He watched Kavi and Geraldine out of the corners of his eyes and while the girl had her nose to the window he watched Kavi fold his arms over his chest and a smile blossomed on his cheeks.It was like watching one of those old couples in the park. He leaned in close to Kavi. "Dude what are you doing?" He said reaching out and pulling one of his arms away from his chest and pulled him to his feet to accompany him to get his order. "What have I told you about the jumping in the leaves? Its the same thing with snow." He kept Kavi from re guarding himself with a sour attitude. "You are here with hottie..." He looked back at the girl "Geraldine and you don't even want to pay in the snow with her? I know if I had some one to play with me I would the first chance I got. I am so jelly dude. so jelly." Shaking his head he took his order, checking his bag to make sure everything was inside and ordering a quick up of cider
The cashier had his and Géraldine's food as well, and reaching out he took the bag and mirrored what Fabio had chosen he ordered impromptu ciders while checking the bag before he looked up to see his roommate sipping at his own with his goofy smile. "You're crazy, hope you know. But odd enough as it is I suppose you're correct too." He gave a shrug as if he did not care, though it wounded him to actually admit that Fabio: Resident goofy, was actually correct. He shrugged again as if to punctuate his thoughts as he started back to the table and gestured for Fabio to follow. "You shouldn't really be that jealous though, a relationship is not as...what's the word? Special as it is cut out to be."
He reached out grabbing Kavi and slowing his walk back to the table. "Dude, don't even say that. If you were me and you've seen what I have seen in you two you would be a soft jelly bean too. I want a friend that will hold my hand and do crazy things with me and kiss my cheek." He let go and pointed to his face before tapping Kavi on the face where Geraldine had left her mark previously. "Uh... I guess its not just the physical stuff too that girlfriends do and stuff." At that point his own shoulders rose and fell dropping his argument completely as his desires quickly turned into thoughts of jelly beans and then to the snow outside the window. It had started to pick up. As they reached the table he saw Geraldine still watching the snow, "So my mom sent me here overly prepared for the end of the world, if you need a coat or something I can let you borrow it, just send it back with Kavi." He said showing his food to the girl and letting his head gesture to the door so they could leave before the storm got worse.
She was pleased enough with that, and seeing the both of them with the food she claimed that they were ready to head back to the dorm, though in truth neither she not Kavi truly wanted to brave the heightening storm, but it was clear it was only going to get worse. Leaving Kavi to carry their food, Geraldine stepped up to Fabio and linked their arms together. “And once the storm is over you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about,” she flashed him a smile, "See if you can name that one by the time we get back to the dorm." She tugged Fabio along out of the double doors where other students were coming in to brave the storm, and after holding the door for them, Kavi followed after dutifully.
Fabio grinned as he pulled Geraldine into a twirl, kicking up snow as they moved. He had no idea the girl was such an existentialist it made him happy. “Memories are what warm you up from the inside. But they're also what tear you apart.” He said drawing from his brief memories of reading the book. “Uh I forgot the author but is it Kafka on the shore?” He said with a wide grin. “Does this mean that I can try one?” He said pursing his lips together and closing his eyes. He found he could only think of Kavi's voice and the book they had shared. Pushing past thoughts of the western he spoke. “Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn’t it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up... Now you must guess." He said as he continued to dance in the snow leading the pair to the subway.
It took her a brief moment of thinking as they twirled free of the flake's range down into the dank of the light-lit subway, but she continued to dance with Fabio in the brisk chill of impending winter."The Sandman! I read that not long ago, it is a lucky coincidence." She only paused in their twirling and spinning to glance at the subway map to see what train they needed, but by Kavi's interjection she knew they had to take the yellow. Turning back to Fabio she grinned as she took his hands. “I’ve never told anyone this, but anytime that I’ve felt sad or alone or angry or upset, I would pray to God to just make you come back. That I would do anything He wanted me to do if only you would walk through my door. You were the only thing that made me feel safe when the earthquakes threatened to break me. I needed you to come home because when you’re not here, I don’t have a home. Guess.”
He drew a blank and as they rocked back and forth with the subway car he asked her to repeat it again just to be sure. After a little encouragement it trickled through the files of his memory and he shouted the Bear the otter and kid rather loudly on train disrupting some of the commuters. They were nearing their stop and Fabio waited until they were on their last stretches back to the dorm before saying his next quote. “Often he rose early in the morning, before anyone else, and poured himself liquid through the sunrise streets, and everything seemed beautiful, everything in its proper orbit, nothing impossible, the entire world attainable.” He said bracing himself with his food as they traveled, nearly back at the dorm.
In retrospect she should have come up with her answer earlier, but as she racked her mind for where she had heard the quote, but it was not until they were tracking through half an inch of snow from the sidewalk to the door of the dorm that she conceded that she did not know. She could nearly see Fabio about to start one of his goofy dances, no doubt for success, when Kavi interjected. "It is from 'The Chocolate War'." Unlinking her arm from Fabio's, the girl turned around with a wide grin to stretch up and give the man a happy kiss. "That is where I remember it from, thank you, Kavi." He offered his welcome by means of another kiss before he held the door open for the three of them before ushering them into the warmer building. "I have a quote now, if you do not mind my interjection into your game." Kavi cleared his throat, "It is such a bizarrely improbable coincidence that anything so mindbogglingly useful could have evolved purely by chance that some thinkers have chosen to see it as the final and clinching proof of the non-existence of God."
Fabio had not seen Kavi read science fiction since that fateful day that they ran into each other. It made him grin that he should say one of his favorite books. “You cheaters.” He said as the crossed the lobby passing by other students that were trying to melt the fallen snow off their shoulders, while others were excitedly gearing up to go and play. “Double teaming poor me.” He said shaking his head and reaching out to push the elevator button.”Its good dudes, because I love Douglas Adams.” Cheekily he made room for the three of them on the elevator going up and decided since Kavi wanted to play to give him a really good book. “ Their restless breathing and mingled snores would have gently thawed the silence like a warm spring wind. If there had been music...but no, of course there was no music. in fact, there were none of these things, and so the silence remained. “
He was not dense enough to forget the opening to a book that good, especially since it had been read from less than a night prior, and so he answered with a smile. "Name of the Wind." As if it were magic, the door to the elevator opened and the gush of warm air from their floor rolled over them as he stepped free into the hallway and started to phish his key from his pocket to open their door. "The fact you thought I would not get that one makes you crazy." Swinging the door open he gestured for Géraldine to enter, and with a smile she did as she snagged their bag of food. "Under that beanie there is nothing but hair and book quotes."
Fabio waited, and closed the door behind him locking the trio into the dorm room. He wore a soft grin on his lips..”Yeah well...” He caught up with Kavi and jostled him. “I am sure there is more then just physics behind those glasses. “ Immediately he went over to his bed, climbing the side to find a resting spot for his meal, before swinging off the side and diving into his book fort. It took a few bangs in the tight space to find the tub he was looking for and he pulled it forth from under his bed. Once free of his fort he sprang back to standing. “Tadah, you can use anything you want in this tub.” He said to Geraldine before walking over to his chair and flopping in it, twisting his legs up to his chest as he spun to watch the snow out the window.
It was charming for Kavi to actually let go of his stern disposition for a moment, and laps into interacting with his roommate, returning the playful push and joining in on their game of book quotes, but as they settled back into the warmth of the small room with the scent of their dinner wafting through and the cushion of pillows on the floor as the crinkle of the bag revealed their fried edamame and soy chicken while the vision of soft snowflakes fell past the window it seemed right to the girl. Allowing for Kavi to leave the room to the shared kitchen on the main floor to grab them all utensils, Géraldine took the time to dig through the tub of clothes. "Thank you for letting me borrow some winter wear. If I knew it was going to snow I would not have packed only a few sweaters to keep warm." She pulled out a soft coat, and holding it up to her front it seemed to be a little too big, but it would do. Folding it up and dig around a bit more. "How is it living around here? It does not seem as cold as it does a bit more North."
Fabio spun in his chair smiling as the girl was engulfed by his clothing, making her look like a rather adorable doll instead of a woman. His shoulders rose and fell in a shrug “It is alright, I mean if you live in one place for a long time you tend to get used to it and it only seems magical to people who haven't been here before. He pulled himself over to his bed where his fallen dinner lay and fished out a pot pie “Make sure you find a hat too or a scarf. And whats its like where your from? Why MIT if you don't mind me asking? He said using one of his legs to re push himself near his computer with his captured bag.
She'd brought a hat of her own, but she did make sure to continue digging around in search of a scarf, and she found one that was a little long, but otherwise perfectly fine. She allowed for her shoulders to roll in a shrug. "It's similar enough. A college town in Massachusetts, very quaint and quiet. It's an older town too, the college began admitting students on 1865 so a lot of the architecture is traditional." Standing from where she knelt on the ground, she picked up the jacket to try it on with the scarf and her hat after she phished it out of her suitcase. "Why MIT?" She snorted a laugh, "Fabio, it's MIT. anyone who wants anything to do with science knows it is the cream of the crop, and having the opportunity to go there is like...a dream come true." Buttoning up the coat she found it fit well, and tugging at it she turned around to show the roommate. "What do you think?"
He eyed the girl as she stood and his face contorted into a frown. “Because you are just paying for branding. A degree is a degree and it is really the teachers that make the difference. “ He said turning back to his computer. “People here aren't just a statistic or 1 of 100 like some kind of borg. I don't t think any of my lecture classes have more then 20 students.” He said clicking on something, loosing his will to rant and becoming distracted by what was on the screen. “Besides the Steve jobs and bill gates of the world didn't need MIT.”
She gave a sound that sounded like a harrumph, but when it was evident that Fabio was absorbed into the computer which contended for his attention, she started shedding off he coat and scarf lest it be too hot in the dorm room before she and Kavi had a chance to go out into the snow. "I never implied that they did. Einstein did not like school and he was an extremely intelligent man. All great scientists are not school drop outs any how, MIT has produced many people out there in the world doing great work. There have been a lot of alumni who have gotten Nobel Peace Prizes for science who graduated from there." Giving another indignant sound, she started folding up the jacket and other things in the tub of clothes.
He turned and looked at the girl some what offend. If she dreamed of that type of notoriety she was certainly in the wrong profession. Most people he knew did not become teachers for fame, they became teachers because they were inspired to help, or they loved children and wanted to help the future. As he studied the girl he could not see any of the awe inspiring things that he found in other teachers and shaking his head he said “Then you are going into the wrong profession.” He said hearing her small rant. “Teachers rarely win anything more then a video spot on Ellen. At least I do not think I need a fancy degree and a fancy prize to become a teacher.”
He wasn't exactly sure if he'd expected the other two to be chummy when he came back, but he was not prepared for the cold air that hung in the room--and it was not from the newly arrived frigid weather outside. The tub of clothes was neatly packed away, and while Fabio sat at his desk, Géraldine sat in the small nest of pillows he had made before leaving, and she looked none too happy. He was left feeling unsure what to say, and instead of saying much of anything he handed both of them their plastic cutlery before he joined Géraldine on the floor and quietly asked what happened.
He wanted to tell Kavi how much of an idealistic fool his girlfriend was, but soon realized that would be some what hypocritical. Wisely he said nothing as he broke the crust to his pie, stirring around the warm ingredients until his attention was drawn to the window. He ate, watching the other students throw snow balls at each other and wondered how hard it would be to grind a rail that was covered in ice. Half way through his pie he turned with some what renewed excitement. “Dudes lets go make a snow guy.”
"I believe you mean a snow dude, knowing your slang," Kavi corrected as he pierced a piece of the soy chicken only to find it cold after their walk back to the dorms, but he ate it anyway. "Is there even enough snow to make one that isn't teeny tiny?" That earned him an indignant look from Géraldine. "When you went downstairs did you see how much snow was out there?" He replied with a quiet no as he reached for an edamame, and when the other pointed to the window he snacked as he stood to see a thick blanket of snow having covered the piles of leaves underneath. "Yeah, a snowman, is certainly plausible. Do we have things to decorate him with?"
He bounced from his chair and went over to the giant crate of things. “Lets see...” He started to tug at some of the neatly folded garments, pulling out a hat, and a scarf. Further down he started to dig into his summer clothing fishing out a pair of sun glasses another hat, a lei and a plastic kazoo. He laughed explaining it was from Jamie's birthday party. Laying out the assortment of items he grew excited but soon noticed that Geraldine did not share, his and Kavi's joy over the potential snow creature. He looked at Kavi “Are you sure its alright to go make one?”
Reaching out, Kavi lucked the kazoo from where it landed the messy bed, and lifting it to his lips he gave it a go and it only ended in a dying squeak before he deposited it back where it once laid. "She was saying earlier that she was tired, she has been up since early to travel out here. She and I do not leave until tomorrow afternoon, so she and I can go out before we leave." He rolled his shoulders into a shrug as he picked up one of the hats to play with the edge before letting it lay on the bed beside the broken kazoo. "Just let me show her around a bit so she has everything she needs and then we can go make our snow dude."
He nodded telling the other he would be waiting down stairs in the lobby. He grabbed his bag full of essentials, the snow man items, a camera and some snacks for some strange reason. Dressed in more layers then usual he walked around the lobby while waiting for Kavi, soon finding himself on one of the large cushioned couches that the student union provided the room with. Fabio sprang to his feet when the metal doors wooshed open with his roommate behind them. "Dude what took you so long?" He said with a wide grin. In his usual impatient manner he walked up beside his roommate, rather then pushing him behind his back he curled his arm around his elbow pulling him along. "All the best snow is going to be gone by now."
"There was like, half a foot of snow outside, I am sure we will find somewhere on campus to build our snowman." Knowing it would only be a bother and end in a playful scuffle to pull his arm away, he allowed himself to be towed along into the biting cold. "When I was in the elevator some of the other guys were talking about having a giant snowball fight in front of the Arts building, and they said that everyone was free to go. No teams, just free-for-alls and decided alliances." Taking his scarf from where he had it tucked underneath his arm along with a hat, the man tied it around his neck before pulling the hat on top of his messy hair. "It sounds like it will be a life or death event of the year."
He stopped pulling and turned looking at Kavi with a small surprised look on his face, that soon melted into a grin. He looked up as if he could see through the buildings floors to their dorm and wondered if Geraldine would be truly alright. Silently as they reached the double doors he pulled a wadded up ball of fabric from his pocket and stuck the hat on his head giving him two panda ears on top of his crop of hair. "Sweeet, dude I think there will be enough snow for a snow dude later." Taking up his position around Kavi's arm again, he pulled him along out the double doors into the white flurry. "Snow ball fight!" He exclaimed dancing a little as he walked. "Your hottie mc hott hot will miss out." He said remind himself that he did not agree with the girl, and his face fell to a frown. "Dude why didn't you go to MIT, just out of curiosity?"
The panda hat looked incredibly silly and cute at the same time, and while it was cute in and of itself, Kavi deemed it as unnecessary. Still, he reached out woth a free hand to flick at one of the furry black ears. "I thought I told you about why I didn't go when we first had our little shared interrogation of 'meet-your-roommate' at the beginning of the year." He took a moment to ponder over the question before his brows knitted together and thin lips became pursed. "Is that why Géraldine was upset when I came back to the room? Did she say something to you?"
Clearly his roommate was not going to make it easy for him by repeating himself. So he curled his finger into his chin in thought trying to remember why the other did not go to MIT. He felt Kavi flick his hand and protectively reached up to cup to false ears as if they were his own. "Dude.." He said twisting his face away as a little color painted his cheeks not from the falling snow. There was something in the deep green eyes or perhaps it was just Fabios imagination. He was about to return the favor when Kavi spoke. The mentioning of Geraldine set him back on track. "Sort of. She says she wants to be a teacher but it sounds more like she wants to be the person that ends world hunger. I have never known a real scientist to take up teaching and win a noble peace prize. Not to say it isn't possible, but dude when you are a teacher your life revolves around education and things like making sure all kids no matter what have a chance to succeed. She kinda got angry at me for telling her that its not that glamorous as she thinks it is."
It sounded similar enough to the thought he'd had in his own mind a thousand times, each time a little bit different given the circumstances, but as a whole it was the same. He was left not knowing what to say for a moment, and settled the silence of being tugged along by scratching at the back of his head. "Yeah, she is kind of...protective? Protective in the fact that she got accepted to MIT so she thinks it is the best school and all others do not compare in the same way. She is trying to," He took his arm back from Fabio's grasp to intertwine his fingers together," meld what she always wanted to do with the school itself and it kind of merged into the idea it is now, which is not a bad thing. She just imagines the job as something much different than it will actually be. Sorry about her though, I did not mean for her to get fussy at you over schools."
Pausing he watched the hands and his roommate. Some how it made sense and yet it did not seem to plausable. "I guess I should go and apologize and wish her luck, if that is what she wants to do then fine, but to be honest she would only be teaching collage kids or have to teach at a specialized school. " His shoulders rose and fell and a small smile returned to his lips. "I am so glad you didn't go to MIT, I would have never met you dude." Taking a deep breath he walked up to Kavi and gave him a hug. "I love you dude you've become my best bro"
He was not particularly sure of what he had done to make the other feel the need to hug him, but whatever it may have been it was good. Returning the hug he gave the other a few slaps on the back as most men did before pulling away. "I am glad I did not go either, and thanks for being such a...rad 'bro'." Holding up a fist as though he were about to give his roommate a thumbs up, he did so with authority for what was called a fist-bump in his attempt to seem cool.
The power of the fist bump made Fabio beam with joy. And quickly he raised his fist joining their knuckles into one. "Yeah! dude lets go kick some ass!" He said rather pumped with excitement. He released Kavi from the hug and took up tugging on to his hand again this time bouncing as happily as he ran. The excitement continued to fuel him as they reached the war zone with flying white balls every where. At last he abandoned Kavi's hand scooping up some of the white fluff and joining seamlessly into the fray.
By the time they returned to the dorm it was well past dusk, and the both of them were covered in a brushing layer of white snow while being soaked by what was left of snowballs thrown in the war. "That was awesome, man. They have to have more of those the next time we get snow," In a companionship manner, he wrapped an arm would the other's shoulders as they stepped into the elevator, "If we were not all going home for Thanksgiving I would suggest we organize another snowball war for tomorrow, but everyone will be clearing out."
A loud laugh rang out echoing through the near empty halls as he buried himself in the warm under Kavi's arm. "Oh we will have plenty of snow to do this again." He said twirling their bodies as they walked, changing their direction so that instead of going to their room they headed to the lobby. He sniffed the air grinning. courtesy of the RA there were packs of hot chocolate and brewing water. "Dude would you like a cup?" He said finding some stryofoam and spoons. "Also should we bring hottie mc hot hot some?"
Unraveling his arm from around the other's shoulders, he gladly accepted one of the offered spoons and cups before he took another pair, "I think she would gladly enjoy some if we brought it. Thank you for the reminder and suggestion." He failed to mention that he had quite possibly forgotten that Géraldine had been waiting for them in the dorm, and while he felt incredibly guilty for doing so he hoped that their gesture would get her to forgive them--namely him. "So I remember before that you mentioned that Thanksgiving day was one of stuffing yourself to the brim with your mother's food, but what other kinds of plans do you have for this break?"
He looked around surprised that Kavi remembered. "Well... aside from the massive food fest?" He stared in the rich chocolate drink in his hands before looking around and finding some canned whip cream. "I suppose I will be catching up on my assignments and some readings." Idly topping his cup with a perfect little swirl he offered the can to Kavi. "I guess I will try to find myself a job for winter break, earn some extra cash for next semester or beg one of my moms friends for an under the table spot. What about you and Geraldine? I mean do you guys even celebrate traditionally?" It was then that he took a hearty sip of his drink, leaving a white mustache across his upper lip.
He used the table as assistance to set down both of the cups before lathering the tops liberally with whipped cream. "Are you trying to imply that because I am Indian I do not celebrate Thanksgiving?" He could hardly even say it with a straight face before he picked up both of the Styrofoam cups with a snort, "Géraldine's parents celebrate it the 'traditional' way with turkey, stuffing, and football, or whatever else, so she and I tend to hang around their house for the holiday." One of the cups was close to leaking over, and tipping it to his head Kavi drank enough so that it remained steady. "I would not say my family celebrates it 'traditionally', but it is not as though we do nothing for the day. Food differs and customs change, but it is still Thanksgiving."