Sweet Creature

A letter

Feb 23, 2026

It’s 11 PM. Only two people are still studying in the Google Meet. Both with glasses, occasionally glancing at the camera just to focus on studying again.

“I’m done for today. Date is over,” I texted in the chat box.

“😂😂”

“Data is over! That’s what I meant,” I laughed when I read that text I had sent seconds ago.

“Well, study date, with the entire class,” I corrected myself for the second time just to be funny and clear that no boy, this ain’t a date with just you.

That’s one of our favourite moments that we talk about to this date. We were not friends at that time; ironically, we never spoke to each other throughout the entire year of online classes.

“Wanna stay in touch?”

Saying “Yes” to that was the best thing I did to make my gap year easier. This maybe a letter or a story of how I met my best friend online. A friendship that ended up meaning a lot to me. The best and most unexpected thing that happened to me in 2024 .

So the conversations initially were only about studying. Every night we informed each other about what we did, what could have been done, and what to do next. That’s it. With some memes and song recommendations and the random typo of “Goodynight” instead of “good night” that became a thing that my autocorrect won’t correct anymore.

You told me about your sister, and I thought what an adorable guy he is, and the random details of our days were shared too. I exaggerated everything that happened, and you told it just the way it happened. Chill and cheerful, making silly jokes and calming me down. I liked your perspective about dealing with stress at times, wishing I was like you, and hated it at times because I never really got anything more than,

“I’m stressed af.”

We are opposites in so many ways. He’s an early morning guy; my night begins past midnight. He wakes up at 4 AM in the morning when I have barely completed 4 hours of sleep at that time. He knows how to go out and have fun, while I say “no” to almost every other thing that comes my way. He’s calm af. I ain’t at all. I don’t know how to not express how I feel, and he lets go or hides it as if nothing has happened.

But you made me expressive, unknowingly. I don’t really remember talking to someone about so many things in my life, never really thought you can actually, completely, open up and talk about the most random things about your life to your friend.

Friendships for me were different before I met you. I thought I could only talk about selective topics with this friend and nothing else. It was divided; someone saw my emotional side, someone was only ever entertained by me, and the rest just knew I’m a girl who reads, writes, and never leaves her house.

Although in this space that had been created so naturally and so beautifully, I could talk about anything and everything. Never really felt like I’m putting a load of burden on you , and wherever I did feel like it, you would say something like,

“Come on, we are better than this.”

I like the sound of “we” in a friendship. We are living in two different countries, living two different lives, and then with every call, voice note, and text, we share those lives. From long-form texts to 10-minute-long voice notes and two-hour-long video calls, I think it’s been quite a ride. I never really thought someone would actually be interested to listen to or read about a random thing that happened in my life that has no apparent effect on them. But there you are , listening to me everyday .

That two-hour-long text conversation on a Saturday night was the first time when you finally opened up, and you know it made me so happy. Because although I talk all the time and way more than you do, I still want to hear you.

I don’t know what should I write and what to leave out. But maybe if I start consistently writing “5 things I’m grateful for,” you would be on that list more often than you’d guess.

Why? Our friendship is like the one in the movies, or even better. Like Sam and Sadie from Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow , like Harry and Hermione ,pretty sure you’d like the Steve and Robin comparison more ; you were there when I needed a friend. Just the kind I always wanted (never online though).

Saying that trusting you was the right thing to do is not completely correct, since you made me trust you by being honest and good to me. That honesty includes the texts that told me the truth I never wanted to hear or scolding me (humorously, I hope) to study.

Remember when you said that we will get caught up in our college lives and forget each other? That hurt. Well, it’s been almost a year since the gap year ended, and here we are, still in touch.

I knew I never wanted to lose you the moment I read that text. I don’t know why I felt that way and why you said , what you felt about us . But letting go of you was not something I wanted to do .

Maybe because you were the only person who understood and knew what I was going through in that year. It was not that sad or depressing, but it was not easy for both of us. Maybe because you became my safe place, and maybe because I knew I would never really find a pure friendship like this again .

I know I’ve got at least one good friend to talk to every time I need to say something out loud.

I don’t know how else to say that I’m grateful for this friendship more than I could put it in words. Gap year was tough, college is confusing, but friendships, they help you through it all. Not just the sad stuff, but someone should know that I had a great cup of tea today, that this book has this wonderful character I’ve fallen for head over heels.

Someone is willing to listen to my silly stories every day, and that means a lot. Someone wants to tell me about their life, and that means a lot more. Someone who would write my real and pen name in snow along with his family and friends and send me a photo of it.

You should never feel like you have no one to talk to; you have to tolerate those random texts about chai and a random good person I met that day. I don’t have or want a group chat where I share every detail. Some conversations find their way naturally to you. So consider yourself lucky that you get to live my life with me ;)

You gotta be the first one to know the moment I fall in love, and maybe if I fall out of it too. I want to know where you took her out on your first date.

The random angry rants about a girl that annoys me, about someone who (tried to )teach me how to play basketball that I try to understand just to know why you are so crazy about it. I don’t think I’ll ever learn playing it, but hey, I’m trying something new.

Those calls make my days better . Our conversations do not drain me out rather they make me more happy . And of course someday you are going to cook those gujrati dishes for me , my bestie is a good cook !

You don’t have to remind me that you exist, and I won’t ever let you forget that you’ve got me. That’s it. I’m the chudail who is going to haunt you while we keep changing into different versions of ourselves.

I hope life would always hold space for our friendship. I like the idea of going out on a double date someday, and I could tell that girl how lucky she is to have you. We gotta meet each other before that, someday! Go for a movie, have tea, and maybe you’ll accept that I’m really not that short :)

You deserve the best of everything and i hope you get it . Thank you for showing me just how beautiful friendships can be . For staying with me all the time and making me laugh . For everything.

You are my absolute favorite character in my book of life . And I hope you’re there till the last page . I’m grateful for the that stars that aligned on June 2024 . I’m sure the sky looked mesmerizing that night.

Happiest Birthday, D !

yours truly ,

Kavya (B)

P.S. According to me this is our song ,