The following version of this story was used to create this guide: Rooney, Sally. "Color and Light." The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/03/18/color-and-light.

Note that parenthetical citations within the guide refer to the page number from which the quotation is taken.

"Color and Light" is a short story by Irish author Sally Rooney. In it, a young man named Aiden meets a woman named Pauline one evening while he is being driven home by his older brother, Declan. They exchange pleasantries in the car. Aidan learns that Pauline is a screenwriter. When he gets out of the car, Pauline does not say goodbye. A few weeks later, he sees her at his hotel, having dinner with a group of people he does not recognize. After the dinner, Pauline invites Aidan over to her apartment for a drink, but he declines.

Later, Aidan receives another ride home from his brother. This time, Pauline is laying down in the back seat. Declan tells Aidan to ignore her, but Pauline protests. She proceeds to flirt with Aidan and it frustrates Declan.

Two weeks later, Aidan runs into Pauline while he is walking on the beach after work. It is the closing night of an arts festival and there are fireworks going off in the sky. They discuss their lives and their different sources of disappointment with how they have turned out. Pauline invites Aidan over for a drink, and he accepts. At Pauline's house, they have a small argument, and Aidan leaves.

Months later, Pauline shows up at the hotel where Aidan works. She is with a man and she has a bloody nose. Aidan informs them that they do not have any rooms available for the night, and the man leaves angrily. Pauline pushes money and a note toward Aidan before she leaves. He gives the money to his coworker, but puts the note in his pocket before returning to work.