Dear Roommate Please Stop Being Hot [BL]-Chapter 98: Something Like Peace

The soft hum of voices filled the room, sunlight filtering through the high windows, catching dust motes in golden streams.

Desks scraped as students settled in, the beginning-of-week energy a blur of yawns, coffee cups, and last-minute cramming.

Emily sat near the middle row, her usual spot, notebook open but untouched. Her mood was noticeably lighter today, a half-smile playing on her lips as she leaned toward the boy beside her.

George, slightly hunched over his phone, looked up at her. "You’re weirdly cheerful for a Monday."

Emily glanced at him sideways. "That’s rich coming from the guy who usually threatens to drop out before every 9am."

George raised a brow. "Fair."

Just then, the door creaked open.

Luca stepped in alone, wearing a navy hoodie, hair neatly pushed back but still carrying that easy, just-woke-up softness.

There was something about his face—lighter, softer, unguarded. His eyes scanned the room until they landed on Emily.

He walked over and dropped into the empty seat next to her.

Emily smirked. "Well, someone looks dangerously in love."

Luca blinked. "What?"

She leaned in. "Don’t even play innocent, your entire aura is glowing."

Luca tried (and failed) to suppress the smile tugging at his mouth.

She nudged him gently. "So, where’s our favorite overthinker this morning?"

"Noel went to the library," Luca replied, turning toward her a little. "He doesn’t have class till later. Probably buried under notes and coffee already."

Emily nodded knowingly. "Of course. Library boy."

Then, with a teasing grin: "You left him unsupervised? That’s risky. He might get too productive and forget to eat."

"I sent him a voice note," Luca said, pulling out his notebook. "With food threats."

Emily laughed. "Good. You’re learning."

George, now listening in, leaned over. "Is this the same Noel that nearly combusted last week from stress?"

"The very one," Emily said, eyes twinkling.

Luca just shook his head, his smile quiet but full.

The professor entered then, cutting their chatter short as the class settled into focus.

But as Luca flipped open his notes, the tiny smile didn’t fade. Not even once.

The professor scrawled something sharp across the board: "Global Supply Chain Vulnerabilities in Crisis Periods." His voice echoed crisply, practiced and steady, as he paced the front of the lecture hall.

"Think beyond textbook scenarios," he said, gesturing to the screen where a flowchart diagram flickered.

"The pandemic, for instance, wasn’t just a health crisis. It fractured supply networks globally. Now — if you’re running logistics for a multinational firm and your primary supplier goes dark overnight, what’s your Plan B?"

Around them, the lecture faded into background noise, unimportant next to what wasn’t being said.

Luca’s head was slightly tilted, pen between his fingers, but his notes were surprisingly neat today.

His brows furrowed lightly as he jotted something down, but the edge of his mouth still curved faintly — as if he were listening to two things at once: the lecture and some private memory that refused to fade.

Emily leaned sideways without taking her eyes off the professor.

"So, are we gonna talk about that smile or pretend I imagined it?" she whispered, pen still moving across her notes.

Luca glanced at her, lips twitching. "You imagined it."

Emily scoffed under her breath. "Right. Just like I imagined you panicking two days ago because Noel didn’t text back for an hour."

"That was a valid concern."

She smirked. "You’re impossible."

"And you’re loud shut up."

George snorted quietly next to her, muttering, "You guys know we’re literally in the second row, right?"

The professor glanced their way briefly but continued.

Emily scribbled something, then passed the note to Luca.

"Bet he’s rereading your texts right now instead of studying."

Luca read it, then wrote underneath with a small, neat scrawl:

"I hope so."

Emily pressed her lips together, hiding a grin. Then she went back to pretending to take notes.

A few rows behind them, someone yawned loudly. The class dragged on — slides flipping, the professor diving deeper into crisis strategy. But for Luca, time moved differently.

He wasn’t restless. Not today.

Meanwhile in the library was calm in that sacred, academic sort of way. Sunlight streamed in through tall windows, striping the polished floors with gold. Students murmured softly or didn’t speak at all, heads down, fingers tapping quietly on keyboards.

At a back corner table — half-buried in notes and reference books — sat Noel.

His laptop was open, a document blinking at him, cursor waiting. He rubbed his temples with both hands, exhaling slowly before typing another line. His coffee had gone cold, sitting forgotten at the edge of the table.

A chair scraped nearby.

He looked up.

Alex slid into the seat across from him, hoodie slightly rumpled, expression amused. "So this is where you disappeared to."

Noel blinked, caught off guard. "You found me."

Alex smirked. "Wasn’t hard. You only ever come here when you’re either in deep focus... or avoiding someone."

Noel gave a half-smile. "Lucky you — I’m just here for focus."

"Uh-huh." Alex set his bag down. "I texted you. You ghosted me."

"Sorry," Noel murmured. "Didn’t check my phone."

Alex leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing. "You okay?"

Noel hesitated — then gave a small nod. "Yeah. Just... wanted a head start. Exams, you know."

Alex tilted his head, studying him like he didn’t entirely believe it — but wasn’t going to press, not yet. "Right. The famous Noel panic phase. It begins."

Noel chuckled quietly. "I’m not panicking."

"Not yet. But give it another hour, and I bet you’ll have color-coded tabs, a planner meltdown, and at least three existential questions."

"Wow. You’ve known me too long."

Alex smiled, easy and genuine. "That’s the job."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few beats — Noel flipping through his notes, Alex pulling out his tablet.

Then, gently:

"Hey," Alex said, quieter this time, "you seem... better. Than you did last week."

Noel didn’t look up right away. But then he nodded — slowly, softly.

"I am."

Alex smiled, but his fingers fidgeted with the edge of his tablet — like he had something to say but didn’t know how.

The quiet hum of the library faded into the background as both boys returned to their work.

Noel turned a page in his textbook, highlighter poised, but his eyes weren’t really following the lines yet.

Across the table, Alex had settled in, reading something on his tablet with one earbud in and the other dangling.

It felt like the kind of moment that didn’t need much talking — just presence. Something grounded.

Alex looked up first. "You want the highlighter color system back? I know you’re pretending you don’t need it."

Noel gave a tired grin, reaching into his pencil case. "Please. I’m not that far gone yet."

"Give it fifteen more minutes," Alex said, scribbling something with a stylus. "Then you’ll be asking me to quiz you on definitions and business ethics again."

"Maybe I just like hearing you read to me," Noel said casually, and for a second, they both paused.

Alex raised an eyebrow, slow. "Should I be flattered?"

Noel gave a half-smile. "You should be honored."

A soft breath of laughter passed between them.

Outside the window, a few students strolled lazily across the campus lawn. Sunlight hit the glass just right, warming the edge of the desk. Alex reached for his water bottle, eyes drifting to Noel again.

"You really seem... like yourself today," he said quietly.

Noel let the silence stretch, underlining a sentence with slow precision before finally meeting Alex’s eyes.

Then looked up, eyes clearer. "It’s not perfect. But yeah. I feel lighter."

Alex nodded once. No teasing this time. Just understanding.

"You deserve to feel that," he said. "No matter how messy it was getting there."

Noel blinked, a little thrown by how sincere that sounded. "Thanks."

Alex leaned back in his chair, stretching slightly. "Now, do me a favor and explain this supply chain theory before I cry."

Noel huffed a quiet laugh, then leaned forward, grabbing his notes. "Fine. But if you start crying, I’m calling campus security."

"Please. I’ve embarrassed myself in worse ways."

"You’re right," Noel said, smirking. "There was that one time at the student mixer—"

"Don’t," Alex groaned, tossing a crumpled paper toward him. "Let’s not."

Laughter flickered between them like a low flame — easy, real.

And for the next hour, they worked quietly side by side. No pressure. Just shared space, soft glances, and the comforting silence of a friendship that had weathered more than either of them ever said out loud.

Noel had just finished explaining a diagram when his phone buzzed quietly beside his elbow.

Luca: Class’s over. Where are you?

Then a second message, barely a few seconds later:

Luca: I promise I’ll actually read this time. You can even quiz me.

Then another. Luca: Do you need anything?

Noel bit back a smile. Alex didn’t miss it.

"That him?" Alex asked without looking up from his notes.

"Yeah," Noel murmured, typing back.

Noel: Still in the library. I’m at the second floor, far left side near the window.

He hit send, then paused — fingers hovering.

Then added:

Bring iced coffee if you love me.

Alex caught that last part and let out a soft scoff. "Whipped."

Noel didn’t look up. "Studying. Focus."

"Mmhmm."

Time flowed gently between them, unhurried. A Chapter turned. A shared highlighter slid across the table.

Then, the creak of soft footsteps on the linoleum floor — and the faint scent of mint and warm fabric softener.

Noel looked up.

Luca stood at the edge of the table, hair slightly tousled, a plastic bag in one hand, and in the other — three iced coffees.

He looked a little sheepish. "Did I pass the test?"

Noel leaned back in his chair. "Barely."

Alex, still writing, didn’t look up. "You brought coffee. He’ll forgive anything now."

Luca grinned and slid into the seat beside Noel. "Hey, Alex."

"Hey."

Noel raised an eyebrow. "You actually gonna read?"

Luca held up his textbook dramatically. "I am reborn. Student mode activated."

Alex snorted. "God help us all."

But Noel watched him — not teasing, not annoyed. Just quiet affection simmering under the surface.

"Alright," he said, pushing a spare notebook toward Luca. "Let’s see what you remember from last week."

Luca leaned in, flipping open the notebook. "Quiz me, tutor."

Noel rolled his eyes but smiled. "Fine. First question—"

And just like that, the afternoon softened — three boys, one long table, and a quiet warmth they’d been chasing for weeks.

A kind of peace, gently earned.

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