Shades of Music

“Are you falling asleep on me?” Hannah asked.

Luke shook his head and kept his eyes closed. “No.”

“Then open your eyes.”

“I don’t like this song,” Luke said. “It’s ugly.”

“I agreed to come along to the bar tonight because one of your favorite bands is playing.” Hannah’s voice took on a distinct pout.

“Right - this is one of my favorite bands, and the song sounds absolutely lovely, but it looks ugly,” Luke said. He dared to open one eye and peek at Hannah, but his vision was swamped by a rush of dull, rusty oranges and dry-blood browns.

“What do you mean it looks ugly?” Hannah asked.

Luke sighed. “Didn’t Evan and the others tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

Luke ran a hand through his hair. “Evan usually tells anyone who’ll listen - ever since we were kids, he acts like it’s a party trick.”

Frustration crept into the edges of Hannah’s voice. “What is it?”

“Synesthesia,” Luke said. “When music plays, I hear it - and I also see colors that go with it. Every sound has a different color, every song has a color scheme - and the scheme for this song is really, really ugly. So it’s better for everyone if I close my eyes and listen.”

“Oh,” Hannah said in a small voice. “I - do human voices give off color?”

“Some of them more than others,” Luke said. He heard the chair beside his squeak, felt a crescendo of warmth as Hannah slid closer. When she spoke next, her voice was right next to his ear.

“What color is my voice?”

“Turquoise blue, mostly,” he said. “Shades of green when you’re angry. It goes straight to purple when you’re sad. Why?”

“Just wondered.” Hannah pressed a kiss to his temple. “When the next song comes on, open your eyes, and we’ll go dance.”

“The next song in the set is Learn to Fly,” Luke said. “It’s lots of yellows. I think you’ll like it.”

(328 words)