The night had cooled, the wind brushing gentle across their faces as they walked side by side down the quiet street.
The theater's glow was far behind now, and campus lights blinked ahead in the distance.
Luca sipped from the bottled water he bought on the way out, his steps unhurried. "Alright, admit it," he said, nudging Noel with his elbow. "You liked it more than you thought."
Noel scoffed lightly, stuffing his hands deeper into his pockets. "It was okay," he replied, but even he knew his voice betrayed more than that.
Luca glanced sideways. "Your heart was racing during that last scene. I could feel the tension from your seat."
Noel gave him a sharp look, half amused, half defensive. "That was just the sound system. The music was loud."
Luca laughed, shaking his head. "Sure, sure. Let's go with that."
The street was dim, quiet except for the soft hum of distant traffic. Their shadows stretched out under the streetlights, walking beside them in silence.
Noel watched the sidewalk carefully, his gaze drifting to their shoes occasionally — Luca's untied lace swinging with every step. He didn't say anything about it. He just… watched.
"You okay?" Luca asked suddenly, voice gentler now. "You've been quiet."
Noel looked up, startled for a second. "I'm fine," he replied, too quickly. "Just thinking."
"About?"
Noel hesitated. Then shrugged. Nothing. The movie, I guess.
Luca nodded, buying it — or maybe pretending to. "Hmm. You get emotionally invested faster than I thought."
Noel turned to look at him, eyes narrowing. "I do not."
Luca grinned. "You do."
They walked another block in silence, the kind that wasn't uncomfortable, but heavy — like something was quietly blooming between them, just beneath the surface.
Noel stole another glance at him.
The way Luca's hair curled slightly at the ends. The way he walked like the night belonged to him. The way he always seemed... effortless.
Noel stopped walking for half a beat. His voice was quiet, almost like it surprised even him. "Thanks."
Luca turned, slightly confused. For what?
For… dragging me out tonight.
He met his eyes briefly — then looked away. I guess I didn't hate it.
Luca smiled — soft this time. Not teasing. Just... warm. Anytime.
And they kept walking, side by side under the amber glow of streetlights — neither speaking, neither pulling away — just sharing the quiet in the space between their steps.
The key clicked in the lock, and the door creaked open. Luca stepped in first, tossing his jacket lazily over the back of a chair.
"Home sweet home," he murmured, stretching his arms above his head, the hem of his hoodie lifting just slightly.
Noel followed in behind him, slower, quieter.
The room was dim, their shared space softly lit by the warm glow of Luca's bedside lamp.
It was familiar. Safe. But tonight it felt… different. Like something unspoken had settled in the air between them during the walk.
Luca kicked off his shoes and flopped backward onto his bed with a satisfied sigh. "Alright, verdict time. Was that your first proper theater movie?"
Noel set down the water bottle he still held and sat on the edge of his own bed. "No," he said, looking down at his hands. "But… it's been a long time."
Luca glanced over at him, noticing how he didn't look up, how his voice softened again. "Well, I feel honored. Getting you out like that's a rare achievement, huh?"
Noel nodded once. "I guess."
There was a silence — but not awkward.
Just quiet.
Then Noel stood abruptly. "I'll change."
He moved to the bathroom, closed the door gently behind him.
Luca stayed lying on his bed, watching the ceiling for a moment, arms tucked behind his head.
Inside the bathroom, Noel stared at himself in the mirror.
His fingers gripped the sink.
What is this?
He wasn't supposed to feel like this. This soft ache in his chest. This strange flutter when their arms had brushed in the theater.
That moment when Luca leaned close to whisper a joke and their faces were so close—
He splashed water on his face.
When he stepped out, Luca had already dimmed the lamp and curled up under his blanket, scrolling lazily through his phone.
Noel quietly got into his own bed, pulling the blanket up to his chest and turning to face the wall.
Luca's voice broke the silence a minute later, soft, almost a whisper in the dark.
"Thanks for coming with me tonight, Noel."
Noel's throat tightened unexpectedly. "Yeah," he murmured back. "Thanks for asking."
Luca didn't respond, but a moment later, Noel heard the soft click of his phone locking, and the shift of his weight as he turned over.
The room fell quiet.
And though his eyes were closed, Noel couldn't sleep just yet.
His heart was still racing. Not from the movie.
From something else entirely.
The room had gone still.
The kind of stillness that makes every breath feel louder than it should.
Outside, the wind rustled faintly against the windowpane, but inside — it was quiet. Weighted.
Noel lay on his side, facing the wall, eyes open.
The soft rhythm of Luca's breathing across the room was steady — calm.
And for some reason, that sound made it even harder to shut his thoughts off.
He stared at the faint shadow of the bookshelf, the way the moonlight edged through the curtain. His fingers twisted slightly under the covers.
He thought about the movie. Not the plot — he barely remembered half of it.
Luca's laugh — low and unguarded in the dark theater — stuck with him.
The way he'd shifted closer when the screen bathed them in warm light and the way their knees had brushed. Luca hadn't moved away.
And then there was that moment… when their eyes met and didn't break.
Luca smiled.
Noel had looked away first.
He sighed softly now, pressing his forehead against the pillow.
You're being stupid, he told himself. He's just your roommate. That's it. He was being nice.
But then his phone buzzed.
He turned slightly to check it.
A message from Luca.
"I still think the best part was when the popcorn flew everywhere."
Noel blinked, then glanced toward the other bed. Luca hadn't moved. He must've sent it just now, lying there in the dark.
Noel's lips twitched — not quite a smile.
He replied:
"You're the one who flinched. That bucket never stood a chance."
No reply. Not right away.
But then, three dots.
Then it stopped.
Then came the reply.
"Still worth it."
Noel stared at the screen.
He didn't know why that sentence made his chest feel tight.
Didn't know why his hands were warm under the blanket.
He set the phone down on the edge of the bed and turned to face the ceiling now, blinking at nothing.
The room was still the same. But he wasn't.
Luca lay on his side, his screen the only light in the room.
He could feel Noel's presence across the space. Could feel it like gravity.
After he sent "Still worth it," he stared at the message for a moment.
He hadn't meant to be cheesy. But… maybe he had.
The screen lit up again.
Noel:
"You're dramatic."
Luca smirked.
His thumbs hovered for a second before typing back.
Luca:
"I like memorable nights. This one goes in the book."
A pause.
He watched the typing dots appear and vanish. Then again.
Finally—
Noel:
"You have a book?"
Luca:
"Metaphorically."
Noel:
"Lame."
Luca:
"You're in it though."
Silence.
No typing dots this time.
Luca turned slightly, eyes drifting toward the shadowed figure in the opposite bed.
Then, the message came:
Noel:
"Yeah? What chapter?"
He blinked.
That wasn't sarcasm. That was something else.
Luca's fingers hovered. Then:
Luca:
"The unexpected chapter."
"Where the roommate's cooler than expected."
Noel read it once. Twice.
Then again.
He bit the inside of his cheek, then responded:
Noel:
"Cooler?"
"Like temperature?"
Luca snorted under his breath.
Luca:
"Sure. Ice-cold heart, remember?"
"But good movie taste."
There was a long pause after that. So long Luca assumed he might've fallen asleep.
Until—
Noel:
"You remembered the theater plan. Even after going out."
"You didn't have to."
Luca stared at the message.
Then slowly typed:
Luca:
"Yeah, I did."
Silence again.
Luca's heart beat louder than the quiet. He didn't really know why.
He waited for the reply.
Eventually, it came.
Noel:
"Good night, Luca."
He smiled. Turned onto his back, eyes still on the screen.
Luca:
"Night, Noel."
And there it was again—
That stillness. That almost-sacred quiet where nothing was said aloud… but everything was said anyway.
Noel closed his eyes, but the space between their beds felt smaller than it had ever been.