Winter is spending her free time in the quad waiting for Ningning. One of her morning classes got dismissed early due to an emergency faculty meeting.

She had walked with Karina to class this morning while discussing the pre-release update she sent Karina last night. Without giving much thought, she took her phone from the back pocket of her jeans and composed a message.

Karina didn't send another reply, Winter assumed that the girl returned to listening to her class.

Class nerd.

Winter focused her attention on her unattended worksheets.

"Here I am thinking I'd see you sketching," Karina said, beads of sweat on her forehead. She looked like she ran a mile with the way she breathe.

"What are you doing here? Did you ran away from your class?" Winter asked, a little panic can be sensed from her tone.

"Yup. We're about to be dismissed anyway. Worksheets? Exam's just over and they already gave you worksheets?"

"I don't think there's a time when they didn't give us worksheets to do. Are you sure it's okay?" Winter tries to confirm.

"So how long before Ningning's dismissal?" Karina asked, obviously changing the subject.

"Two hours"

"Okay, let's go"

"Where to?"

"To my lab. It's time to unmold our soaps"

Winter smirked. "I love that you call your glorified storage room a lab. It makes you sound like a real scientist."

Karina narrowed her eyes, imagining all kinds of bodily harm she could do to Winter.

"Nevermind. I'm going back to my class, enjoy waiting," Karina said turning around to walk away.

***

It took quite a lot of convincing and puppy eyes before Karina changed her mind.

"Are you sure it's okay that we have lunch? I thought you have plans with Ningning?"

"I sent her a message don't worry. Did you wash the basils?"

They are in the storage room of Karina's bath and body shop cooking a simple pesto for lunch. Winter thought of the idea when she saw the bunch of basils around the shop.

"Remind me again why I agreed to cook instead of ordering?"

"Because you want me in an apron. Now give me the pine nuts," Winter said commandingly.

Winter was able to fix them an edible lunch in fifteen minutes. While they were eating, she received a message from Ryujin saying that all engineering classes are suspended for the day.

"That's perfect timing! I don't have a class this afternoon. Do you want to make another batch of soaps? The shelves are almost empty."

"I should receive payment for this," Winter said.

"I'll keep in mind to give you a huge discount on the holiday deals," Karina said, pulling out the same apron that Winter wore on Sunday.

Karina handed her the apron but Winter has no plans of solving the puzzle that is the laces of that damn apron today. She spread her arms wide, and turn to Karina.

"I'm not putting that apron on me again. If you want my help, you have to put it on me."

Alright, maybe Winter was just joking, maybe half joking but Karina looked serious because she didn't hesistate to wrap her arms around Winter to put the apron. Winter noticed the smile on Karina's face and then her eyes shifted on the mole on the corner of Karina's lips.

Is she wearing that same perfume from the party? 

"Is this too tight?" Karina said, not moving her arms around Winter.

She didn't respond. She couldn't respond. Her body remained still like her heart and her lungs in the middle of the storage room. She blinked and her heart restarted with a faint beat. 

"I think I can put the apron on my own," Winter said, already recovered from the trance.

Karina released her and chuckled, "I'm not sure about that. But if you say so." The girl walked away to put the hairnet on her own head. 

Karina retrieved the soaps they made over the weekend for cutting. She position the unmolded soaps to the wire cutting machine. In one gentle press, the long rectangular soap is divided into the perfect size. The cross-section of the bar soaps that Karina made looked like petals of purple lilies, Karina said it's called the Taiwan swirl. She set aside the soap to cut Winter's. 

Karina handed the freshly cut soaps to her, wearing a contagious grin, "looks like a very expensive soap." Winter tried to joke. After she inspected it, she handed it back to Karina.

"Giselle already made the packaging for this, it had been delivered this morning. Want to see it?" Karina said, opening the big box on the floor.

"These are new soaps? I don't think anyone would want to buy mine. Sorry I wasted your resources," Winter said, tone a bit sad. She was very focused on winning their mini-game that Winter didn't think of asking if what her doing is correct. Winter's soaps looked like a child's play compared to Karina's intricately made ones.

"Not at all, people actually like rustic," Karina said, giving her a pack of the new plastic packaging.

"and before you say anything else, that name was already on my list before we met," Karina defended.

Winter's smile 

"I wasn't thinking of that but you being defensive definitely gave me the impression."

Karina only gave her a smile before she went to grab the soaps one by one to start packaging.

There's that smile again. Karina has a way of doing that. Grins on her face. Butterflies in her stomach. A weird feeling in Winter's heart.

***

There is something therapeutic about making soaps and turning herbs into essential oils. Maybe the scent that infiltrated the ai