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Colours are the most important thing in this world. They’re how you find your soulmate. Before you find your soulmate you see in black and white. The first time people ever see colours are when they lock eyes with their soulmate.
Michael loved his job, playing video games with your best friends all day was great, what was there to dislike?. Well the fact that everyone he worked with had found their soulmates already. Geoff had Griffon, Ryan and his wife and Jeremy had Kat. He hated how people would say “I’ll be blue!.” or “I’ll take that green one!.” He’d just give him his patented Michael Jones glare. And they’d blurt out a quick, “Sorry!, I wasn’t thinking.” Of course they never thought about it. They could all see colours.
“You’ll find your soulmate one day Michael.” Geoff said to him one day after he’d given a particularly loud sigh at someone’s colour based comment.
Michael scoffed. Throwing his controller on his desk, they had just finished a Minecraft and Ryan and Jeremy went to lunch. “Yeah… easy for you to say when you’ve been with Griffon for YEARS. I just want to watch one episode of red vs. blue and see the damn difference because in black and white, it isn’t very much.”
Geoff shrugged. “There isn’t much I can say. It happens at the most insane time… you don’t even expect in and then boom! everything's so…” He shook his head, searching for the right word. “Beautiful.”
“Yeah alright, Whatever. ” Michael said, rather meanly. “No, I’m sorry geoff I shouldn’t take it out on you guys… It’s just… I’m twenty seven if it hasn’t happened yet, will it ever?.”
Geoff didn’t reply at first then said. “It’s rare, but I’m not gonna lie to you that happens, but you have to hope Michael, you gotta have hope.”
Michael sighed again, this time in a resigned way, and put his headphones on. “Thanks Geoff, i'm gonna edit a rage quit.”
Geoff patted Michael on the shoulder. “Alright buddy. I’m going to Lunch.”
Michael clenched the mouse in his hand and dragged it backwards and forwards, trying to calm himself down. He so badly wanted to see what everyone else saw and to have someone to share it all with.
Ping. He looked down at his phone, he had a new message from his support group for people that can’t see colour. It was a PM from someone he talked to all the time, Gavino. They had talked within groups in the forums for a few months but began to see they had similar interests and had been PM-ing for over a year now.
Gavino: Any luck today???
It was the question they usually asked each other before they started a conversation. They both knew what it related to.
MJones: Nah… nothing. You?
Gavino: Nope.
MJones: what you up too rn?
Gavino: Video gaming, overwatch has me by the balls ngl.
MJones: ive been playin some of that, its good shit
Gavino: I cant stop playing…
MJones: I kno that feel. Thats me after every resident evil game release
They carried on like that for over half an hour until Gavino had to go. Talking to him always cheered Michael up. It was nice to talk to someone that understood him and it was even better to talk to someone that he got on with. He smiled at his phone, thinking it’d be nice to have someone like him as his soulmate.
“You’re smiling buddy!” Geoff said cheerily as he walked back into the office. “Good to see!, What cheered you up?.”
“Nothing really, just got distracted I suppose.”
“Whatever you say.” Geoff said, not believing a word of it. “We’ve got that guy coming in tomorrow by the way. You know the dude that did the slo-mo stuff for that rt short?.” Michael shook his head, he didn’t remember him. “Oh- well He’s gonna come and film some stuff with us because I thought he was really cool.”
“That all it takes these days?” Michael asked snorting.
“Shut up” Geoff replied flipping Michael off. “Oh yeah he's hasn't found his soulmate either so at least you have that.”
“Oh.” Michael said. “Cool.”
He did think it was cool, he didn't actually know many people without soulmates and the ones he did mostly didn't care. So it’d be interesting to see what his perspective was.
Michael lied in his bed that night and thought about what colour was. Red was passion and anger. Blue was cool and bright. Brown was soft and warm. Green was life and nature. It all meant nothing to him. It was white, black and all the greys smushed In Between. He just wanted to know what it all meant really.
Ping. Michael's phone glowed from the nightstand. He turned his head and stared at it a moment before picking it up. There was a notification. He felt a smile spread across his face.
Gavino: You up??
Mjones: yup
Gavino: im a bit miffed
Mjones: what happened
Gavino: my mum texted me that my little sister just found her SM… Shes 18 IM 26 FFS
Mjones: ohhhhh shit
Gavino: ikr??? Im happy for her but its mental
Mjones: nah… I understand its not fair
Gavino: you’ll tell me when you find your SM right?.
Mjones: Of course
Gavino: Promise?
Mjones: promise.
Gavino: okay. Good :) I gtg now, just wanted to tell someone that understands
Mjones: bye
Gavino: Bye
Michael stared at the screen a while before he put it down. He realised, despite himself, he was falling in love with this person. He pulled his blanket up to his neck. He didn’t even know his full name, or what he looked like but he couldn’t deny what he felt. The feeling had been growing for months now and it had gotten so big that it was hard to push away or ignore. He was starting to wonder whether he’d even be able to love his soulmate because of his feelings for him. He buried his face into his pillow and forced himself not to think about it and to fall asleep.
Michael got to work the next day in a sullen mood, not having his soulmate was one thing but being in love with a person he’d never meet just added to that pile of bad feelings. He had his head on his his hands and was dozing. Geoff came in and interrupted this with a pat on the back. “You tired or something?.”
“Yeah.” Michael replied with a muffled voice not really wanting to talk at that moment.
“What?.”
Michael sat up, annoyed. “Yeah, I said.”
Geoff took no notice of Michael mood, he was used to it after all. “Don’t forget we’ve got that guy coming in later, you know the slo-mo one.”
“I didn’t know him yesterday so why would I know him today?.” Michael asked.
“Someone’s full of vinegar.” Geoff said with raised eyebrows.
“Sorry.” Michael said. “I’m tired.” He turned away from Geoff and unlocked his phone. He went into his support group messenger app. Nothing. Michael didn’t usually start conversations but he wanted to talk to someone.
Mjones: what you up to?
He put his phone down after he sent it and watched the screen. A moment later the ‘ping’ sounded and the notification came up. He picked it back up.
Gavino: Actually just got off a plane, im eating food rn, you?
Mjones: nothin rly just avoiding work….
Gavino: bored??
Mjones: Bored, tired... all those good things
Gavino: me too my flight was 5 hours and im tired af.
Mjones: I hate flying
They continued like that until Michael had to get back to work. There were doing a particularly annoying minecraft video and Geoff had to leave halfway through to go and get ‘the slo-mo guy’ from the airport. The rest of them finished it up and started to edit videos while they waited for Geoff. He took a while so one by one they went for food until Michael was left on his own editing.
Michael had his headphones on when Geoff returned. “-chal. Michael!” he took his headphones off. It was Geoff’s voice.
“What?.” He said clicking and dragging a video clip into place.
“Come over here.”
Michael stood up and turned around slowly walking over to Geoff who was standing next to a gangly man with a scruffy beard and wild hair. He had a nose which was on the bigger side but he was noticeably attractive. He was laughing at something Geoff was saying. Michael extended his hand.
“Hi I’m-” His voice drifted away as they locked eyes. He suddenly felt dizzy and a bright white light over took his eyes. He felt himself stumble backwards, he felt weightless, his vision faded into black. He blinked a few times, dumbfounded. Everything was different… The first colour he saw was that man’s eyes. A shade he’d never forget. He grinned, wider than he ever had in his life. “Hi I’m Michael and I think you’re my soulmate.”
The man’s mouth turned up into a glorious smile. “I’m Gavin and I believe you’re mine.” Oh man he was british. They shook hands.
“Holy shit.” Geoff said, cupping a tattooed hand over his mouth. “No way.”
“Wait a sec I have to-” Michael said remembering the promise he’d made. A part of him felt guilty in the happiness he’d just found. But he took out his phone and flipped through it quickly.
Mjones: I have something to tell you
Gavino: Me too
Mjones: I just found my soulmate
Gavino: wait me too?
“Gavin.” Michael said whipping around and facing the man he’d just met. The man he’d been in love with for months. The man who was his soulmate. “Gavino!”
“Michael.” Gavin replied, laughing a light giggly laugh. “Michael Jones.”
They hugged. Then pulled back to have a good look at one another. “I can’t believe it was you.. I can’t believe you’re you and you’re here and you’re my soulmate.”
“Uh guys…” Geoff interrupted, backing away towards the door. “I’m gonna give you two a little while.”
“Thank you Geoff.” He left, shutting the door behind him.
They sat on the couch and just stared at each other. “So this is colour huh.” Michael said looking around the room. Michael noticed that the colour of their logo matched some of the spots in Gavin’s eyes, then he realised he didn’t know what his own eyes looked like. He used his selfie camera to check.
“Brown.” Gavin said. “Your eyes are brown.” He turned his phone to show Michael the colour, his eyes were the colour of chocolate and trees.
Michael found an eye-colour chart. “Your eyes are Hazel.” Michael laughed. “Fancy.”
After a while of looking around the room and googling colours, Michael’s eyes began to hurt, he put his hand to them and rubbed.
“Your’s hurt too huh?.” Gavin asked, squinting at Michael. “It’s a lot to take in isn’t it?.”
“Yeah.” Michael said.
“I heard that when most people find their soulmate they get eye-strain for weeks while adjusting to colour.” Gavin explained. “It’s also very common to get migraines and stuff like that.”
“Let’s got to my house for a rest.” Michael said. Then when he looked at Gavin’s face he blushed and said; “I didn’t mean it like that!.”
Gavin burst out laughing. “Didn’t think so.”
Michael got the okay from Geoff and he offered to drive them over. They stepped outside and Michael’s gaze was immediately brought upwards to the sky. He was stopped in his tracks. ‘So this is what a sunset looks like’ he thought. A dazzling array of colours all mixed up together to create a wonderful shining painting. He wiped a tear that had fallen. He felt a hand on his, it was Gavin’s. His eyes were welling up too. “It’s beautiful.” Gavin said.
As soon as they got inside Michael closed all his curtain and made sure the only lights on were lamps. They sat down in his dimly lit sitting room on what Michael now knew to be a red couch. He brought up netflix on his T.V. “What would you like to watch?.” He asked.
“Strangely enough, I think a black and white movie would be nice.”
Michael laughed. “I think I agree.” They ended up putting on ‘to kill a mocking bird’ and Michael went to make popcorn.
“Hey Michael?” Gavin called from the other room.
“Yeah?” Michael called back with a small smile on his face. It felt surreal how… well, real this all was.
“Where’s your bathroom?.”
“Out into the hall and second on your right.” Gavin was actually in his house, yesterday he was halfway across the world texting him and now he was here.
A few minutes later they were sat next to each other half-watching the movie, but it was hard to watch a movie when you were so aware of the person sitting next to you. “Michael?.” He almost jumped at the sound.
“Mmm-hmm?” He didn’t look around.
“I fell in love with you when we were messaging.” He said. Michael faced Gavin his eyes wide. “I was scared I wouldn’t be able to love my soulmate because of you. Is that weird?”
Michael felt his hand grip Gavin’s. “No.” He said. “I felt the same.” He saw Gavin had shed a tear and he wiped it away then softly kissed his cheek. “I felt the same.”
They went back to watching the movie, still hand-in-hand when Michael head a ping. He looked at Gavin who was hiding a smirk with his hand. He opened the message. It was then he noticed the app was purple in colour.
Gavino: any luck today?
Mjones: Yeah, best luck ever
Gavino: You found your SM??
Mjones: Yup
Gavino: do you like him?
Mjones: no.
Mjones: I love him.
Michael closed the app. He looked at the purple logo. He smiled at it. He didn’t know what meaning any colours had but to him purple was the colour of destiny.