Hues and You

Adriene was a flower at heart. A gloomy, inauspicious flower.

They sat in a field of marigolds. Looking at one another as the yellow flowers looked upon them. They hadn’t met before, but there was a palpable chemistry, like there was a huge strand twisting across the space between them, connecting their gaze metaphysically. The sun was high, and in front of them. Depending on perspective, it lay perfectly central between them, beaming with vigour and blessing their side of the Earth with unmountable optimism.

Maria was a fiery looking girl. She had red, voluminous, bouncy hair that reached her shoulders. Her nose was petite, and pointy. Her skin was kissed gently by the sun. Her lips were small and contorted in her focused state. She radiated a beauty that Adriene swore he could feel invading his own psyche. But the only discomfort came from not being sure that she was feeling what he was.

Adriene had long brown hair, tied into a messy bun. He had a pale complexion, and light freckles were starting to show across his high cheek bones and pronounced nose. His jaw line was strong, noticeably jutting. His lips were parted while he stared.

“I’ve been through a lot of pain” Adriene said.

The air was whistling softly. The marigolds looked as though they were trying to stand a bit taller to catch the little bit of breeze there was.

“Me too” replied Maria.

They looked away from each other for a moment, toward the sun. The marigolds were expanding, their pompom heads beginning to lightly grace one another in synchronicity. Their colour was warming.

“Maybe, we could talk about things?” Maria said.

Adriene looked at her, surprised and elated. “Sure,” he said.

“Come closer then,” Maria smiled.

Adriene scootched over, realising as he was doing so that it was probably easier and more elegant to stand and walk over to Maria. Once he started though, he felt he had to commit.

“So, what’s your name?”

“It’s Adriene…yours?”

“Maria.”

“Thank you for being here with me, Maria.”

They sat close to one another, and talked about various events that seemed to them like they had happened in past lives, but nevertheless had a knock-on-effect to how they felt in themselves presently. They took turns to speak, and listen. They looked at each other intently, or they looked wistfully at the sea of flowers that was before them, or they looked toward the sun. Wherever they looked, they continued to talk. Maria rested her head on Adriene’s shoulder and allowed tears to flow. Then Adriene rested his head on Maria’s shoulder and did the same. The marigolds grew warmer and warmer as the two of them dove deeper into one another’s emotional trenches. There they were able to provide one another with a place to rest. The marigold flowerheads inflated even more, gasped even. Then they were calm in their new orange hue.

“I’m so happy we found each other,” Maria whispered into Adriene’s ear.

They both were happy. For what felt like a lifetime they sunk into each other. Like a soluble to a liquid, but whatever part of them disappeared into the other was only momentary, determined by the time it took to finish a thought, and when it reappeared and resurfaced, something new was attached. Something wonderful. Every time. They learned from each other, and new perspectives were born. Perspectives free from nihilism and general gloom; they only shone a complimenting light on things that once seemed like they could only be viewed as ugly, or painful to dwell upon. Where they were, physically, had become irrelevant, for they were falling in love. They existed on their own beautifully spacious plane now, which had manifested from a plethora of colourful chemical reactions. Nature’s most exhilarating chemical reactions. All Maria and Adriene saw was each other. They saw each other’s beauty, inside and out. They clung to each other as though they had been lost but now were found.

“I love you to the sun and back, Maria,” Adriene said.

“I love you, Adriene.”

The field was now lit with red marigolds. They called out longingly to the sun, dancing with a wind that had been gradually picking up in speed.

Their bulging brown eyes battled peacefully before they kissed, as their love intensified. They were well into their period of full bloom. The flower that beated within Adriene was now fresh and lively. Fully in season. Unwilted and as auspicious as it had ever been. Together, they could accomplish anything. Together they could be happy.

“I’ve never felt a love like this.” Adriene said.

“Me neither.” Maria smiled. “We fit perfectly.”

They held each other’s hands tight, and stared out into the illusory abyss. Before them, the plane their bodies resided on came back into view. It was jarring, for both of them, but the feel of one another’s grasp kept them calm. It also helped that what was now before them was a sea of golden marigolds that mimicked the energy of the sun. A beautiful sight. Like they were both set to the same timer they sighed an alarm, feeling each other’s warmth and smiling purely from the reciprocation of it.

“I get it now,” Adriene said. “We really don’t have to be sad. I get why we’re here. I guess it’s always been obvious.”

“Because of love?” Maria asked.

“Exactly. It took knowing you to take notice of the truth.”

Adriene wasn’t sure what happened next. They both weren’t. Whether it was because of the sudden storm, or because of internal battles catching up to them both now that they were back on Earth, he did not know. All he knew was that now they were not holding each other. They were not touching. Not even looking at one another. Nothing was said, only felt. For some reason they both didn’t want to talk about anything. Adriene felt confusion take over him. Then that confusion turned to anger toward himself. The marigolds had turned a fierce red, the sun was gone. Rain poured, the wind roared. Neither of them showed emotion, they just withstood the storm, cradling themselves. Adriene did, in fact, feel urges to speak. He felt the urge to tell Maria that a storm could not get in the way of their love, the beauty and companionship that they shared. But he didn’t speak. He was afraid that Maria wasn’t in the place to hear it how he wanted it to be heard. Perhaps it was too cheesy and out of line. He felt that he should wait, get through the storm and then say it. In the meantime he felt the pain, as he visualised the moment they let go of each other again and again and again.

For what felt like a lifetime the storm raged. Then, eventually, it did cease. They sighed in relief, one after the other, as the sun rose once again. Adriene scooted closer to Maria, and reached for her hand. She turned away from him with a distressed huff.

“Is everything okay?” Adriene asked her, feeling the pang of rejection.

The wind whistled softly, it seemed to change the marigold flowerheads to a deep orange. Adriene watched it happen, bitterly.

“Look, we’re stronger than any storm Maria. Whether it’s out there or in here,” he said, beating at his chest. “I love you. You’re my soulmate. The absolute love of my life. We can get through this, together.”

Maria was silent, picking at her hair. She didn’t know what to feel, anymore.

“It’s okay,” Adriene told her, “take all the time you need. I’ll be right here.”

What seemed like a lifetime passed and nothing was said. The marigolds were now a dull yellow. The sun was weak. Adriene’s flower was down to its last petal as it worked furiously to weather the pain of change. Of withdrawal from his love. Both of them looked like despondent souls. And they were, right now. They were sunk deep in their own world’s. Manifested by nothing graceful or good, yet nothing purposeful. Adriene raced around in his mind like it was a nascar circuit, his thoughts were crashing clumsily into each other as they searched for an answer. Something to say or do that could ignite his and Maria’s love again. The answer wouldn’t come. He knew he had no control.

“I just feel really distant from you,” Maria said, finally.

Everything within Adriene dropped, as though his inner-gravity had intensified to an impossible strength.

“I understand,” he said with great sadness. “We had a lovely run though. I really hope you find all the happiness you deserve. Which is, you know, a lot.”

“I hope you find happiness too, Adriene,” Maria told him.

And as she got up to leave, the field of marigolds suddenly became washed in white. Adriene sighed, his last petal was gone. Dissipated. Inauspicious again. Everything felt heavy. The sun barely could be made out behind a thickening grey cloud. More storms, distinctive from the last were to come. There in a sea of white, he cried and cried and cried.

“This is going to feel like infinite lifetimes,” he sobbed.