Colors of a kiss.

She sat there, alone like she always was, painting. She painted in brilliant colors, reds and yellows and blues, colors she couldn't see but she could tell they were strong, they reflected her mood even though all she could see was their shades. Everyone always felt sorry for her, sorry that she couldn't see the colors, they said she couldn't appreciate life in the proper way without the color. But, really, she thought, she just had a different view. Another perspective that she enjoyed more than not, yes it was frustrating at times when she couldn't match her clothes or couldn't identify something, but it was all worth it to her. She could see everything in it's raw nature, color not distracting from it's identity. She was never fooled when it came to people, she could see right through their distractions, their efforts to try and draw the attention to somewhere else on their body only made her annoyed.

Yes, it was final in her head that she liked being color blind, though she had hated herself for many years for seeing that way though there was nothing she or anyone else could do about it. When she was younger she disliked herself for being different and she kept it a secret, trying so hard to pretend like she could identify the colors of the flowers on a friends shirt, she thought people would dismiss her for her "deformity". Older, at 19 years old she knew much different than that, she loved being different. It helped her keep herself in check.

She leaned away from the painting, satisfied with her work, and cleaned off the paintbrushes. The way the shades mixed and swirled together in the sink made her smile, you didn't see dark and light shades mix together very often in nature. She threw her dark hair up in a ponytail, determined to walk down to the coffee shop down the street, not much caring about the paint stains on her cargo pants or black t-shirt.

The streets were one of her favorite places, living downtown in Chicago she got to see a multitude of different kinds of people. Some tall and full of wonder, others short and filled to the brim with busy things to do. She never could understand that, being busy. How could anyone be busy when there were so many beautiful things to look at, so many different things to experience? There couldn't be that much to do without stopping for a moment and enjoying life, taking in the things around you with a smile. She liked the cars too, she liked their sleek designs as they cruised down the busy streets. Driving had always been one of her favorite things to do, though she couldn't afford a car at the moment. That was ok with her though, she liked walking and riding her beach cruiser bicycle.

The coffee shop had the usual low lighting and soft music playing, the smell of the premium roasts in all different flavors mixing into one big caffeinated heaven and Addie couldn't help but smile when she arrived. Todd was working today, a boy just a few years older than her, he was the one that usually made her coffee and they had gotten to know each other in a friend basis. They had gone to a few bands together before, but nothing too serious had ever developed between them.

"Todd!" Addie greeted with her big smile, and Todd returned it, his whole body language seeming to cheer up with the sight of her.

"Addie!" He said back, "It's been a while since you've been in!" Addie shook her head with a smile.

"Actually, it's been a while since you've been in! I was in here yesterday evening!" She said, approaching the counter and looking over the familiar chalkboard menu.

"Ah, that's true I guess," Todd said with a nod. "Why do you look at that?" He asked, motioning to the menu, "I think you have everything memorized on it." She shrugged her shoulders, running over the swirly script again.

"I look at it because I don't want to miss something if there's something new." She said with her warm grin. Addie had always been eternally happy it seemed to Todd. Nothing ever effected her, or phased her the way normal things should've. She was a true optimist, and even though she was beautiful and easy to talk to he had always found that attribute about her slightly aggravating. There was so much in the world to be upset about.

"Todd, there's a new shipment in the back-" A few things happened at once when this new employee walked out from the storage room, each one making Addie flinch and forget why exactly she was in the coffee shop in the first place, considering the only thing she was there for now was him. Color smeared into her vision as he walked into the room, it was surrounding him, she could see the tan color of his skin and the inky colors that laced it, telling stories in the middle of his flesh. She could see his brilliant blue eyes and his shiny brown hair. Finally she could recognize the coffee shops green staff shirts, and his electric blue gauges. Not only was this new stranger in color though, but everything behind him was smeared in it, he was leaving a trail behind him and she realized for the first time that the storage room had a red door, not a purple one like she thought. The coffee beans he was carrying were a rich brown, not a shiny black like she had always seen. Everything he touched was leaving a world of color around her and she felt like shouting with joy.

She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in that moment, and he dropped the beans in his hands out of surprise. She had a light around her, something he had never seen before, it gave off a warmth, some kind of hope that tickled inside of his veins and couldn't help but expose itself as a smile on his face. He had never felt so light in his life before, he felt weightless, as if he could float to the heavens, everything was alright in that moment. Nothing to be sad about or feel guilty over- nothing to regret. Everything had been worth it for that moment to be completely weightless.

"Hi." He spluttered out. He was shy, he always had been. But he couldn't deny himself this opportunity. He had never been able to map out anything he wanted to do with his life, until now. Suddenly there were plans he would've never thought of himself making, ideas, a future, everything was unfolding around this girl. He wanted her. No, he needed her. She was a part of his life now and she didn't even know it.

As he spoke the color traveled faster, everything was decorated with it now, her whole world completely painted. But that wasn't the point, no, the point was him. She didn't care about the color, she cared about the fact that a stranger had painted her whole world, a world she could only see in greys and blacks, he had come and changed it all with just a word. "Hi," she said back, tongue tied and blushing for the first time in her life.

"D-Do you want to go get some coffee?" he asked. But she didn't want to get coffee. She didn't want to stay anywhere near here. She wanted to run, with him. Far away so that it was just him and her. He was all that mattered, nothing else was worth it. Just the magnetic draw she felt to him and she walked closer to the counter, unable to take her eyes off of him. He couldn't take his genuine blue eyes off of her either.

"Drew," he could hear Todd scolding him somewhere off in the distance, he didn't mind though. He would quit if he had to. He would do anything just to have a moment with her. No, but a moment wasn't enough. He wanted a day, a year. No. Still not good enough. He wanted a lifetime. Just with her.

"No," she said to answer his question. "No, I don't need coffee. Do you want to go somewhere? Somewhere real?" Drew had to blink. Was he dreaming? Was this something he was making up in his head, the last straw of his sanity playing out into an unrealistic setting, unraveling into his most wanted desire?

"Yes." Drew agreed. He would've agreed anyway. She could've asked him to take his own life and he would've gladly agreed just to see the answering smile he got back in return.

"Todd," He said, unable to take his eyes off her beautiful violet ones. They were peculiar, a color he had never seen before. "Todd, i have to go." Todd scowled.

"Drew-" he started, but he waved a hand to dismiss him

"No, no. I quit if that's what it means. But I have to go." It was final. He threw off his apron and grabbed her hand, it molded perfectly with his, eager even. Nothing had ever felt so right.

They made it into the Chicago streets and Addie couldn't even keep it inside of her. She felt electric, everything seemed new, fresh, and she wanted to embrace every second of it. Quickly, she wanted to take it all in. Drew must've been thinking the same thing, because with the new colors dancing around her he grabbed her face with his cool wide hands, his beautiful face just inches from hers. His breath, the one that had brought color to her world, spilled over her face and her skin became more alive with every particle that touched it.

He placed his lips against hers, and the light radiating from her poured inside of him. He could feel his heart for the first time, thudding and pulsing, warmth flooded his veins, a new sensation. He felt alive. He felt like he had finally found his oxygen, finally he could breathe. Finally, he was warm. Finally there was meaning to his cold life. He would be damned to ever let her go, he vowed that he never would.

Her lips fit perfectly into the gap of his. His warm breath filled her mouth and colors exploded behind her eyelids, her body shivered with the new sensation. She could see now, everything was in color. She was in color. He had made her beautiful in that second. He had made her alive in that moment. All the securities, the doubts, all were vanquished when he kissed her. She was finally protected. She was finally safe. Home. And she would never let him go. She would never go back to that gray world she had lived so long inside of, never go back to what once was, all she wanted now was him. In his entirety. In his whole. She wanted him. needed him. And for a moment she was scared to death. Scared because nothing had ever been as important to her as him. Nothing would ever compare again.

"I'm never gonna let you go." He said, his blue eyes meeting with her violet ones.

"I would never let you." She said back.