Dear Roommate Please Stop Being Hot [BL]
Chapter 71: A Kind of Morning

Chapter 71: A Kind of Morning

The campus morning was crisp — not cold, just fresh enough to make the air feel new.

Emily walked with one earbud in, sipping the last of her iced coffee as students drifted around her like leaves in a slow current.

The chatter, the occasional honk from the main road, the rustle of backpacks — all familiar. All forgettable.

Until she saw her.

Lina.

Walking toward the lecture wing, sunlight flickering through the branches above, catching in the strands of her tied-back braid.

She wore that oversized cream cardigan again — the one she always rolled the sleeves on — and clutched her tablet to her chest.

And she wasn’t alone.

Alex was beside her.

Their steps matched unconsciously. Alex said something low, and Lina laughed — a real, soft laugh that pulled at something in Emily’s chest before she could name it.

Her pace slowed.

Just as she debated whether to wave or duck behind the nearest tree, Lina spotted her.

Her expression brightened instantly. "Emily!"

Emily froze — just half a second — then smiled, lifting her hand in return. "Hey!"

Lina and Alex stopped. They turned in unison, and Emily crossed the distance quickly before she had time to think.

"Didn’t know you had early class today," Lina said.

"Yeah, lecture switch," Emily replied, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Thought I’d catch up on the one I skipped last week."

She glanced at Alex briefly, then back at Lina. "You two heading to stats?"

"Yeah," Lina nodded, holding her tablet tighter. "We’re in the same group for that project."

"Right," Emily said, careful not to sound too neutral.

Alex gave a short nod. "Hey, Emily."

"Hey." She smiled, polite. But her eyes didn’t linger on him. They flicked back to Lina, searching — for what, she didn’t know.

A pause.

Lina shifted her weight from one foot to the other, glancing between them.

"We should probably head in," Alex said, voice light but his jaw just a touch tight.

Lina nodded. "Yeah. See you later, Em?"

"Yeah." Emily smiled again, smaller this time. "Catch you after class?"

"Definitely."

Alex stepped ahead first, holding the door open for Lina.

She glanced once more at Emily before walking in, her eyes soft, unreadable.

Emily stood there for a moment longer after the door closed behind them.

The breeze played with the edge of her hoodie sleeve. She tugged it down slowly, watching the last of the morning crowd disappear into lecture halls.

She was the sun they both turned toward—but the warmth hadn’t settled on anyone. Not fully. Not yet. And in that in-between... Emily waited.

Emily stepped into the lecture hall and slid into her usual seat near the back of the lecture hall, the one near the wide window that spilled pale morning light across the desk.

She let her bag drop beside her with a soft thud. Her fingers hovered over her tablet screen, unmoving.

The space beside her remained empty — it usually did — and for the first time in weeks, she wished someone had claimed it.

Her eyes drifted to the door even though she wasn’t really expecting anything.

That image kept playing on loop: Lina laughing beside Alex. Their steps matched, voices low and easy.

It wasn’t jealousy exactly. It was more like a quiet ache — something hard to name, harder to shake.

She looked down at her tablet again. The calendar for the week blinked back at her.

She tapped aimlessly.

A minute passed. Maybe two.

Then the door opened again with a rustle of footsteps and conversation.

She didn’t even glance up at first — not until a familiar voice floated in low and casual.

"...You’re the one who made us late."

"Because you stood in the hallway deciding if your hair was too dramatic."

Luca and Noel.

She turned her head just as they walked in — not rushed, but together.

That kind of together that didn’t need hand-holding to be obvious.

Luca’s bag of chips peeked out from his hoodie like a lazy rebellion against breakfast—unbothered, much like him.

Noel wore his usual calm expression, but the way their shoulders brushed as they moved told a different story.

Emily couldn’t help it — her lips tugged into a small, honest smile.

"Hey," she called softly, lifting her hand in a wave.

Luca spotted her first. He grinned and gave a two-finger salute. "Emily."

Noel nodded once, that usual barely-there smile on his face. "Hey."

They slid into the row ahead of her — side by side, like it was always meant to be that way.

Emily watched for just a second longer, warmth blooming in her chest.

"The ache hadn’t vanished—but in their quiet rhythm, in Luca’s grin and Noel’s steady calm, it softened. Like warmth returning after a long shadow."

At least some people were getting it right.

She pulled out her stylus and opened her notes just as the professor stepped in and the room settled.

And maybe, just maybe — the day didn’t feel quite as heavy anymore.

The professor’s voice echoed softly through the hall, crisp and practiced.

"Now, if you look at the slide, you’ll see the regression trendlines we discussed last week.

Take a moment to compare last semester’s figures with this year’s projections..."

Most heads were down, eyes on the screen or notes. The tap of styluses on glass echoed like a steady rain.

Someone yawned a few rows over. A phone buzzed quietly and went ignored.

Emily sat still, hand loosely curled around her pen, but her gaze kept drifting forward — to the two figures seated right ahead of her.

Noel leaned forward with quiet focus, his notes already half-structured, pen moving in smooth, precise strokes.

His brows pinched just slightly when the professor switched slides too fast, and he tilted his screen toward Luca without a word, letting him catch up.

Luca, for his part, was... trying to focus.

But he kept glancing sideways — like he was more interested in watching Noel than the projection on the board.

At one point, Noel reached for his water bottle, and Luca quietly shifted it closer to him before he could even ask.

Emily watched the small motion, lips pressing into a slow, private smile.

Then Luca turned slightly and looked over his shoulder — right at her.

She blinked.

"What?" she mouthed silently.

Luca grinned, leaned back just enough to whisper, "You’re staring."

Emily’s eyebrows shot up. "You’re imagining things."

Noel didn’t turn, but his pen paused. "She’s probably staring because you’re tapping your foot like a caffeinated squirrel."

Luca glanced down — and stopped tapping.

Emily laughed softly under her breath. "You two are exhausting already."

Luca turned forward again, but not before flashing her a wink.

Emily shook her head and looked back at her tablet — but this time, her focus stayed longer. The rest of the lecture passed more smoothly than she expected.

Noel didn’t talk much, but every now and then, he leaned slightly toward Luca, pointing something out on the screen or adjusting his own notes for him to copy.

And Luca — for all his restlessness — paid attention when Noel spoke. Like the words meant something more than just classwork.

Emily felt something ease inside her.

She didn’t have the full picture yet — but what she saw, she liked.

"...and with that, we’ll stop here for today," the professor said, tapping the final slide. "Next class, we’ll break into sub-groups and start drafting your comparative analysis. Be prepared."

A shuffle of relief swept across the lecture hall — zippers, chair legs dragging, the low hum of conversation returning like someone slowly raised the volume.

Emily capped her pen and leaned back with a soft exhale. Her eyes drifted naturally forward.

Luca stretched his arms overhead with a small, satisfied groan. "I survived. You proud of me?"

Noel closed his notebook with a dry glance. "You stayed awake. That’s the baseline, not an achievement."

Emily leaned over the back of their seats. "Honestly, Luca, the only impressive thing you did today was not get kicked out for texting mid-lecture."

"Who says I didn’t?" Luca grinned. "I’m just stealthy."

Noel stood, slinging his bag over one shoulder. "Stealthy is not the word I’d use."

Emily watched them — their rhythm was unspoken now. The kind that didn’t need explaining.

Noel moved to the side without thinking, making space for Luca. Luca adjusted the strap of Noel’s bag where it slipped. Small things. Unconscious things.

She hopped down a row, falling into step beside them. "You guys heading to lunch?"

Noel nodded. "Campus dining. We made a plan."

Luca smirked. "A date, actually. But I didn’t want to embarrass him by saying it too loud."

Noel shot him a warning look — the kind that didn’t really carry any heat.

Emily smiled. "Too late. He’s already blushing."

"I’m not."

"You are," Luca said proudly, nudging his arm as they moved through the door. "It’s cute."

Noel exhaled. "You’re a menace."

Emily slowed her steps slightly as they passed into the sunlit courtyard.

She watched them walk ahead — side by side, the spring light casting dappled shadows on their backs.

Luca said something that made Noel roll his eyes, but even from behind, you could tell he was smiling.

And just like that, Emily felt it again — that warmth in her chest.

This time, it wasn’t envy she felt—but hope. And that, too, felt like a beginning—quiet, unannounced, but real all the same.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.