Chapter 18: In Quiet Corners
Noel slid into a quiet corner near the back of the library, placing his tote bag gently beside him before flipping open his notes. Alex was already there, skimming through a stack of textbooks.
"You took your sweet time," Alex murmured without looking up.
"I wasn’t planning to come," Noel said flatly, pulling out his highlighter. "Luca just dragged me to lunch."
Alex blinked. "Luca... dragged you? Like, willingly?"
Noel shrugged. "He offered. I was already planning to go out anyway."
"Right," Alex said with a grin. "So... how’s that whole living situation going?"
"I’m not homeless yet," Noel muttered.
Alex chuckled softly. "He’s that bad?"
"It’s not about being bad. He just..." Noel paused, eyes still on his notes. "He’s loud. Messy. Flirty with anything that breathes. And completely unapologetic about it."
"So, your opposite."
"Exactly," Noel said, underlining a sentence. "Sometimes I feel like I’m sharing a room with a walking fire alarm."