A toned, petite woman shifted in her seat, trying her best to focus on the important ted talk being presented in front of her. 

Her attention kept drifting to the hushed whispers of her classmates, who were clearly more interested in gossip than in the lecture. 

Winter tried to block out their conversation, but the scandalous topic was too tempting to resist. She strained to hear their words, barely registering what the speaker was saying.

As her classmates continued to chatter, Winter heard one of them say, "Did you hear about the affair between the Dean and Professor Yoo?" Her ears perked up, and she leaned in closer, eager for details. 

Her peers didn't hesitate to expound on the sordid details, Winter felt a thrill of excitement. This was the kind of gossip that would make her girlfriend's day. 

She quickly scribbled down the information, feeling a little guilty for neglecting the seminar. But as she looked around the room, she saw that many of her classmates were also distracted by the scandal. 

It seemed that sometimes, juicy gossip was just too hard to resist.

Winter was completely engrossed in exchanging juicy gossip about the wild scandal. They were whispering back and forth, barely paying attention to the speaker in front. 

Suddenly, the speaker's voice rang out loud and clear, "If you're not listening, please clap your hands." 

Since their group was too stupid to register the sentence, a good amount of ten people clapped their hands. 

Winter — being one of them — froze, realizing that they had been caught red-handed. She glanced around the room, but no one seemed to be paying attention to her.

The crowd laughed collectively at the ludicrous students who got caught while the speaker took his time humoring the audience once more. 

While the seminar continued, Winter tried her best to focus on the speaker's words. "So, it feels like almost being absorbed into your imagination. You own this dream body that you can use and move around with, not just to look at your dream surroundings, but, for example, to touch the dream ground, its texture, its hardness. That’s how real our dreams are each and every night in REM sleep. It’s incredible. "

Winter had been forced to attend the event to earn extra credits for her GED class, and it was clear that her interest in the topic was minimal at best. 

The speaker on stage was discussing the intricacies of lucid dreaming, a subject that the tall student had never found particularly engaging. 

As she tried to focus on the presentation, her mind began to wander. She found herself daydreaming about all the other things she could be doing instead of sitting through this talk. 

Maybe Winter could be out with her girlfriend, enjoying the sunshine, or they could be at home binge-watching her favorite show. 

The attendance sheet finally made its way to her row, Winter breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly signed her name and slipped out of the auditorium, eager to leave the tedious talk behind. 

Little did she know that the topic of that ted talk would come to have a much bigger impact on her life than she could ever have imagined.

Winter spotted her girlfriend waiting outside the convenience store and picked up her pace, eager to join her. "Hey stupid, what are you doing out here?" she teased, a smile spreading across her face.

Her girlfriend grinned back at her. "I didn't want to go in without you—," she answers before pouting. Winter's heart somersaults at the sight.

"—I knew we'd get lost in there for hours and I didn't want to leave you behind," her girlfriend continued before pulling Winter's jacket to steal a kiss.

"You're talking like 7/11 is a mall," the smaller woman taunted before taking her girlfriend's hand. 

Together, they walked through the sliding glass doors and into the brightly lit store, ready to indulge in some retail therapy.

Winter picked a small blue basket. She knew they had a home cooked meal planned tonight instead of their usual fast food takeouts. 

The petite woman was just in the middle of balancing her tote bag and the basket when Karina offered a hand.

Like a kid presented with a marshmallow in front of her face, Winter took this as an opportunity to hold her girlfriend's hand instead. 

This earned an amused chuckle from her girlfriend. "I was asking for your bag or the basket, whichever you prefer."

"I prefer this," Winter smugly grins as she raises their intertwined hand. Karina raised an eyebrow at her before using her free hand to snatch the basket away from her stubborn partner.

As they wandered through the aisles of the convenience store, Winter and Karina couldn't help but giggle at the quirky items on display. The bright fluorescent lights cast a harsh glow over the cramped space, illuminating the rows of candy bars, energy drinks, and potato chips. 

The air was heavy with the scent of artificial sweeteners and fried foods, and the hum of the refrigerators filled their ears. Karina paused at the end of an aisle, taking in the chaotic jumble of products: plush toys, phone chargers, and packs of gum all vying for attention. 

With a mischievous grin, Winter suddenly grabbed her girlfriend's hand and pulled her towards the back of the store, "Did you hear about the affair between the Dean and Professor Yoo?" she humored her girlfriend in a hushed tone.

Karina's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you ing with me?"

Winter threw a quick "later, maybe I will" before explaining how she got the information while she was obviously not paying any attention to the Ted talk she's suppos