soft hands wrapped around a plastic cup with christmas pattern all over it , a hot peppermint mocha warming her up , only a few hours after declaring she’s not moving a finger outside her blanket . she’s not really focused on anything ; her attention switching from employees to mind notes of book titles she could spot , to suddenly a familiar fragrance , a tone of voice when making a request . forcing her body to tense , the feeling of heat building up , making her hot drink completely useless . it wakes up a feeling of bittersweetness and some sort of panic mixed in . “ so what , did the little cold actually stop the party ? i would’ve never thought ! ” a lighthearted joke , her own way of trying to avoid the awkward silence and the tension building up ( maybe it’s just in her head ; zoya can’t exactly remember the last time she saw her ex in person ) .