Chapter 25: When the Room Went Quiet
Luca stretched and stood up, brushing nonexistent dust from his jeans. "I’m going out for a bit," he said casually, grabbing his phone from the desk.
Noel didn’t turn around. "Okay."
No reminder. No sarcastic remark about the assignment still half-done. Just that—okay.
The door clicked shut.
Only then did Noel lean back in his chair, one hand pressed against his chest. He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
"Idiot," he muttered under his breath—at himself.
What the hell was that? Luca’s voice had dropped—lazy, low, like he wasn’t speaking but studying him. Like every word meant something more.
Noel ran a hand through his hair, then dropped his forehead to the table. His laptop chimed as the screen woke again, but he didn’t lift his head.
"I’m not fourteen," he whispered, as if trying to convince himself.
But his heart... it hadn’t settled.
He sat up again, blinked at the cursor on the screen, then rubbed his face.