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Antarcticite always had cold hands, regardless of the season. Even in the scorching heat, they were like ice. But in fact, one person was able to warm his hands. This person was the complete opposite of Antarct. She always had warm hands, a loud and surprisingly pleasant voice, a smile like an angel from heaven, and the sweetest face she had ever seen. Phosphophyllite was a close friend of Antarcticite's. They met quite by accident during a rainstorm when they were both trying to take shelter in a cafe. The conversation started quite by accident, mostly on Phos' initiative. Although, as a matter of principle, Antarct never gave strangers her contact details, Phosphophylitte's bright smile and puppy-dog eyes persuaded her to make an exception. Soon they began to communicate almost daily, and it turned out that they both attended the same university, albeit in different faculty.
Over time, their meetings became more frequent, as seeing someone in person is more pleasant than text messages or phone calls. Antarcticite often noticed any peculiarities about Phos, sometimes without even realizing it, always remembering the smallest details. The girl has a small mole on the back of her neck, which she probably doesn't even know about. Phos always forgets to lock the door behind her and often loses things, which she sometimes leaves in the most obvious places. The girl always twirls her soft mint-colored hair around her finger when she talks about something more personal.
Antarct could list hundreds more habits or physical characteristics, but that would probably take forever. Most of them seemed cute to her, even if they were silly or annoying to others.
Phosphophyllite was the only person the girl truly trusted. For Antarcticite, it was enough to look into eyes filled with understanding and compassion to realize that she had chosen the right person in her life.
This year's winter was cold, unlike the others. Winter break had started just a few days ago, which meant more time spent together. They decided to spend the whole day in Antarct's rented apartment. The apartment itself was small but cozy.
“Antarct...” Phosphophyllite mumbled sleepily, lying on the apartment owner's shoulder. She tried not to let her eyes close and to at least finish what she had started. “Can we go to the fair tomorrow? I haven't heard much about it, but it looks quite... interesting.” She yawned, finally allowing her eyelids to rest.
“If you want, I guess I don't mind.” Antarct slowly turned her head toward Phos, who had fallen asleep in a matter of seconds. The girl carefully covered her with another blanket, trying not to disturb her sleep. The room fell into complete silence, broken only by Phosphophyllite's quiet snoring.
Antarcticite sat for a few minutes, lost in her own thoughts, but her eyelids slowly succumbed to sleep. To the girl's surprise, she fell asleep much earlier next to Phos, no matter how sleepy she was at the time, she could never resist this influence when she was next to the other. She jokingly called it “Phosphophyllite's Law of Influence,” which was interpreted as follows: “Anyone who is in the same room with a sleeping Phosphophyllite will inevitably feel sleepy within the next ten minutes.”
In fact, speaking of sleep, Antarct always had huge problems with it before she met Phos. Often she simply couldn't fall asleep for hours, chasing away the same thoughts, most of which annoyed her greatly. Sometimes, when she managed to close her eyes, another problem arose — sudden awakenings in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, even if she didn't remember what she had been dreaming about. This haunted her for a long time, and sometimes she even resorted to sleeping pills so she could get some rest at least once in a while.
***
The next day, it was decided to go to the fair closer to evening, when the festive decorations are turned on and the streets are lit up with colorful garlands. The fair was dedicated to Christmas.
“If you can stop gaping, then maybe we can,” Antarct said with a quiet chuckle. “We can try to go around all the stalls first, and then choose what we would like to buy.” But then she paused to think. “But I suggest we get some tea first, it's really cold here.”
“I completely agree, my fingers are freezing right now.” Still with the same smile as usual, Phos looked at the girl who was slightly taller than her.
“I can give you my gloves if you want, I don't use them anyway,” said Antarct, taking them out of her jacket pocket.
***
“Look! Aren't they cute?” Phosphophyllite grabbed two mint and white rabbits tied together with yarn.
“I think they're really cute.” Antarct glanced briefly at the two rabbits, then looked back at Phos. "Do you want them? "
Phosphophyllite began to nod vigorously in agreement, like a small child who had been offered a treat. It was as if her eyes were lit up by the sparkles of a burning fire.
“I'll pay for them,” said Antarcticite, handing the banknotes to the shopkeeper. “Want anything else?” She glanced at Phosphophyllite.
“No, thank you. You don't have to pay for me all the time, you know that, right?” She felt a little embarrassed as she picked up two stuffed rabbits. After thinking for a moment, Phos handed the mint-colored rabbit to her friend. “You know... They remind me of us, maybe... they'll be like a pair?”
“Whatever you say, I agree with you.” Antarct smiled as she took the plush toy in her hands. "He really reminds me of you..."
***
Phos stood next to her close friend, holding a white rabbit tightly in her arms. Snowflakes swirled around each other, eventually falling onto the already snow-covered ground. Bright light from the streetlights gently covered the dark streets of the city. They were already returning from the fair, where they had spent about two hours. Although they were in complete silence, it was not a problem for them; even being quiet together seemed so comfortable.
“Antarct” finally broke the silence. “Why are your hands always so cold?” she asked a little more quietly.
“I... um... I guess my soul is like that, and so are my hands,” Antarct smiled. “To be honest, I don't know,” she looked away, gazing somewhere in the distance.
“Do you want me to help you warm them up?” Phos smiled awkwardly.
“What?” Antarcticite looked up sharply at her friend. Although she clearly heard the question, it confused her greatly.
“Sorry... Never mind, it's a stupid idea.” Phosphophyllite turned her head away so as not to look her in the eyes. Her hands were hidden behind her back, as if to indicate her retreat from her proposal.
“No, it's okay. Maybe you'll be the first to succeed,” she said jokingly, although perhaps in her heart she still hoped that Phos would be the first person to do so.
Phosphophyllite seemed to come alive at this phrase, and she immediately took Antarctica's hands in hers, trying to convey all the warmth that had accumulated in her body. She smiled sincerely, this time looking more boldly into the taller girl's eyes. At that moment, Antarcticite's face flushed bright red, contrasting sharply with her pale complexion and the white strands of hair falling across her face.
“You're blushing,” Phos laughed, still holding Antarct's hands tightly.
“That's not true.” She turned her head away sharply, trying her best to hide the blush on her face. But Antarcticite had to admit that her hands had indeed become warmer for the first time in her life. “It's time to go, you'll soon be covered in snow, you'll be standing there like a snowman.”
“As you say, cold hearted girl.” The laughter had subsided, but a sweet smile remained. “Let's go.” She pulled Antarcticite forward by the hands, still holding them tightly.