Dear Roommate Please Stop Being Hot [BL]
Chapter 80: When Timing Isn’t Kind

Chapter 80: When Timing Isn’t Kind

The hallway buzzed faintly with students talking, doors opening and closing, laughter spilling from one side.

But Noel didn’t slow. His steps carried him like they always did—toward the quiet, toward the calm—toward the library.

He pushed the glass door open and stepped inside, the scent of paper and polished wood immediately wrapping around him like a second skin.

Near the center reading tables, just as expected, Alex was already there. A coffee cup beside him, sleeves rolled up, reviewing a thick textbook.

He glanced up as Noel approached, his expression lifting slightly in that quiet, familiar way.

Noel dropped into the seat beside him.

"You’re early," Alex said.

Noel shrugged, pulling out his notes. "So are you."

Alex smiled and passed him the second coffee without asking. "Figured you’d come straight from lecture."

Noel accepted it with a grateful nod. "You figured right."

They settled into the silence together, not awkward, not forced—just two people surrounded by pages, caffeine, and the unspoken rhythm of routine.

Outside the library windows, the afternoon sunlight slanted gently across the stone paths, but in here, time softened—slowed just enough for focus to take its place.

The library was quieter now—just the low hum of AC and the distant whisper of pages turning.

Between the rows of shelves, the occasional figure moved like a ghost, careful not to break the stillness.

Noel had his head slightly bowed, eyes scanning the lines of text in his notes. His coffee sat beside him, barely touched, its warmth fading slowly.

Across from him, Alex flipped a page, then looked up.

"Still thinking about the lecture?" Alex asked gently.

Noel blinked once, pulled from his thoughts. "Hm? Yeah, kind of. That case study was dense."

"You always say that," Alex murmured, smile warm. "But you always end up making it clearer than anyone else. Even the professor."

Noel gave a slight shrug, eyes returning to his notes. "That’s just how I process things. Break it down. Make it manageable."

Alex leaned back in his chair, watching him for a beat. "You do that with people too, you know."

Noel looked up, curious. "What do you mean?"

"You notice details most people overlook," Alex said. "Like how you always bring a second pen, even if you never say it’s for someone else. Or how you memorize the library’s quietest corners."

Noel glanced down, faint color touching his ears. "That’s not unusual."

"It’s thoughtful," Alex said simply.

They sat in a calm silence for a moment. Noel fiddled with the cap of his pen, then glanced up again.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Me?"

"You’ve been quiet lately," Noel said, voice soft but steady. "You smile, you joke—but something’s been off."

Alex hesitated, then smiled faintly. "You’re good at this."

"At what?"

"At seeing past the surface." He hesitated, eyes flicking down. "I guess I’ve just been thinking. About how things unfold... life, timing. Whether we ever get it right."

Noel nodded slowly. He didn’t press. Instead, he leaned back a little and looked at Alex more closely.

"I know things don’t always go the way we plan," Noel said. "But you don’t have to figure it out alone."

Alex’s lips parted like he wanted to say something—maybe a confession, maybe nothing at all—but the words stayed behind his eyes.

He leaned forward again, back into his notes. "Thanks, Noel."

Noel gave a soft smile. "Anytime."

Their pens returned to paper, pages rustled, and a quiet breeze slipped through the open high windows above.

Even in silence, something between them had shifted—subtle, careful, but real.

The clock above ticked quietly, unnoticed, as time stretched softly between them.

Noel flipped to the next page of his notes but didn’t write. His pen rested lightly between his fingers.

Then Alex spoke, more quietly this time. "Do you think timing ever gets it right?"

Noel’s eyes flicked to him again. "Like... life timing?"

"Yeah." Alex exhaled, glancing toward the tall shelves. "Like maybe, you meet someone... but it’s too early. Or too late. And you wonder if waiting would’ve changed anything."

There was something in his voice. Something unsaid.

Noel was still for a second too long. Then he set his pen down gently.

"I think... if someone really matters, life has a way of looping back. Not always the same people—but the same heart, somehow."

"Maybe not the same version of you. Or them. But still."

Alex met his gaze. "Even if you mess up the first time?"

Noel gave the smallest, almost imperceptible nod. "Even then."

Alex held his eyes for a moment longer. It was quiet again, but now the air felt charged with something tender and unfinished.

Just then, Noel’s phone buzzed on the table, screen lighting up.

He glanced at it—and for a moment, something flickered across his face. He thought it might be Luca. But it wasn’t.

It was only a class reminder.

He tapped it off, trying not to let the disappointment show, but Alex noticed anyway. He didn’t say anything.

"I think we should stop here today," Alex said softly.

Noel nodded, gathering his things. "Yeah."

They packed in silence, the kind that didn’t hurt but felt like leaving something behind.

They moved toward the door together, and the air outside hit them—cooler than it had been when they first entered.

The campus was alive with the sound of students shuffling between buildings, but everything felt quieter between them.

The kind of silence where both were thinking things they didn’t have to say.

As they passed through the doors, Alex slowed, his gaze wandering off toward the pathway leading out of the campus.

Noel noticed. It wasn’t obvious, but it was there—just a momentary flicker in Alex’s expression. The way his gaze lingered, distant, thoughtful.

Maybe it was Lina. Noel didn’t ask. He didn’t need to.

Instead, he just walked a little closer, matching Alex’s pace as they made their way toward the quad.

"So," Noel started, trying to keep it light, "what’s next on your agenda today? More studying? Or are you finally going to take a break?"

Alex looked over at him, his lips tugging into a faint, almost rueful smile. "Yeah, I’ll probably try to do something fun. Might end up at the library again, knowing me."

Noel smiled back, a quiet, teasing glint in his eyes. "You know, you’ve got a pretty impressive relationship with the library. Maybe it’s time for a date."

Alex chuckled softly, the sound warm but a little sad. "You’re right. It’s just not the same without the right company."

There was an edge to his words, something unspoken, but Noel didn’t push. They both knew what was there, in the spaces between them.

They reached the main pathway, where their paths would part.

"Alright, I guess I’ll See you tomorrow?" Noel said, his voice softer than usual. A little hesitant.

Alex looked at him, then gave a soft smile. "Yeah. Tomorrow Take care, Noel."

As Alex turned away, Noel couldn’t help but feel the quiet pull of something between them—something he wasn’t sure he understood but couldn’t ignore.

He watched Alex disappear into the crowd, his thoughts drifting to the spaces he’d yet to fill in the quiet moments they shared.

The sky had deepened by the time Noel left the library.

A warm breeze threaded through the air, brushing past the trees as their leaves murmured softly above him.

He walked slowly, bag slung over one shoulder, the world around him blurring into shades of gold and blue.

His mind wasn’t on the path.

Not really.

Alex’s words still lingered — Do you think timing ever gets it right? — and Noel wasn’t sure what answer he believed anymore.

By the time he reached the dorm building, the quiet had deepened. Fewer voices now, fewer doors opening and closing. The night was settling in.

He climbed the stairs with a low ache in his chest. Every step felt heavier than it should.

His hand turned the knob. The door creaked open.

Inside, it was still — dim, save for the soft wash of light from the bathroom door, half-closed.

The sound of water ran steady in the distance.

Luca was in the shower.

Noel’s eyes moved slowly across the room. His gaze stopped on the shirt—Luca’s—still spread across his bed, where he’d tossed it earlier. The fabric was creased, carelessly soft, like it belonged there.

Then he saw it.

Luca’s phone, sitting on his desk. Right beside Noel’s own books.

It vibrated once.

Then again.

The screen lit up each time, casting a glow that pulsed against the wood like a heartbeat.

Noel didn’t mean to look.

He told himself he wouldn’t look. That he trusted Luca. That what they had was real.

But curiosity doesn’t always come from doubt—sometimes it comes from fear.

He just reached over, intending to mute it—silence the buzzing before it became annoying.

His fingers brushed the side of the phone, the screen lighting up once more before fading.

And there it was.

A preview — not even the full message. Just a line.

Kian: I miss you, Luca. Let’s meet. I’ll wait.

The words stared back at him like they had claws.

Noel froze.

He didn’t touch the phone again.

Didn’t read the rest. Didn’t need to.

He stepped back slowly, his pulse drumming louder now. Not from the walk. Not from the stairs. Something inside his chest had sunk.

He sat on the edge of the bed—his bed—staring at the floor. The water was still running. Luca hadn’t come out.

And suddenly, it all felt too quiet.

The kind of quiet that fills your head with thoughts you don’t want to think.

Is that why he hasn’t texted me?

Was he with him this whole time?

His fingers curled into the blanket, holding it like it might steady him.

He didn’t say anything.

He couldn’t move.

The message said enough.

Noel didn’t need context.

His chest already knew what his mind refused to say out loud.

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