Chapter 2
I'm stepping out to go to the takeaway shops to get dinner when my neighbour steps out at the same time, a big Labrador following in his wake.
I've been in the building for two weeks and I haven't really met my neighbours but –
But this isridiculous!
He's got his hipster glasses on again and God, his freaking eyes, I was never going to get used to the blue glare after staring at so much grey for so long.
"Hi," I say on impulse, and then feel like an idiot.
He frowns in my direction, like he's trying to place my voice.
"Stairs," I add, feeling even more stupid, but the way his face brightens makes me feel much better.
"The one with the chest of a body builder," he grins, and I blush.
Jesus, I'm sure I've never blushed this much in my entire life.
I notice that the sweater the dog is wearing says; 'Please don't pet me, I'm on duty' in bold black letters on the side.
"You live here?" he asks as he locks his door.
"I – yeah.
Right next door to you, actually."
"Sweet," he grins, and he looks right at me, that blue gaze piercing right through my heart.
Bloody hell, is he sure he's blind?
"My name's Oliver by the way."
I cough lightly to clear the sudden log in my throat.
"Daniel."
"Where are you off to?
If you're not busy, maybe you can tag along with me and Cooper," he gestures at the Labrador.
I blink, and the dog's fur turns golden blonde for a second, before the colour fades back to tones of grey.
Oliver's currently blushing and shifting slightly on his feet, and my stomach is back to doing cartwheels.
"Sure," I say.
Who needs takeaway anyway?
His blue eyes brighten even more, and the sight makes my chest hurt.
*
"So what brings you to Riverwood?" he asks as we move down the street.
"If it's not too nosy to ask that is," he laughs a bit, "I have no boundaries sometimes so I'll apologise now for all future discrepancies."
He's navigating the streets so effortlessly it makes me realize that he's probably lived here for a long time.
His trust in Cooper is implicit as the dog leads him bravely down the pavement.
I laugh, feeling warm.
"I don't really have a reason, to be honest.
I just finished my masters, so I thought I'd travel a bit.
Find myself like all those cheesy rom-coms."
A woman walks past us.
Her hat is yellow.
I can't help but turn around and look at her, staring at the yellow hat, so bright in my grey world.
Oliver laughs and I turn back to face him, feeling my breath hitch when I catch those blue eyes looking in my direction, "Oh yeah?
So what did you study then?"
"Uh, Graphic design.
I do have a degree in Architecture and another for interior design."
"Twodegrees?" he glances again in my direction with a teasing smirk, and I nearly stumble over my feet at the piercing blue, "Swanky."
I laugh and roll my eyes, "what about you?"
An elderly man walks past.
His shoes are dark brown.
A little girl is clutching at his right hand and talking animatedly.
Her dress is green.
"Well, I've lived here all my life.
Got that apartment I stay in about a year ago.
My mum gets a little overbearing sometimes because of the whole blind shebang, so I really got away so I could have some space.
And maybe also prove that I can take care of myself."
"Swanky," I mock, and he laughs, reaching over to punch me playfully in the shoulder.
"What are you doing in school then?"
He sighs and tilts his face up, staring in the direction of the sky.
"Music.
It's like – when I listen to music, I feel like I can almost see."
My heart throbs, and I know without a doubt that I'm going to fall in love with him.
*
His hair is like dark chocolate, healthy and curling into his face.
Today he's wearing a bright purple shirt with a funny little green three-eyed alien on it, dark blue skinny jeans hugging his thighs and legs like a second skin, feet covered in light yellow vans.
His entire person is like one big splotch of colour on the dull grey park bench.
The colours still hurt my eyes, too bright to what I'm used to, yet I can't, for the life of me, stopstaring.
"I may be blind, but I can still feel you staring you know," he suddenly says, his voice teasing.
I blush so hard I actually feel my cheeks burn as I look away in shame.
"Sorry."
Oliver shrugs but he's looking vaguely in my direction.
We're sitting on one of the benches in the park and this has become a routine for nearly every day of the past month – me walking with him and his dog every evening.
I feel like something's been brewing between us for the past month.
Something wonderful and precious.
Cooper is currently running around in the field, playing with the other dogs.
She's the only one whose fur is a healthy golden blonde, the other dogs still grey and dull.
I realize that the more time I spend with Oliver, the more colour I see.
Splotches of the grass is green.
The sky turns blue at intervals before fading back to grey.
"Whydoyou stare anyway?" he abruptly asks and I turn to look at him, getting lost in his gaze.
You're the most perfect thing I've ever seen,is what I want to say but I say, "Because you're appealing to my eyes," instead and I blush at how lame and stupid that sounded.
He laughs predictably, even though his cheeks redden with a blush.
He turns to look in the direction of his shoes coming off as shy, and I barely resist the urge to lean over and kiss him.
I used to roll my eyes and pretend to gag when my sister told me her favourite colour is dark brown, because that is the colour of her soulmate's eyes.
But I'm beginning to understand what she meant now, because I'm pretty sure at the moment, my favourite colour is blue.