They Call Me Noah

Chapter 2

James's Pov: જ⁀➴ ⎚-⎚

I remember the first time I saw Noah. It was the beginning of junior year, and I was walking down the hallway with my friends, laughing about something stupid. And that's when I saw him- this pale, almost alien like figure standing by his locker, fumbling with his books. His white hair and light blue eyes made him stand out like a sore thumb. I felt this strange pull, something I couldn't quite understand.

When I saw him again during orientation, my heart had done a somersault. Noah was a deer-a delicate, skittish creature-while I was more like a bull in a china shop. A bull with biceps the size of tree trunks, mind you. But still, I was smitten. And when they assigned us as roommates, I'd practically high-fived the universe.

But I was James, the extroverted jock who'd bedded half the female population on campus, I wasn't attracted to no boy. Especially not one who looked like he couldn't lift a single dumbbell.

He's such a geek, I thought. A skinny, awkward geek. But even as the words formed in my mind, they started to shift. He's got... nice hair, though. And those eyes... they're kind of... pretty.

My eyes widen and my breath quickens as he bent forward to spit out the toothpaste. He was giving me a perfect view of his backside, almost like he was taunting me.

Why are you making me feel like this? This is wrong. It's so wrong.

Just then, Noah's voice cut through the silence, snapping me out of my reverie.

"James, why are you watching me?"

I scoffed as he catches me staring and I quickly looked away, feeling a flush of embarrassment creep up my neck.
I adjusted my arms across my chest to maintain my cool demeanor.

"As if..." I mumbled under my breath.

I tapped my foot impatiently on the floor as I felt my frustration mounting. Noah was taking forever, and I had better things to do than wait around.

"You planning to take all day? We're gonna be late if you don't move it." I tapped my wrist, where a watch would be if I actually wore one, trying to emphasize my point.

He looked up, startled, his eyes wide and nervous. "I'm coming!"

I rolled my eyes, my foot tapping faster now. "Move it! Move it! Move it!" I yelled, clapping loudly to hopefully speed the process.

Finally, I pushed off the wall and strode over to the hook where my motorbike keys hung. I grabbed them, the metal jingling in my hand.

"Let's go, man," I called out, my voice echoing in the hallway. I walked over to the front door and leaned against the frame, my arms crossed over my chest again. The keys dangled from my fingers, and I twirled them absentmindedly, trying to look casual despite my growing impatience.

Noah finally emerged, his face flushed and his movements hurried. He tried to move faster when he saw me signaling him to walk faster but in his rush, he tripped over his own feet.

"Tch-" I caught myself almost instinctively about to reach a hand out to prevent him from hitting the ground, but I stopped right before and crossed my arms instead.

I watched as he hit the floor, his books flying and my foot stopped its impatient tapping for a moment.

"At this rate, we'll be late for sure."

For someone who is so smart, he sure is clumsy.

𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋🎧ִྀི𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ་༘࿐౨🐇🖇️༄ 𝄞⨾𓍢ִ໋🎧ִֶָྀི𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ་༘ 𝄞