Right Here Waiting For Hue

Chapter 1

18

Uea was eighteen when he WAS able to see colors. He remembered how the dancing lights shone brightly, flashing and blinking in tune with the loud music as the people danced as if it was the last night of their life. He remembered the sound of people chattering, screaming in each other’s ears in an attempt to make a conversation. He remembered how the alcohol tasted as he tried to drown himself to sleep.

He remembered the warm hand on his waist, guiding him to stand up properly as he tried to walk himself out of the bathroom. He remembered the deep, raspy voice whispering in his ears, asking him if he was okay or if he needed a ride home.

Uea didn’t know if it was the alcohol or his drunkenness, but his heart started beating faster, his temples throbbed painfully, and it felt hot as though he was about to get a fever. It only clicked in when his eyes started to sting.

The bright comforting lamps of the hallway, the intense strobe lights of the dance floor, and the cool and calming shirt of the man holding him.

That’s when it he realized it was his soulmate before passing out.

*

Uea wanted to scream in frustration. He swore it happened. He met his soulmate last night. So why? Why is he colorblind again? Why is the world in greyscale again?

In the span of that few minutes last night, even though he was drunk, he knew his heart was filled with joy and newfound hope. After being heartbroken countless times, his soulmate is the only one he could count on. He could finally receive the love and care he has been craving his whole life.

He first heard and saw the concept of soulmates through his classmates when he was in middle school. His twelve-year-old self personally saw it when two of his classmates screamed out of nowhere followed by their pained cries. Their teacher came to them and calmly asked what happened. Disoriented and hurt, the two classmates were only able to utter the words “head”, “eyes”, and “sting”. 

The teacher immediately caught onto what’s happening and brought them to the clinic. When she came back, Uea remembered his other classmates being nosy and asking what really happened and why the other two reacted like that. She told them that they can see colors now and they could be each other’s soulmates.

“Already? That’s amazing!”

“I didn’t know it could happen at the same time.”

“Those color things are actually real?”

“I knew it! Soulmates actually happen in real life! I thought it was only on TV.”

“Aww. I want that to happen to me too.”

Uea could only nod, at a loss for words. Having a broken family, Uea never saw nor heard about it. This was the first time and it was amazing yet scary. Uea didn’t know if he could handle being in pain like that, but if it means finally seeing his soulmate and the colors that comes with it, then Uea maybe could tolerate it.

And he did.

When it comes to love and care from his mother or even his exes, he was rather unlucky. Despite that, he still held hope and believed that he had his own soulmate. He grew attached to the concept and his belief grew even more as he watched his classmates get their colors. That’s why he was prepared and ready for it.

What he wasn’t ready for, however, was losing those colors right away. There’s no way his colors were just taken back like that. 

Then maybe, it was all an illusion because everything is grey again. Dull and lifeless. Muted and empty.