Dear Roommate Please Stop Being Hot [BL]-Chapter 90: Branded by You

The alarm cut through the stillness like a whisper cracking the air — soft, insistent, but not jarring.

Beep... beep... beep...

Noel stirred first.

He made a quiet sound, somewhere between a sigh and a groan, and blindly reached for his phone, swatting around until his fingers landed on the screen.

Silence.

He blinked slowly, still warm, still pressed into Luca’s chest.

For a moment, he just lay there — not moving, not thinking, only feeling. The heat of Luca’s skin.

The steady rise and fall of his breath. The faint scent of his hoodie, faintly detergent and something unmistakably him.

"You awake?" Luca’s voice was rough from sleep, muffled.

"Unfortunately," Noel whispered back, cheek still against his shoulder.

"Alarm’s evil."

"You set it."

"I regret everything."

Luca chuckled low in his throat, eyes still half-lidded. "We should get up, huh?"

Noel gave a pitiful hum and tightened his arms just slightly around Luca’s waist. "Five more minutes."

"We’ll be late."

Noel finally lifted his head, hair wild, lips pouting. "I’m blaming you if I fall asleep in class."

"Deal." Luca reached out and brushed his thumb across Noel’s cheek, lingering. "You still feel warm, but not scary warm."

"I told you soup was magical."

They stayed there another beat — neither quite ready to break the spell — then finally began to untangle, slowly, reluctantly.

Noel sat up with a yawn, stretching his arms until his shirt lifted just a bit — and Luca didn’t even try to look away.

"Eyes up, creep."

"No promises. Ever."

Their smiles came easy now — lazy and full of morning light.

Then Luca rolled out of bed and grabbed his bag from the desk chair. "I’ll get ready. You need anything?"

"I’m good," Noel said, standing and immediately stumbling.

Luca caught him by the elbow, steady. "Okay — let’s maybe do slow motion today."

"Noted."

As they dressed — one brushing teeth while the other struggled with their hair, bumping into each other over shared space and half-closed drawers — it didn’t feel like rushing.

It felt like rhythm.

The start of something real.

The sky had mellowed into a soft lavender haze, the golden light of the setting sun casting long shadows across the stone paths.

Leaves rustled overhead, and the distant chatter of other students felt like background static to their quiet world.

Students filtered past them in quiet groups or with headphones in, but for Noel and Luca, the world felt a little removed — like they were still wrapped in the afterglow of something private and unspoken.

Their hands didn’t quite touch. But they kept brushing. On purpose.

"You good?" Luca asked as they neared the lecture hall.

Noel nodded, eyes forward. "Yeah."

"Sure?"

A tiny pause.

Then Noel turned, his smile soft and a little crooked. "You’re still here, right?"

Luca gave the kind of nod that meant everything. "Right here."

When they stepped into the hall, the low hum of student chatter filled the space — jackets rustling, bags shifting, soft laughter echoing between the seats.

Emily sat near the middle row, already unpacked and typing something on her laptop. Her eyes flicked up absently at first — then she froze.

And smirked.

"Oh, now you decide to show up," she said, leaning back in her seat. "You look... different."

Noel blinked. "Different how?"

Emily tilted her head, resting her chin in her hand. "Hmm. Less ’man on a mission to find his maybe-boyfriend,’ and more... ’just woke up from a nap in said boyfriend’s arms and still emotionally glowing.’"

Noel flushed instantly. "Emily—"

"Am I wrong?"

Luca didn’t even try to hide the grin spreading on his face. "She’s not."

Noel buried his face behind his notes. "You two are annoying."

Emily just laughed. "I’m glad you found him."

Noel peeked at her, cheeks still pink but eyes softer. "Yeah. Me too."

Luca found a seat beside him, their shoulders just brushing.

Emily watched the two of them for a moment longer, then turned back to her screen with a secret smile.

Class hadn’t even started, but something about the air already felt... different.

Settled.

The classroom lights dimmed slightly as the projector flickered to life.

Professor Hanley stepped in with his usual brisk energy, blazer slightly crooked and coffee cup in hand. He set his things down and glanced around the room.

"Alright," he began, tapping his tablet, "let’s settle in. Today we’re talking about cross-border consumer behavior and how emotional branding plays a role in it. Or," he paused, eyes sweeping the rows, "as I like to call it—why people fall in love with certain products... and stay in love."

There was a rustle of papers, the clack of laptops opening. But Noel barely moved.

He was too aware of the warmth beside him — the way Luca sat comfortably close, legs relaxed, elbow resting just enough that it brushed his now and then.

As Professor Hanley spoke about how people fall for stories and feelings, Noel’s gaze flicked briefly to Luca.

Maybe love really was a kind of branding—the kind that stayed with you, even when you weren’t looking.

Noel tried to focus.

Tried.

But Luca leaned over, voice barely a whisper. "Emotional branding. Sounds familiar."

Noel gave him a flat look.

Luca just smiled. "I mean... I am a brand, and you did fall for me."

Noel muttered, "You’re lucky I like you."

"Lucky and branded."

Professor Hanley turned from the screen just then, glancing vaguely their way.

"Noel," he said suddenly.

Noel sat up straight. "Yes, sir?"

"Let’s say you’re launching a startup in a different country. What’s the first thing you focus on when understanding the emotional triggers of that market?"

Noel blinked — mind scrambling — then exhaled and answered smoothly.

"Context. You can’t build a connection if you don’t understand their values, cultural cues, or what they emotionally respond to. Otherwise, your brand falls flat."

Hanley nodded slowly. "Good. You’ve been reading."

Beside him, Luca whispered, "You are the smartest guy I know."

Noel didn’t look at him, but the corner of his mouth curled.

The lecture rolled on — charts and case studies, stats on purchasing habits in East Asia, how nostalgia affects consumer decisions — but under the table, Noel’s fingers brushed lightly against Luca’s.

Luca didn’t pull away.

He turned his palm up and let Noel’s hand settle there.

It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t dramatic.

But it was theirs.

The lecture wound down slowly, the professor’s voice softening as he clicked through the final slides. freeweɓnøvel~com

"No quiz today," Hanley said, tugging off his glasses. "But next week, I want everyone ready to present your final marketing mockups. Think connection. Emotion. Real-world stakes. Make me feel something."

A low groan rippled through the class.

Noel scribbled the reminder in his notebook, though his hand was still lazily curled into Luca’s under the desk — hidden, but steady. Neither of them looked down. Neither needed to.

When the lights brightened, chairs scraped softly against the floor and students began packing up in a low wave of chatter and movement.

Emily stood, slinging her bag over one shoulder. She glanced back at the two of them, lips twitching.

"Well, well, look who survived the emotional branding lesson without combusting."

Noel stood up a little too quickly, his hand letting go of Luca’s. "I wasn’t combusting."

"Mm-hmm." She eyed the slight pink in his cheeks, then smiled knowingly. "Glad you’re alive, though. For a moment yesterday, I thought you were gonna launch a manhunt."

Luca raised a brow. "Manhunt?"

Emily shrugged. "He had the eyes. You know, the I’ll check every club in the city until I find him eyes."

Noel muttered, "Omg I hate you."

"You don’t," she said, looping an arm casually through his as they walked toward the exit. "You’re just embarrassed I saw you soft."

Luca walked quietly on Noel’s other side, his fingers brushing gently against Noel’s hand again as they strolled through the hallway — unhurried now, untangled.

Emily glanced at them.

The peace between them was obvious. Palpable. And kind of... beautiful.

She exhaled softly. "If I didn’t have a girlfriend, this would be painfully lonely for me."

Noel stumbled a little. "Wait—what?"

Emily looked at him sideways. "What?"

Emily blinked, then turned with a smirk. "You’re just figuring that out?"

"You have a girlfriend?" Noel repeated, stunned.

"You and Lina?"

"You didn’t—" he glanced at Luca, who looked entirely unfazed, "—you knew?"

Luca nodded. "Obviously."

Emily snorted. "I thought you figured it out few days ago."

"I—no, I mean, I knew you liked her. But Lina never—she didn’t say anything."

"Lina’s private," Emily said simply. "But yeah.We’ve been a thing for a while now. Lowkey, but real."

Noel was still trying to process it as they pushed through the glass doors of the building and stepped out into the mellow campus evening.

"Wow," he murmured. "So everyone’s falling in love except me, huh."

Luca gave him a look." Wait what did you just say.?"

"Okay, fine I mean," Noel corrected himself, cheeks warming. "Except me and... shut up."

Emily only laughed, her grin wide and smug as she turned ahead of them.

"You two are so in the honeymoon stage," she called back over her shoulder. "Don’t be late for it."

Noel leaned into Luca just slightly as they walked, their bags bumping. "I’m never gonna live this down."

"Don’t worry," Luca murmured, brushing their arms together again. "You’re kind of adorable when you’re falling apart."

This chapt𝒆r is updated by free(w)ebnovel(.)com