Colour Me | ✓

five

It's as if we hadn't figured out enough ways to hurt others that someone decided that words can hurt others too. Someone decided that they would be affected by a bunch of chemical reactions happening in our brain and mouthing a bunch of sounds. If you put it this way it sounds pretty stupid to me. But words held unimaginable powers and I had decided that I could never harness that power.

It was becoming a bad habit. Every time I walked home I would look to see if he was sitting on the front steps like usually was. Causally staring out as if enjoying the scenery. Today he was.

"Hey," I said and his dog's ears stood up alert.

"Oh it's you." He concluded.

"Can I sit next to you?" I asked a little shyly.

I imagined him narrowing his eyes under his glasses and saying no to me but he just shrugged. I took that as a yes and settled on the step next to him. He turned his body slightly to my direction.

"Where'd you move from?" I asked looking up to him. I could admire his face all I wanted and he'd never know.

"Seattle." He replied. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah," I replied a little too quickly.

"Do you walk on this side of the pavement on purpose every time you come back?" There was a hint of a sly smile on his lips.

"U-uh why would I do that?" I stammered taken aback.

"Haven't you ever heard that when someone looses a sense their other senses become stronger?" He turned his head as if to look at me but just missed it so it seemed he was staring at my ears which were red from embarrassment.

"What sense of yours became so strong?" I made a feeble attempt to change the topic.

"I could smell you. You stink after school." He said seriously.

"What!" I self consciously pulled my shirt to my nose.

"You really are a dumbass." He laughed shaking his head. "I could hear your footsteps even when you tried to tiptoe past."

I blushed so hard that I had to hide my face in my hands knowing perfectly well he couldn't see me.

<3