Colored Footsteps [Breddy Soulmate AU]

Five

A/N: longer chapter because I'm really nice lol

In the hotel room, my eyes are drawn to a painting hung on the far wall. All my life I've been used to not seeing things in their full beauty, without color, but...the painting is truly beautiful.

My mum sees me looking and comes over. "Just black, gray, and white," she mumbles, interested.

"What?"

"There's no color in that painting...it looks perfect on its own."

I nod appraisingly. "Wow."

I can't help but think, if I could see color, would everything be this beautiful?

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There are two beds in the hotel room we got. I choose the one next to the painting, so I can look at it as I fall asleep. I want a chance to analyze it.

Laying down on my stomach, under the covers, I come face to face with the painting.

There are two young men, standing by the beach. I am amazed at how intricate the painting is, and how it can be so beautiful. The shading is so delicate, and it reflects off the moon in the sky. The two men are holding hands, and as I lean closer I notice a small array of white hearts littered around the hands. Love.

My heart skips a beat.

I feel that twinging pain inside me from earlier. They look so happy, so complete. How something so deep can be captured in a painting is beyond me.

I blink sleepily, and lay my head completely on the fluffy pillow, eyes still directed to the art above me. The last thing I see before I fall tiredly into sleep is the artist's name in the bottom left hand corner.

Eddy Chen.

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The morning brings a blinding light that stings my eyes, making everything in my vision more bright and white than usual. I blink, looking around. Where am I again?

My eyes fall on the painting I was observing the night before, and suddenly, the rush of what we are doing comes in quickly, washing away any doubts and leaving me wide awake. We're finding my soulmate!

My eyes flash to my wrist, and I freeze. 76,380? Wasn't it just 83k last night? I haven't moved at all since then..

This can only mean one thing - my soulmate is coming for me.

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Breakfast is spent in a cafe nearby with me chattering happily and staring at my wrist nonstop, my mood brighter than children on Christmas.

I look around the coffee shop happily, observing my surroundings. There are a bunch of small tables, with people laughing together, and I notice that a lot of people are here with their soulmates. Huh.

I'm just about to go back to munching on my toast when I see something that looks familiar. It's a painting with pure simplicity and beauty. Just like the painting in my room last night...

This time it's of two people drinking bubble tea and laughing together. Happy.

The unidentifiable chatter around the shop fades into the muffled background as I stand up and make my way toward the artwork.

I find myself staring at every single detail, mesmerized with the true talent. Who painted this?

I must have voiced the question out loud, because not one second after I thought that, a man's voice broke through the air close to my ear. "Eddy Chen. Nice young lad, he is. Paints beautiful stuff, but never uses colors."

I jump in surprise, careening away from the man.

"Oh sorry, did I surprise you? I do that sometimes." I take a closer look at the man. He's wearing casual clothes, just a t-shirt and jeans.

"Erm...who are you exactly?" I ask cautiously.

The man sticks out a hand and smiles, "Rovert Mounty, but just call me Rov. I'm not very formal."

I nod slowly, shaking his hand carefully and then nodding in the direction of the painting again. "Who did you say made this?"

"Eddy Chen. Never uses colors in his paintings, but they always come out spectacular. And he's only 16, too!"

Something about this intrigues me. I don't know why I'm so determined to find out more about this, but I'm interested. "Why does he never use colors, then?"

Rov's smile droops a bit, and he seems slightly sad as he says, "Because he's still unmated. If he can't see colors he won't use them. It's really hard for him at his age. I'm talked to him numerous times, and it seems like his art is the only thing keeping him from deep depression. It's how he expresses his feelings for his unknown soulmate. He sells most of his work to hotels and cafes like these, even though he doesn't live around here. Speaking of which, it's about time for him to deliver his most recent paintings to us again. There's new ones each year."

This new information is a lot to take in at once. He's still unmated? His paintings express his feelings for the soulmate he never met? My heart leaps inside me, doing this weird tingling thing that I don't know what to make of.

Wow.

I have the sudden urge that I want to meet this man. It isn't what I came here to do, I scold myself, but I make a promise that if there is a chance to talk to him I will take it. I want to help him somehow.

"You're saying that he'll be coming here to drop off more paintings for this place?" I ask curiously.

Rov nods helpfully, "Yes, probably sometime by the end of this week. We don't know for sure though, he's not very...punctual."

"Thanks, Rov. You've been a great help. I have to go now though. I'm..." I debate for a few seconds whether to tell him, then decide that the truth can't hurt. "I'm actually looking for my soulmate right now."

I glance down at my wrist and his eyes follow mine. 75,381. 75,380. 75,379.

The counter counts down slowly, yet I haven't moved a step in any direction. My soulmate is definitely trying to find me too.

Rov whistles sharply. "Well, I wish you the best of luck, mystery man!"

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