text: I usually only write once I get inspiration and my stories are short and incomplete- that's what I feel anyway. My grammar isn't the best but I really put my heart into this short story! ^^ tick.tock.tick.tock.tick.tock. Up until now I had never realised how loud my watch would sound when everything was faded. Blurry. Faded. The sun seemed so bright. It's rays pierced my eyes. Always. Soft lofi music rang in my ears. Lofi kept me rooted to reality. As weird as it sounds, all the colours, every single one of them around me- they were shades of gray, black and white. It was like I was in an old black and white movie where I was the lead actress as I was the only one with slight traces of hue. I hated everything, everyone too. Sitting in the cafe all alone staring at the cup of coffee in front of me I felt at peace. Sad depressing peace. I picked up the cup and let it's warmth caress my fingers and palm, and for a brief moment I smiled. The faint jingle of the door opening reached my ears. Although I was disinterested, I looked up. Something was compelling my eyes to look forward rather than stare at the floor all the time. I drew in a sharp breath. My breath was ragged- something that rarely happened to me. There He was. A man filled with colour. There were bright shades of blue and magenta swirling around him. Perhaps you could call them His aura. He radiated colour, colour that was bright but non scathing at the same time. My eyes were drawn to His. Why? I didn't know. I didn't have the faintest idea why. I watched Him walk to the counter and order something. I watched His lips move. As if in slow motion. I could make out the words He said. I tried to look away. But I couldn't. I couldn't look away from the man whose body oozed with vivid colours. There were warm hues swirling around Him but I noticed magenta. A lot of magenta. After what seemed like a year He turned his head, possibly looking for a place to sit and I drew in a sharp ragged breath again. Why? Why the colours? Why was I able to see them? From someone I hadn't even seen before. I watched Him walk over, to the table next to mine. Oh god no. He noticed me staring at Him... and smiled. I was taken aback. I expected Him to get creeped out but he didn't. He smiled instead and His smile was the most beautiful thing I had seen in a long time. When He smiled, for a split second the colours around Him pulsed as if they were alive. Not knowing what to do, I looked down at my lap embarassed. What happened next almost shocked me. He sat next to my table and smiled again. That smile. The colours around Him pulsed again, with more energy this time. I could tell He was shy. Hell I was shy too but my body almost forced itself to stand up. It felt like my nerves and muscles had a life and brain of their own as I slowly walked to His table and timidly sat down in front of him. colours. There were so many. Some swirled around my head- soft welcoming tones of orange. Tinges of blue flew past my neck while pigments of yellow chose to lay still next to my hands. For a few moments I was lost. The colours were breathtaking. And then my eyes focused on His. He was smiling. He was shy. And my heart melted like butter under heat. Pinks and purples nestled closely together near His heart and some adventurous ones flitted to mine. Of course He couldn't see this. Only I could. I had never seen such vibrant colours before. I was so drawn to Him. This complete stranger whom I had just met. But it felt like I had known Him my whole life. How? I didn't know either. Then He spoke. "I'm R." He said. His voice was deep, but not too deep. It perfectly matched his face. His beautiful face. When he spoke, the magenta near his face glowed. "What about you?" He asked. "I- " why did I stammer? I never stammered. "A" I said feeling like a complete fool. "That's a beautiful name you've got there." He replied. As He spoke, the colours around Him danced like they were elated. It was beautiful to watch. He was beautiful to watch. "Oh. Thank you." I blushed, deeply embarrassed. A few more pinks and purples guarding his heart whirled over to mine and I gazed at them in awe. "Shiloh? Huh I like lofi too." He said and I realised He had noticed the artist on my phone. "Oh- um, that's nice." I replied feeling like a massive idiot. But He just laughed. A short but beautiful laugh. And some of the magenta surrounding Him twirled and glided and made its way to settle next to my face. I blushed again. I wasn't used to this attention.