CHAPTER 125: THE QUIET AFTER

A few minutes later, the bathroom door creaked open and steam rolled out.

Noel stepped into the room, towel slung around his shoulders, hair damp and curling at the ends.

He rubbed it dry as he walked past Luca sat on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees, fingers loosely interlaced.

"You wanna shower now?" Noel asked, tossing the towel aside and reaching for a shirt.

Luca glanced up, then shook his head. "Later."

Something in his tone made Noel pause. He turned, shirt half-pulled over his head. "You good?"

Luca hesitated just a second too long. "Yeah," he said finally, forcing a smile. "Just tired."

Noel didn’t look convinced. He stepped closer, dropping onto the bed beside him. "C’mon," he said, grabbing Luca’s wrist with a quiet tug. "Nap with me."

Luca let out a breath, not quite a sigh, and followed without protest.

The bed dipped under their weight as they lay back together, the space between them disappearing with a quiet ease.

Noel closed his eyes.

But Luca stared up at the ceiling.

He kept his gaze on the ceiling, unmoving. Quiet.

They lay together, limbs tangled under the blanket, the quiet hum of the ceiling fan lulling the silence.

Noel’s fingers traced lazy lines along the inside of Luca’s wrist, back and forth, like he was thinking through touch.

After a while, Noel spoke, voice soft. "Feels weird, doesn’t it?"

Luca shifted slightly, eyes still on the ceiling. "What does?"

"That it’s over. Exams. The late nights. All the stress."

Luca let out a slow breath. "Yeah. Like we’ve been running a marathon... and someone just stopped the race."

Noel gave a small nod, eyes drifting. "Now I’m here. Lying next to you, wondering what the hell comes next."

Luca didn’t answer right away. His phone buzzed on the nightstand, screen flashing to life. With a groan, he reached for it.

He unlocked it, a smirk already tugging at the corner of his lips as he read.

"Who is it?" Noel asked, half-lifting his head.

Luca glanced at the screen. "Group chat’s alive."

Noel scooted closer, peering over his shoulder.

George: OHHH I couldn’t sleep I’ve been rolling on this bed for hours.

Luca chuckled under his breath. "And here we go."

Emily: You’re the one who ghosted the party earlier. Don’t act restless now.

George: I was avoiding emotional damage.

Emily: Your GPA is the emotional damage.

Luca shook his head, thumbs flying.

Luca: Nap time with my boyfriend. Y’all enjoy your insomnia.

Noel smiled at that. "Good answer."

More replies poured in.

George: Ugh. Please. Some of us are emotionally single.

Emily: You need therapy.

A voice note popped up from George. Noel hit play.

[George’s voice, groggy and dramatic] "Listen—tomorrow, we celebrate properly. I just want a table, noise, and fried chicken. If there’s karaoke, I’ll cry. In a good way. Let’s make bad choices and eat too much. We survived hell week, damn it."

Luca laughed, hiding his face in Noel’s shoulder. "He gets so dramatic when he’s half-asleep."

Another message came in.

George: I want food, lights, loud music, and cake. Big cake. The kind that makes you forget your GPA.

Luca’s laugh muffled against Noel’s skin. "Forget your GPA like it wasn’t already gone the moment exams ended."

Noel snatched the phone, hitting record.

"George, if you show up without cake, don’t even come."

Emily: FACTS. Cake or exile.

Lina: Mmm, I vote yes. I need fries and chaos. I like the sound of cake. I’ll wear a dress if it’s chocolate.

George: I’ll wear a crown if it’s triple layers.

Luca started typing, grinning.

Luca: If you show up in Crocs, I’m turning around. That’s the deal.

Emily: Noted. No Crocs. No excuses.

Lina: Fine. I’ll personally check his footwear.

George: I hate all of you but also I love you. Same time.

Noel set the phone aside, letting it buzz with replies he didn’t care to read.

"Tomorrow’s gonna be loud," he mumbled, eyelids drooping.

Luca reached over and flipped the phone face-down. "But tonight’s quiet."

They settled deeper into the hush, the world reduced to a shared breath, the brush of a thumb across a forearm, the closeness of someone who knew how to hold you without asking why.

The world could wait. The chaos could come. For now, they had this.

Just the two of them—and the calm between everything else.

The room was dim now, shadows stretching gently across the floor as the sun dipped low.

The fan stirred the quiet air, and Luca shifted onto his side to face Noel.

He watched him for a second, then started, "So..."

Noel turned, one brow raised. "So?"

"My reward," Luca said, voice low, teasing. "You said I’d get one after exams."

Noel smirked, eyes half-lidded. "I said I’d reward you if you passed all your exams."

Luca blinked, then let out a soft groan, burying his face into the pillow like a child denied dessert. "That’s cheating."

"Is it?" Noel yawned, stretching his arm lazily before nudging Luca with his elbow. "Now go shower."

Luca peeked up, lips in a pout. "I was just getting comfortable..."

"You’ll be more comfortable after," Noel murmured, eyes already drifting shut. "Then we can continue."

Luca huffed dramatically but rolled off the bed with a sigh. "Fine. But I want something sweet after."

"You’re getting clean. That’s already sweet," Noel mumbled, already smiling into the blanket.

Luca dragged himself toward the bathroom, still grumbling under his breath, but the grin tugging at his lips gave him away.

Noel was still yawning, eyes fluttering each time he blinked.

His head sank deeper into the pillow, body curled under the sheets, barely fighting sleep.

Minutes later, the bathroom door creaked open. Steam rolled out, and Luca stepped into the room, towel draped around his neck, water glistening faintly on his chest.

He ran a hand through his damp hair, catching sight of Noel on the bed—exactly where he left him.

A playful smirk curved his lips.

He moved closer, slow and quiet, settling a knee on the edge of the mattress.

"Noel..." Luca whispered, low and coaxing. "Don’t think I forgot about my reward."

Noel didn’t flinch.

Luca leaned in, brushing hair from his forehead, smile tugging at one corner. "Faking won’t save you."

But the rise and fall of Noel’s chest told the truth.

Out cold.

Luca’s teasing faded into a softer gaze.

His smile faded into something gentler as he stared down.

Noel’s lashes rested against his cheeks, his lips slightly parted in sleep.

Luca sighed and leaned in, brushing his lips gently to Noel’s forehead.

He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, letting his lips linger a little longer than necessary.

Then, with a quiet chuckle, he eased under the covers, pulling Noel into his arms.

"Fine. I’ll reward myself then," he whispered close to his ear, voice warm and quiet. "But tomorrow... you better make it count."

He wrapped himself around Noel, pressing their foreheads together as his eyes finally drifted closed too.

By the morning light spilled through the curtains in quiet gold, casting a soft warmth across the room.

Shadows danced gently over the sheets, highlighting the stillness that lingered between the two figures tangled beneath them.

Noel stirred first, the haze of sleep slowly giving way.

His eyes blinked open to the sight of Luca hadn’t stirred—eyes closed, breath even hair a mess of dark strands falling over his forehead, lips slightly parted.

His chest rose and fell in an easy rhythm, arms still loosely cradling Noel as if instinctively afraid to let go.

Noel stayed like that for a moment, watching him in the hush of morning.

Then, with careful movements, he reached over to the bedside table and slid his phone into his hand.

The screen lit up—a string of notifications. He dismissed them absently, but paused when he noticed the unread email at the top of his inbox.

Subject: INTERNSHIP INTERVIEW INVITATION – Infinity Global Partners

His brows lifted slightly. He tapped it open, sitting up just a little.

Dear Noel Louis Avery, You are invited for an interview at Infinity Global Partners. Monday, 3:00 PM Location: [redacted]

He stared at the words for a second—half in disbelief, half in breathless anticipation.

They had seen the company name on the final board, but this... it was real now. Concrete. The actual time. The actual place.

He nudged the arm still draped over his waist.

"Hey," he whispered, voice soft.

Luca didn’t move, just grumbled something and shifted closer.

Noel smiled faintly, brushing his thumb along Luca’s bare shoulder. "Luca... wake up."

"Mmm..." Luca groaned. "Too early."

"You might wanna check your mail."

"Unless it’s a fan letter or a love confession, I’m not interested."

Noel snorted under his breath. "It’s internship mail."

That earned a blink. Luca cracked one eye open. "Wait, what?"

Noel handed him the phone. "Infinity Global just sent the date. It’s Monday. 3 PM."

Luca’s face scrunched, trying to focus on the screen. "You serious?"

Noel nodded. "Told you."

Without another word, Luca rolled over and fumbled for his own phone. It took a few seconds, but then his voice lit with that familiar mix of mischief and satisfaction.

"Well, would you look at that... same mail, same time."

Noel leaned back against the headboard, stretching. "Guess we’re really doing this."

Luca let the phone fall to the mattress. "Guess so."

For a beat, neither of them spoke—just the quiet hum of the morning and the unspoken flutter in their chests.

Then Luca turned to him with a lazy grin. "So... if I ace this interview too, do I get another reward?"

Noel rolled his eyes, smiling despite himself. "Let’s just focus on showing up first."

Luca slid closer again, pressing his forehead gently against Noel’s shoulder. "Fine. But I’m holding you to it."