Dear Roommate Please Stop Being Hot [BL]-Chapter 187: Not the Lonely Kind

The incline grew steeper, gravel crunching sharply beneath their boots.

Luca’s initial bounce had faded, replaced by determined rhythm, though sweat had already beaded at his temples.

He lifted the hem of his shirt to wipe his forehead, flashing a strip of sun-warmed skin.

"Put that down before you trip," Noel muttered, his hand darting out automatically. His fingers brushed the sensitive skin of Luca’s elbow, steadying him as they navigated an uneven patch of loose stones.

"I wasn’t gonna fall," Luca insisted, but his protest was light, the edge worn away by the unspoken truth that he welcomed the contact.

"You were leaning like a tree in a storm," Noel replied, his grip firm until the ground leveled out. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

He didn’t let go immediately, his touch a lingering anchor before he finally withdrew.

They walked in comfortable silence, the only sounds wind rustling through tall, dry grass and the distant cry of a bird circling high above.

After a few minutes, Noel wordlessly uncapped his water bottle and pressed it against Luca’s hand.

Luca accepted it with a grateful sigh, taking a long gulp before wiping his mouth with the back of his wrist. "Thanks, mom."

"Drink properly. Small sips," Noel instructed, his tone flat, but his eyes lingered, watching the line of Luca’s throat until he was satisfied he’d actually hydrated.

When they reached a sharp bend in the trail, the world suddenly opened up before them.

Mountains layered into blue haze in the distance, and valleys below spread out like rumpled green fabric under the brilliant sun.

Luca stopped completely, his chest rising and falling with deep breaths as he stared, genuinely caught off guard by the sheer vastness.

"Wow," he whispered, the word leaving him on a breath of awe.

Noel stopped beside him, a quiet, solid presence.

He didn’t feel the need to speak, simply allowing Luca space to absorb the view, the moment stretching between them, rich and unbroken.

Then Luca tilted his head, his gaze shifting from the horizon to study Noel’s profile. "You’ve seen places like this before, right? On your trips?"

"Some," Noel acknowledged, his eyes still on the panoramic view.

"Still... pretty?" Luca pressed, his voice softer now.

Noel’s gaze flicked toward him, steady and deep.

A moment passed before he answered, the word quiet but sincere. "Yeah."

A grin, less playful and more genuinely touched, softened Luca’s features.

He nudged Noel’s arm gently with his own. "Thanks for coming. Even though you complained the whole way."

"I’m still complaining," Noel said, but the words came out quiet, almost fond.

They moved on, the trail narrowing into a shaded stretch where gnarled tree roots formed a natural staircase.

Luca’s foot caught on one, and he stumbled forward with a gasp, his hand flying out to catch himself on Noel’s shoulder.

"Careful," Noel murmured, his other hand instantly finding firm purchase at Luca’s waist, halting his momentum.

Luca didn’t move away, leaning into the support for a heartbeat longer than necessary. "You like catching me," he teased, but his smile was small, revealing a sliver of vulnerability.

Noel’s fingers pressed gently into his side, lingering before he released him. "Don’t make it a habit."

Luca nodded, falling back into step beside him, so close that the sleeves of their shirts whispered against each other with every stride.

The mountain wasn’t done with them yet, but for the first time all morning, the silence between them wasn’t sharp or teasing—it was warm. Deeply companionable.

The trail eventually dipped into a small, sheltered hollow where a large, flat rock jutted out like a natural bench, shaded by a canopy of leaning pine trees.

Noel slowed, his eyes scanning the spot with practiced assessment before he gave a faint, approving nod.

"Sit," he said simply. "We’ll rest here."

Luca needed no further invitation. He flopped down first, dramatic as ever, stretching his legs out with an exaggerated groan. "Finally. I thought you were gonna march me straight to heaven’s gate without a break."

"You were the one racing ahead like you were being chased," Noel reminded him, lowering himself onto the rock beside Luca with controlled ease.

"Yeah, but I didn’t expect you to actually match my pace the whole time," Luca shot back, his eyes sparkling with admiration he didn’t bother to hide.

Noel didn’t answer with words—he only shook his head slightly, a silent, fond rebuttal, and leaned back on his hands, his gaze tracing patterns in the sky through the interlacing pine needles above.

Luca tugged the backpack toward himself, rummaging through it until the rustle of wrappers broke the quiet. "Aha. Treasure." He held up a packet of snacks as if he’d just uncovered buried gold.

"You’re the one who packed that," Noel pointed out, not opening his eyes.

"Details, details." Luca tore the packet open and shoved a piece into his mouth, cheeks puffing out like a satisfied squirrel. Then, without hesitation, he held another piece up directly in front of Noel’s lips. "Say ah."

Noel cracked one eye open to level a flat, unimpressed look at him.

"What?" Luca challenged, leaning closer, his hand remaining steady. "Sharing is bonding. It’s a rule."

Noel hesitated, the stubborn line of his jaw refusing to soften.

But Luca didn’t waver, his grin both challenging and encouraging.

Finally, with a quiet sigh of surrender, Noel leaned forward slightly and took the offering directly from Luca’s fingers.

"There you go," Luca said, sounding far too pleased with his small victory.

Noel chewed in silence, staring straight ahead, but the faint, undeniable twitch at the corner of his mouth betrayed him.

"See?" Luca nudged his shoulder, his voice dropping to a low, tender murmur. "Tastes better when you don’t have to eat alone."

Noel didn’t argue. He simply reached into the bag himself, and this time, he offered a piece to Luca without even looking, his hand held steady between them.

Luca accepted it, his fingers brushing against Noel’s. For a long moment, neither of them spoke—they just sat on the sun-warmed stone, sharing crumbs and a quiet that felt more intimate than any conversation, the mountain wrapping around them as if it had been waiting for this very moment.

The snacks dwindled, the rustle of wrappers giving way to the gentle hush of wind threading through the pine boughs.

Luca leaned back on his hands, the stone cool and solid beneath his palms, and tilted his face toward the canopy.

Sunlight slipped through in dappled patches, catching on his dark lashes and sketching faint, shifting gold across his cheekbones.

"Feels different up here," he murmured, his voice low as though he didn’t want the ancient woods to overhear. "Like the world’s quieter, but not empty. It’s a full kind of quiet."

Noel sat straighter, his boots planted firmly on the ground, his gaze now fixed on Luca. "You don’t usually like quiet."

"I do," Luca said after a considering beat, a hint of defensiveness in his tone that quickly melted away. His fingers plucked absently at a crumb stuck to his shirt. "Just... not the lonely kind."

The words hung between them, heavier and more honest than he’d intended.

His throat bobbed as he forced a faint, self-conscious smile, trying to lighten the admission.

Noel didn’t look away. His eyes, sharp and perceptive, stayed locked on him—so unwavering that Luca actually shifted under the intensity, feeling the weight of that silent attention more than the mountain air around them.

A short, uneven laugh escaped him. "Don’t stare like that. You’ll make me blush for real."

"You’re already red," Noel stated, his delivery as flat as ever, but with the faintest, warmest curve to his tone.

"That’s from the hike. Sweat," Luca clarified, though he could feel the heat in his cheeks wasn’t entirely from exertion.

"Mm." Just that single, non-committal sound-measured and unreadable-but Luca caught the sliver of gentle disbelief beneath it, and his responding huff was softer, more fond than annoyed.

They let the pause stretch, not empty, not awkward—just present.

A rhythm existed between them that no longer needed to be named.

The mountain air moved gently through the pines, carrying the clean scent of earth and resin, accompanied by the lone cry of a distant bird that called once and then faded into the immense silence.

After a while, Luca shifted minutely, his knee brushing lightly against Noel’s.

It wasn’t clumsy or teasing—just a quiet, deliberate reach for closeness that he didn’t put into words.

Noel didn’t move away.

The brush of Luca’s knee lingered, a subtle but steady pressure.

He didn’t retract it, didn’t pretend it was an accident.

For once, he didn’t feel the need to fill the silence with a joke.

Noel’s gaze flicked down to the point of contact briefly, then back to the horizon.

His hand rested on his own thigh, still, until after a long, contemplative pause, he shifted his weight just enough for his knuckles to graze against Luca’s. It was barely there, like he was testing the space between them.

Luca caught the gesture instantly. His lips curved into a smile—not his usual wide grin, but something smaller, softer, like a secret he wasn’t ready to speak aloud.

He turned his palm upward, brushing his fingers back against Noel’s in a quiet, unambiguous invitation.

Noel didn’t pull away. His hand settled over Luca’s, warm and solid, the weight of it grounding in a way that felt both simple and enormous.

The wind rustled the branches overhead, breaking the shafts of light so they danced across their joined hands.

Luca tilted his face to the canopy again, eyes closing briefly, a serene smile tugging at his lips without effort.

"See?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. "Not the lonely kind of quiet."

Noel glanced at him, steady as always, but this time his silence carried a clear and resonant answer.

The quiet stretched, warm and unbroken, until Noel finally shifted, gently pulling his hand back only to push himself upright.

He brushed a few stray pine needles from the back of his pants, his eyes following the trail as it began its winding descent.

"We should start heading back," he said, his voice low but firm. "If we don’t, it’ll be dark before we reach the guesthouse."

Luca tilted his head back to look at him, a mock pout on his lips, though his eyes were smiling. "You really know how to kill a perfect moment, you know that?"

"You’ll thank me when you’re not stumbling over roots in the dark," Noel replied pragmatically, already reaching for the backpack and sliding the remaining snacks inside. "Besides... tomorrow is our only real rest day."

"Rest day?" Luca echoed, his eyebrows lifting with interest as he got to his feet, stretching his arms high over his head.

"The day after, the summer internship starts. There won’t be any breaks after that."

Luca groaned dramatically, though the sound was good-natured. "You really had to remind me of real life right now, huh?"

"Better now than when you oversleep and blame me," Noel said simply, though the corner of his mouth tugged just slightly, betraying his amusement.

Luca fell into step beside him as they picked their way back to the main trail, brushing close enough that their shoulders almost touched with every other step.

His voice was softer, more sincere, when he spoke again. "Fine. But just so you know... I’m gonna remember this day more than any internship."

Noel didn’t answer right away. He only glanced at him once, a quick, deep look, before turning his attention back to the path ahead. "Good," he murmured, so quietly the word was almost lost in the rustle of leaves beneath their feet.

The walk down was quieter, their steps falling into an easy, synchronized rhythm.

By the time the familiar rooftops of the guesthouse came into view below, Luca’s shoulders had loosened completely, his grin was lazy and content, and his hair was charmingly mussed from the climb and the wind.

Inside, the cool shade of their room wrapped around them like a blanket.

Luca dropped onto the bed without ceremony, his shoes kicked off to land haphazardly halfway across the floor. "I’m not moving for at least a week," he declared, sprawling across the quilt with a long, satisfied sigh.

"You’ll be moving in thirty minutes," Noel said, setting their bag down neatly by the wall. He tugged his own boots off and placed them side-by-side, then sat on the edge of the mattress. "Nap. Then we get dinner."

"Bossy," Luca teased, his eyes already half-closed in blissful exhaustion.

Noel leaned over him, close enough for Luca to feel the shift in the air and catch his familiar, clean scent. "Practical." His hand came up, brushing lightly through Luca’s damp hair, pushing the stray strands back from his forehead. "You’ll thank me when you’re not dragging yourself through tomorrow."

Luca cracked an eye open, a lazy, affectionate smile tugging at his mouth. "You know, that sounds an awful lot like something a boyfriend would say."

"Maybe it is," Noel murmured, his fingers stilling for a moment against Luca’s temple.

For a rare, unguarded moment, the usual guarded expression on Noel’s face softened completely, open and tender in the hush of the room.

He bent down, pressing a brief, feather-light kiss to Luca’s hairline, so quiet and gentle it could have been mistaken for nothing more than a breath.

Luca’s eyes fluttered shut, his smile lingering as he sank deeper into the pillows. "Fine. Thirty minutes."

"Good," Noel said, settling back but not moving far, as if he intended to stand guard over Luca’s short rest.

The room grew still, filled only with the even cadence of Luca’s breathing gradually slowing into sleep, the day’s warmth and light lingering between them like a promise.