The first light of morning crept in through the narrow dorm window, soft and golden, painting faint lines across the far wall.
Outside, the campus was hushed — the kind of hush that comes just before the world fully wakes, caught somewhere between sleep and stirring.
Inside, it was still.
Luca blinked open his eyes slowly, head foggy with the weight of things unsaid. He sat up in bed, spine stiff, gaze moving instinctively across the room—
And there he was.
Noel.
Curled on his side beneath a half-kicked blanket, one arm stretched out toward the wall like he'd been reaching for something in a dream.
His skin was pale, flushed pink at the cheeks and ears. His lips slightly parted, breath soft but uneven.
His hair, usually neat, was tousled across his forehead — vulnerable in a way Luca had never seen.
What made his chest clench was the damp sheen of sweat along Noel's neck.
Luca slipped out of bed quietly, bare feet brushing cool tile.
