Dear Roommate Please Stop Being Hot [BL]-Chapter 305: Orientation Week Side Effects

The International Business orientation ran smoother on day two.

Noel stood at the front of the conference room with three other seniors from his program—Sarah, who’d been his partner on multiple projects, James, who actually enjoyed public speaking, and Kenji, who’d transferred from Japan sophomore year and had perspective most of them lacked.

Twenty-five freshmen sat in neat rows, notebooks open, some recording on their phones.

"International Business is different from general Business Studies," Sarah was explaining. "You’ll take some of the same core classes, but your focus is global markets, cross-cultural management, trade policy. It’s more specialized."

A freshman raised his hand. "Is it harder?"

"Different hard," Noel said. "More research-intensive. You’ll write a lot of policy analyses, case studies on multinational corporations. If you like digging into data and understanding how different countries’ economies interact, you’ll enjoy it."

"And if we don’t?" someone asked.

"You’ll suffer and then graduate anyway," Kenji said flatly. "Like the rest of us."

Scattered laughter.

James took over, discussing study abroad opportunities, language requirements, internship connections. Noel half-listened, scanning the room.

They looked so young. Had he looked that young four years ago? Probably. Definitely.

"Any other questions?" Sarah asked.

A girl in the third row raised her hand. "What’s the job market like? After graduation?"

The four of them exchanged glances.

"Competitive," Noel said honestly. "But if you build good relationships with professors, get solid internships, and actually understand the material instead of just memorizing it, you’ll have options."

"Do you have a job lined up?" she pressed.

"I have offers. Still deciding between them."

"That’s good though, right? Having options?"

"It’s better than not having them."

The session wrapped at eleven forty-five.

Freshmen clustered around them with individual questions.

Noel answered several about course sequencing, research opportunities, whether the International Economics professor was as difficult as rumored.

"Yes," he said to the last one. "But you learn more from her than anyone else in the department."

By the time he escaped, it was past noon. His phone showed a message from Luca: Done at 12:30. Meet for lunch?

Noel typed back: I’ll come get you.

He walked across campus to the Business building. The quad was busy—freshmen everywhere, upperclassmen helping with orientation, parents taking photos.

Inside, he found the lecture hall where Luca’s session was happening. Voices drifted from inside, still mid-discussion.

Noel leaned against the wall outside, checking his phone.

Emily had texted the group chat about lunch plans.

George had sent a meme about surviving orientation. Alex was asking if they wanted to meet up later in the week.

The lecture hall door opened. Freshmen started filing out, chattering among themselves.

Noel scanned for Luca, found him still inside.

He was talking to a small group near the front—Emily and George with their students, and Luca with three freshmen girls who were listening to him with rapt attention.

Noel walked in, heading toward them.

"—and honestly, first semester you’re just figuring out how everything works," Luca was saying. "Don’t stress if you’re not perfect immediately."

One of the girls nodded enthusiastically. She was pretty—dark hair, bright smile, leaning slightly toward Luca as he talked.

"You’re really helpful," she said. "Like, I was so nervous about starting, but you make it sound manageable."

"It is manageable. You’ll be fine."

"Can I ask—" She hesitated, then continued. "Do you have a study group or anything? Like, could freshmen join?"

"I’m graduating Saturday, so no ongoing study group. But you should definitely form your own. Find people in your classes, meet regularly, it helps a lot."

"Oh." She looked disappointed. "Right. Graduating. That makes sense."

The other two girls were watching Luca too, similarly focused.

One had been taking notes while he talked, the other kept playing with her hair.

"Do you have a partner?" the first girl asked suddenly. "Like, someone you studied with consistently?"

Noel stopped walking. He was close enough to hear now, standing a few feet behind Luca.

Emily noticed him. Her eyes flicked to him, then back to the freshman, and something amused crossed her face.

"I—" Luca started.

"He does," Emily cut in smoothly, walking over. "Very serious partner. Studies together all the time. Super committed relationship."

The freshman’s face fell slightly. "Oh."

"Yeah, super committed," Emily continued, clearly enjoying herself. She grabbed Luca’s arm, tugging him backward. "Speaking of which, your partner is here. Looking very serious and committed."

Luca turned, saw Noel, lit up immediately. "Hey."

"Hey." Noel’s voice came out more flat than intended.

George had noticed now too, walking over with a grin that meant nothing good. "Noel! Done with your orientation?"

"Yeah."

"Great. Let’s get lunch. I’m starving." George steered him toward the exit, Emily dragging Luca along.

The freshman girls watched them leave, looking confused and disappointed.

Outside, Emily immediately started laughing.

"What?" Luca asked.

"Nothing. Just that poor girl asking if you had a partner."

"She meant study partner."

"She absolutely did not mean study partner," George said.

"She was just being friendly."

"She was being interested," Emily corrected. "Very clearly interested."

Noel walked slightly ahead, hands in his pockets, not participating in this conversation.

"Noel," George called. "You’re quiet."

"I’m always quiet."

"You’re extra quiet."

"I’m thinking about lunch options."

"Sure you are." George jogged to catch up, fell into step beside him. "You’re not jealous, are you?"

"Why would I be jealous?"

"Because a freshman was very obviously flirting with your boyfriend."

"She wasn’t flirting."

"She definitely was," Emily added, catching up on his other side. "The hair twirling, the leaning in, asking if he had a partner—classic moves."

"She’s a freshman," Noel said. "She’s probably eighteen."

"Nineteen," Emily corrected. "But still. Young and interested."

"I’m not jealous of a teenager."

"You’re a little jealous," George said.

"I’m not."

"Your jaw is doing that thing."

"What thing?"

"The thing where you clench it when you’re annoyed but trying not to show it."

Luca had caught up now, sliding between Emily and Noel. "What are we talking about?"

"Noel’s not jealous," George said. "He’s very calm about freshmen flirting with you."

"Nobody was flirting."

"Everyone was flirting," Emily said. "All three of those girls. It was adorable and obvious."

Luca looked at Noel. "You’re not actually bothered, right?"

"No."

"You seem bothered."

"I’m not bothered by eighteen-year-olds with crushes."

"Nineteen," Emily corrected again.

"Still children." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"We’re only twenty-three," George pointed out.

"Exactly. Which makes them children relative to us."

Luca grinned, stepping closer. "You’re a little jealous."

"I’m not jealous. That would be ridiculous."

"It’s kind of cute that you’re jealous."

"I’m not—"

Luca kissed his cheek, quick and warm. "I literally only have eyes for you. You know that."

Noel’s face heated. "Luca."

"What?" Luca kissed his other cheek. "Just making sure you know."

"We’re in public."

"So?"

"So stop."

But Luca was grinning, staying close, clearly pleased with himself.

Emily made a disgusted noise. "You two are gross."

"Agreed," George said. "I’m single and suffering. Have some consideration."

"I’m also single," Emily added. "This is rude."

"Then get partners and stop complaining," Luca said, not moving away from Noel.

"Easier said than done."

They reached the Thai place from yesterday, claimed the same table. Ordered quickly, fell into easy conversation about the morning’s sessions.

"My freshmen asked if the haunted library rumors were true," George said.

"What’d you tell them?" Emily asked.

"That it’s not haunted, just structurally unsound and probably full of asbestos."

"Encouraging."

"They deserve honesty."

Luca’s hand found Noel’s under the table, fingers lacing together. Squeezed gently.

Noel squeezed back, something settling in his chest.

Not jealous. Just... aware. Aware that other people noticed what he’d noticed years ago—that Luca was worth paying attention to.

"You’re still doing the face," George observed.

"What face? I wasn’t...."

"The brooding face."

"I don’t brood."

"You’re currently brooding."

Luca leaned into him slightly. "He’s not brooding. He’s just thinking very seriously about lunch."

"Sure he is."

The food arrived. They ate and argued and laughed, the lunch stretching longer than intended.

Around two, they dispersed—George and Emily to their afternoon campus tour, Luca and Noel heading home.

They walked in comfortable silence, hands still linked.

"You know I wasn’t actually interested, right?" Luca said eventually. "In that freshman."

"I know."

"Then why the face?"

"What face?"

"The jealous face."

"I wasn’t jealous."

"A little jealous."

Noel sighed. "Maybe slightly annoyed."

"About?"

"That she asked if you had a partner. Like she was checking your availability."

"She was asking about study partners."

"She wasn’t asking about study partners."

Luca smiled, swinging their joined hands slightly. "Okay, maybe not. But even if she was interested, so what? I’m completely unavailable."

"I know."

"Do you?"

"Yes."

"Good." Luca stopped walking, tugged Noel to face him. "Because you’re stuck with me. For a very long time."

"That’s the plan."

"Even when freshmen flirt with me?" Luca was smiling.

"Yeah, even."

Luca kissed him properly this time, right there on the sidewalk. Brief but firm, making a point.

When they broke apart, Noel’s face was definitely red.

"Still not jealous?" Luca asked.

"Completely secure in our relationship."

"Good."

They continued home, Luca looking smug, Noel pretending he hadn’t been bothered at all.

Tomorrow was Thursday—one more day of orientation, then their planned night out with everyone.

Then everything changed.

But right now, walking home with Luca’s hand in his, Noel felt certain about exactly one thing.

Whatever came next, they were doing it together.

And freshman crushes didn’t stand a chance against that.