In a world full of hope and love, I was miserable. I was colourblind, which is highly unusual for my age. You see, the only people who are colourblind are those who have yet to meet their soulmates. Apparently, as soon as you meet your destined partner, the world erupts in colour. I say 'apparently' because, well, I have never experienced it myself.
I once thought that I didn't need my soulmate. I was with another 'soulless' person... that's how they refer to those yet to find their colour. I loved Anabelle with all my heart, and the three years I spent with her were the happiest years of my life. Sadly, all good things must come to an end. As soon as she met her soulmate, she forgot all about me. I don't blame her. Who are we to ignore the person that mother nature has assigned to us?
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"Settle down," I told my college class as their noise began to annoy me. "Let's get started. I'm Mr Mason... I'm hoping that I don't need to write that down for any of you." A few people sniggered, making me smile. "Welcome to the wonderful world of psychics," as I said this, I scanned the audience of about sixty students. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. I blinked. Huh? The audience suddenly seemed... what is that? I staggered back as it felt like the wind was pushed out of me. That's... colour.
"I'll be right back, class," I hastily ran out of the room, heading straight for the staff toilets. Everything seemed like a blur, and as I stood in front of the mirror, my reflection's gazed pierced into me. For the first time, I truly saw myself. My blue eyes- I had been told they were blue- peered at me. I looked down at my shirt, it seemed similar to my eyes but a different... shade. I blinked away tears before my stomach suddenly dropped. My soulmate is in the lecture hall.
I nervously scanned the audience as I made my way to my desk. The colour was too overwhelming, I couldn't pinpoint who exactly was my soulmate.
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After about an hour of teaching and trying my best to pretend nothing was wrong, I checked my watch. "You know what, you can all go early today. We've covered everything." The whole room was filled with the noise of moving chairs, people getting out of their seats. I turn around, distracting myself by erasing everything on the whiteboard. Oh, God. I'm going to meet my soulmate. At least I think... what if they leave without revealing themselves. I shake my head. I doubt that'd happen.
I keep my head down as my students leave the room. I couldn't bear to raise my head. I was sweating. Badly. After more than fifty years of being colourblind, I was finally free. And it was nauseating.
The room was almost completely quiet.
"Mr Mason?" My eyes widened at the sound of an angelic voice. I immediately raised my head and when we made eye contact I knew who it was. It was the girl who gave me colour. However, when I saw her I was shocked. A fifty-year-old at college is rare, but not unheard of, so I had just assumed that my soulmate would be my age but... the woman in front of me looked so... young.
"My dear..." her tearful eyes made my heart break. "How old are you?"
"Twenty-one," she said, her voice trembling. I covered my mouth in shock. This girl was less than half my age and she was now bound to me. After gaining colour, if your soulmate passes away, in most cases, you will soon die from heartbreak. It's as if your soul just gives up.
"I'm so sorry, I..." my mouth fell open as I saw her smile. It was mesmerising.
"Don't apologise," she wiped her tears, "You've given my life colour." Tears prickled my eyes.
"You don't know how long I've waited to hear that." She stood there, smiling at me, tears flowing down her face. She was an angel, glowing with holy light that filled me with such warmth.
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I was so much older than her, but I could not deny how beautiful she was. As we spent more time together, I felt myself longing for her more... intimately. I doubt she'd want me in that way, but what I do know is that I'll never let anyone hurt her. She had given my life colour, and even though she was my soulmate, I made it clear to her that she could be with anyone she wanted. She seemed to go silent when I told her this.
One day, she came to my door crying.
"My dear, what is wrong?" I asked, closing the door behind her as she came in.
"Do you love me?" She asked. I hesitated for a moment. Was she serious?
"You're my soulmate, of course, I-"
She interrupted me, "do you really love me. Not because I'm your soulmate, but because you choose to." Her face was filled with sadness, and because our souls were linked I felt it too.
"I... I'm so much older than you, but I..." I hesitated. She deserves the truth. "I have come to care for you greatly."
Her breath hitched, "then why don't you..." My eyebrows raised. "You treat me as if you're forced to be with me because we're soulmates." We made eye contact and her pain overwhelmed me, and my eyes began to leak.
"You're too... my dear, you're so much younger than I am, you wouldn't want-"
"But I do!" She cried out, and it felt like a weight was lifted. "I want to know what it's like to be held by you... to, to kiss you," her face flushed with crimson.
"I would be lying if I said I didn't want the same thing," I told her. "But you deserve better than me."
She took a step towards me, "better than my soulmate? The universe has put us together, please..." she sobbed. She looked so vulnerable, I have to... I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her, making her gasp slightly. She soon wrapped her arms around me, her sobbing escalating. As I smelt her hair my tears doubled. Everything about her was perfect.
"I can't bear the thought of you dying early because of me."
"How do you think I'll feel when you die?"
I suppose I understood. Still. "I love you so much... please don't take my colour away."
"I would never."
