In Color. {l.r.h.}

her

Halli hated mornings. She outright despised them with every fraction of her being.

But they always came, and they always jolted her away from the splashes of color and streams of light and familiar faces that her mind orchestrated. Back into the darkness of being consciousness. It was quite the opposite of everyone else with their sight.

She could hear her neighbor's daily music as her feet hit the cold wooden floor. Today her ears detected a ukulele and some muffled singing about houses made of gold. Halli quickly changed into the first pair of pants and shirt that her hands felt inside her dresser, and she made her way across the hall to the source of the airy tune: Cameron Palazzo's apartment.

The light playing ceased immediately when Halli knocked on the smooth wood of the door. The short brunette flung the door open. "Well, if it isn't my Halli Bear!" A smile was audible in her voice.

Halli giggled. "Hi Cam." She was pulled into a tight hug and ushered over to a redwood table with a ukulele and a coffee cup on top of it. "New song?"

She nodded. "Just learned it." She sipped the coffee in front of her. "So what brings you to Casa de Cameron?"

"Can't I just want to spend time with you? Do I have to want something?" Halli fake pouted.

Cam raised an eyebrow. "Everybody wants something. Welcome to New York."

Halli smiled. "Okay, my wall isn't a very good listener."

"Boy, you came to the wrong girl if you need listening, but sure, go ahead." She waved her hand as if to signal Halli to begin ranting.

Halli bit her lip. "I met a guy."

"Ooh! Do tell," she shrieked, sloppily setting her warm mug of coffee on the table.

Halli shifted in her chair. "Well... I think he's tall? His voice seemed far away."

Cameron nodded. "Mm, voices always do. That's why I stick to short guys. You're never gonna tell they're under 6 foot 3 unless you look at 'em." Her New England accent hung thick in her voice.

"True, I guess. His voice was deep. And his laugh was gorgeous." She bit her lip to stifle a smile creeping across her lips. "He made me laugh, which I haven't done in God knows how long. And he was so nice. Well, after he yelled at me for staring and I yelled right back for being blind."

"You go girl. Blind girl profiling is a serious issue."

Halli grinned. "I don't know why I'm dropping in on you like this. I just can't stop thinking about him." Her face sank. "It's stupid, isn't it? Meeting a boy at the park?"

Cameron placed her hand on top of Halli's. "No way, Hon. I'd sleep on a park bench if I could meet guys there."

"No, Cam. I'm not trying to meet guys. I just happened to meet one."

Cameron scratched the back of her head. "I thought... Then what was that story all about? I'm confused."

Halli banged her head on the table. "Forget it, I'm going back to the park."

"You know what, that's a smart choice. I hope you meet lots of guys."

"But I don't want to meet-"

"Bye bye now."

And with that, the door was shut.