“You sure you can survive?”

Do I have an option? The negative demon whispered again.

“Yes, yes, I will, I think. It's alright. It's what, a week? It would be over before I know it.”

“See, I told you to come with me,” her roommate Trisha's face glowed on the phone screen, full of holiday cheer and that special look you can only gain when you are home. She had a bowl of maggie in her hands.

“Trust me, if I had that option, I totally would have.”

“That's a lie.”

“How do you know? Anyway, It was so last minute. I don't know. If it wasn't for that damn exam.”

“Exactly. I know right? And to think they said they had cancelled all of them because of the cold.”

“Yeah right, so concerned about the students, my foot.”

“I know. Guess it's just me now for winter.”

“Yeah.”

There was a brief pause in the conversation, just a little short of somewhere between a cuss word bubbling out that they both started.

“Oh, those f—”

“Weren't you going to—?”

“Huh?”

“What?”

“Weren't you going to what?” Trisha looked at her in confusion and her spoon full of poha stopped on its way to her mouth.

“Weren't you about to show me those new earrings you bought?”

“Oh. Oh yes, I almost forgot. Good thing you reminded me. Wait.”

Saanvi was met with the ceiling fan and the sound of plastic as Trisha went in search.

“Aren't they having a carnival or something?” asked Trisha as she peeked at her from the top of the camera.

“Yeah, I guess, I didn't check.”

“Oh, it was on the group chat. And then two people started quarrelling on there and it was lost in the sea of texts. Why can't they just fight in a, I don't know, personal chat or something,” Trisha walked up to the camera again, this time in full view, scrutinizing Saanvi for a moment, “But you didn't know any of that, did you?”

“Uh, well, I wasn't about to scroll through all that, was I? Besides, I gathered as much. Show that to me,” said Saanvi, asking her to lift the little package she was holding.

“Oh look this one, I bought it. These are the small pearls. And then this was a gift.”

She held out two pairs, one with a string of small pearls. And the other one with a single big pearl on each pair. And she continued, “You know what, you can go there.”

“Where?"

“The carnival.”

“With whom?”

“I so wish I was there.”

“Yeah. Both are pretty. Ugh, I can't choose which one's better,” she continued gesturing towards both the earrings.

“I know,” Trisha said, smiling at her earrings before she stood still and continued, “Hey, you know what, don't you think it would be so fun if you do end up going to that carnival and when we next talk, you can tell me about the cutest winter love story or even at least a tiny little crush that you had!”

“Yeah, because that is totally so believable,” Saanvi said in her bored and sarcastic voice, noting the wild look Trisha had in her eyes.

“Yes, that would be so perfect. I so wish that” Trisha jumped on her moving chair, “Oh dear gods, please let that happen!”

___

4th January 2025