Chapter 36: This Quiet Room
Morning came slowly.
A pale beam of sunlight filtered through the half-closed blinds, stretching across the floor and pooling at the foot of Luca’s bed.
The room was still wrapped in a weekend hush — no alarms, no scuffling students in the hall, no rush to be anywhere.
Noel woke to the stillness of a Saturday, the kind that felt borrowed—too quiet, too gentle, and far too temporary.
He turned his head just enough to see Luca still asleep, one arm slung over his face, the blanket half-kicked off, exposing his bare chest and the lazy rise and fall of his chest.
Noel stared longer than he meant to, a flicker of something warm curling in his chest before he forced himself to look away. He rolled over and sighed into his pillow.
He lay there for a while, not quite ready to get up. It was rare, having time like this — slow, undemanding. No lectures, no assignments due that second, no expectations. Just... stillness.
Eventually, he sat up, ran a hand through his hair, and padded over to his desk. He quietly unplugged his laptop and opened it, screen casting a dim glow as it booted up.
A moment later, he reached for the earbuds lying beside it, intending to start working on some notes.
But before he could press play, a groggy voice broke the silence.
"You’re already up?" Luca’s voice was hoarse, sleep-heavy.