@bastawivax: When Winter and Karina were six years old, they made the most serious promise two children could possibly make. Every single day, before the day ended, they had to hug for exactly five minutes. It happened after Winter cried because her family almost moved away. Karina had wrapped her tiny arms around her and stubbornly declared, "If we do this every day, you'll never forget me." Winter laughed through her tears. "As if I ever could." From then on, the tradition became law. No matter how busy they were or where they were, they always found each other before midnight. They would set a timer, hug for five minutes, then say goodnight. As children, their parents thought it was adorable. As teenagers, their classmates teased them endlessly. "You two are weird." "So?" Karina would shrug. Winter would only smile. Neither of them cared. The hugs slowly became more than just a tradition. Winter could tell when Karina was exhausted by how heavily she leaned against her. Karina knew when Winter was pretending to be okay because her hugs became lighter. Years passed. College came. Schedules became busier, assignments became heavier, but somehow they still managed. Sometimes Karina would run across campus with her backpack half-open. "Three minutes until midnight!" Winter would already be waiting outside. "You almost missed it." "But I didn't." Five minutes. Every night. Until Jeno entered Karina's life. He started as a classmate, then a project partner, until he became the person Karina spent most of her free time with. Coffee after lectures. Study sessions. Late-night dinners. Winter noticed the change. She was happy for Karina. Really. The first night Karina forgot the tradition, Winter sat outside her house with her phone in hand. 11:47 PM. 11:56. 11:59. Midnight. Just as she stood up, her phone rang. "Winter!" Karina sounded breathless. "I'm so, so sorry." "You forgot." "I know. Jeno and I lost track of time." There was a brief silence. "I'm really sorry." Winter smiled anyway. "...It's okay." "You mean it?" "Yeah." "I promise it won't happen again." Winter believed her. Because Karina had never broken a promise before. The next day, they hugged for five minutes like nothing had happened. But a few days later... Karina forgot again. This time she texted. **Sorry. Rain check?** Then the messages became shorter. **Busy.** **Maybe tomorrow.** Eventually... Nothing. No timer. No apology. Winter still waited every night. Sometimes on the porch. Sometimes outside Karina's apartment. Sometimes with the timer already running, hoping Karina would suddenly appear. She never did. Weeks passed. Winter eventually stopped bringing up the tradition. If Karina had forgotten it... Maybe reminding her would only make her feel guilty. One afternoon, Ningning found Winter eating alone outside the campus library. "You look lonely." "I'm fine." "Liar." Giselle sat beside Winter with two cartons of chocolate milk. "You don't have to be alone anymore." That lunch turned into studying together. Studying turned into daily walks. Before Winter knew it, Ningning and Giselle had quietly become part of her routine. One particularly exhausting afternoon, Winter sighed after finishing an impossible exam. "My brain officially gave up." Ningning laughed. "Come here." Without thinking much about it, Winter leaned into the hug. It wasn't five minutes. Just enough to breathe. Just enough to feel a little less alone. Karina stepped out of the library at that exact moment. Her footsteps froze. Winter... Was hugging someone else. Her chest tightened before she even understood why. "...I thought..." The words slipped out before she could stop them. "I thought I was the only one who did that with Winter." Winter slowly pulled away after hearing the familiar voice. Their eyes met across the courtyard. Neither of them spoke. Because for the first time... Karina couldn't even remember the last time she had hugged Winter. — comsec #karina #winter #winrina #winrinaau

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Sunday 19 July 2026 11:14:57 GMT