Mikey Way Oneshots

change of colour

You know what was more awesome than a café? A huge bookstore with a cozy café in it. The place always smelled like fresh brewed coffee, new books and something sweet. It honestly felt more like home to me than my actual house. Sorry, but nothing could compare to the awesomeness of sweets and books.

Obviously, I spent most of my free time here. At some point, I had jobbed in the café during the summer and had gotten to know the owners even better. They were a sweet couple with the same love for books and coffee as their costumers and always had time for a chat. And if you didn't know what you wanted to read, you could simply walk up to the counter and Lydia would grant you a large coffee and the perfect book recommendation. Seriously, that woman had a sixth sense for this shit.

So that was where I was sitting now. Reading a new book with a cup of coffee and a slice of cake in front of me in my favourite window seat.

I was completely lost in the story when a hand fell on my shoulder. Of course, I flinched but recognised the person as Lydia who grinned at me. "You need more coffee? That cup looks awfully empty."

"You're my saviour," I said gratefully after I checked that I -in fact- had drunken all of it. Damn, I hadn't even noticed that.

While Lydia made me a new one and told me about the newest load of books, I let my eyes wander through the shop. A few older people stood around the thriller section, avidly discussing something. Two of them were leaning into each other, the taller man with a dark brown streak in his otherwise white hair, his partner the other way around.

The familiar cocktail of feelings resurfaced at the imagine of these soulmates in love. On the one hand, I felt strangely happy for them (seriously, they looked so content, just being close to each other) but on the other hand I envied them. Most of my friends had found their soulmates by now, some by accident, some on purpose.

Two weeks ago, I had bought a bottle of bright violet hair dye (I had been feeling particular rebellious and always wanted to do it anyway), hoping that this way, it would be easier to find them. Now, it had washed out into a more faded purple and I still hadn't met them yet. At least my hair looked awesome, I guess.

"Sweetheart, where are your thoughts again?" Lydia asked, startling me once again.

I chuckled embarrassed. "Nowhere?"

"You were watching these guys over there," she stated and I blushed guiltily, "Y/N, I found Alex at nearly forty and everything turned out quite beautifully for all of us. It will be worth the wait, I promise you."

"Thanks, Lydia," I mumbled guiltily.

It was true. She loved to tell this story where she was just grocery shopping for her and her wife and suddenly she was sitting on the ground, her groceries spread out around. The man who had ran into her had apologized about a million times while he helped her picking up her shit again. Then, they noticed their hair matched and decided to maybe chat a little more. And since then, they had been almost inseparable, best friends through thick and thin.

She gave my shoulder another assuring squeeze before she walked off to refill another cup. I intended to get back to reading but now, I couldn't focus anymore.

So I just let my eyes wander through the shop again, hoping that the colourful book covers would help me to get my focus back. It was pathetic. You didn't need a soulmate to feel 'whole' or any of that; plenty of people didn't even try to find them. It wasn't tied to romantic feelings either, Lydia was the best example for it, it simply granted you a person you could feel completely safe with, that would always be there for you. As the emotional mess I was, I craved this stability.