What?!!?" Winter dropped her cutlery. "C-can I come with you?" She stood in front of the table, her face earnest.

What she didn’t expect was Karina's laugh burst out of her, so sudden and unexpected that it caught even her off guard. Winter looked at her, confusion etched on her face.

"I'm sorry," Karina said, trying to get a hold of herself. "It's just...do you really think you can just drop everything and come with me to my home country?"

Winter's face fell, and Karina immediately regretted her outburst. "I'm sorry," she said again, more gently this time. "It's just that...you have your own life here. Your job, your friends, your famil