Dear Roommate Please Stop Being Hot [BL]
Chapter 47: In the Waiting

Chapter 47: In the Waiting

As they stepped out of the cafeteria, the buzz of conversations and the clatter of trays faded behind them.

The afternoon sun filtered through the tall windows, warm against the marble floor. Noel walked beside Lina, a book cradled under his arm, his pace naturally matching hers.

Neither of them spoke at first.

Lina finally sighed, She’s something, huh?

Noel’s lips twitched. Emily?

Yeah.

She’s... persistent.

And confident, Lina added, almost to herself.

Noel glanced sideways at her. You gave her your number.

Lina gave a small shrug. "Felt rude not to."

"Rude?" he teased, raising an eyebrow. "Or... curious?"

She looked up at him with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. "Maybe both. But don’t read into it too much."

He hummed in response, the sound quiet, thoughtful. Then: "You know Alex left because of her."

"I noticed," she admitted.

"Are you going to call Alex?"

Lina’s silence was enough of an answer.

They reached the library, glass doors opening with a soft hiss as they stepped inside.

The atmosphere shifted instantly — quieter, cooler, with the soft scent of old pages and coffee from the small corner kiosk.

Rows of books stretched across polished wooden shelves, and the afternoon light turned golden as it spilled in from the skylights.

Noel headed toward their usual study corner by the windows. Lina followed, sliding into the seat across from him.

"Do you think she’ll text me first?" Lina asked after a pause, fingers tracing the edge of her book.

"I think Emily doesn’t wait for anything," Noel said with a dry smile.

"She kind of reminds me of you," she said.

Noel raised a brow. "How?"

"She sees what she wants and just... goes for it."

Noel laughed softly. "That’s not me."

She looked at him, searching. "No?"

"I wait," he said. His eyes flicked toward the library entrance. "But that doesn’t mean I don’t want."

Lina tilted her head, curious. "You mean...?"

He opened his book before she could press further, eyes dropping to the page. "Nothing. Just talking."

She didn’t push.

But her eyes lingered on him a little longer — thoughtful, curious, and maybe just a little confused.

Outside, the sun dipped lower. And across the room, Emily’s number still sat fresh in her phone. Unused.

Emily twirled her phone between her fingers like a prize, a victorious smile curving her lips as she stood with Luca near the edge of the campus courtyard.

The late afternoon breeze caught the ends of her hair, but nothing could wipe the smug glow off her face.

"I told you I’d get it," she said, not even trying to hide the pride in her voice.

Luca leaned against the stone pillar, arms crossed, watching her with an amused half-smile. "You didn’t even give her a chance to breathe."

Emily shrugged. "That’s how you win. Fast. Clean. No confusion."

He shook his head with a soft laugh. "You call that clean?"

She winked. "You’ll see. That girl’s already thinking about me. Probably right now."

Luca didn’t argue. He was used to her confidence—it never surprised him anymore.

But today, there was a faint echo of something else beneath his amusement. Something he couldn’t name.

Emily tilted her head. "You’re quiet."

"I’m always quiet when you brag."

"You like watching, though," she said, stepping back, her heels clicking against the pavement. "And I know you liked seeing that."

"Maybe," he replied, but his tone was far off, distant.

Emily narrowed her eyes slightly, but didn’t press. "Anyway—mission accomplished. I’m heading out. My job here is done."

She spun on her heel with a satisfied smirk and waved over her shoulder. "Tell Noel I said hi."

And just like that, she disappeared down the walk, her confidence trailing behind her like perfume.

Luca stayed where he was, the sun dipping low behind him, shadows creeping across the campus.

As Emily vanished behind a row of hedges, the wind shifted — cooler, quieter. Luca stood still, her voice still echoing faintly behind his silence.

The courtyard felt oddly quiet now.

He pulled out his phone, glanced at it—not at a message, not a notification.

Just stared — not at anything in particular, but through everything.

Then he let out a sigh, pushed off the pillar, and walked slowly in the direction of the dorms.

His feet moved on instinct. His mind didn’t.

His thoughts... wandered like smoke — ungraspable, curling toward a name he didn’t want to admit lingered too long on his mind.

He keep walking.

He didn’t have a destination. Didn’t need one.

His hands were shoved deep into his pockets, his pace slow, steady, unconcerned with time.

The late afternoon sun scattered golden light across the campus paths, dousing everything in a warm, lazy glow.

Laughter echoed faintly from a distant lawn, a football being kicked, someone shouting for snacks.

Life moved around him, and yet Luca felt like he was walking beneath it all — like a spectator drifting through someone else’s world.

He passed the art building, the fountain where freshmen took cliché selfies, the vending machine that never worked...

He let his feet wander — maybe chasing clarity, or just running from thought.

His thoughts were a slow swirl—Noel’s steady voice from earlier that morning, Emily’s bold flirtation over lunch, Lina’s quiet smile, the movie night, the brush of Noel’s knee against his.

And then, before he realized it, he was near the edge of campus. The familiar skyline beyond the trees made him blink.

He knew that building.

Glass, steel, neat rows of tinted windows reflecting the soft orange sky—his father’s company.

Luca exhaled, almost a scoff.

Of course.

He hadn’t even noticed that his feet had led him here.

For a moment, he stood at the gate, head tilted slightly, hands still buried in his pockets.

He hadn’t been here in a while. Not since that last terse conversation in the office hallway, the usual clash between expectation and disappointment.

He wasn’t even sure why he’d come now. Maybe habit. Maybe curiosity. Maybe... something else.

He leaned against the rail outside, staring up at the building that once felt like the center of his future.

Now it was just a silhouette against the sky.

And he didn’t know if he wanted to step in—or walk away again.

He stop at the front eyes scanning the door.

The sliding glass doors parted with a soft hiss, and Luca stepped inside like he owned the floor.

He always walked like that — shoulders loose, head held with the kind of effortless confidence that couldn’t be taught.

Every receptionist glance, every passing intern whisper, seemed to flicker toward him.

But Luca didn’t pause for any of it. His rhythm was steady, casual, hands in his jacket pockets, a slow smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth.

He was heading straight for the top floor.

The elevator chimed, doors slid open, and with a quiet exhale, he stepped out.

Familiar dark wood walls, expensive lighting, a faint smell of paper and cologne—nothing had changed.

Just outside the office, Mr. Jeff stood beside Luca’s father, talking with a tablet in hand. Both of them turned at the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Look who crawled back," Mr. Jeff said first, brows lifting in mock surprise.

Luca flashed a grin. "Don’t look so shocked, Jeff. I still remember the building layout. Muscle memory."

His father raised a brow but said nothing at first. Just scanned him up and down, like he was checking for damage. Or disappointment.

"You’re early," he finally said.

"Early?" Luca scoffed, strolling closer. "It’s been months. I could’ve graduated and taken over by now. None of you bothered to check in. Thought I was disowned."

Mr. Jeff chuckled. "We figured you’d text when your coffee machine broke or you ran out of gym socks."

"And yet... nothing," Luca teased, hands spreading wide. "I leave for one semester and you all pretend I never existed."

His father folded his arms, eyes narrowing slightly. "You needed the space."

We thought distance would help you breathe again.

"Oh please," Luca said, lips twitching into a grin. "You just liked the quiet."

Mr. Jeff stepped in with a smirk. "He definitely liked the coffee lasting longer in the break room."

Luca laughed under his breath, something about the air shifting—playful, but not quite warm.

He leaned back slightly against the desk, crossing one ankle over the other. "Well. Here I am. Aren’t you both thrilled?"

"You hungry?" Mr. Jeff asked casually. "We had some sushis here. Still pretending to be a vegetarian, or that phase passed?"

Luca pointed at him. "Still going strong, but nice of you to remember."

His father gave a quiet sigh, but there was a tiny flicker in his eyes—relief, maybe. Or just tolerance wrapped in years of love he refused to admit out loud.

"So?" Luca asked, gaze sweeping the office slowly. "What’s new? Or is everything exactly as boring as I left it?"

As soon as his father’s office door closed behind him with a soft click, the room relaxed like it exhaled.

Luca sighed dramatically and tossed himself into the leather chair across from Mr. Jeff’s desk, one leg slung lazily over the armrest.

"Finally," he muttered. "I forgot how stiff he gets when someone under thirty breathes near him."

Jeff chuckled, tapping a few things on his tablet before setting it aside. "He’s mellowed out since you left. You should’ve seen him last month—he actually laughed. Once."

"Laughed?" Luca blinked, mock gasp. "Are you sure he wasn’t choking?"

Jeff smirked. "Trust me, I double-checked."

Luca relaxed deeper into the seat, gaze flicking toward the shelves lined with awards and old photographs. "Place hasn’t changed at all."

"Not much does," Jeff said. "Except you, maybe."

Luca turned his head, one brow raised. "That a compliment or a warning?"

Jeff leaned back in his chair, watching him. "Just an observation. You seem... steadier."

"Steadier," Luca repeated, almost tasting the word. "That’s a new one."

"So?" Jeff tilted his head. "How’s life back at campus? You’re not skipping class like you used to, I hear."

"Wow," Luca grinned. "You’ve got spies now?"

"Emily talks. And I know George."

Luca rolled his eyes. "Of course you do."

Jeff shrugged. "What can I say? I keep tabs."

There was a beat of silence, then Jeff added more softly, "You okay over there, Luca? Really?"

Luca hesitated, fingers idly picking at a thread on the chair’s seam.

"It’s weird," he said finally. "College used to feel like a break from all this. Now it feels more like... a pause I’m not ready to unpause."

Jeff didn’t interrupt. He just listened the way he always had, like there was no timer on his attention.

"I’ve got this roommate," Luca added, eyes narrowed slightly, like he was trying to make sense of something unsaid. "Total opposite of me. Quiet. Uptight. Kinda infuriating. But also..."

Jeff raised an eyebrow, smiling. "But also?"

Luca gave a half-shrug. "He waited for me this morning. Never does that."

"Ah," Jeff said knowingly. "The small things."

"Don’t start," Luca groaned, burying his face briefly in his hands. "You’re worse than Emily."

"I’m just saying." Jeff leaned forward, elbows on the desk. "When the small things start to matter, that’s when you know."

Luca let that sit for a second.

Then he smiled, soft and lopsided. "Still annoying how you’re always right."

Jeff winked. "It’s my job."