Colorblind Read Online Free

morning person?”
    I blinked at her, silently hoping my cheeks didn’t look as hot as they felt. “Hi. Can you give me like two minutes?” I asked her.
    “Sure.”
    “Okay. Thanks.” I debated for a moment whether to invite her in or just leave her on my front porch, and, after an uncomfortable pause, I left the front door open, gestured awkwardly to the living room, mumbled that she could come in, and then left, taking the stairs two at a time back to my bedroom.
    I changed quickly in front of my bathroom mirror and tried my best to clean myself up. Chloe probably didn’t like girls, and I had no intention of developing an interest in her, given the number on her forehead, but she was still a cute girl, and cute girls made me self-conscious.
    A few minutes later, I was headed back downstairs with my hair in a messy bun and with clothes on that were actually appropriate for the public: a long T-shirt and athletic shorts. Chloe was in the living room. She’d shut the front door behind herself and was playing with Baxter on our living room couch. When she heard me coming, she took him into her arms and tried in vain to get him to settle down. Once it was clear he couldn’t calm himself, she sighed and set him on the ground. As she straightened up, her gaze shifted to me and she smiled.
    “So, hey,” she said.
    “Hey,” I said, and we stood in silence for a long, uncomfortable moment. I made myself focus on her face instead of her forehead.
    She cleared her throat before things could get too awkward, and then gestured to the front door. “Well, I just thought that since it was the weekend and you don’t have to work, you’d maybe wanna take a walk with Baxter and me? I don’t really know the area. If your offer still stands, I mean.”
    “Okay.” I nodded, feeling flustered. It seemed like the longer I stood in her presence, the more nervous I became. It’d been a while since I’d had any sort of extensive social interaction with someone other than Dad or Robbie, let alone a pretty girl. “Just let me tell my dad I’m going out.”
    I left in a hurry, my cheeks mildly hot, and burst into my dad’s office. It was starting to sink in that Chloe had shown up at my house unannounced twice now, asking for my company. She was really set on spending time with me, which either meant that she was desperate to make a friend… or something more. I didn’t have much of an ego, so I assumed the former, but both options were still terrifying.
    “Give me an excuse to stay home. Please?” came bursting out of me before I could think about it. Dad spun around in his chair, an eyebrow already arched in questioning amusement. “I’m too nervous to do this.”
    “Is your friend back again?” he guessed.
    “She’s not my friend.”
    “Well, it seems like she wants to be.” I pursed my lips together, and his amusement only grew. He spun away from me, facing his computer again, and casually tossed out, “Have fun. Be back before dinnertime.”
    “She could be a serial killer. Or the bait for a serial killer.”
    “Then I will miss you dearly. Goodbye, Harper.”
    I let out a sigh and spun on my heel, marching out of his office. By the time I was back with Chloe in the living room, I’d plastered a polite smile onto my face and the color had drained from my cheeks. She was cooing at Baxter, distracted, and gave a small start at the sound of my voice.
    “Dad says I have to be back before dinnertime.”
    She recovered, reddening slightly, and smiled. “Cool.”
     
    * * *
     
    I took her around the neighborhood first. We walked quickly to keep up with Baxter, who pulled heavily at the leash in Chloe’s hand and refused to let her rein him in.
    “So what do you do for fun around here?” she asked. “I bet there’s a lot to keep you busy.”
    I realized pretty quickly that I wasn’t going to make the best tour guide. “Oh, uh… I mostly just stay pretty local. There’s a movie theater down the street, near