True Intention

Ch 4- Is it just me, or do I care too much?

Soren POV

I woke up with a massive physical reminder of my new obsession for Naomi. Thank God we have our own bathrooms, so I could take care of myself before going down for coffee. Fastest I ever came in my life, just thinking about her. Somehow, I felt if any of us had an obvious situation below the belt, the girl would run out of the house screaming. I hoped my friends remembered there was a girl in the house, too, and didn't walk around half naked or something lame like that.

As much as I was interested in her, s**t like that wasn't cool.

I wanted her to actually like us.

Not them too much, but they were my best friends, so inevitably she'd be around them if I got my way.

I grabbed my signature black Techwear cargoes, black buckled boots, and a buttery soft dark gray tee. My zippered hoodie hung downstairs by the door waiting for me. I decided to forego styling products and just let my blond undercut hair fall half into my face. I spritzed myself with my cologne, swiped on some deodorant, and called it good. Taking a deep breath, I left my room and hopped down the stairs to start my cup of coffee in the Keurig. Don't get me wrong, I love buying me a latte or whatever here and there, but basic coffee with my creamer of choice was just fine too. We kept four flavors in stock at all times. French Vanilla, Hazelnut, Irish Cream, and Caramel.

I might have mixed flavors here and there to change things up. What? I get inspired. Caramel Hazelnut doesn't exactly come in any other format.

Luck was on my side as I saw my new favorite roommate making her coffee when I walked in. Looks like she was still hiding, but I was okay with that. Last thing I needed was a s**t-ton of competition, though that was still likely regardless. Art majors know more about proportions than the average person... you just have to in order to get anywhere near being an artist... so if I saw through her oversize flannel and hoodie combo, others did too. I wanted to tell her that she might have had more luck if she'd also chosen some super baggy pants, but let it be. The shapely legs her skinny jeans did nothing to hide were a dead giveaway that she had more going on underneath the layers than she let on.

And certainly, I wasn't in any hurry to see less of her.

No, I definitely wanted to see more. Lots more.

As in, all. Yup.

"Good morning, Roomie." I said in a moderate, relaxed tone. She just nodded. I was totally not relaxed. Not a bit. I was feeling weirdly jittery, something that was totally new for me. I was not the kind of guy that got twitchy over girls, and yet here I was.

Twitch-a-saurus Rex.

I wanted her to look at me and maybe smile, at least. An expression I'd yet to see, yet felt a compulsive need to try and put on her face. She peered at me over a mint green coffee mug that read f**k Off in pretty Gothic script. Definitely her cup. I noticed her nails were perfect, shiny black, just to the end of her finger. It made it obvious she used her hands a lot, but also cared for herself. "Sooo... Saw the tats last night, curious as to what they mean, if you don't mind sharing." She sighed as if I'd asked her to shovel s**t for twenty horse stalls.

"Okay, sure. Um, the one on my... "She hesitated. "Umm..."

"Thigh?" I provided.

"Yeah, um that one is a Japanese saying. Well, they are all Japanese sayings, in kanji. Anyway, the one on my thigh says ***に*らず・Fukusui bon'ni kaerazu. You cannot put water back in the basin. It is the equivalent of don't cry over spilt milk. The one on my back says *に**・Neko ni koban. A cat with gold coins. This one basically means don't waste time on people that don't value you. The one of my rib cage says **は*わねど***・Bushi ha kuwa nedo taka yōji. The literal translation is A Samurai pretends, even when he is hungry, by holding a toothpick between his teeth. Meaning, don't let others see your pain because you have your pride." Well that certainly is a lot to unpack. I went the easy route, for now.

"You seem to really have a thing for Japanese stuff." I commented. Brilliant. Great way to show I'm really paying attention, right? Yeah, even I don't think so. Definitely not winning any awards for witty repartee. My mother would smack me across the back of my head, with love, of course. And big shocker, she nods. I know enough to realize if I want her to open up, saying s**t that only requires a yes or no was getting me nowhere. "You wanna walk to class together, since we literally share all of them and live in the same place?" I asked, hoping my logic was decently infallible.

"No, thanks." Was all she said as she washed out her cup and walked out of the kitchen. Archer and Enzo walked in, cringing. Enzo patted my shoulder.

"That, Bro? That was painful." He said, grinning. Apparently, they'd been listening outside the door while I tried to chat up our new roomie. I sighed, thrusting my hand through my hair.

"Sorry man, I have to agree." Archer said as he stole my place in line for the Keurig. Dammit!

"Look, you guys know that while girls might throw themselves my direction here and there, I'm clueless at hitting on, wooing, or whatever you kids these days are calling it to attempt starting something with a girl. Janet's crazy ass did all the work there. I'm the first to admit I have got zero game." I huffed. I know it sounds whiny, but seriously, how are you supposed to learn this s**t?

"Being broody only goes so far." Enzo said happily, wagging his finger between Archer and me. I crossed my arms and leaned onto the counter. This guy was such an oddball, and I swear his mouth was a mile ahead of his brain.

"And when was the last time you successfully picked up a girl that was not drunk, O Master of Flirtation?" I tossed back at him sarcastically. He just shrugged like it didn't matter a bit that the answer was one at the most.

"Enough to keep myself cheerful, that's for sure." He grinned, grabbing an apple and heading out the door. Archer moved away from the Keurig, and I took my place before the hallowed machine.

But of course, it needed water. Ugh.

My day was not starting out so well. Archer stood watching me carefully. We'd been best friends since we could remember. Enzo had stuck to us like a barnacle in seventh grade, inserting himself as our third musketeer without our permission. We figured he'd move on once he realized that for all our good looks, we were total nerds. He didn't. Archer was as close to a male soul mate as I could get, really, and if I'd considered swinging towards males, the only one I'd trust.

Sounds weird, I know, but that's just how it is. He had earned it.

"You know, Ren, she's going to take time to warm up to you. She reminds me of that girl, ummmm, Sarah Emmett. In our high school, you know, the one that got picked on and probably victimized pretty bad? We tried to help her but she just could never trust anyone, never told anyone what was going on." He said softly. Sarah was a nice, pretty girl. Quiet. She had somehow ended up becoming a bullying target, and after we witnessed her getting pushed around by a group of girls, we reported it. Only, Sarah refused to do anything, so it went nowhere. The way she had flinched around boys had made the three of us sure worse things had and were still happening. We had no proof, and the victim refused to take action, so we were stuck. My hand clenched around my coffee cup.

I hated feeling like there was nothing I could do.

"There is no way I will stand by and let something like that happen again, not on my watch." I ground out. No way was anyone hurting Naomi. Not ever again, not on my watch.

Even if I was unlucky and we were merely acquaintances... I'd protect her from behind the scenes and destroy anyone that tried to give her any s**t. There was a gentleness to her under that prickly mantle she wore to protect herself. Someone that needed people to have her back so she could be herself and feel safe. I was not going to let something like Sara's case happen again, if I could help it.

"You'll be stuck if she doesn't want to do anything about it, though." Archer said gently. "Again." We could both hear her footfalls upstairs as she gathered her stuff to leave. "Look, man, I'm behind you, and you know Enzo is too. Just don't push her for more than she can give, you know?" He patted my shoulder once again as he left the kitchen, off to class.

The man was so empathetic it could be annoying, but I knew for all he was saying one thing, he'd totally bend over backwards to keep her safe too, just like Enzo. There's a reason why we're friends. Our thought processes are quite similar, and we typically shared the same opinion on most things, from gender issues to religion, to politics. If any of us was going to push a point for the fun of it, that would be Enzo.

I went to the hall where my bag sat, ready to go. I sighed as I shrugged on my black Techwear hoodie with asymmetrical zips. No point in waiting at the door, I suppose. I went outside and hid slightly around the corner of the house. I fully intended to follow her and make sure whatever the hell had her on edge was not a problem. Enzo would say I was trying too hard to save people again.

There was just no way I could let this, or her, go. Nope, not happening.

As she exited, I subtly followed at a distance, darting behind trees, bushes, and buildings when Naomi, who seemed to have her head on swivel, would dart a look my way. Guess she knew when she was being watched, but I wasn't going to stop.

You know those moments in life when you're so certain of one thing, only to be forced to watch something dreadful happen in front of you, practically in slow motion?

Yeah, well, apparently I had distracted Naomi so much just having eyes on her, that she wasn't properly looking forward. I saw the accident coming long before she did. One of those girls that thought Barbie in the form of a doll was her hair and skin tone goals, was headed straight for Naomi flapping her jaws. Shape wise, she didn't have a single curve, almost looking like she'd somehow missed puberty.

I cringed when Naomi ran into her, knowing from the girl's face this was no good.

I turned on my body cam, just in case.

I got your back, baby.