The clock on the wall ticked faintly, too subtle to disturb but just enough to remind them time was moving, even if neither of them really wanted it to.
Luca stretched his legs out and leaned back on his elbows, sipping his coffee lazily. "You know," he said, staring at the ceiling, "I used to hate quiet rooms."
Noel looked up from his cup. "You don't seem to hate this one."
"I don't." Luca turned his head toward him. "That's the weird part. It's like… it doesn't feel empty here. Just… calm."
Noel gave a soft, breathy chuckle. "That's because I'm in it. I balance your chaos."
"Oh?" Luca smirked. "So you admit I'm chaotic?"
Noel took another sip of his coffee before answering, "I'm saying if this room had two of me, it would implode from boredom. You're the chaos. I'm the reset button."
Luca rolled onto his side, propping himself on one elbow now, his expression playful but thoughtful. "Ever think we balance each other a little too well?"
Noel didn't answer right away. He looked out the window, where the sun filtered in like soft honey over the wooden floor. "Some things don't need thinking," he murmured, almost to himself.
Silence followed—but not awkward. It was full of breath and meaning, like they both knew the conversation had taken a step deeper.
Luca reached for the sketchpad resting on his side table—one he barely ever touched—and flipped it open. "I saw your little drawing the other day," he said casually.
Noel raised a brow. "You snoop."
"It was on your desk."
"In a closed book."
Luca gave a dramatic shrug. "Details."
Noel laughed under his breath. "What did you think?"
"I think your sketch of that alley café near the back gate is better than the real thing." He paused. "Draw me sometime?"
Noel looked at him, a flicker of something unreadable in his expression. "You'd sit still long enough for that?"
"If you ask nicely," Luca teased.
Noel looked down at his drink, then back at Luca. "One day," he said, a little softer than necessary.
"Promise?"
Noel didn't nod. He didn't have to. It was in the way his eyes lingered, in the quiet curve of his lips.
A breeze rustled the curtains slightly. Somewhere in the distance, students laughed on the lawn below.
But inside the room, it felt like another world — one built on glances, half-said things, and the slow rhythm of something blooming.
Later that afternoon, the soft glow of golden hour draped itself over the dorm room.
Noel had settled at his desk, headphones on, humming faintly to a playlist as he typed—lost in whatever world he was crafting on his screen.
Luca lay sprawled across his bed, phone forgotten beside him, eyes drifting toward Noel.
The warmth of the coffee had faded, but in its place lingered something heavier, unspoken.
Then, his phone lit up. Jordan. The name alone pulled something up from his gut.
His thumb hovered over the screen, jaw tightening. Outside, a gust rattled the windowpane, like the moment needed a voice.
"Yo," he said, voice steady but lower than usual.
"Luca!" Jordan's voice boomed on the other end, casual and chaotic as ever. "Where've you been, man? Vanished."
Luca grinned faintly. "Been around. College life. You know."
"Tonight," Jordan cut in, "you're coming. No excuses. We're hitting that bar near the river, just like old times."
Luca's heart stuttered. He shifted on the bed, sat up. His gaze flicked to Noel—still absorbed in whatever he was doing.
"I don't know," Luca said slowly. "I… might've had plans tonight."
"With who?"
Noel's laugh—quiet and airy—escaped from his headphones at that exact moment. Luca's eyes softened.
"Just… someone."
Jordan didn't even blink. "Then bring them. Or ditch 'em. But don't bail. Come on. I haven't seen you in weeks. I got stories, man."
Luca sighed. Deep, conflicted. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Alright. Fine. Just for a bit."
"That's what I like to hear! 7 PM. Don't ghost me."
The call ended before Luca could say anything else.
He stared at his screen for a moment, thumb tapping the edge, thoughts flickering too fast to name.
Then Noel turned, pulling off his headphones with a smile. "I was thinking…" he started, "movie night later?"
Luca blinked, caught.
"…Oh."
Noel tilted his head, smile fading just slightly. "What?"
Luca scratched his jaw, tried to sound casual. "Jordan just called. He wants to meet at the bar tonight."
"Oh." Noel looked down, covering it quickly. "That's fine. You should go."
Luca sat up straighter. "I didn't say I'm not watching the movie. I'll just be a little late, maybe."
Noel shrugged, a little too light. "You don't have to force it, Luca."
"I'm not forcing anything," he said, a bit too fast.
The room went still again, the air denser this time.
Luca stood, stretched like nothing was wrong. "I won't be long," he said, heading to the closet. "Just a drink. Catch up. That's all."
Noel didn't answer, just put his headphones back on and turned to his screen, but his hands rested still on the keyboard.
Luca stayed seated, phone still in hand, its weight suddenly real.
Across the room, Noel had turned back to his laptop, but his fingers barely moved over the keys.
Neither of them spoke.
A soft breeze drifted through the window, rustling the curtains just enough to break the stillness.
Outside, the world buzzed on as usual—but in here, time felt reluctant to pass.
Luca cleared his throat. "It's not until later."
Noel didn't turn. "Hm?"
"The bar thing," Luca said, quieter this time. "With Jordan. It's not until seven."
"Oh," Noel muttered. "Cool."
Luca exhaled, then leaned back on his hands. "We've been friends since forever," he added, as if that explained anything. "Jordan and i."
Noel finally looked up, eyes flickering. "I know."
"I'm not ditching the movie," Luca said.
Noel didn't look up. "Didn't say you were."
"But you thought it."
Noel's shrug said more than words.
The words landed too light for how heavy they felt.
Luca studied him, trying to read the slope of his shoulders, the quiet restraint in his voice.
Noel was good at that—masking things with casualness. Luca used to find it admirable. Now, it kind of made his chest ache.
Luca studied him, trying to read the slope of his shoulders, the quiet restraint in his voice.
He didn't know when casual had started feeling like a wall.
He stood slowly and walked toward the mini-fridge in the corner, pulled out a water bottle, and offered it across the room.
"You thirsty?"
Noel glanced, hesitated, then accepted. Their fingers brushed.
"Thanks."
Luca didn't move back to his bed. Instead, he leaned against the desk beside Noel's, sipping his own drink.
"You ever been to that bar by the river?" he asked after a beat.
Noel shook his head. "Not my thing."
Luca gave a lopsided grin. "Yeah, I figured. You're more of a 'read-quietly-and-ignore-the-world' guy."
Noel smirked. "And you're more of a 'cause-a-scene-then-laugh-about-it' guy."
Luca laughed, not denying it.
A long pause.
Then, quietly, Noel said, "You don't have to explain anything to me, Luca. We're just… sharing space."
Luca's smile faltered. The word just echoed in his head.
He wanted to say something. That it wasn't just sharing space.
That lately, the space between them felt like something electric and strange and magnetic.
But instead, he leaned in, fingers brushing Noel's desk, close enough to see the faint glow of the laptop screen reflecting in Noel's eyes.
"You sure you don't want to come?"
Noel raised a brow. "To a bar?"
"Yeah."
"I'd rather wrestle a bear."
Luca laughed again—this time for real—and that laughter seemed to loosen something in the air.
"Fine," he said, straightening up. "But I'm getting you out one of these nights. No books. No laptop. Just me and you and loud, regrettable decisions."
Noel tilted his head. "You want me to regret you?"
That made Luca blink, then smile again—slower, softer. "Maybe not regret. Just… remember."
Noel looked down at his bottle, the corners of his lips twitching. "You're ridiculous."
"And yet," Luca said, gesturing dramatically, "here I am. Irresistible."
Noel finally laughed, light and real.
Outside, the sun dipped lower, painting the sky in soft pinks and violets. The clock read just past 6:00.
Luca hadn't left yet.
And for a moment longer, he wasn't sure if he wanted to.
Luca checked the time again — 6:23 PM.
He groaned under his breath, dragging his feet toward the closet, pulling out a simple black tee and a denim jacket.
"Why do I even have to look decent for Jordan," he muttered, holding the shirt up, pretending it was a life-or-death decision.
Noel, still sitting at his desk, glanced over. "Because you're vain."
"I'm fashion-conscious," Luca corrected, tossing the shirt onto the bed and rifling through the drawer for jeans. "It's a curse."
Noel leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "It's dinner, not a red carpet."
Luca snorted. "You think Jordan won't judge if I show up looking like I just rolled out of bed?"
"You did just roll out of bed."
"Details," Luca waved it off. "He always acts chill, but you know he'll say something shady like 'Wow, didn't know homeless was in this year.'"
Noel smirked, but didn't look away.
Luca tugged off his shirt without a second thought, pulling the new one over his head. "Anyway, I won't stay long. Just dinner, maybe a drink, then I'm out."
"Right."
"I'll be back by eight. We still have a movie to finish."
Noel blinked, like the reminder had surprised him. "You remembered?"
Luca paused as he buttoned up the jacket. "Of course I did."
Noel looked away quickly, busying himself with his phone. "I thought you might stay out late."
Luca studied him. "Noel."
"Yeah?"
"I'm not blowing this off."
The words hung in the air, casual yet heavier than they sounded.
Noel gave a half-shrug. "I didn't say you were."
"But you thought it."
A pause. Noel's eyes flicked up. "Maybe."
Luca smiled as he stepped into his sneakers. "You always act like you don't care, but I know when you're sulking."
"I'm not sulking."
"You totally are.
Luca paused as Noel glanced up again—half amused, half vulnerable.
And that look said more than anything either of them had managed to say all day.
Noel narrowed his eyes, then muttered, "Just don't come back drunk and loud."
"I'm not drinking," Luca said, slipping his phone into his pocket. "I'm literally just going to keep Jordan from feeling abandoned."
He turned toward the mirror, ruffling his hair. "And then I'm coming back, we're watching that movie, and you're not allowed to fall asleep halfway through."
"Depends on the movie," Noel said. "If it sucks, I'm out."
"Rude," Luca scoffed. "You didn't seem too bored last night when we were this close to getting misty-eyed over that train scene."
"That was one good scene," Noel muttered. "The rest was average."
"You're impossible."
"And you're late."
Luca checked the time again. 6:41.
He reached for the doorknob, then stopped. Looked back.
His hand paused on the doorknob. Behind him, Noel was scrolling through his phone like it meant something. Luca blinked, then exhaled. He still had time to change his mind.
"You sure you'll still be up when I get back?"
Noel shrugged again, but this time, there was a softness in it. "If you're not too slow."
Luca's grin curved, quiet and boyish. "I won't be."
Luca added, smirking, "remember your promise.
"What promise?" "To draw me, remember?"
Noel's lips quirked, but he didn't answer. He didn't have to.
Then, he opened the door and stepped into the hallway, leaving behind a room still warm with unspoken things.
And a promise hanging in the air like the scent of coffee still lingering from earlier.
As the door clicked shut behind Luca, the room sank into stillness.
Noel didn't move at first. He just sat there, phone still in hand, screen dimmed to black.
The silence wasn't heavy—just... full. Like something had been left behind.
He glanced at the door.
"Just friends," he muttered under his breath, almost mocking the words. "Jordan's just a friend."
His thumb hovered over his phone screen, then tapped it.
Notifications flickered on. Messages. A couple memes from Alex. A reply to his story. Nothing from Luca. Not that he expected anything.
Still.
He tossed the phone onto his bed and leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. The fan spun lazily, tracing circles he couldn't follow.
That guy. That damn guy.
Always so sure of himself, always walking around like the world didn't shake him.
Always quick with that lazy smirk, like nothing could ever get close enough to touch.
And yet—
"I'm not blowing this off."
Noel exhaled through his nose, not quite a laugh, but something close.
A quiet smirk tugged at the corner of his lips before he could stop it.
He remembered the way Luca had said it. Like it mattered. Like the movie, the night, the moment—it all had weight. And Luca wasn't the type to carry things lightly unless he wanted to.
Noel shook his head, then stood, slowly peeling off his hoodie and tossing it on the chair.
He walked toward the window and leaned his forehead against the cool glass.
From here, the streetlights looked like fireflies pinned to the pavement.
He wondered where Luca was now—maybe at the entrance to the bar, maybe already seated, maybe laughing that easy laugh of his with Jordan, who was all cool edges and biting charm.
Noel pressed his lips together.
He didn't want to admit he cared. That would make it real.
He turned away from the window and climbed into bed, grabbing his phone again.
No messages.
Noel opened their old chat anyway, staring at the last sticker Luca sent him three days ago — a dumb frog with sunglasses and a peace sign.
He almost sent something back.
But he didn't.
Instead, he dropped the phone on the pillow beside him and rolled onto his side, facing the wall.
A soft smile lingered, stubbornly, at the edge of his mouth.
He remembered.
And maybe that was enough.
For now.