Noel slid into a quiet corner near the back of the library, placing his tote bag gently beside him before flipping open his notes. Alex was already there, skimming through a stack of textbooks.
"You took your sweet time," Alex murmured without looking up.
"I wasn't planning to come," Noel said flatly, pulling out his highlighter. "Luca just dragged me to lunch."
Alex blinked. "Luca… dragged you? Like, willingly?"
Noel shrugged. "He offered. I was already planning to go out anyway."
"Right," Alex said with a grin. "So… how's that whole living situation going?"
"I'm not homeless yet," Noel muttered.
Alex chuckled softly. "He's that bad?"
"It's not about being bad. He just…" Noel paused, eyes still on his notes. "He's loud. Messy. Flirty with anything that breathes. And completely unapologetic about it."
"So, your opposite."
"Exactly," Noel said, underlining a sentence. "Sometimes I feel like I'm sharing a room with a walking fire alarm."
Alex leaned closer. "But you did go out with him."
"I was hungry," Noel replied coolly. "And… I think he was trying to apologize."
"With food?" Alex raised an eyebrow.
"Snacks. From the convenience store."
Alex laughed. "That's so Luca it hurts."
Noel didn't respond immediately. His highlighter paused mid-sentence.
"He's not… entirely unbearable," he admitted.
"Oh?" Alex leaned back, smiling like he'd just cracked a code. "That almost sounded like praise."
Noel rolled his eyes. "Don't get ahead of yourself."
They both fell into a brief silence, only the soft rustle of pages and distant whispers filling the space.
Alex glanced at him again. "You think you'll survive the semester?"
"I'll have to," Noel replied. "Even if he's chaos wrapped in pretty eyes."
Alex grinned. "Careful. That sounded dangerously close to a compliment."
Noel didn't answer that.
Alex pulled one of the books closer. "Okay, focus time. What do we start with—history or econ?"
"History," Noel answered without looking up. "Midterm's coming faster than I want to admit."
Alex flipped a few pages. "Alright. Topic: post-war reconstruction strategies in Eastern Europe. Your favorite."
Noel gave a quiet sigh. "Only because it's a disaster. Everything was broken. Economies, cities, people... They had to rebuild from scratch."
"Sounds like living with Luca," Alex muttered under his breath.
Noel smirked but didn't lift his eyes. "Okay, so the Marshall Plan—"
Alex cut in with a half-smile, "—wasn't offered to Eastern Europe. Right. Because politics."
Noel nodded. "Exactly. The Soviet influence kept them from accepting Western aid."
"Which made recovery slower," Alex added, flipping to the next chapter. "Got it."
For the next fifteen minutes, the two exchanged notes, quizzed each other, and occasionally rolled their eyes at the confusing parts of their textbook.
The room around them stayed quiet except for the occasional sound of pens scratching paper.
Alex glanced up from his notes. "Hey, you're actually easier to study with than I thought."
Noel arched a brow. "Was that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Take it how you want," Alex said with a grin. "At least you're not constantly checking your phone."
Noel's lips pressed into a flat line. "I don't get how people study like that. Every beep, every notification... breaks the whole rhythm."
Alex raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. Noted, Mr. Focused. Now quiz me on the reconstruction acts."
Noel picked up a flashcard. "Okay. Which 1947 event deepened the divide between East and West?"
Alex squinted. "The... Truman Doctrine?"
"Correct." Noel slid the card aside. "Next—"
But just then, Alex's phone buzzed softly. He glanced at the screen and frowned slightly.
"What is it?" Noel asked.
"Nothing urgent. Just Mia sending memes." He locked his phone. "Focus time, right?"
Noel gave a small approving nod and pushed another flashcard forward.
"Let's keep going."
Noel flipped to the last page of his notes. "Alright, one more section on Yugoslavia—then we're good."
Alex leaned back in his chair, groaning. "You're relentless, you know that?"
Noel shrugged, eyes still on his notes. "You came to the library. You knew what you were signing up for."
They worked in silence for a few more minutes, heads down, the soft hum of other students around them fading into the background.
The clock ticked toward late afternoon, and the golden hue of the setting sun filtered through the tall windows.
Finally, Alex closed his notebook with a sigh. "Okay, I think we should call it a day now."
"Already?" Noel raised an eyebrow, stretching his arms.
Alex grinned. "I've got a date tonight."
Noel looked up sharply, then smirked. "A date? Who's the unlucky victim?"
Alex chuckled. "She's not unlucky. She just has questionable taste."
Noel snorted. "So, the usual."
Alex grabbed his backpack, tossing his pen inside. "Jealousy doesn't suit you."
"I'm not jealous," Noel said, gathering his things with a teasing look. "Just concerned. You attract drama like fruit attracts flies."
"Which makes me interesting."
"Which makes you exhausting," Noel corrected, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
Alex winked. "You love it."
Noel shook his head but smiled as they walked out of the library together.
The campus air had cooled, dusk brushing the sky with gold and lavender as a breeze stirred the fallen leaves around their feet.
Students moved lazily along the paths, scattered groups talking, laughing, or just enjoying the dusk.
Alex walked a step ahead, swinging his bag lightly over one shoulder. "You know," he said, glancing at Noel, "studying with you isn't half as terrifying as people say."
"People say I'm terrifying?" Noel asked with a sideways glance.
"Well, not terrifying," Alex corrected. "Just…intense. Like you'd slap someone if they miss a citation."
Noel snorted. "Only if they deserve it."
They both laughed.
A few more steps in silence. Then Alex slowed, eyes catching the path leading off toward the main road. "Alright. This is me."
Noel paused too, nodding. "Tell your date I said good luck."
Alex grinned. "She'll need it. And hey—thanks for the session. I think I actually retained something for once."
"You're welcome. Try not to mess it all up tonight."
"No promises," Alex said, flashing a playful wink before turning down the path.
Noel watched him go, a flicker of something unreadable in his gaze.
Then he turned, the fading light casting long, quiet questions across his path."