Dear Roommate Please Stop Being Hot [BL]-Chapter 213: Protective, Not Jealous.

The floor was quieter when Luca returned.

The steady hum of work had settled in—keyboards clacking, soft murmurs drifting between cubicles.

He stopped by Georgia’s office first, knocking twice on the glass before pushing the door open.

Georgia looked up from her screen, glasses sliding slightly down the bridge of her nose. "That was fast."

"Bella did the hard part," Luca said, handing over the freshly printed file.

She accepted it with a nod, flipping through a few pages. "Good. I’ll go through this before lunch. Make sure your part’s clean—I don’t want the board asking questions I can’t answer." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Luca smirked. "My part’s always clean."

Georgia arched a brow, unimpressed. "Flirt with the printer, not with your supervisor."

He laughed, backing toward the door. "Got it, boss."

"Luca," she called after him, her tone softening just slightly. "Good work this week."

He paused, caught off guard by the rare praise. "Thanks," he said quietly, before slipping out.

Back at their table, Bella was already waiting, a cup of coffee in hand. She waved him over with her usual energy. "Took you long enough."

"Georgia wanted to make sure the printer didn’t explode," he said, dropping into his chair.

"Ha-ha." Bella passed him a folder. "Here—Liam said we should double-check the feedback before the afternoon briefing."

"Sure." Luca leaned closer, flipping through the pages. "He still mixing up the charts?"

"Worse," she said, pointing. "He duplicated the wrong column. Look at this. The profit margin’s higher than the total revenue."

Luca snorted. "Ambitious."

Bella grinned, leaning back. "Maybe we should hire him for marketing. He’s good at making things look better than they are."

Their laughter blended easily into the low hum of the office.

Wei Chen and Camila were whispering nearby, sharing inside jokes over a spreadsheet; Liam was half-listening, half-daydreaming, tapping a pen against his notepad.

It was an ordinary rhythm—the kind that made the hours glide by without notice.

Luca stretched in his chair, glancing briefly toward the windows where sunlight cut across the floor in long, soft stripes. "Feels like it’s gonna be one of those long days," he murmured.

Bella handed him her half-finished coffee. "Then you’ll need this."

He took it with a small smile. "Thanks, partner."

"Anytime," she said, turning back to her screen. "Now, let’s fix Liam’s fantasy math before Georgia sees it and has an aneurysm."

Luca chuckled under his breath and got to work, the room settling into the quiet focus of mid-morning.

He didn’t think about anything else—not the corridor, not the sting on his forehead, not the pair of dark eyes that had followed him down the hall.

Not yet.

The office was starting to thin out when Georgia appeared by their desks, tablet in hand and glasses pushed up into her hair.

"Alright, everyone," she announced, tone brisk but light. "You’ve done enough damage for one day. Pack it up—go home before I find another report for you to fix."

Luca stretched, half-laughing. "You sure you don’t want to keep us hostage a little longer?"

Georgia gave him a look that could silence board members. "Don’t tempt me, Luca."

He grinned. "Noted, boss."

Across the floor, chairs squeaked and monitors dimmed.

The interns gathered their things, chatter echoing softly in the background—plans for dinner, movie nights, exhaustion disguised as energy.

By the time they reached the elevator, the sky outside had dipped into deep violet.

Wei Chen and Camila left first, hands brushing as they waved goodbye.

Liam followed soon after, yawning into his sleeve.

Luca and Bella stayed behind, finding an empty bench near the lobby’s wide glass doors.

The evening light spilled in soft and golden, catching dust motes in slow motion.

Luca rested his phone on his lap, scrolling absently.

Bella checked her phone, then glanced at him. "You’re not leaving yet?"

"I’m waiting for Noel," Luca said casually.

"Oh." She nodded, pausing. "You two heading the same way?"

"Something like that." He smiled, eyes down. "We live in the same building."

"Oh." She hesitated, fiddling with the strap of her bag. "Luca... there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you."

He turned to her, eyebrows raised. "Yeah?"

She chewed her lip, then pressed on. "I think Noel likes me."

Luca froze mid-blink. "What?"

Her face reddened. "You didn’t notice? The way he looks sometimes—he gets... intense."

Luca blinked once, then twice, before letting out a small laugh, half disbelief, half nerves. "I—uh—don’t think that’s it."

"No, really." She leaned closer, lowering her voice. "Remember when I was applying the ointment on your forehead? He looked furious. Like he wanted to snatch it from me—and he did!"

Luca scratched the back of his neck, caught between laughing and groaning. "Right. Yeah. That."

"Yes, that!" Her eyes widened with conviction. "And earlier, when we were printing—he looked like he was about to throw the printer out the window. Maybe he doesn’t want me around you because he—"

Her voice trailed off as Luca’s phone buzzed.

He glanced down—Noel flashing across the screen—and reached for it without thinking.

That’s when she saw it.

The wallpaper lit up between his hands: a photo of them—Luca and Noel, standing close, wearing those matching sun-and-moon shirts from the hiking trip. Smiling, easy, intimate.

Bella’s breath hitched.

The realization hit harder than embarrassment—it was clarity, all at once.

"Oh my God," she whispered, eyes wide. "He doesn’t like me. He—he’s your—"

Luca followed her gaze, realizing too late. "Bella, I—"

"No, no, no, it’s fine," she said quickly, cheeks flushing scarlet. "I—wow. Okay. That explains... a lot."

Before he could reply, the elevator dinged softly behind them.

Noel stepped out, coat slung over his arm, expression composed but eyes locked straight on Luca.

His gaze flicked briefly to Bella—sharp, assessing—and Bella’s nerves spiked instantly.

She jumped up so fast she nearly dropped her bag. "I—I should go. Before your boyfriend murders me with his eyes." She grabbed her bag and waved frantically. "Right! I’ll, uh... see you tomorrow, Luca!"

"Bella—"

"Nope!" she said quickly. "You two have... things. Private things. I value my life. You can explain tomorrow. Preferably when I’m not in his line of sight."

And just like that, she disappeared through the glass doors, leaving Luca sitting there with his phone still buzzing in his hand.

He turned slowly toward Noel, who was now standing just a few feet away—arms crossed, expression unreadable.

"You called?" Luca asked lightly, trying not to grin.

Noel’s eyes softened despite himself. "You took your time."

"I was... entertaining wild theories," Luca said, standing.

"About?"

"Someone thinking my boyfriend’s into them," he said with a teasing smile.

Noel’s eyebrow twitched. "I’m assuming you corrected that theory."

"Eventually," Luca murmured, stepping closer. "But you didn’t make it easy, you know. That look of yours could start fires."

Noel leaned in slightly, voice low, the faintest smile tugging at his mouth. "Then maybe next time you won’t let someone else touch you first."

Luca laughed softly, shaking his head. "You’re impossible."

Noel reached out, fingers brushing the faint mark still visible on his forehead. "And you’re still reckless."

The tension between them eased, replaced by something warm, steady—familiar.

"Come on," Noel said quietly, hand lingering near Luca’s. "Let’s go home."

Luca nodded, smile curving slow and sure. "Yeah. Home sounds good."

The night had settled soft and low, the kind that made the city hum quieter.

Their footsteps echoed side by side on the pavement, ten quiet minutes from the office to their apartment.

The air was cool, stirred by the faint scent of rain that hadn’t quite fallen yet.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

Noel walked with one hand in his pocket, his other brushing lightly against Luca’s now and then—just close enough to feel, not enough to draw eyes.

Luca glanced up at him, the faintest grin ghosting over his lips. "You’re awfully quiet."

Noel’s gaze stayed forward. "Am I?"

"Mm." Luca leaned in, mock whispering. "I can hear the sulk radiating off you."

That earned a soft huff—almost a laugh, but not quite. "You enjoy testing me, don’t you?"

"I mean," Luca said lightly, "it’s one of my top three hobbies. Right after pizza and napping."

"Of course it is," Noel murmured, shaking his head, but there was no real edge to his voice anymore.

Just the tired warmth of someone losing his battle to stay mad.

They crossed the last street—the corner café’s neon lights splashing soft color over the wet pavement—and turned down their block.

The hum of the city faded behind them, replaced by the quieter rhythm of home.

As they reached their building, Noel finally stopped.

His hand caught Luca’s wrist before he could head inside.

Luca looked down at where their fingers brushed. "What?"

Noel’s eyes met his—steady, unreadable, and then softer than Luca expected. "Next time," Noel said quietly, "if you get hurt... come to me first."

Luca blinked, then smiled. "You’re really still thinking about that?"

"Yes." Noel didn’t even hesitate. "And I don’t like the thought of anyone else touching you."

Luca’s laugh came out low and warm. "You are jealous."

"Protective," Noel corrected.

"Uh-huh." Luca tilted his head, teasing. "And the difference is?"

Noel didn’t answer. Instead, he leaned in—close enough that Luca could feel the heat of his breath against his ear—and whispered, "You’ll find out if you test me again."

Luca’s pulse kicked. He chuckled softly, eyes flicking up to meet Noel’s. "Guess I’ll have to risk it."

That earned him a look—the kind that was half warning, half unspoken promise—before Noel exhaled through his nose, visibly letting the last of his irritation melt away.

They started walking again, the small distance to their door closing between quiet laughter and the shuffle of tired shoes.

Inside, the air was still—faint scent of coffee from the morning, soft rustle of the cat greeting them with a lazy meow.

Luca dropped his bag on the couch and turned just in time for Noel to reach out, brushing his fingers over the faint bruise on his forehead once more.

"Still hurts?" Noel asked.

"Only when you look at me like that," Luca said, grin soft and slow.

Noel sighed, but his thumb lingered anyway. "You’re impossible."

"And you love me."

Noel didn’t deny it. He just leaned in, pressing his forehead lightly against Luca’s. "Yeah," he said quietly. "I really do."

The cat meowed again—loud, like a tiny witness to their moment—and Luca laughed, breaking the silence.

"Even he knows you’re jealous."

"Go feed him before I change my mind about loving you," Noel muttered.

But there was a smile tugging at his lips, the kind that said he didn’t mean it—not even a little.

Luca kissed him softly on the cheek before heading to the kitchen, warmth settling between them like a blanket.

Outside, the city continued its quiet hum, but inside, everything felt like home.