Dear Roommate Please Stop Being Hot [BL]-Chapter 101: This Kind of Tuesday

The morning sun slanted through the tall glass windows of the café, casting warm gold across the polished tables and sleepy-eyed students hunched over lattes and half-finished assignments.

Emily sat at her usual corner seat by the window, one leg tucked beneath her, fingers wrapped around a steaming paper cup.

Outside, campus life trickled by — people rushing, laughing, earbuds in, notebooks forgotten.

But inside her little bubble, it was quiet. Just the hum of the espresso machine and the soft vibration of her phone against the table.

She smiled when she saw the name.

Lina: Still haven’t moved from bed. I’m a slug today.

Emily shook her head, typing back.

Emily: Slugs don’t flirt as well as you do.

A beat later:

Lina : That’s debatable. Slugs leave a trail. You’re still following mine, aren’t you?

Emily snorted into her coffee.

She quickly responded: Emily: Gross. But okay, points for creativity.

Then added: Emily: Are you coming later?

Lina: Yeah. Probably around noon. I need to see my favorite girl.

Emily bit her lip, glancing out the window, suddenly too warm inside her jacket.

Her fingers hovered over the screen for a second before she typed:

Emily: You always know how to make a girl blush in public.

Lina: Good. Stay warm for me. I’ll make up for the slow morning later. Promise.

Emily leaned back, smiling softly to herself. A professor walked by outside with a stack of books nearly toppling from his arms. A bird landed on the bench just beyond the glass. The world moved gently.

She sipped her coffee and whispered under her breath, "Worth the wait."

Emily was still curled in her seat at the café, coffee long gone cold, phone forgotten in her hand.

She’d been watching people pass when a familiar pair caught her attention through the glass.

Her lips curved. There they were.

Luca and Noel — walking side by side, not talking much, but looking completely at ease.

Luca had one hand lazily shoved in his pocket, his other arm brushing against Noel’s now and then.

Noel carried both of their notebooks, probably because Luca forgot his again.

They weren’t even looking at each other, but they didn’t need to.

Emily grabbed her bag, swung it over her shoulder, and stepped out of the café just as they reached the building.

"Hey, you two," she called, falling into step beside them. "You’re early."

Noel looked at her, brow raised. "Are we?"

"Mm," she checked her watch dramatically, "Technically no. But Professor Thompson isn’t here yet. He’s always ten minutes late on Tuesdays."

Luca let out a low breath. "God bless him."

Emily rolled her eyes. "So I figured I’d wait here. And now, lucky me — I get to wait with the world’s softest couple."

Noel flushed. "We’re not—"

"Don’t," Luca interrupted, grinning. "She’s teasing. Just let her win."

Emily smirked. "Smart man."

Emily chuckled and motioned toward the stone bench under tree not far from the hall.

"C’mon. Let’s wait over there. If the prof shows up, we’ll see them coming."

They walked toward a low stone bench near the lecture hall.

It sat under a young tree that hadn’t quite bloomed yet, but still offered a bit of shade from the rising sun.

Noel set the notebooks down beside him as they sat, Luca stretching his legs out and tilting his face toward the light.

"It’s too early to be smart," Noel muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You’re cute when you’re grumpy," Luca said without opening his eyes.

Emily gave a short laugh. "God, I’m going to throw a pen at one of you if you keep doing that in front of single people."

Luca cracked one eye open smirking. "Isn’t Lina showing up later?"

Emily tried to hide her grin, but it slipped through anyway. "That’s different."

Noel shifted slightly, resting his chin on his knuckles, eyes flicking between them. "So, we’re just waiting here until Mr. Thompson decides to show up?"

"Exactly," Emily said. "Consider this pre-lecture therapy."

"And you’re the therapist?" Luca asked, amused.

"Obviously," Emily deadpanned. "My rates are steep, but I accept payment in sarcastic banter and mild gossip."

Luca smirked. "Sounds fair." He stretching his arms above his head. I swear my brain’s already given up on today."

"You say that every Tuesday," Emily pointed out.

"And I’m always right."

Noel leaned forward, elbows on his knees, watching a squirrel dart between tree roots. "You two ever think we’re just background characters in some student documentary?"

Emily raised a brow. "We’re way too attractive for background characters."

Luca grinned. "Speak for yourself. I’m basically the love interest with emotional baggage."

"And Noel’s the mysterious academic," Emily said, nudging his side.

Noel sighed dramatically. "Please, let me be the one who dies tragically in act three."

"Nope," Luca said, slipping his hand into Noel’s casually. "You’re not going anywhere."

Emily caught the gesture and softened. She didn’t tease this time—just smiled to herself.

"Okay," she said after a beat, "maybe we are the main characters."

They stayed like that for a few more minutes, soaking in the early morning stillness before the rhythm of the day pulled them back in — the calm before academia reared its head.

They sat together quietly, the kind of comfortable silence that doesn’t ask to be filled.

Luca had gradually leaned over, head resting against Noel’s shoulder. His hair brushed Noel’s cheek, damp from the light breeze that rolled through the courtyard.

Noel didn’t move. He just let him stay there, barely aware of how his fingers had found the edge of Luca’s sleeve and held onto it.

Emily sipped the last of her now-cold drink, watching them from the corner of her eye. She didn’t say anything, just smiled to herself.

"I can’t believe midterms are this close," she finally muttered.

Luca’s voice came muffled from Noel’s shoulder. "Don’t remind me."

Noel glanced sideways at him, lips twitching. "You’re the one who said you wanted to be responsible this week."

"I am being responsible," Luca murmured, eyes half closed. "I’m responsibly preserving my energy before class."

Emily rolled her eyes. "You’re preserving it straight into a nap."

Then—

Emily laughed, but her gaze shifted slightly over Noel’s shoulder. "Uh-oh. Incoming."

Noel turned just as a blur of motion crossed the path toward them.

Alex.

Breathless. Hair windswept. Bag barely slung over one shoulder and a pen dangling from behind his ear like he didn’t even notice it.

"God—I hate Tuesdays," he puffed, slowing just enough as he spotted them.

He gave them a crooked grin, brushing his palm over his forehead. "Hey. Guys."

Noel raised his hand in a small wave. "You’re late."

"I know," Alex said, barely pausing. "Had a quiz. Left my ID. Ran back. Almost got flattened by a delivery van."

Emily blinked. "You okay?"

"Alive. Which is all I can ask for." He started walking again, but tossed over his shoulder, "Let’s talk later?"

"Sure," Noel said, watching him jog toward the other wing.

When he was gone, Emily looked back at them.

"Do you two ever run late?"

"We don’t run," Luca replied flatly.

Emily rolled her eyes. "Must be nice, having a live-in alarm clock."

Luca leaned slightly toward Noel. "He’s better than any alarm. Soft voice, zero snooze button, and if I ignore him long enough, he drags me out of bed."

"I’m regretting sitting here already," Emily groaned, covering her ears with mock drama.

Noel chuckled, but there was a faint blush on his cheeks. "We should head inside soon."

Luca checked the time. "Still five minutes."

Silence returned — easy, like it had been waiting for them.

Luca exhaled and leaned in a little more.

Emily smirked. "So. You were saying something about being responsible?"

Noel just chuckled, brushing a thumb absentmindedly along Luca’s wrist.

They lingered a little longer — not talking much now, just resting in the moment.

The breeze had softened, the sunlight warm but not sharp, casting faint shadows on the stone beneath their feet.

Emily let her gaze wander to the time on her phone, then stretched her arms above her head with a sigh.

"Alright," she said, rising slowly, "let’s get inside. I bet the prof’s already halfway down the hall."

Luca groaned without lifting his head. "Tell him I died bravely in the courtyard."

Emily snorted. "You’ll die bravely with a zero if you don’t get up."

Noel nudged him gently, a small smirk on his lips. "C’mon. I’ll even carry your ghost to class."

Luca finally sat up with a theatrical huff. "Fine. But if I collapse, carry me with dignity. I want full academic honors and a eulogy from Noel."

They gathered their things—Luca ruffling his hair into place, Noel slinging his bag over one shoulder, Emily already leading the way—and together, they slipped into the building, the quiet hum of anticipation trailing behind them as the hallway filled with other students heading toward the lecture hall.

The room had that familiar low hum — students shuffling in, chairs scraping lightly, the occasional cough or rustle of paper.

The professor was still absent, but the projector already displayed: International Business – Case Studies in Emerging Markets.

Noel slid into his usual seat near the middle, Luca settling beside him, unusually quiet.

Emily sat just a row down, already unpacking her notes, though she tossed a knowing glance back at them.

Luca pulled out his notebook, flipped to a clean page, and clicked his pen twice — then stilled.

His fingers twitched slightly against the edge of the desk, and without looking, he reached under it.

Noel blinked when he felt it — the quiet, searching touch of Luca’s hand brushing against his.

He didn’t glance over.

Just threaded their fingers together under the desk — warm, steady, familiar. A secret tether in the noise of the room.

Neither said a word.

And when the professor finally entered, clearing his throat at the podium, Luca sat straighter. He focused on the board. On the lecture. But never let go.

Their hands remained — tucked beneath the desk, warm, steady, a silent anchor in the middle of a very normal Tuesday.

And that was enough.