STAINED || Mendes

TWO

Bananas.

Sunshine.

Cheese.

Buttercups.

These were all things that Shawn found himself captivated with in light of his newfound abilities.

The color was the brightest thing he'd ever witnessed, and every time he spotted something in the go-lucky tint, he couldn't cease the smile that formed on his lips. It reminded him that there really was someone out there for him.

However, it made him sad all the same when he was reminded that he had no idea who it was.

The night he saw it for the first time, he was stunned, frozen on stage as he looked around the huge crowd in hopes of finding the person. Eventually, when someone from the crew snapped him out of whatever daze he was in, the show continued on as normal, Shawn's smile impossibly wider than before.

And after the show, he made sure to tell his select few just how he was feeling.

As they watched the crowd exit the stadium, Shawn and a few of his friends sat criss-cross right behind the curtains, his eyes roaming over every single person to his best ability in hopes of seeing another color. There were many women in the crowd who Shawn thought were beautiful, thought they might be the one, but nothing ever came of it, the singular bright color still the only one visible to him.

"Still nothing?" Zubin asked, the other friends turning their heads to listen to his response.

Shawn bit his lip and shook his head, eyes still focused forwards. "Nope."

"Ah, it's alright, man." His friend pat him on his shoulder, bringing him into a little side hug. "You'll find her."

Shawn smirked and looked down at the ground, "Oh, I know. Trust me, this city hasn't seen the last of me."

And he meant every word that he said.

Not even two weeks later, Shawn found himself in the same city's library, flipping through some children's picture books.

Everyone who he hadn't told the news to yet was stunned when he expressed how much he wanted to go back, how much he loved it there, but they knew there was something more to the story. Karen especially took notice of his eager attitude, having seen this kind of thing before herself. So, when he told her over the phone that he'd be going back to visit, she only replied with a laugh and a simple okay.

Her son was in love.

Not in love with a person yet; He supposed that would come later. Right now, he was in love with the mere concept of love. In love with the concept that somewhere in the world, there was a perfect match for him, and on that one fated day, they were breathing the same air, singing the same songs. Somewhere.

Shawn had looked up a color chart and quickly identified his first color as yellow. He recognized it in the foods he ate, in the clothes he wore, and everywhere else. He noticed it in the sketched illustrations of birds and balloons in the picture book right before he shut and shelved it again.

His phone dinged and he pulled it out, admiring his yellow lock screen behind the text he'd gotten.

From: Brianna

hey, jon and i just stopped at the coffee shop down the street. meet us there?

Shawn checked the time as if he had anything else to do, this fact making him chuckle to himself. The giddy boy then adjusted his scarf around his neck and pocketed his hands as he pushed through the library's glass door and stepped back onto the sidewalk, taking a deep breath.