“If
you were going to move out you certainly could have done much worse,” Kenji’s
father chuckled. “So, do we get to meet who you’ll be living with? I’m curious
to see how this matching process turned out. I, for one, will be eager to read
the journals if Professor Grisham gets his results published. I don’t see why
he wouldn’t, this is a marvelous idea.”
“Yeah,
its, something anyway,” Kenji said with a sigh. “Not sure about you guys
meeting Koda though. He doesn’t seem extremely interested in interacting.”
“Not
everyone is as instantly outgoing as you Kenji,” His father laughed. “I believe
if you put your mind to it, you could befriend a porcupine.”
“We
might finally have the opportunity to find out,” Kenji muttered.
“Don’t
be that way, son. It’s a good thing you’re doing. It feels like you’re finally
willing to move forward from the accident. Why don’t you go and ask him again to
come out? Could be he’s just shy and needs a bit of extra encouragement.”
“All
right. I’ll try but I don’t promise anything,” Kenji remarked, heading once
more for the door at the end of the hall. Along the way he found the laundry room,
pleased that he wouldn’t have to cart his things home to get them cleaned.
Rapping on Koda’s door, he expected a verbal answer, not the sight of a
scowling Koda in a t-shirt that read My dragon can beat up your unicorn.
He had purple fuzzy slippers on and a screwdriver in his hand.
“Hey,
um, my parents would like to meet you, see who I’ll be living with for the next
year,” Kenji hurried to explain as Koda’s scowl only grew deeper.
“No
thanks, I really can’t right now,” Koda moved to shut the door, but Kenji
shoved his prosthetic hand against it to hold it open. He could see the shock
in Koda’s eyes as he stared from the hand to his face and back again.
“You’re
being extremely rude,” Kenji remarked. “I don’t think it’s too much to ask …”
“You
know what’s rude?” Koda cut him off. “Expecting others to react the way you
think they should. I said no. I even said thanks. I meant both. Now, can you
leave me alone for the rest of the night, please?”
“With
pleasure,” Kenji huffed before turning and stalking back up the hall. He found
his family in the kitchen with the freezer door open, his mother staring into
the depths with a frown on her face.
“You
can forget about meeting him today,” Kenji informed them.
When
he’d arrived home, he’d thought he was alone, until he’d looked out the patio
window to see Koda and his friend sitting around the fire pit smoking. He
hadn’t even realized Koda smoked. From where he sat, he could see that Koda’s
friend had brown curls spilling from around the edges of their hat, light mocha
skin and round glasses that took up most of their face.
He
wondered what it said about him that he watched them and saw how energetically
engaged Koda was with his friend and wondered what it would take to get him to
be that guy with him. Dr. Frank would likely tell him that he was trying to
form an unhealthy dependency on his roommate rather than catch up with his own
friends whom he’d grown more and more distant from with every passing year.
He’d be right too, but Kenji couldn’t help the feelings of loneliness he’d been
filled with the past week. It was beginning to seem like the experiment wasn’t
a good idea at all. His nightmares were getting more frequent, as was his
restlessness. Short of a good, long workout or managing to pin a pliant,
willing body beneath him for a hard fuck, he couldn’t think of any other way to
get himself settled down again. Maybe if the yard wasn’t as full of snow…
He
tucked that thought away for another time, and instead turned his focus back to
the book he’d been reading before he noticed them.
Every
now and again he heard giggles or outright laughter, the occasional thump and his
cheeks heated at one point thinking about what they might be doing when he
heard Koda moan, hiss and ask the other person if he’d told them he loved them
today, a statement that was met with even more laughter.
They
were still giggling when they came back up the hall arm in arm, right past Kenji
on the couch without a word of acknowledgement and headed straight for the
breakfast nook. Kenji took note of Avery’s smaller statue. They were skinny as
a rail even in a baggy sweater. He watched as they went to the fridge and
pulled out a brown bag while Koda went to the cupboard for bowls and plates. They’d
yet to notice him so he stayed put and stuck his head back in the book.
Every
now and again he glanced up, noting that they’d managed to get food plated, and
were sitting across from one another, an iPod between them and one ear bud in
each of their ears. The way both had
their heads bent over something in front of them, working intently while they
ate. A habit then, Kenji decided. The difference was they answered one another
in whole sentences the rare times one of them spoke, something he failed to get
from Koda when he walked past them an hour later to start putting together his
own meal. In fact, he only got a muttered grunt as Koda kept writing in his
notebook.
“Seriously
do not have to be such a jerk all the time,” Kenji grumbled beneath his breath
as he continued prepping his food. Of course, even that didn’t warrant a
response, or any sign that he’d heard. As soon as Kenji finished cooking, he
stomped off to his room to throw heavier clothes on and head outside, hoping
the crisp winter air would help him clear his head while he ate.
He
was on the porch swing staring off over the horizon when Avery stepped out the front
door, narrowing their eyes as soon as their gaze landed on him.
“I
heard what you said.”
The
voice was soft, high, and full of reproach. Joy. “And?” he asked with a
sigh.
“It
was rude.”
“So
is constantly being ignored.”
“Look,
Koda doesn’t talk a lot and he’s not particularly good at social interaction,
but he’s not a jerk either, he just tends to really get into what he’s doing. If
he’s not looking at you, don’t assume he’s listening to you.”
Running
his fingers through his hair Kenji sighed, “It’s been a rough few days is all.”
“Well,
don’t take them out on Koda, or you won’t like the result.”
Now
that got Kenji bristling. “Is that supposed to be a threat?”
“You
can take it how you want it, but don’t be like other people and give him a hard
time. I’ll be around a lot, and I don’t mess around when people insult my
friends.”
“I’ll
keep that in mind.”
“See
that you do. I’m Avery by the way, and you’re Kenji. Now that we’ve been introduced,
I’ve got to get going, but don’t forget what I said.”
“I
won’t.”
“Good,
because if you mess with him, I will find out. He sucks at hiding his feelings,
so watch it.”
Kenji
nodded at that as the intense ball of energy went on their way up the walk,
leaving him plenty to think about, especially regarding how difficult others
might have made things for Koda for Avery to be so protective of him.
Love in Shimmering Chartreuse can be found on Amazon here!
Titled A Social Experiment, the project pairs total strangers up to live together for a year either in groups of two or three. During that time, they are to record their experiences while performing a series of tasks outlined in the trial plan. It seemed simple enough until Koda found himself overwhelmed on moving-in day, leading him to get off on the wrong foot with new housemate Kenji.
All of his life, Kenji excelled at Tae Kwon Do, competing from a young age and quickly moving up in the ranks. His hard work and rigorous daily routine earned him accolades in regional and national-level competitions. As a second-degree black belt, he’d hoped to earn the opportunity to try out for the US Olympic team, only to have an accident cost him his chance at competing, as well as his left arm. Now, three years after his accident, he’s made a new life for himself, and while he still harbors bitterness over the loss of his dream, he’s hoping this experiment will be just the thing he needs to help him take that last leap back to living independently.
It’s a rocky road, gelling with one another, and dealing with each’s insecurities and triggers, but as each day ticks past, one question remains: where will they go when the experiment comes to an end?
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