Dear Roommate Please Stop Being Hot [BL]
Chapter 124: Together, For Now

Chapter 124: Together, For Now

They lingered on the bench longer than they meant to.

The courtyard had slipped into that strange, in-between quiet—the kind that came only after days of noise, nerves, and exam-scribbled chaos.

It wasn’t peaceful exactly, just... hollow. Like everyone was holding their breath.

Noel sipped the last of his drink, eyes half-lidded as if watching something far off.

Beside him, Emily scrolled absently through her phone, thumb hovering over the screen without really moving.

"Emily’s foot tapped, restless. Noel’s hand tightened on his cup. The tension still sat in their shoulders, quiet but heavy."

Then George stood, back popping with the stretch. "Alright," he muttered, steeling his tone. "Let’s go rip the Band-Aid."

No one argued.

Noel stood first, Luca following without a word.

Emily slipped her phone into her pocket and fell into step beside them.

As they rounded the path toward the admin block, the hum of low voices met them.

A small crowd had already gathered around the notice board—some pushing in, others stepping back, disbelieving.

"This isn’t even where I applied!" someone barked.

"Check the second list—this is just finance division!" another snapped.

From deeper in the crowd, someone let out a triumphant whoop. "Yes! TechSpark, baby!" they yelled, holding up their phone like a trophy.

George pushed in first, muttering soft apologies as he threaded through the crowd. His eyes scanned the page—left to right, top to bottom—until they stopped.

"OakBridge..." His voice cracked. "Holy crap."

Emily stepped closer, peering over his shoulder. "That’s yours?"

George didn’t move for a second. Then he nodded slowly, as if saying it out loud might make it more real. "Yeah. That’s... back home. I actually got it."

Emily lit up, clapping once. "No way! You got your hometown pick?"

"I mean—yeah," George said, stunned. "That’s literally the one I hoped for."

Luca nudged his shoulder. "You better treat us to dinner."

Noel glanced at George—his fingers hovered just inches from the list, trembling faintly as he traced his name again.

It looked like he might burst or vanish. Then he smiled—wide and full—and the nerves melted into something clearer: joy.

Emily leaned closer now, eyes scanning frantically. "Okay—okay, where am I—where am I—wait, oh my God. BizNexu? Wait—seriously?!"

"That’s top three," Luca said, eyes widening.

She gasped, covering her mouth with her hands, laughing through her fingers. "They picked me? But I thought they’d go for all those scary-perfect GPA robots—"

"You are a scary-perfect GPA robot," George said dryly.

Emily swatted at his arm. "Yeah, but like, charmingly unhinged."

Then Luca’s voice dipped, quiet but clear: "Noel."

Noel had already moved closer. His eyes tracked the board slowly, carefully—and then his posture changed. A breath stilled.

"There," he said softly.

Luca stepped in beside him. "Infinity Global Partners," he read under his breath. "We’re there."

Noel’s lips moved, but it was more breath than voice. "That’s the one we applied to together."

Emily blinked. "Wait—both of you?"

Luca hesitated, just for a breath. Then smiled.

"Yeah. We... hoped."

George leaned in. "And did you both get in?"

"Together?" Noel asked again, like he needed to hear it twice.

"Yeah," Luca confirmed, his voice quieter now, but smiling. Not the wide kind—something more personal, more grounded.

Emily whistled. "Isn’t that like... super competitive?"

"Infinity Global... sounds familiar," George said, squinting slightly. "Big company?"

Noel didn’t answer right away. Luca didn’t either.

But then Noel frowned, pointing to a small mark by their names. "There’s an asterisk."

Luca leaned forward, tracing the fine print just below. "Shortlisted for interview," he murmured. "Final list after selection."

Emily still grinned. "Interview or not, you made it through the first gate."

"So... not in yet," Noel muttered, half teasing.

"We just have to pass the interview," Luca said, back straightening. "We’ll be fine."

Noel glanced at him. "Will we?"

Luca didn’t flinch. "We’ve come this far."

The others turned away, pulled back into new discoveries, fresh rounds of celebration. But Noel stayed a moment longer, gaze still locked on the board.

His eyes read the name again. Infinity Global Partners.

Behind him, Luca’s smile faded—just slightly. His hands slid into his pockets, fingers curling into fists. There was a flicker in his eyes, a hesitation in his breath.

Because what he hadn’t said—what he still hadn’t told Noel—was that Infinity Global wasn’t just another company.

And this... this was about to get complicated.

The crowd had begun to thin, the excitement settling into quieter murmurs—soft phone calls, shaky laughs, students leaning into each other with shared disbelief.

Some were already dialing home. Others just stood still, staring at their names like they might disappear.

"Alright," Luca said, grinning. "Time to celebrate."

Emily tucked her hair behind her ear, eyes still sparkling. "Lina’s waiting. I promised we’d meet in the garden."

George let out a dramatic yawn and rolled his neck. "I love you all dearly, but my celebration involves sleep, silence, and pretending none of this ever happened."

Luca groaned. "That’s depressing, but fair." Then he nudged Noel’s arm. "Go on, all of you. I’ve got a better plan."

Before anyone could ask, he reached down and laced his fingers through Noel’s.

"I’m celebrating with my boyfriend," he said simply, tugging Noel toward the path. "Let’s go, babe. Guess it’s just you and me—romantic, slightly obnoxious victory lap?"

Noel snorted, but didn’t let go. "Lead the way, champ."

Emily made a face and waved them off. "Alright, lovebirds. Go be nauseating elsewhere."

They all laughed. Then, like threads unraveling gently, they began to part.

Emily veered toward the garden path, sunlight catching her curls as she jogged lightly ahead.

George yawned gave a lazy salute. "Sleep is calling. Don’t wake me unless we win a Nobel."

And Noel—still holding Luca’s hand—walked quietly beside him toward the dorms.

No rush. No words for a while. Just the sound of sneakers on pavement and the lingering echo of something finally going right.

They head toward their dorm, steps quiet now. The world felt softer somehow. Not quiet—but calmer. Like they’d stepped into the after of something important.

And neither one quite knew what came next. But for now, they had this moment. Together.

By the time they reached their dorm, the hallway was buzzing with quiet chaos.

Cardboard boxes lined the walls like sudden reminders that something had ended. Doors were propped open. Someone dragged a suitcase with one hand and balanced an open laptop in the other.

Footsteps echoed softly as Luca and Noel stepped onto the floor.

"Bro, I already told my mom I’m coming tomorrow," one guy called from his doorway, grinning as he stuffed clothes into a duffel bag. "She’s already crying and rearranging the whole house."

Down the hall, another groaned, staring at his phone in disbelief. "Why did I apply there? Why? I have an internship interview tomorrow. They just emailed me. I haven’t even packed socks."

"Wear stress and regret. It’s a look," someone teased.

Luca chuckled under his breath, glancing at Noel with that half-smile he always wore when he didn’t want to admit he was feeling something.

Noel didn’t say anything—just squeezed his hand gently as they passed the noise and the open doors, their own room waiting like the last calm in a sea of transition.

Luca pushed the door open.

Their space was still untouched. Same posters. Same uneven rug. Same hoodie slung over the chair. Like the world hadn’t quite caught up in here yet.

They stepped inside, letting the door close quietly behind them.

Outside, the future was already calling people away. But for now—here—they had this.

Just the soft hum of the old desk fan. A faint breeze through the open window.

And the steady quiet of knowing neither of them had to say a word to feel exactly the same.

Noel dropped his bag by the bed and walked straight to his desk. His fingers moved fast, flipping open the laptop and waking the screen.

Luca kicked off his shoes with a sigh, already scrolling through his phone as he settled beside him.

"Checking yours?" Luca asked, eyes still on his screen.

"Yeah," Noel murmured. The inbox loaded slowly—too slowly. He refreshed it once. Twice. Nothing.

"No email," he said finally, voice flat.

Luca looked up. "Same here," he said, then shrugged. "Maybe they’re from different companies. Different timelines or something."

Noel leaned back in his chair, arms crossed lightly. "Guess we wait."

"Yeah." Luca nodded, then smiled faintly. "Not like we haven’t mastered that by now."

Their eyes met for a moment—half a smile exchanged, quiet but warm.

The kind of understanding that didn’t need noise to be felt.

The screen glowed softly in front of them.

And the silence, for once, didn’t feel heavy. Just... paused. Like the world would tell them the next step when it was ready.

Luca’s phone buzzed on the desk just as Noel reached for his towel.

"I’m taking a shower," Noel called, his voice echoing slightly before the bathroom door clicked shut behind him.

Luca glanced at the screen.

Mr. Jeff.

His hand hovered for a second, then he picked it up. "Hey."

"Ah, there he is," came the familiar voice, light and teasing. "Thought you disappeared on me. You’ve been hiding?"

Luca smiled faintly. "Didn’t expect a call."

"Didn’t expect you to vanish either," Mr. Jeff replied with a warm laugh. "What—too grown-up now to drop by? Haven’t seen your face in two months."

"three," Luca corrected quietly, leaning back in his chair. "Been a little buried. School."

"Mmm." A soft chuckle. "Saw your name on the list today."

Luca stilled. "You did?"

"You applied to the company, didn’t you?"

The question was casual, but something in it made Luca sit straighter.

"Yeah," he said after a pause. "Didn’t really plan to. It just... happened."

"Didn’t think to mention it to me?"

"I wasn’t sure I would follow through," he admitted. "Then suddenly, we were submitting applications and I just... did."

There was a pause. Then Mr. Jeff’s voice shifted—lower, calmer.

"I want you to know, I didn’t touch anything. No shortcuts. Your name’s in the stack with everyone else. You only move forward if you earn it. That’s the rule."

Luca exhaled slowly. "Good. I want it that way."

"I figured." Another beat passed. Then a chuckle. "But don’t expect mercy. If you screw up that interview, you’re toast."

Luca cracked a smile. "Wouldn’t expect less."

"That’s my boy." A soft pride clung to the words. "You’ve grown up, huh? Think you can handle it without your dad’s hand holding?"

"I better," Luca murmured.

Mr. Jeff didn’t push further. Just said, "Alright then. Good luck."

"Thanks."

They hung up.

The screen dimmed to black, and so did Luca’s expression.

He stared for a moment, then set the phone down gently.

The sound of running water hummed in the background, muffled behind the door.

He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands loosely clasped.

He hadn’t told Noel.

Not about the company.

Not about his father.

And now, it sat heavier than ever—like a weight waiting to shift everything.