Azure
No-one knew why Hallie loved to paint. It started at a young age; she painted swirls and wavy lines on the walls and the doors and the windows and then she got a little bit older and she painted onto paper instead. Then when she was 13, all her dreams came true and she got some canvases and an easel for her birthday.
It's not like it was hereditary, neither of her parents could draw a straight line, let alone paint flowers and people and sunsets. But Hallie loved it more than herself so they left her be to paint and dream.
Her favourite colour was blue. She loved the ocean and the sky and the night and blue eyes and diamonds. Her walls were blue, her shoes were blue, her nails were blue. She loved blue and every shade in between.
Today, she was in her room and she was painting azure flowers, with their tiny stalks and dainty blue petals and the shades of yellow and black in the middle. She was very content with herself and lost in her art; until some decided to open the door and demand her to put down the paintbrush and turn around.
Hallie didn't really know how to feel about this unexpected visitor, so she did as she was told and placed the paintbrush into the cup of water and turned around, coming face to face with the endless darkness that was the barrel of a gun.
She quietly gulped but stared straight ahead, still unsure of what to do and how to feel. The visitor lowered the gun so Hallie could get a good look at them. She couldn't quite tell if it was a girl or a guy but all she could see was the gleam of eyes through the chafing balaclava.
"Can I help you?" she whispered
The visitor continued to glare but their eyes softened slightly "I need money"
"So you're a robber?"
They nodded their head and seemed to surrender. They removed the balaclava. It was a guy, with a thin face and black curly hair.
Hallie stared at him for a bit. He was a sight indeed, but he was messy and broke. She wanted to help him, not call the police and take him away.
"Would you like something to eat?" she was speaking now, she didn't need to whisper anymore.
He nodded silently and sat down on the floor. Hallie bit her lip slightly and left to fetch some food.
She shouldn't have left him on his own but what was the worst he could do? She deducted he was a very damaged guy who just needed someone to show him that it's going to be okay and that there's more legal ways to obtain money.
She put a few slices of bread on a plate, a few slices of ham and a handful of cheese, along with the tub of butter and a glass of milk before going back up the stairs to her room.
"I didn't know what you'd want so I-" Hallie cut herself off at the sight of the broken man staring at her paintings hung on the wall. It was like looking a someone who had never seen a sunset or a rose or the green eyes of another man before. He was intrigued at the sight of the paintings and stared closely at each one.
Hallie placed the food on the bed and the glass and butter on the nightstand before moving to his side "I painted them" she said
He gave a slight gasp "You...painted them? Them all?"
"Them all"
He turned to her current painting, the azure flowers, his hazel eyes taking in every petal "They're so pretty" he turned to her "I wish I could paint"
"Would you like to try? I can show you?" she asked him
He looked at her strangely "Why would you do that for me?"
She shrugged her shoulders "Well...why not?"
"I broke into your house to steal from you"
"Yes but clearly someone has broken into you and stole something from you. I want to try and fix that"
He stared at her with confusion, but his eyes were full of warmth "Why would you want to fix me?"
"I'm just a nice person"
He stared back at the painting and then back at Hallie "Okay"
She went and got another canvas putting the azure flowers aside, and placed it on the easel. Then she got a clean, dry paintbrush and after wetting it a little, she handed it to him.
He stared at it blankly "But I don't know what to paint"
"Well, what do you like?"
"Um...girls" he seemed to struggle to think of anything else.
"Paint a girl then" she told him
His eyes lit up at the prospect of being able to paint a girl and the corners of his mouth lifted "Can I?"
"Of course!"
He went to dip the brush in some paint but then he faltered "Where do I start?"
"Anywhere you like. I start with the face first"
He nodded and dipped his brush in the black paint and painted a wonky circle with two lines coming out of the bottom. He looked to Hallie for approval who just smiled "Just do what you think is right"
So he continued on, painting two dots for eyes and a nose and a wonky smile and he didn't change colours until it came to the hair. He cleaned the brush and dipped it into the azure, the same colour as the flowers and he painted a few lines on each side of the girl's head, giving her blue hair.
When he was finished, he placed the brush in the cup beside Hallie's and stepped back to admire his painting. The girl was no Mona Lisa but Hallie loved the innocence of him trying to paint something (well, someone) he loved.
"Who's she?" she asked him
"Ashley"
She looked at the painting of Ashley before looking back at him. She saw his eyes sadden.
"You should sign it" she said, handing him a marker that sat beside the cup of brushes.
He stared at it before signing the bottom of the canvas with a messy signature that read 'Matty Healy'.
"Matty Healy" Hallie said his name aloud.
He looked at her "That's me"
"I'm Hallie" she gave him a small smile before returning her gaze to the girl with the azure hair.
"Why don't you look for her?"
"She's long gone" he said sadly
Hallie wrapped her arms around his shoulders, breathing in the smell of smoke "If you really love her, you wouldn't have stopped looking"
"She didn't want me to find her"
"How do you know?"
"Because she's already moved on" Matty wrapped his arms around Hallie and they stood, staring at the painting of Ashley and her azure hair.
"Why don't you move on?"
"Because my mind just returns to her"
Hallie sighed in his arms "She's not coming back Matty"
A tear landed on her hand that had escaped from his eyes "I know"
She twisted herself in his arms so she faces him and wiped his eyes with her thumb "You'll be okay" she whispered
He stared straight into her eyes "You've a pretty kind of dirty face" he told her
She said "Babe, you look so cool"
Her favourite colour was blue. She loved the ocean and the sky and the night and blue eyes and diamonds. Her walls were blue, her shoes were blue, her nails were blue. She loved blue and every shade in between.
Today, she was in her room and she was painting azure flowers, with their tiny stalks and dainty blue petals and the shades of yellow and black in the middle. She was very content with herself and lost in her art; until some decided to open the door and demand her to put down the paintbrush and turn around.
Hallie didn't really know how to feel about this unexpected visitor, so she did as she was told and placed the paintbrush into the cup of water and turned around, coming face to face with the endless darkness that was the barrel of a gun.
She quietly gulped but stared straight ahead, still unsure of what to do and how to feel. The visitor lowered the gun so Hallie could get a good look at them. She couldn't quite tell if it was a girl or a guy but all she could see was the gleam of eyes through the chafing balaclava.
"Can I help you?" she whispered
The visitor continued to glare but their eyes softened slightly "I need money"
"So you're a robber?"
They nodded their head and seemed to surrender. They removed the balaclava. It was a guy, with a thin face and black curly hair.
Hallie stared at him for a bit. He was a sight indeed, but he was messy and broke. She wanted to help him, not call the police and take him away.
"Would you like something to eat?" she was speaking now, she didn't need to whisper anymore.
He nodded silently and sat down on the floor. Hallie bit her lip slightly and left to fetch some food.
She shouldn't have left him on his own but what was the worst he could do? She deducted he was a very damaged guy who just needed someone to show him that it's going to be okay and that there's more legal ways to obtain money.
She put a few slices of bread on a plate, a few slices of ham and a handful of cheese, along with the tub of butter and a glass of milk before going back up the stairs to her room.
"I didn't know what you'd want so I-" Hallie cut herself off at the sight of the broken man staring at her paintings hung on the wall. It was like looking a someone who had never seen a sunset or a rose or the green eyes of another man before. He was intrigued at the sight of the paintings and stared closely at each one.
Hallie placed the food on the bed and the glass and butter on the nightstand before moving to his side "I painted them" she said
He gave a slight gasp "You...painted them? Them all?"
"Them all"
He turned to her current painting, the azure flowers, his hazel eyes taking in every petal "They're so pretty" he turned to her "I wish I could paint"
"Would you like to try? I can show you?" she asked him
He looked at her strangely "Why would you do that for me?"
She shrugged her shoulders "Well...why not?"
"I broke into your house to steal from you"
"Yes but clearly someone has broken into you and stole something from you. I want to try and fix that"
He stared at her with confusion, but his eyes were full of warmth "Why would you want to fix me?"
"I'm just a nice person"
He stared back at the painting and then back at Hallie "Okay"
She went and got another canvas putting the azure flowers aside, and placed it on the easel. Then she got a clean, dry paintbrush and after wetting it a little, she handed it to him.
He stared at it blankly "But I don't know what to paint"
"Well, what do you like?"
"Um...girls" he seemed to struggle to think of anything else.
"Paint a girl then" she told him
His eyes lit up at the prospect of being able to paint a girl and the corners of his mouth lifted "Can I?"
"Of course!"
He went to dip the brush in some paint but then he faltered "Where do I start?"
"Anywhere you like. I start with the face first"
He nodded and dipped his brush in the black paint and painted a wonky circle with two lines coming out of the bottom. He looked to Hallie for approval who just smiled "Just do what you think is right"
So he continued on, painting two dots for eyes and a nose and a wonky smile and he didn't change colours until it came to the hair. He cleaned the brush and dipped it into the azure, the same colour as the flowers and he painted a few lines on each side of the girl's head, giving her blue hair.
When he was finished, he placed the brush in the cup beside Hallie's and stepped back to admire his painting. The girl was no Mona Lisa but Hallie loved the innocence of him trying to paint something (well, someone) he loved.
"Who's she?" she asked him
"Ashley"
She looked at the painting of Ashley before looking back at him. She saw his eyes sadden.
"You should sign it" she said, handing him a marker that sat beside the cup of brushes.
He stared at it before signing the bottom of the canvas with a messy signature that read 'Matty Healy'.
"Matty Healy" Hallie said his name aloud.
He looked at her "That's me"
"I'm Hallie" she gave him a small smile before returning her gaze to the girl with the azure hair.
"Why don't you look for her?"
"She's long gone" he said sadly
Hallie wrapped her arms around his shoulders, breathing in the smell of smoke "If you really love her, you wouldn't have stopped looking"
"She didn't want me to find her"
"How do you know?"
"Because she's already moved on" Matty wrapped his arms around Hallie and they stood, staring at the painting of Ashley and her azure hair.
"Why don't you move on?"
"Because my mind just returns to her"
Hallie sighed in his arms "She's not coming back Matty"
A tear landed on her hand that had escaped from his eyes "I know"
She twisted herself in his arms so she faces him and wiped his eyes with her thumb "You'll be okay" she whispered
He stared straight into her eyes "You've a pretty kind of dirty face" he told her
She said "Babe, you look so cool"
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