Karina has always been an affectionate person. She grew up accustomed to receiving hugs and kisses from her parents and Grandparents hence why it was so easy for her to give the same treatment to those she loved dearly, albeit be family, friends and her girlfriend Winter. It should not be a surprise that Physical Touch was her number one on the list of Love Languages when she took the test for the first time in high school and continued retaking it every 2-3 years and still getting the same results.

At beginning of their relationship, Karina was a bit confused on why Winter was so shy with skin-ship and it was always her initiating things but she settled with the thought of her girlfriend being an introvert and let it be. She understood not everyone has the same love language and as time went by, she discovered Winter’s was Quality Time.

How did she know? Well, Karina was also a very observant girl. Whenever she and Winter were together, the younger girl’s phone was always on vibrate mode and faced down on the table or tucked in her pocket. During their busy days at the University, Winter would always want them to eat together at break time in between classes even if it was only for half an hour. And on the days they couldn’t physically see each other, Winter would call or FaceTime her to asked about her day. For some, it may came across clingy but Karina loved the attention and effort from her lover.

So when did it started changing?

No, not the Quality Time, Winter was still very much the same regarding that.

The Physical Touch. Winter was starting to be more touchy-feely with Karina and she tried not making it a big deal or mention it to her girlfriend in fear of the younger girl backing off. Karina decided to keep the observation to herself in the mean time and appreciated the gestures secretly. She thought about the skin-ship moments that Winter initiated.

Holding Hands

Winter was standing at the end of the corridor, waiting for Karina’s class to end. She looked at her watch to check the time; it was 4:55pm. A few minutes later, she saw students walking out of the room and her girlfriend was one of the last ones to exit, alongside her classmate and their friend, Giselle. When Karina looked her way, she raised her hand to waive and they walked over to where she was.

“Hi Baby! Have you been waiting long?” Karina greeted and kissed Winter on her cheek. See? Physical Touch. Karina did not give a about the other students around them, she was always comfortable with PDA.

Winter smiled and shook her head lightly. “No, just a few minutes Jagi. How was the exam?”

“I think it well. Majority of the stuff we studied together were there so I’m confident.”

“That’s good to know, I already know you’ll ace it!”

Giselle playfully sighed at being ignored by the couple. “I think I did well too Winter, thanks for asking.”

“I was going to ask you too had you given me the chance, Uchinaga.”

“Yeah yeah, I know, priorities, I get it.” Giselle pointed at Karina who was just chuckling at them.

“I’m her girlfriend after all.” Karina quipped.

“Anyway, if you’re done being dramatic, let’s go eat before we head home. Ning said she’ll meet us at the front, she was just finishing a meeting with her org.” Winter grabbed Karina’s bag to sling it over her shoulder which was a normal thing she did but her next move was something Karina normally initiated. The younger gently reached for Karina’s left hand and intertwined it with hers and the older could only stare at their connected hands.

“What? Did you forget something Babe?” Winter asked, clueless at her girlfriend’s reaction.

“Huh? Oh, no I’m ready.” She turned to Giselle. “Gi, you ready?”

“Actually can we stop by the ladies room? I need to retouch my make up. Rina’s blush-on is still as fresh, I may need to borrow hers.” Giselle said teasingly, more towards to her best friend and her blushing cheeks as she started walking but definitely not in the direction where the rest room was located.

Karina playfully rolled her eyes and shook her head while Winter stood there confusedly. “Did I miss something?”

“Just Giselle being Giselle, that’s all. Come on, I’m hungry and I missed you.” Karina said as she squeezed their connected hands tighter and pulled Winter to follow.

After the quartet had their meal, Karina craved for some ice cream so they decided to go to the nearest ice cream shop. "What Karina wants, Karina gets." was one of Winter's motto in her love life. And it was not hard to make her girlfriend happy. Each one ordered their favorite flavors and Winter offered to pay for them.

"Ning, can you hold this for me really quick? I have to get my wallet from my bag." Winter said, referring to the ice cream cone in hand.

Ningning was about to scoop the delicious dessert from the cup in her hand but stopped and raised her eyebrow in confusion. "You know you have two hands right?" 

Winter rolled her eyes at her friend's smart mouth. Of course she knew that but her other hand was occupied and currently entangled with Karina's hand.

"Smart-, I know that. I'm holding Karina's hand. Please?"

"Unnie is not going anywhere, Winter. You can let go for two seconds." Regardless, Ningning still reached for Winter's ice cream cone. "You're lucky you're paying."

"See? It wasn't that hard. Thanks Yizhuo!" Winter said sarcastically and pulled some bills from her wallet to pay.

The eldests were just watching the two younger girls, chuckling at their childish banter. Giselle whispered to Karina, "And you said Winter is shy about skin-ship, what is this behaviour we're seeing?"

Karina j