Matt Af

In which your world is black and white until you see the love of your life.

A/N: If you haven’t read the prologue, you should go do that. Also if you enjoy this, please reblog! It isn’t showing up in search.

Words: 1,414

Taglist: @vnv21 @lijremix @queenhawa22 @writingandrecs @sinceweremutual@catballer @ashwarren32@floodinginstars @nervouscafe @ilovejackavery @sabrinabrentin@thatgirlonline27 @2dreamcatcher8 @illloveyouforever1 @hollandechart@brokenuntilapril26th2019 @briannareneea985

Prologue in my masterlist!

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Bananas.

Sunshine.

Cheese.

Buttercups.

These were all things that Shawn found himself captivated with in light of his newfound abilities.

The color was the brightest thing he’d ever witnessed, and every time he spotted something in the go-lucky tint, he couldn’t cease the smile that formed on his lips. It reminded him that there really was someone out there for him.

However, it made him sad all the same when he was reminded that he had no idea who it was.

The night he saw it for the first time, he was stunned, frozen on stage as he looked around the huge crowd in hopes of finding the person. Eventually, when someone from the crew snapped him out of whatever daze he was in, the show continued on as normal, Shawn’s smile impossibly wider than before.

And after the show, he made sure to tell his select few just how he was feeling.

As they watched the crowd exit the stadium, Shawn and a few of his friends sat criss-cross right behind the curtains, his eyes roaming over every single person to his best ability in hopes of seeing another color. There were many women in the crowd who Shawn thought were beautiful, thought they might be the one, but nothing ever came of it, the singular bright color still the only one visible to him.

“Still nothing?” Zubin asked, the other friends turning their heads to listen to his response.

Shawn bit his lip and shook his head, eyes still focused forwards. “Nope.”

“Ah, it’s alright, man.” His friend pat him on his shoulder, bringing him into a little side hug. “You’ll find her.”

Shawn smirked and looked down at the ground, “Oh, I know. Trust me, this city hasn’t seen the last of me.”

And he meant every word that he said.

Not even two weeks later, Shawn found himself in the same city’s library, flipping through some children’s picture books.

Everyone who he hadn’t told the news to yet was stunned when he expressed how much he wanted to go back, how much he loved it there, but they knew there was something more to the story. Karen especially took notice of his eager attitude, having seen this kind of thing before herself. So, when he told her over the phone that he’d be going back to visit, she only replied with a laugh and a simple okay.

Her son was in love.

Not in love with a person yet; He supposed that would come later. Right now, he was in love with the mere concept of love. In love with the concept that somewhere in the world, there was a perfect match for him, and on that one fated day, they were breathing the same air, singing the same songs. Somewhere.

Shawn had looked up a color chart and quickly identified his first color as yellow. He recognized it in the foods he ate, in the clothes he wore, and everywhere else. He noticed it in the sketched illustrations of birds and balloons in the picture book right before he shut and shelved it again.

His phone dinged and he pulled it out, admiring his yellow lock screen behind the text he’d gotten.

From: Brianna

hey, jon and i just stopped at the coffee shop down the street. meet us there?

Shawn checked the time as if he had anything else to do, this fact making him chuckle to himself. The giddy boy then adjusted his scarf around his neck and pocketed his hands as he pushed through the library’s glass door and stepped back onto the sidewalk, taking a deep breath.

And then he was off once again, more pep in his step this time around. He found himself skipping over the cracks as usual, his head bobbing even in the absence of music. His eyes scanned over everyone he could see, looking for his special someone, but to no avail.

When he arrived in front of the coffee shop’s window a minute later, a lady bumped into him, bringing him out of his searching trance. She was older, probably in her 30’s, and it was a pharmacy bag that had landed on the ground from their impact. Shawn smiled and leaned down to pick it up and hand it back to her, the two exchanging small greetings and thank you’s before Shawn continued to walk into the warm shop.

However, there was one person Shawn had missed.

She was sitting in the window, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she stared at the crossword puzzle on the table below her. Next to her arm was her to-go cup of coffee and next to her seat was her book bag, both of the items painting her out to be the stereotypical college student.

It was a class-free day and she had decided to explore her own city, this time admiring the flicks of yellow she saw as well. She remembered the first time she saw it like it was yesterday. Singing along to one of her favorite songs with her friends one second, and the next, her world was bright.

But she, unlike Shawn, didn’t dwell on it too much.

She figured that it could have been anyone in the crowd, and if the universe had brought them together on that one occasion, it would do it again.

And she was right.

Her eyes flickered up for a split second to look around the somewhat crowded shop, flickering back down the moment later. She bit into her lip at the puzzle that was giving her more trouble than it usually did. But today wasn’t the day to be stressed.

With a sigh, Y/N reached down and slung her bag over her shoulders, grabbing her coffee cup in her now gloved hands.

Shawn joined his friends in line and they all shared greetings, discussing what drinks the shop had to offer and what they’d do after this.

“I’ll just get the eggnog, not really feeling coffee today.” Shawn shrugged, a playful grin on his lips.

Brianna, his friend and assistant, squinted at him. “You just want it because it’s yellow.”

“Guilty as charged.”

Jon laughed and shook his head, thinking back to how he felt when he saw his first colors as well. “Find us somewhere to sit, man.”

Shawn did as he was told, turning to face the rest of the shop. There were a few couples sprinkled around, a family of four, and some solo college students working on assignments all around. When Shawn realized that one person had stood up with intent to abandoned their table, he nodded in the table’s direction, telling his friends that they could sit there and that he’d save their seats.

As the girl left the shop, the bell above the door chimed loudly and Shawn took her former place. She hopped from the small ledge connecting the shop to the sidewalk and then she was off, coffee cup and crossword puzzle in one hand, phone in the other.

Shawn’s arms were crossed as he stared at the ceiling and patiently waited for his friends’ arrival. The shop was moving a bit slow, so his mind began to make up for this time, foot tapping along to a new tune he had spontaneously conjured. His lips puckered when he hummed it quietly to himself, only stopping when his friends announced their return, drinks in hand.

And there it was again.

That crippling yet amazing feeling of seeing something for the first time, of feeling completely captivated. There was nothing better, he was convinced, his heart racing out of his chest when he spotted the red holiday cups in the cardboard tray.

The color was deep, crimson, and almost criminal. It was sexy and solid, and although he had sworn that the color of the eggnog was his favorite, the color of the cup was giving it a run for its money.

And the girl felt the same way.

Her red boots stopped in their tracks when she noticed them over the top of her phone screen. Everyone around her grunted in disapproval from her sudden halt, but she didn’t care. She stared down at her boots for as long as she could, just examining the new color.

It was even more captivating when she looked up, seeing all of the displays of the color splashed across the city.

A grin etched onto her lips, knowing that this was still only the beginning, and that each day, the universe was pulling her closer and closer to the love of her life.

Shawn knew this too, staring at frozen the girl outside of the window.