“Are you able to detect emotions through frequency?”

  It seemed Mark had hit the right spot. Aria paused mid-bite, taking a moment to swallow before answering.

  “How did you figure it out so quickly?”

  “Well, knowing how you always react to emotions I assumed it would have to be related to that, I once read a paper on the frequency response and how different emotions transmit certain frequencies. I never found a practical use for that knowledge, until now. Knowing your ability to manipulate frequencies I didn’t expect you to also be able to interpret them, although looking back now it does make sense that you would be able to.”

  Aria arched an eyebrow. “Wow, it always surprises me how perceptive you are, for someone who is always in his own world.”

  "That might be true, but I do pay attention to those I care about," said Mark with a broad smile.

  "..."

  Aria was caught off guard by Mark's sudden statement, she was able to perceive the frequencies, in terms of colors based on the visible light spectrum, she originally saw green when looking at Mark's heart; a color she related to acceptance but as the statement settled Mark's color shifted to a bright blue; a color she linked to love.

  A long silence hung between them, which Mark broke before it got too awkward.

  "So… how did you develop the ability to perceive emotions, exactly?"

  Aria exhaled, setting her sandwich down.

  “I’ve never told you this, but I started sensing frequencies as far back as I can remember. I could see all kinds of vibrations around people—colors hovering near their hearts that nobody else noticed. It was confusing at first. Even my parents weren’t sure what was going on.”

  She paused, glancing at him with a hesitant smile. “Back then, I didn’t have the words for it. I’d say things like ‘Why are you turning yellow?’ or ‘Why are you green now?’ and everyone thought I was daydreaming. Eventually, I realized I wasn’t just seeing random colors—I was picking up on the emotional frequencies people gave off.”

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  Mark leaned forward, curiosity lighting his eyes. “So you had to figure out how to make sense of it all?”

  Aria nodded. “Exactly. It was overwhelming—like a kaleidoscope I couldn’t turn off. Thanks to my parents I was able to find out more about my power. That’s why I started studying frequencies and signal processing when I was little. That’s why I started studying signal processing and frequencies when I was little. I needed a way to categorize these signals just to function, without experiencing sensory overload. If I wanted to walk into a crowded room without feeling everyone’s frequencies crash over me, not only from emotions but also from movements, sounds, and more. I had to learn the science behind to process what I was seeing.”

  Mark’s eyes widened. “That sounds intense.”

  Aria gave a small shrug. “It was, but once I learned how to process the frequencies in my environment it became much more manageable. As for reading the colors from emotion, I read in an old book that emotions carry certain frequencies that can be mapped to the visible light spectrum negative emotions tend to be on the red side while more positive emotions tend to be blue or getting closer to violet.”

  She smiled sheepishly. “Sometimes it can be hard to adjust to a new environment depending on noise levels and people, but it has become very manageable.”

  Mark’s expression softened. “I had no idea you went through that. You always seem so... in control.”

  Aria sighed, but there was a note of relief in her voice. “I will take that as a compliment. Anyway, that’s why I’m at this university, digging deeper into harmonic manipulation. The more precisely I can adjust frequencies, the better I can keep other people’s emotions from affecting me.”

  Aria added “If sometimes I act cold or unresponsive I want you to know that it is because I am dampening excessively as a protective measure to prevent overstimulation”

  They sat in silence for a moment. Finally, Mark offered a supportive grin. “Well, I’m glad you found a way to handle it. Thanks for telling me.”

  Aria returned his smile, her shoulders visibly relaxing. “You’re surprisingly easy to talk to, you know.”

  Mark chuckled. “I get that sometimes. By the way... what color is my brain right now? Or my gut, for that matter, can you read those too?”

  Aria laughed, the tension lifting. “I’m not scanning your insides—that’d be weird, even for me. Let’s just say your heart’s color is enough for now. Although now that you mention it I could probably try it.”

  They both shared a light smile. Around them, the bustle of passing students continued—a steady reminder of the busy world they inhabited, even as they savored a private moment of peacefulness. Which would come to an end shortly after that.