Chapter 178: Not Yet
Luca lowered his phone, slipping it back into his pocket with a groan that was more dramatic than serious.
He leaned his elbows on the balcony rail, chin tipped up as if the sky might give him answers.
"Why do I feel like I just signed us up for trouble?" he muttered.
Noel, still crouched near the curtain where the cat had trailed after him, gave a soft chuckle. "Because you probably did." He straightened and stepped out, the morning breeze brushing past them. "Still... you miss him."
Luca turned, one brow arched, half a smile tugging at his mouth. "Oh? You’re reading me that well already?"
"I don’t have to," Noel said, calm as ever, eyes following the cat as it padded along the balcony rail like it owned the place. "It shows."
That pulled a laugh from Luca, low and genuine.
He shifted sideways so he could watch Noel more openly, the lazy grin giving him away. "Dangerous thing, you thinking you’ve figured me out."
Noel finally looked at him, lips curving just slightly. "Not figured out. Just... enough."
The cat meowed like it was agreeing, hopping down to circle Noel’s legs.
Noel bent to scoop it up, and when he straightened, he caught Luca staring again—without shame, his gaze steady and warm.
"What?" Noel asked, softer this time, caught off guard by the weight of it.
Luca’s smile tugged deeper, unhurried. "Nothing. Just... with you standing there, it feels like this place isn’t just bare walls. Feels like home already."
The words landed heavier than either of them expected.
Noel blinked, his chest tightening with a quiet warmth he didn’t want to admit to.
He stepped closer, brushing past Luca just enough that their shoulders touched as he leaned against the rail too. "Then stop staring and enjoy the view. You’re making it sound like a confession."
"Maybe it was," Luca murmured, eyes still on him, softer than his words.
The silence that followed wasn’t empty. It was steady, filled with the rustle of the breeze, the sound of the city waking below, and the closeness of standing side by side.
Noel stroked the cat absently in his arms, while Luca tilted his head back, utterly at ease, as if this moment was all he needed.
The breeze carried a chill that brushed over Noel’s arms.
He shifted the cat in his hold and finally gave Luca a nudge with his shoulder.
"Come on," Noel said quietly, voice half coaxing, half firm. "Before you turn into a statue out here."
Luca chuckled but let himself be pulled along. "You’re bossy when you think you’re right."
"I’m always right," Noel returned, not missing a beat.
They slipped back inside, the apartment quieter than the city outside.
Noel set the cat down, and it immediately trotted off to claim a corner of the couch like it had paid the rent. Luca eyed it with mock offense.
"Already stealing my spot," he muttered, then glanced at Noel. "Guess I’ll just have to share."
Before Noel could reply, Luca dropped onto the couch and tugged him down too, catching him off balance until Noel landed against his chest.
Luca’s arm settled firmly around him, leaving little room for protest.
"Luca—" Noel started, though the word came out softer than he meant.
"Shh." Luca rested his chin against Noel’s hair, his voice low, almost drowsy. "Let me have this."
Noel exhaled, the fight slipping out of him as naturally as the air.
He shifted slightly, enough to rest comfortably, his head finding Luca’s shoulder.
The cat hopped onto the armrest beside them, tail flicking lazily, a silent witness.
For a moment, neither spoke. Luca’s hand traced slow, absent-minded patterns against Noel’s side, not demanding—just there, steady and warm.
Finally, Noel broke the silence, his voice dry but touched with something fonder than he’d admit. "You’re heavy."
"Strong," Luca corrected instantly, a smile in his tone.
"Dead weight," Noel countered, but his lips curved where Luca couldn’t see.
Luca laughed softly, a sound that hummed against Noel’s chest. "Then carry me."
"You wish."
"Every day," Luca murmured, quiet enough that Noel almost missed it.
Noel went still, then shook his head faintly, letting the silence return.
He didn’t push him away. Didn’t move at all, except for his hand that finally settled over Luca’s arm, holding him there—like maybe, just maybe, he wanted the weight after all.
Time slipped in the quiet, unmeasured.
Noel could hear the faint hum of the city through the windows, the soft tick of the clock on the wall, but most of all—the steady rhythm of Luca’s breathing against him.
It was... grounding. Dangerous, maybe, how easily it settled into him.
Luca shifted after a while, just enough to peek down at him, his smile lazy, almost boyish. "You’re not pushing me off. That’s progress."
"I’m conserving energy," Noel replied, eyes still half-lidded. "Dragging you to bed later is going to be enough of a workout."
That earned him a grin that made Luca look younger, softer. "So you admit you’re keeping me around."
Noel huffed, but his thumb brushed unconsciously against Luca’s arm where it was still looped tight around him. "Don’t push your luck."
The cat stretched with a long, dramatic yawn, then curled itself tighter on the armrest, as if giving them permission to stay.
Luca glanced at it and smirked. "Even your cat ships us."
Noel turned his head just enough to glare at him, though the edge dulled when he caught the way Luca’s eyes softened, completely unguarded.
For a moment, Noel said nothing—only let himself take in that look, the way it carried no hesitation, no doubt. Just warmth.
"You know," Luca began, his voice a low rumble that vibrated pleasantly through Noel’s back, "I used to think home was just a place you kept your stuff. Somewhere to sleep."
His fingers stilled their tracing, coming to rest solidly on Noel’s hip. "But this... you, here, like this... it’s different. It feels like I’m finally where I’m supposed to be."
Noel’s chest tightened, the honesty in Luca’s words throwing him off balance.
He tilted his head slightly, searching his face. "You’re getting sentimental."
Luca’s smile was small, sincere. "Only for you." He leaned down, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to Noel’s forehead. "Don’t let it get out. It’ll ruin my reputation."
Noel’s voice was quieter, more unguarded than he meant it to be. "And for the record... it feels like that for me, too."
The silence that followed was heavy—filled not with distance, but with something sharper, warmer. Noel’s voice came again, softer still. "You really don’t know when to let go, do you?"
Luca’s smile curved slower this time, less teasing, more steady. "Not when it’s you."
And then, before Noel could find an answer, Luca’s lips brushed his—soft at first, tentative.
Noel had half a mind to protest, but the kiss deepened, deliberate, tugging him closer with every slow pull.
Noel’s breath caught when Luca’s hand slid up, tugging at the edge of his shirt until fabric gave way and cool air touched bare skin.
Noel’s fingers curled into the couch cushions, caught between resisting and sinking further.
Then came a faint knock against the door.
Noel froze. Luca didn’t.
"Luca—" Noel’s voice cracked, half warning, half plea.
Another kiss landed against his collarbone, stubborn. "Ignore it," Luca murmured, lips grazing skin as if the world beyond the door didn’t matter.
A second knock followed, louder this time. Noel dragged in a shaky breath. "Did you... order something?"
"No." Luca’s voice was low, gravel-soft. He kissed him again, as though he could drown out the sound of the knocking. "I’m busy."
Noel let out a laugh he didn’t mean to, breathless against Luca’s mouth. "Busy?"
"You heard me," Luca muttered, stealing another kiss before the third knock rattled through the apartment. This one wasn’t casual. It was patient. Intentional.
The knocking grew steady, insistent, pulling at the edges of the fragile world they’d built on the couch.
Noel’s chest tightened. "Someone’s not leaving."
"Good," Luca answered simply, hushed against his skin. "Let them wait."
And Noel—practical, stubborn Noel—didn’t argue. His fingers slid higher, curling into Luca’s hair at last, giving in just enough to draw a quiet groan from him.
The kiss that followed unraveled the last of his restraint—slow, searching, dangerously close to confession.
The knock came again, sharp and deliberate. But between them, the world had narrowed, heavy with breath and touch, neither willing to break away first.
When they finally pulled apart, foreheads pressed together, Luca was smiling—soft, boyish, unrepentant.
"Still think I should answer?" he whispered.
Noel’s chest rose and fell, his reply quieter still. "...Not yet."
The words startled even him. But Luca only grinned wider, brushing a fleeting kiss against his mouth—light, like a promise.
The door knocked once more, firm and steady.
But the two of them stayed exactly where they were—tangled in each other and the fragile, burning pause between what they were and what they might be.