Gaining Colors [Complete]

Chapter 1

It was already 7:30 and Alexis was still at home finishing her breakfast. She was late for classes and it wasn't the first time that it happened. She had chosen the University of Art in London in hopes that she could expand her creativity and improve her eccentric draws.

Grabbing her jacket and umbrella from the wardrobe beside the door of her apartment, she hurried down the stairs, ignoring the old and slow elevator that would delay her more than help her in that situation. Running to the bus stop that was in front of her building, she thanked, again, the fact that she had chosen an apartment with multiple choices of transports. The bus was already there and she entered the vehicle right before the man closed the door.

"We are getting better at running hum, Alexis?"

Tom, the bus driver asked her. The old man was always the one that drove Alexis to the university campus. She knew him and talked with him since after the first time he closed the door on her face, extending her delay.

Alexis passed her bus pass by the machine and joined the old man that had his tired eyes glued on the road and the morning traffic.

"I should have put two alarms. The first one went off but I got back to sleep."

"Always the same... Always the same... You need to find a good man to help you to be more responsible." Tom said, glancing at her through the mirror. When Alexis just laughed, he continued to talk, loud enough for all ears that were occupying the sits of the bus.

"I miss my Odete! She was everything to me, everything!! She was the love of my life, my companion and she was my alarm clock too. Everyday she would force me out of bed in time to get to work." He continued to glance, from time to time, to Alexis. She always listened to him and his stories and she never got tired of hearing them. "You need someone like that too. Your life is too empty now. Find someone! Is there someone in this bus that you like? Go talk to them!" He said, completely unaware of the people that had started to laugh and of the blush that was starting to cover Alexi's cheeks.

Tom had been like that since years, always giving advices, most of them, regarding the opposite sex. Some of the time, he would talk about Odete, his deceased wife that had been married to him for forty years.

Alexis thought of her love life. It was not her priority at that moment. She had dated some guys in the past and had rolled under the sheets too with one fine specimen of the opposite sex, but now, with college and the search for a new apartment, she didn't have time to think about anything else.

"You are not a lesbian, are you?" He asked suddenly, cutting out her thoughts and making Alexis gap in astonishment. Her cheeks turned even more redder.

"No... No." She stuttered, still engulfed in a mist of surprise, amusement and embarrassment.

Alexis looked outside the bus and realized that they were already near her stop. Pressing the stop button like her life depended on that, she said goodbye to Tom and got out in front of the building where the classes were hold.

Before she could do anything, a man got out of the bus and tapped her on her shoulder.

She turned to him confused.

"If you want me to be your private alarm, call this number." He said, winking at her and placing a small paper on her hand.

He wasn't ugly, but he wasn't her type either. She placed the paper in the pocket of her jeans to not offend the guy.

"Thanks. I'm late... I got to go." She told him, before started to run to the door.

When Alexis reached the classroom, she was already five minutes late. Cursing silently, she opened the door and walked to her sit. The silence coming from the direction of her teacher said everything.