*TW - attempted rape.

It didn't take long for Karina to heal and began to walk by herself, thus staying back at her living space inside her shop. The moments both of 'em arrived there after so long, Winter sulks, feeling terrible for not having the tattoo artist to live with her again.

"Can you just move out and stay with me? I have lived alone all these years, and having you living with me was such a blessing. It's a pity that it only took you a week and a half to be back here again", she pouted as soon as she landed her butt on Karina's crimson red bed.

"Sometimes you should hold your obsession for me just for a while, Winter", the artist laughs, unpacking the clothes from the bag before putting it neatly inside her closet.

Winter still sulking, pouting on the bed, and Karina couldn't help but smile so wide looking at her reaction. She came closer and cupped the younger girl cheek with her hands.

"You're cute", she said before giving a quick peck on Winter's lips. "But I had a job to do for living", she peck her lips again.

"But I greatly suggest for you to move out and live with me. You're alone, and I'm alone. We'll be less lonely if we live together, and you still can come here for work", Winter looked into the artist eyes pleadingly. Somehow, tears started to form in the corner of her eyes.

Karina chuckled by the cute act and could not help but admire the love Winter gave her all day long.

"I'll think about it", she replied seconds after, and Winter's eyes wide open. Her mouth turns into the bright smile that Karina loves, all sunshine on her face.

"Really?", she asked again.

"Really", Karina nods her head with her smile.

"Thank you!", the younger girl shot up from the bed, hugging the tattoo artist inside her embrace so tight that Karina stumbled with her steps backwards.

"I'm not even agreeing. Why are you so happy?", she laughs.

"Still-- Thank you, and I love you!", Winter said happily through the hug, enjoying every bits of Karina's scent.

"I know".

***

Another week comes, and Winter is back to her usual weekday routine. Go to class, hear the boring lectures, go to the studio, sketch and paint some more, then go home.

But it sucks because she knew that this time, she's alone.

Become a regular visitor at Karina's shop that the older girl didn't care no more, sometimes Winter just watched the older girl doing her job on her customers. Sometimes, she pulled out her sketchbook to sketch what she's seeing. Sometimes, just to randomly draw anything by taking glances at the artist.

Karina don't mind at all. If Winter wants to stay for the night, Karina will let her stay. She couldn't help herself to grow fonder for Winter, falling deeper and deeper for her charms.

Winter's drawing progress just got even better. Karina was somehow proud that she could look into every progress Winter has made. She sometimes ruffled Winter's hair while she was drawing, amazed by the improvements.

Today, Winter went back to the studio. She was sure enough at least she could start painting one over four of her drawing progress. It's better to start earlier than later.

She pulled out the twenty inches times twenty inches canvas she bought from the art store, put it on her easel, and started to paint the background of her painting with pastel blue and lilac.

Ningning and Chaehyun came to do their artworks, just a few meters away from her. Pretty much of her classmates were there, progressing their projects. The submission is in two weeks, and Winter knew she had the time to finish this with her motivation.

Proud enough with the background blend, Winter smiles proudly at her painting before splashing white acrylic with a small brush, just to make some dots of white visible on the top part of her painting.

Stars.

She thought it would be good with stars there.

She then moved to paint the black lonely figure at the center of the canvas, before she drew some lines from the figure towards the outer frame in light grey and soft cream.

Connections. That's what it meant.

Winter put down the small brushes, grabbing a flat wide brush in her hands. This is where things will get a bit complicated. If she screwed, it will screw everything after.

She dipped the tip of the brush in a mixture of mustard yellow. Weird, isn't she? There's lilac, sky blue, black, and white on the canvas. But now the yellow will make everything inside her painting vibrant.

There's when the emotions come.

Every careful stroke of yellow meant a lot. Happiness, brightness, purity. Some strokes were thin, some were thick. Happiness occurred from many aspects, but for Winter, most of it comes from the tattoo artist. Thin, when they barely knew each other. Thick, when they're sickly missing and craved for each other. Winter makes sure to make a mental note that the two strokes should be differentiated, thus telling the meaning that the amount of happiness wasn't always the same every time.

"Winter, can I--", her concentration was cutted off when Chaehyun called her from her side, and when Winter turned to face her friend, her brush accidentally hit the girl hand, making the brush somehow loosen from Winter's grip and fell on her shoe.

"Oh my. Your shoe!", Chaehyun stated worriedly before looking back at Winter, who was all chill with the situation.

"Nah, it's okay. I'll wet 'em with some water, and they'll be fine. So, why are you here again?", Winter asked with a calm smile.

"I just wanna ask you if I can have a bit of your cyan. Sheesh, Winter. I'm so sorry for your shoe", Chaehyun said while still looking guilty at Winter's shoe. Not until Winter gave a soft pat on her friend's shoulder with an assuring smile.

"You're my friend, and you know I'll say yes. Now, excuse me cuz I'll wash this. Just take it, girl. I don't mind".

****

Winter wet her hands with some water before wiping her shoe with it. A few strokes of water, and the acrylic paint will be gone, no worries. It will be a big trouble if she lets the paint there for more than ten minutes or the paint will be dry and permanent.

Winter looks at her face in the mirror, smiling to herself. She washed her hand once more before stepping out from the washroom. But then, when she just took her second step outside, someone made her go back in.

"What the hell are you doing, Jeno?", Winter frowns angrily at the guy in front of her who innocently pushes her back into the girls' restroom.

"I'm trying to pursue you", he said with his smirk.

"Are you crazy? This is the girl's restroom! Did you have an identity confusion disorder?", Winter asked angrily as she tried to shrug Jeno's body off her way. But the guy pushed Winter by the shoulder, deeper into the washroom.

"Bruh, I have a project to finish. Your presence didn't entertain me. Go away!", Winter doesn't know why, but her body is slowly feeling goosebumps. All her red switches are in the middle of turning on, panic slowly rising.

"I told you clearly, countless times already, that I can be better than your girlfriend", he scoffed before shutting the door behind him close, locking in from the inside.

Red alert.

"What are you trying to do?"

Winter body trembling. As she took a step away from the guy, Jeno took a step closer to her with his smirk. Her heartbeat rising, goosebumps all over her body, her breathing becomes rapid.

This guy wants to do something to her, Winter could see it.

"H-Hello? Someone outside! Help me!", Winter voice trembles, tears start to form at the corner of her eyes. Jeno just gets closer without hesitation, and there's nothing Winter can grab to use as a weapon.

"Someone! Help--", her words turned into a screeching shout when Jeno rushed towards her and shut her mouth with his hands, somehow slamming Winter's back to the walls behind them.

Winter fights as hard as she can, moving her body harshly to let herself go when the guy locks her in between with his arms and legs, pinning her down halfway to the floor. When Winter succeeds in biting his hand, Jeno groans in pain for a second before slapping on Winter's right cheek hard, once.

"Shut up!", he shouted back despite Winter keep shouting at him.

Sadly, mens strength is two times more than women. Winter tried all her might to let herself free from his locks, but the guy suddenly pulled Winter's shirt collar harshly, just enough to tear off four buttons on top, revealing Winter's top with her white sport bra.

"Help--", Winter tried to shout again, but her mouth got covered with Jeno's hand for the nth times. Her punches and kicks were all useless because the guy seemed to hold the pain in, determined to do whatever he wanted to do.

Winter screeching shout is a horror. Tears freely fell down from her cheek as Jeno rushed his hands to grope her breast under her bra. A devil smile formed on his face, massaging the mounds in his grip.

"Thank you so much, Winter. You just let me win a bet!", he laughs happily before attacking Winter's neck with his teeth, biting it aggressively. All the strength and body weight he put on his hand make Winter didn't had too many chances to shout out loud. Her energy slowly draining and no one was there to--

"Winter!", she could hear Ningning's voice from the outside, banging the washroom door hard.

"Wint-"

"Help--", Winter tried to shout once more before Jeno put more weight to his hand, not allowing Winter to speak at all. But Ningning heard it.

"Who are-- Let Winter go! Fuck! Winter!", she could hear Ningning bang the door once more and the ruckus outside the washroom getting bigger and bigger. Strange enough, Jeno didn't let Winter go at all despite hearing the attempt of people outside trying to open the door.

Then, Jeno bites the other side of her neck harshly, and Winter screeching voice was loud and clear enough to anyone outside the washroom who tried to save her.

A loud bang from the door was heard, as few professors succeed to kick the door open. That's the only time when Jeno let Winter off from his grip on the washroom floor, crying, before the professors held him by his arms, pulling him outside the washroom.

"Winter!", Ningning loud cries couldn't even help Winter from getting up from the floor. She is too tired, lifeless, feeling useless, and maybe a bit suicidal. Winter doesn't know, but she had mixed feelings at the moment.

Chaehyun came right after Ningning, pulling out her denim jacket to cover Winter's exposed top. Her two friends then helped the girl to stand up, bringing her straight to the college infirmary.

****

The two bite marks on Winter's neck were so visible that it bled a bit, but gladly wasn't deep. Winter is now on the emergency bed, and her body wasn't facing her two friends at all, despite one of her hands holding tight onto Chaehyun's.

Winter went missing for quite a while just to wash the paint stain on her shoes, and when Chaehyun came back to borrow another tube of acrylic, she heard the fading familiar voice shouting in the way towards the floor washroom.

So when she went to check it out with Ningning, they're sure enough that their friend was in trouble.

"Winter...", Chaehyun cries slowly, feeling the great pain inside her for what Winter has gone through. Winter kept her silence, but didn't show her face at all towards her friend.

Chaehyun is pretty sure that Winter is crying as well, from the movement of her shoulder.

Ningning was outside of the room, trying to call a specific number. When the person picked up the phone call, Ningning starts her words with a loud heavy sigh.

"Karina...", the Chinese voice cracked.

"Winter..."