All Chapters of A Portrait of Colours: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

It was late afternoon on a cloudy day as a string of cars lined up not far from the entrance to a private school. Leslie Wu sat in the comfort of the navy blue sedan, talking on his phone as he too, waited outside Edenside Academy for Colin. It was the Monday after Colin’s weekend with his new friend, and the chauffeur was impatient to know more about the mystery boy. “What did you find out?” 

It was the last hour of Nathan’s shift at the Aroma Cafe, which was sparsely filled with the usual repeat customers, except for one particular customer seated at a table at the back, almost hidden from view. He was busily staring at his phone screen while sipping on his iced latte, but every now and then he would look up, those mesmerizing honey brown eyes searching for Nathan’s figure, before glancing back down at his phone again. 

Nathan was fast asleep when his phone rang. Barely able to open his eyes, he answered it. With a gasp, he shot out of bed, pulling on his clothes at breakneck speed. He ran out of his apartment complex to the street. He didn’t have a car, having returned it to Sophia, and she stayed on the other side of the city.  

The first month at university was a tiring but exhilarating time for Colin. For once in his life, he was actually looking forward to attending classes. At lectures, he felt like his brain had transformed into a little sponge, absorbing everything the lecturers taught, hungry to learn more. It was as if he had finally found his calling. But as enjoyable as things were, he was also beginning to feel overwhelmed. Between attending lectures and working at the cafe, he had practically no time to do much else. 

The year’s winter season was turning out to be exceptionally brutal, as unexpectedly low temperatures hit the city for days in a row. A hazy whiteness permeated the air as the constant downfall of snowflakes blanketed the ground in snow. On the streets, window wipers were in full swing as motorists went along with the day's activities, the tops of their vehicles collecting snow. There were things to be done, and not even bad weather could stop a city in constant motion. Cars moved along slowly in the already traffic prone city centre, as Colin impatiently waited for the bus he was in to pull over at the next stop.