Everyone said Eli Soren looked just like his mother.
 Same honey skin. Same big doe eyes that made strangers stop mid-sentence. Same soft jaw, same full lips, same way of existing in a room that made people look twice and then a third time just to be sure.
He'd heard it his whole life. He was used to it.
What he wasn't used to was leaving.
At eighteen, Eli packs one duffel bag, kisses his mother goodbye, and steps through the gates of Braedon University — where nobody knows his name yet, but they will. They always do.

There's Noel — his childhood best friend, tall and quiet and looking at Eli like he's trying to memorize something before it disappears. He hasn't said a word in two years. But he will.
There's Zane— sweet and soft and the first person on campus to see Eli as something worth photographing. Worth keeping. Or so Eli thinks.
There's Marcus — dangerous and temporary and exactly the kind of beautiful mistake that leaves marks.
 And there's Damon — who starts with a shoulder check in the hallway and ends up somewhere neither of them planned.
 Four years. Four men. One boy who just wants to get through his degree without his heart falling apart.
He doesn't quite manage it.

  Mature Content | BL / MM Romance | Slow Burn | Campus Life | Multiple Love Interests
This story contains explicit language, sexual content, and emotional themes. Intended for readers 18+

Hey, you. Yeah, you the one who clicked on a title called Soft Like Mama and thought "okay I need to know what this is about."


Welcome. You're going to have feelings here. I'm not sorry about that.


This story has been living in my head for a while — a boy who looks like his mother, who goes to university and discovers that being perceived is very different from being known. It's funny in places. It's messy in others. There are moments that will make you want to throw something, and moments that might make you cry in the most inconvenient locations.


 A few housekeeping things before we dive in:


 ⚠️This story is rated Mature. It contains sexual content, strong language, and emotional situations including infidelity (not by the MC) and depictions of emotional distress. If any of those are not for you, no pressure. But if you're here for the full ride, buckle up.


💬 Comments mean everything.  Tell me which character you're already suspicious of. Tell me who you ship. Fight in the comments section,  respectfully — I love reading every single one.


 🎵 This chapter's mood song: "Fallingforyou" — The 1975


Chapter 1 - Author's note