Dear Roommate Please Stop Being Hot [BL]
Chapter 59: Timing

Chapter 59: Timing

The room buzzed with soft conversation, pages turning, and the occasional clack of laptop keys.

Fluorescent lights glowed above, casting a sterile sort of calm over the group of four seated around the square table.

Noel sat with his back straight, fingers laced neatly in front of him as he listened to one of his groupmates speak.

His laptop sat open, a few handwritten notes placed beside it, his pen tapping gently—once, twice—before he finally spoke.

"I think we’re overcomplicating it," he said, glancing toward the shared slide deck on the screen.

"This section doesn’t need that many charts. If we tighten it, keep it visual but clear, it’ll hit harder."

Across from him, Sam—an overachiever with a tendency to take over—frowned slightly. "But I already pulled the data. Cutting it makes it feel incomplete."

"It’s not about cutting," Noel said calmly. "It’s about focus. If we spend too long explaining every angle, we’ll lose their attention before the second part even starts."

The other two nodded—Mara gave a small hum of agreement while Eli leaned forward, eyeing the slide.

"Yeah, Noel’s right. That second chart is kind of repetitive."

Noel didn’t smile, but his shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Alright, fine," Sam said with a breath, dragging her laptop closer. "We’ll trim it down. But I’m not killing the stat about market fluctuation—it’s my favorite graph."

"Keep the graph," Noel replied. "Just don’t make it a speech."

Mara chuckled under her breath. "God, I wish you were in all my groups."

Noel gave her a faint, almost surprised glance, then looked away. "I don’t."

Eli laughed, elbowing Mara. "Fair. He likes his peace."

They worked for another thirty minutes. The quiet sort of rhythm Noel liked: focused, purposeful.

He handled transitions, helped format slides, revised bullet points without being asked.

And no one argued when he suggested color schemes. Subtle leadership without the spotlight.

When the last change was saved and the shared folder updated, Eli leaned back with a groan.

"That’s enough academia for a lifetime."

Sam cracked her knuckles. "Presentation’s due Thursday. Should we meet again before that?"

Noel shook his head. "I’ll clean the formatting tonight. Just send your scripts. We’ll rehearse once before class. It’ll hold."

They agreed, packing up slowly. Sam left first, followed by Mara.

Eli lingered a second, giving Noel a curious look.

"You always this efficient?"

Noel zipped up his bag. "Only when I don’t want to see the same slides again."

Eli grinned. "Duly noted."

Noel stepped out of the building, blinking against the soft daylight.

The air tasted clean after hours under fluorescent lights—like a pause between two lives.

He took a long breath.

The sun was already beginning to dip behind the buildings, spilling warm light across the benches scattered under the tall trees.

Noel spotted Alex waiting just ahead, leaning on the edge of a low wall, phone in hand.

"Hey," Noel called softly.

Alex looked up, smiling. "Group thing wrapped up?"

"Yeah," Noel said, stuffing his hands into his hoodie pocket as they started walking together down the quiet path. "It took longer than I thought. One of the guys just kept going off-topic."

Alex chuckled. "There’s always that one guy."

They didn’t say much after that. The breeze was light, rustling the leaves overhead, and for a moment, silence felt easy between them.

They wandered until they found a quiet bench near the arts building and sat down, side by side.

Alex leaned back, stretching his arms along the bench. "It’s weird," he said suddenly, eyes tracing the sky.

"I always thought college would feel faster, like constant chaos. But days like this? It just feels... still."

Noel glanced sideways at him. "Still isn’t always bad."

"True." Alex tilted his head slightly. "Especially when it gives you time to think."

Noel didn’t answer right away. His fingers traced the edge of his phone in his lap.

"You doing okay?" Alex asked after a beat, quieter this time.

Noel hesitated. "Yeah. Just... a lot in my head lately."

Alex gave a small nod. "If you ever need to talk about any of it, you know I’m around, right?"

Noel looked at him, the corners of his mouth lifting just slightly. "I know."

They sat there a little longer, the world softening around them, as the light shifted slowly toward gold.

Noel leaned back slightly on the bench, arms resting behind him as he glanced at Alex.

The late afternoon sun cast golden lines across the pavement, but Alex didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were fixed somewhere ahead, lost in thoughts.

"Do you think Lina really likes me?" he asked, breaking the silence.

Noel blinked, turning his head. "Why’d you ask?"

Alex didn’t respond right away. His fingers fiddled with the zipper on his hoodie, the silence stretching between them. Finally, he exhaled slowly, gaze still distant.

"I mean... after that day, things feel different. Awkward." He paused, his jaw tightening slightly. "We’re not like before. She doesn’t talk to me the same way."

Noel stayed quiet, waiting.

Alex gave a dry laugh. "I thought maybe it’s just me... maybe I imagined things, or pushed too much."

"You didn’t tell her how you feel though," Noel said gently.

Alex looked at him this time, brow raised. "Yeah, and maybe that’s the problem. I kept playing it cool for too long. Maybe she got tired of guessing."

Noel gave a small shrug. "Lina’s not the kind to beg for attention. If she feels ignored, she pulls back."

Alex let out a short, humorless laugh, but it died quickly. He rubbed the back of his neck again, eyes fixed on the ground. "Stupid me."

"You still care?" Noel asked.

Alex didn’t hesitate. "Hmm A lot."

A quiet fell between them. Then Noel added, voice low but sincere, "Maybe it’s not too late... if you’re honest with her."

Alex nodded slowly, biting the inside of his cheek. "Yeah... I just don’t know how to say it without messing it up more."

"You just did," Noel said, offering a faint smile. "Try saying it to her the same way."

Alex laughed, half nervous, half grateful. "Maybe I’ll grow a pair and do it."

They sat in silence a little longer, letting the weight of the moment settle without rushing.

The late campus air was quiet, soft with the hum of distant footsteps and the wind brushing the leaves.

"You think she’s avoiding you?" Noel asked after a moment, his voice low.

Alex exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don’t know. Maybe not avoiding.

But distant. Different." He paused, glancing sideways at Noel. "You saw how she is with Emily now, right?"

Noel gave a slow nod. "Yeah. They’re close."

Alex clicked his tongue. "Too close." Then he shook his head quickly. "I don’t mean that in a jealous way. I just... I didn’t see it coming."

Noel tilted his head. "You like her that much?"

Alex didn’t answer right away. His hands fidgeted again, drawing invisible lines on his jeans.

"Yeah," he said finally, voice quieter. "I think I do."

I mean—I’ve known her for so long, and I thought... maybe we’d get there someday, naturally.

I just didn’t know someone like Emily would come in and—" He cut himself off, not finishing.

Noel was quiet for a beat. "So why didn’t you ever tell her?"

Alex gave a dry laugh. "Because I thought I had time. And honestly, I didn’t want to ruin the friendship. You know me—I always play it safe."

"That’s the problem," Noel said gently. "You waited too long."

Alex sighed, letting the silence fall between them again. "You think she’s into Emily?"

"I think... she enjoys Emily’s energy. But that doesn’t mean she stopped caring about you."

Alex leaned forward, arms resting on his knees. "So what do I do now?"

Noel looked at him carefully. "Be honest. You don’t have to confess everything all at once. Just... let her know how you feel. And maybe stop pretending like it doesn’t bother you."

Alex’s jaw tensed, but he nodded. "Yeah. Maybe you’re right."

Noel offered a small smile. "I usually am."

They shared a small laugh, quiet and tired.

Then Alex murmured, "You ever feel like you missed your timing with someone?"

Noel’s gaze dropped for a second, a flicker crossing his features.

"All the time," he said softly.

Alex was still staring at the patch of sunlight stretching across the concrete, brows furrowed, clearly still in thought when Noel stood up.

"I’m heading to the library," Noel said, dusting his pants softly. "You coming?"

Alex glanced up and offered a weak smile. "Nah. I’ve got class in twenty."

"Alright, see you later." Noel gave a nod and turned away, adjusting the strap of his bag across his shoulder.

He hadn’t taken more than five steps when a familiar voice called after him from behind.

"Noel!"

He turned, brows arching slightly. Luca was strolling toward him, hands in his pockets, his silver-gray hair tousled by the light breeze.

"You’re out early," Noel said as Luca reached him. "Your class doesn’t start till evening."

"Yeah," Luca shrugged. "Didn’t feel like staying in the dorm. Felt weird. Quiet."

There was something offhand in the way he said it, casual, like it didn’t mean anything—yet something in his eyes said otherwise.

"You wanna go somewhere?" Luca asked.

"I’m heading to the library," Noel replied.

Luca groaned immediately, half-dramatic. "Ugh. Of course. Don’t you ever get bored of that place?"

"No," Noel replied, already turning to go.

But then came the sound of footsteps behind him.

Luca was following.

"I’m joining you," he said.

Noel paused, looking over his shoulder. "You? In the library?"

"Don’t make a big deal out of it," Luca muttered, already catching up to walk beside him. "I can be academic when I want to."

Noel tried to suppress the small amused smile tugging at his lips. "You brought your books?"

Luca blinked. "Books?"

Noel gave him a look.

"Okay, fine," Luca laughed, hands raised. "No books. But I brought vibes. That counts, right?"

Noel shook his head, looking away, but the corners of his lips curled upward.

They crossed the courtyard together, dodging a couple of latecomers rushing to class, passing by benches with sprawled-out students and the faint sound of music from someone’s speaker.

"You’re really coming to the library?" Noel asked, glancing at him again.

"Why not?" Luca shrugged. "Can’t a guy suddenly be interested in knowledge and...whatever you do in there?"

Noel raised a brow. "You don’t even bring your laptop when you go to class."

"I have a phone," Luca replied coolly. "Besides, I just want to sit with you."

Noel nearly missed a step. He didn’t look at Luca right away—afraid his face might give too much away. His heart didn’t race, but it did something quieter. Something softer.

Luca didn’t even notice. He was already talking again, about how boring it was back at the dorm, how he tried watching something but it felt weird without Noel throwing a sarcastic comment every ten minutes.

Noel still couldn’t get used to how Luca always found new ways to surprise him—like deciding to follow him to the one place he used to avoid like the plague.

And yet, here he was—no excuses, no reasons.

Just a quiet, deliberate choice to sit in Noel’s quiet orbit.

{ Alright my amazing readers }

It’s time for you to decide where the story goes next!

I’ve been torn between Emily, Lina, and Alex — and I want you to choose who gets the next spotlight, drama, or maybe even a twist

Cast your vote below:

Team Emily and Lina?

Team Alex and Lina?

Drop your choice in the comments!

And don’t forget... I always read every comment, so make your case strong

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