Dear Roommate Please Stop Being Hot [BL]-Chapter 275: Moments That Matter

Tuesday

Tuesday brought rain again—steady, persistent, the kind that made everything feel gray.

Luca sat in his Operations lecture half-listening to Professor Martinez explain inventory management systems, his mind wandering to the group project, to finals looming in the distance, to the strange sensation of time moving both too fast and too slow.

His phone buzzed silently.

Noel: this lecture is putting me to sleep

Luca: which one

Noel: cross-cultural management. we’re discussing hofstede’s dimensions for the third week

Luca: riveting

Noel: I’m dying

Luca: don’t die. I need you for dinner plans

Noel: romantic

Luca: I’m practical

Noel: you’re using my word

Luca: it’s a good word

After class, Luca met with his project team at the library—not the usual study room but a corner table on the second floor with better natural light.

Emily arrived with her laptop and three color-coded folders, already looking stressed despite it being only 10 AM.

"Okay," she said, opening her laptop with purpose. "I’ve restructured the outline. We need to revise section three entirely."

"We just finished section three," George pointed out.

"I know. But the analysis isn’t deep enough. Professor Chen will tear it apart."

"Emily," Luca said carefully. "It’s solid work. We followed the rubric."

"The rubric is minimum requirements. We need to exceed them."

George and Luca exchanged glances.

"How much sleep did you get last night?" George asked.

"Enough."

"That’s not a number."

"Four hours. Maybe five." Emily pulled up a document. "But that’s not relevant. What’s relevant is making this project actually good."

"It is good," Luca said.

"It’s adequate. We can do better."

They worked for two hours, Emily pushing for changes that felt excessive but weren’t wrong, her perfectionism on full display.

When they finally took a break, George said, "You know you don’t have to be perfect, right?"

"I know."

"Do you?"

Emily was quiet, fingers tapping against her laptop. "I just... I can’t fail at this. Not after everything."

"You’re not going to fail. We’re ahead of schedule. The work is strong."

"It could be stronger."

Luca watched her—the tension in her shoulders, the way she hadn’t made eye contact much, the brittleness that hadn’t been there before winter break.

Something was wrong. But he didn’t push.

Not yet.

Wednesday

Wednesday Noel had a breakdown over his capstone proposal.

Luca came home around four to find him on the living room floor, surrounded by papers, laptop showing a document with more red tracked changes than original text.

"Hey," Luca said carefully. "You okay?"

"My advisor rejected the proposal. Again. Third revision."

"What’s wrong with it?"

"Everything, apparently." Noel gestured at the screen. "Scope too broad. Research questions unclear. Methodology insufficient."

Luca sat down beside him, surveying the chaos. "Okay. Let’s break it down."

"There’s nothing to break down. It’s fundamentally flawed."

"It’s not fundamentally flawed. It needs adjustment."

"That’s the same thing."

"It’s definitely not the same thing."

They spent the next hour going through the feedback methodically—Luca asking questions, Noel explaining, both of them slowly untangling what the advisor actually wanted versus what Noel thought he wanted.

"See?" Luca said finally. "Not fundamentally flawed. Just needs focus."

Noel leaned back against the couch, exhausted. "When did you get good at this?"

"At what?"

"Helping me think through problems. Being the calm one."

"Internship, I think. Or maybe just spending too much time with you. Your organizational habits are contagious."

"That’s terrifying."

"Little bit."

Later that evening, after Noel had rewritten his proposal with renewed focus, after they’d eaten dinner and settled on the couch, Noel said, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not letting me spiral. For helping me see clearly."

"That’s what we do. We help each other see clearly."

"When did we get so good at this?"

"Practice," Luca said simply. "Lots of practice."

Thursday

Thursday afternoon, Luca, Emily, and George were heading to their project meeting, walking across campus under gray skies that threatened more rain.

"I’m thinking we should add another case study," Emily was saying, scrolling through her phone while walking. "Strengthen the comparative analysis."

"Emily," George said. "We have enough."

"More is better."

"More is excessive."

Before Emily could respond, Luca spotted familiar figures ahead near the student center entrance.

Noel, Alex, and Lina—standing in a loose cluster, clearly mid-conversation.

"Hey," Luca called out as they approached.

Noel turned, expression softening immediately. "Hey. How was class?"

"Long. You?"

"Same."

Alex waved at the group. "Hey guys. Haven’t seen you all week."

"Been busy," George said. "Project consuming our lives."

"Same," Lina said, but her smile was tired. "Senior collection is killing me."

There was a moment of awkward silence—Emily and Lina acknowledging each other with polite nods, no warmth, no familiarity.

Just distance.

"We should catch up properly," Alex said, clearly trying to ease the tension. "All of us. This weekend maybe?"

"Yeah, maybe," Emily said vaguely.

"We have to run," George interjected, sensing the discomfort. "Meeting in ten minutes."

They said quick goodbyes, the three of them continuing toward the library.

Once they were out of earshot, George said, "Okay, what was that?"

"What was what?" Emily asked, still walking.

"That. The weirdness between you and Lina."

"There’s no weirdness."

"Emily." George stopped walking, and the others stopped with him. "You two could barely look at each other. What happened?"

Emily’s jaw tightened. "Nothing happened."

"That’s clearly not true," Luca said gently.

She was quiet for a long moment, standing in the middle of the pathway, students flowing around them.

Finally, she exhaled. "We broke up. During winter break."

"What?" George said. "When? Why didn’t you tell us?"

"Because it’s..." Emily’s voice cracked slightly. "Because it’s my fault and I don’t know how to talk about it."

"Let’s not do this here," Luca said, glancing around at the busy campus. "Come on."

They found an empty classroom, claiming seats, Emily setting down her bag with careful precision.

"Okay," George said gently. "What happened?"

Emily stared at her hands. "Internship happened. I got so consumed with work, with proving myself, with being perfect. We stopped texting as much. Stopped making time. I kept saying I’d call after I finished this project, after this meeting, after this deadline. But there was always another deadline."

"And Lina got tired of waiting," Luca said quietly.

"She asked for space in November. Said she felt like she was dating a ghost. That I was there but not really there." Emily’s voice was steady but her hands weren’t. "I tried to explain that work was just temporary, that it would get better after internship ended. But she said it wouldn’t. That....this is who I am—someone who disappears into work."

"That’s not—" George started.

"It is though." Emily looked up, eyes shining but not crying. "She was right. I did exactly what she said I’d do. Got back to school, threw myself into this project, into classes, into being busy. Because being busy means I don’t have to think about how I destroyed the best thing in my life."

"Emily," Luca said.

"I love her. I really really love her. But I couldn’t be what she needed. And she couldn’t wait forever for me to figure out how to balance things."

George moved to sit beside her. "Have you talked to her? Since the breakup?"

"Once. She was kind about it. Said she still cares. But that caring isn’t enough when someone’s never actually present." Emily smiled bitterly. "Very mature of her, honestly."

"What about Alex?" George asked carefully.

Emily’s expression shifted slightly. "What about him?"

"They’ve been spending a lot of time together. I noticed at dinner."

"They’re friends. They’ve always been close."

"But they used to like each other," George said. "Before Lina dated you. Remember?"

"That was years ago," Emily said, but something flickered across her face—uncertainty, maybe, or realization.

"They never really resolved that," Luca added gently. "Alex liked her. She liked him. But timing was wrong. Then you and Lina happened."

"Are you saying..." Emily stopped. "No. That’s not—they’re just friends."

"Maybe," George said. "Or maybe not. Either way, it’s not your concern anymore."

"Right." Emily’s voice was hollow. "Not my concern."

They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of the conversation settling.

"I’m sorry," Luca said finally. "That you’ve been dealing with this alone."

"I wasn’t alone. I had work." Emily laughed, the sound sharp. "See? Lina was right."

"Hey." George pulled her into a hug. "You made mistakes. That doesn’t make you a bad person."

"Doesn’t make me a good girlfriend either."

"You’re human. Humans are messy."

Luca joined the hug, the three of them clustered together in the empty classroom, providing what comfort they could.

When they pulled apart, Emily wiped her eyes quickly. "Okay. Enough emotions. We have a project to work on."

"Emily—" they both said I unison.

"I’m serious. I can’t... I need to focus on something I can control. And right now, that’s this project." She stood, gathering her things. "Let’s go. We’re already ten minutes late."

George and Luca exchanged glances but followed.

In the study room, Emily threw herself into work with even more intensity than before, and Luca understood now—this was how she coped, how she avoided feeling too much.

By burying herself in tasks she could complete, problems she could solve.

They worked until six, accomplishing more than they needed to, Emily finally seeming satisfied.

Walking out, George said, "You know you can talk to us, right? About non-school stuff."

"I know."

"Do you?"

"Yes, George. I know. I’m just... not ready yet. But I will be. Eventually."

After they separated, Luca walked back alone, mind churning.

Emily and Lina. Alex and Lina’s history. The complicated web of relationships and timing and people trying to figure out how to be adults.

He found Noel at home, already making dinner, and immediately wrapped around him from behind.

"Hey," Noel said, surprised. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Just... needed this."

"What happened?"

Luca told him about the conversation, Emily’s confession, the weight she’d been carrying.

"That explains a lot," Noel said quietly. "She’s been different. More intense."

"She’s hurting."

"Yeah."

They were quiet for a moment, Noel continuing to cook while Luca held on.

"We’re lucky," Luca said eventually.

"Lucky how?"

"That we figured out how to balance things. Work and life and each other. Emily couldn’t. Or didn’t. And now she’s paying for it."

"We’re still figuring it out," Noel said. "It’s not like we have it all solved."

"But we’re figuring it out together. That’s the difference."

Noel turned in his arms, meeting his eyes. "Yeah. It is."

They stayed like that for a moment, grateful for what they had, aware of how easily it could have gone differently.

Later, after dinner, after homework, lying in bed, Luca said, "Do you think Alex and Lina will get together?"

"Maybe. They used to like each other."

"They did. Before everything got complicated." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Maybe uncomplicated is what they need now."

"Maybe."

"Would that bother you? If they did?"

"No. Emily hurt, but... people move on. That’s life."

"Very philosophical."

"I’m learning from you."

"That’s terrifying."

"Little bit."

They drifted toward sleep, the day complete, Emily’s revelation still heavy but shared now.

Tomorrow would come. The semester would continue. Life would keep moving forward.

And whatever happened with Emily, with Lina, with Alex—they’d all figure it out.

Eventually.

Together or apart.