Winter yanked the blanket over her head, determined to shut out the world-especially Karina.

"You can't just sleep all day," Karina drawled, her voice laced with amusement. She leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, watching Winter as if she was the most captivating spectacle in the universe.

"Watch me," Winter mumbled from under the covers, her voice muffled and defiant.

Karina chuckled, a low, throaty sound that sent a shiver down Winter's spine. Then, in typical Karina fashion, she decided to push further, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Fine. If you're not getting up..."

The mattress dipped slightly, and before Winter could process the shift in weight, Karina had climbed onto the bed, her presence a deliberate invasion of Winter's space. The pressure was light, but enough to make it impossible to ignore her presence.

Winter bolted upright, the blanket falling to her lap. "What the hell are you doing?!"

Karina smirked, her eyes dancing with playful challenge. "Waking you up."

"Get off!" Winter shoved at her shoulder, but Karina barely budged, her body a solid, immovable object.

"You're so grumpy when you don't get your way," Karina teased, tilting her head with a disarming charm. "It's cute."

Winter's breath caught, her heart skipping a beat. Cute? Absolutely not. Impossible.

She shoved harder this time, throwing the blanket aside and jumping out of bed, her movements abrupt and clumsy. "I'm done with this," she muttered, her voice tight with controlled frustration as she stormed toward the door.

Karina followed immediately, her footsteps light and playful, matching Winter's hurried pace. "Where are you going?"

Winter spun around, her eyes flashing with annoyance. "Anywhere but-"

Thud.

A loud crash echoed through the room, followed by a sharp gasp.

Winter's heart leaped into her throat, a jolt of panic surging through her as she turned to see Karina sprawled on the floor, her hands clutching her leg, her face contorted in pain.

"Karina?!" Winter was by her side in an instant, her worry overriding her irritation. "What happened? Does it hurt? Let me-"

She reached out to help, only for Karina to suddenly look up, her expression shifting from pain to pure, unadulterated amusement.

"Fooled ya."

Winter froze, her hand hovering in mid-air, her mind struggling to catch up.

Silence hung in the air, thick and heavy.

Then, slow realization dawned, her cheeks flushing with a mix of humiliation and fury.

"You-" Her entire body tensed, her face burning. "You absolute-"

Karina burst out laughing, head thrown back, completely unapologetic. Her laughter, though melodious, felt like a blatant taunt.

Winter glared at her, fists clenched, her temper reaching its boiling point. "You're playing a very dangerous game."

Karina sat up, resting her elbow on her knee, looking entirely too pleased with herself. "Oh, I know," she murmured, her eyes locking onto Winter's in a way that sent a shiver of awareness dancing through Winter's chest.

That was it. Enough.

Winter turned sharply on her heel, her movements sharp and deliberate. "I'm going to sleep," she grumbled, her voice laced with a defiant note as she stormed back to her bed and burrowed under the covers before she could say something even more stupid.

Karina chuckled from behind her, her voice dripping with amusement. "Sweet dreams, grumpy."

Winter squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to react to the gentle taunt. She hated this. She hated the way Karina made her feel, the way her carefully controlled emotions seemed to unravel in her presence.

But she didn't move away when Karina settled into bed across the room, the silence between them now tinged with a new layer of unspoken tension.

Under the blanket, Winter's brain was a battlefield of conflicting thoughts.

She said she knows.

Knows what exactly? That Winter was struggling with her feelings? That her heart had been doing stupid, irrational things every time Karina so much as breathed near her?

Absurd. Ridiculous.

Winter clenched her jaw, flipping onto her side, her movements agitated. This isn't happening.

They were in the middle of a military-run operation, dodging bullets, tracking illegal weapons, surviving life-threatening situations-and this was what had her on edge?

Winter squeezed her eyes shut, trying desperately to recall a single time in her life when she had ever felt this way about anyone.

Nothing.

Not in school. Not in training. Not ever.

She groaned, flinging her arm over her head, and yanked her phone from the nightstand, her actions abrupt and frustrated. Fine. Maybe the almighty internet had some answers, some kind of explanation for this bewildering internal chaos.

Google search: "What does it mean when someone makes you feel insane and also kind of want to punch them?"

The first result that popped up?

"Signs You're Helplessly in Love."

Winter immediately locked her phone and threw it onto the mattress as if it had personally offended her, her chest tightening with a mix of panic and denial.

"No. Nope. Absolutely not happening."

She sat up, yanking the blanket over her head again in frustration, a silent scream echoing in the quiet of the room.

Finally, utterly fed up with her own inner turmoil, she kicked the covers off and stormed out of the room, leaving behind a trail of simmering anger.

In the kitchen, Ningning was stirring something in a pot, her movements precise and focused, while Yuna rummaged through the fridge, her actions much more haphazard. Karina, leaning lazily against the counter, was way too relaxed for Winter's liking, her posture radiating a casual, easygoing charm.

As soon as Winter entered, Karina looked up, her expression shifting to one of all-innocent smiles and easy amusement, as if she hadn't just been the source of Winter's inner chaos.

"Ah," she greeted smoothly, her voice a playful lilt. "So, you've finally decided to join us."

Winter froze for half a second, her expression hardening before she scoffed, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "I was asleep," she stated, her voice firm and defensive.

"Sure," Karina tilted her head, a knowing smirk playing on her lips. "Definitely didn't spend the last twenty minutes dramatically overthinking things under your blanket."

Winter's stomach dropped, her cheeks heating up with embarrassment, her internal conflict feeling more exposed than she wanted it to be.

She glared at Karina, her eyes flashing with annoyance. "I was sleeping."

Karina's smirk widened, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Mm. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Winter swore she could feel her soul physically leave her body in secondhand embarrassment, the urge to crawl into a hole becoming increasingly strong.

Before she could self-destruct from the sheer awkwardness, Ningning turned, waving a wooden spoon in their direction, her eyes narrowed in amusement. "You guys bicker like an old married couple," she observed, her voice laced with amusement.

Winter choked, her face flushed with mortification. "We do not!"

Karina just shrugged, grabbing a snack off the counter and taking a slow, deliberate bite, fully enjoying Winter's flustered reaction.

Winter scowled, a new wave of frustration washing over her. She was going to lose her mind, and it was all Karina's fault.