What does “a couple” mean to you, and what does “a few” mean to you? Is there a proper way to use it?

It was striking to hear that “a couple” meant two (2) to someone. My reaction was, “how/why do you make a short word longer by adding an extra syllable to just say ‘two?’”

I think Few: 2-3, Couple 4-6, Several 7+. What are your thoughts?