Color Blind
Copyright© 2026 by Evie Olivia Niven
Chapter 1: Mystery
Alexandria Thomas pressed against the railing surrounding the upper floor of the dance club and stared down at the dancers below. She loved to watch them, and would have loved to dance herself, if she thought she could. Perching her chin in the palm of her hand, she watched the dark-haired couple that dominated the dance floor. “I wouldn’t mind being that girl,” she thought. “He is so cute, and he can really dance, too.”
“Xandri. Earth to Xandri. Come in, Xandri.”
Startled, Xandri turned to look across the table at her friend Cindy. The blonde was watching her impatiently. Her two other friends, another blonde named Janice and a brunette, Trina, were also watching her. Feeling her cheeks heat, she shifted her chair to face her friends and smiled sheepishly. Xandri tucked a lock of chestnut hair behind her ear and shrugged.
“You’re turning into a voyeur,” Cindy said, rolling her eyes. “You’d think you’ve never seen a guy before.”
“It isn’t that,” Xandri said, staring down at the tabletop. “I like to watch the dancers.”
“Our little Xandri is so innocent,” Janice teased. “Never even been kissed, have you?”
“I ... I have too,” Xandri stammered, her cheeks turning even redder.
There was no use in explaining herself, because they couldn’t understand. When you were raised by nuns and kept out of school, it tended to make one a late bloomer. The first time Xandri had even been in a school was college, and she hadn’t gotten to start until she was twenty. The sisters got the money for me to go, though, she thought, smiling to herself. So maybe it was odd, especially in this day and age. “I can’t help it,” Xandri thought. “People don’t interest me all that much.”
True, she was friends with Cindy, Janice, and Trina, and she liked them; she truly did. And she enjoyed watching the dancers; this was true also. She had just been so disappointed by people. Either they were too reserved, keeping all of themselves in and hiding behind masks, or they were too unreserved, holding absolutely nothing back. There are no shades of gray, Xandri thought, sighing. It isn’t like a picture ... with people, everything is black and white.
“Earth to Xandri,” Cindy said again, starting to sound frustrated. “Did you hear me?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry.” Xandri grinned sheepishly. “What was that?”
Cindy rolled her eyes. “I was asking you who you kissed. You never said you had a boyfriend.”
Oops. When it came to her friends, Xandri had a horrible knack for getting herself in deep. If it weren’t for the fact that she’d seen how much they cared for her, she might have been annoyed by their questions. It was just that she was quiet, always absorbed in the single love of her life: pictures. Xandri hugged her camera case to her chest and shrugged.
“It ... it ... is it really important?” she stammered. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Kissing someone isn’t a big deal?” Janice’s eyebrows shot up. “Then you could just kiss anyone?”
“I ... I guess so,” Xandri replied, not liking where this was going.
“So you could kiss the next guy to walk through the door, then?” Trina teased.
“You know,” Xandri said, scowling. “Sometimes I wonder why I’m friends with you guys...”
They all laughed. Cindy reached over and ruffled her hair playfully. She knew they were teasing her, but she was beginning to feel irritated. Xandri pulled the strap of her camera case up onto her shoulder and stood up. She pushed her chair in roughly; they always stuck a bit to the floor for some reason.
“Fine,” Xandri said, lifting her chin stubbornly. “I’ll do it.”
“Xandri, wait,” Janice called after her. “We were just teasing, Xandri, come back here!”
I’m not going to do it, Xandri thought, rolling her eyes at herself. Of course I’m not, why would I? Her friends already thought she was a wimp. Besides, knowing her luck, the next guy to walk through the door would be some bald, fat guy who wouldn’t even have the redeeming factor of being a nice guy. Xandri had tried, at first, to like everyone, but she’d discovered quickly that bullies lurked everywhere. They weren’t just the people who thought they were better than others because they were rich or good-looking.
She looked up as she approached the door, and her heart stuttered in her chest. He is the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen, she thought, feeling her cheeks burn. Long, dark hair was pulled back into a neat, tidy ponytail. He had a thin, elegant face with high cheekbones and a full mouth, but a slightly long nose that kept him from looking feminine. As Xandri got closer, she could see pale blue eyes, but they were distracted, and he didn’t notice her approaching.
She glanced back at her friends, who were still watching her, then at the man. What the hell? Xandri thought, shrugging to herself. You only live once. Her stomach churned. She wound her way through the crowd and came to a halt in front of the mystery man. He stopped, startled, and turned his pale blue eyes to regard her with mild curiosity. He was much taller than she was. Xandri hesitated for a moment, then stood up on her toes and pressed her mouth awkwardly to his.
The man definitely wasn’t expecting that. His hands caught hold of her wrists, and she thought he was going to push her away. Instead, he dragged her closer, taking control of the kiss. Xandri found it suddenly very hard to breathe. His mouth was warm and passionate. He coaxed her lips open and dipped his tongue into her mouth. The sensation of his tongue sliding up along hers jolted her out of the spell, and she jerked back, heat creeping up her cheeks.
Mortified, Xandri ducked her head and pushed through the crowd and out the door. She raced out into the parking lot, into cool autumn night air, but didn’t stop running until she’d reached her car. Skidding to a halt, she unlocked the door with trembling fingers and yanked it open. Xandri flopped down into the driver’s seat, pulled the door shut, and sat there, panting. What has gotten into me? she wondered, lifting her hands and pressing them to her burning cheeks.
Her friends had only been joking with her, after all. Xandri fumbled with the straps on her camera case. She pulled the camera out and ran her fingers over it, taking comfort in the contours of it. Since she’d started college, it had been her only real passion. She loved taking pictures, especially black-and-white ones. I don’t understand myself, Xandri thought, sighing heavily. I know it’s not really the way I was raised ... I’m just cold, for some reason.
She wasn’t nearly as innocent as some people seemed to think. Her friends thought she was shy and naïve, and that was why she didn’t have a boyfriend. Xandri supposed it was a reasonable assumption; after all, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that she was a virgin. But it’s my own choice, she thought, leaning back in her seat. I just want to focus on taking pictures ... there isn’t anything else that matters.
Then again, maybe she ought to see a psychiatrist or something. It couldn’t be normal, not at her age. I’ll talk to Bea, she thought. She keeps saying I remind her of a friend of hers, so that means there’s at least one other person like me. But she wouldn’t see Bea until class on Monday, so Xandri was going to have to wait.