Chapter 181: Clingy Efficiency
The pale, clean light of morning slipped in through the parted curtains, the night’s storm long gone, leaving behind only the fresh scent of damp earth and the soft, distant cries of waking birds.
Noel stirred first, blinking slowly into the soft gloom, and found Luca’s arm draped heavy and warm across his waist, his breath a steady, warm rhythm against his shoulder.
"Mm," Luca muttered without opening his eyes, instinctively tightening his hold. "Too early. Five more minutes."
Noel’s lips curved into a soft smile, brushing his fingers lightly along Luca’s wrist. "If you want that date, we can’t sleep through it."
That earned him a low, rumbling groan, Luca burying his face deeper against him. "I hate how you always sound so damn reasonable in the morning."
Noel chuckled and slipped free, padding barefoot toward the small kitchen.
The sound of water filling the kettle was enough to make Luca squint after him, shirtless and sleep-rumpled, his hair sticking up in every possible direction. "You’re seriously making coffee before kissing me good morning?"
Noel glanced over his shoulder with a sly, knowing smile. "You didn’t exactly let me breathe last night."
"Excuse me, I was being affectionate," Luca shot back, finally dragging himself out of bed. He leaned on the counter, still half-asleep, watching Noel pour the steaming coffee into two mugs. "Fine. I forgive you. Only because it smells incredible."
They sipped their coffee in companionable silence, shoulders brushing as they stood together in the quiet kitchen, the morning feeling unusually still and peaceful between them.
Afterward, Noel set his empty cup down with a soft clink. "We should get ready."
Luca arched a brow, a playful challenge in his sleepy eyes. "Ready with what? We didn’t pack anything."
That realization made Noel pause mid-step. "Right. Clothes." He blinked at him, then laughed softly, a warm, unguarded sound. "So what, we just go like this?"
"Not like this," Luca said, gesturing down at his bare chest with a grin. "But maybe it’s better this way. No fuss. No overthinking. Just us."
Noel tilted his head, considering him, then reached out and tugged Luca closer by the waistband of his shorts. "You make it sound like that’s exactly what you wanted all along."
"Maybe I did." Luca smirked, leaning in until their foreheads were nearly touching. "The beach doesn’t care what we wear anyway."
Noel kissed him then, unhurried and soft, and when he pulled back, his whisper was a warm promise against Luca’s lips. "Then let’s not waste the day."
The apartment still carried that hushed, morning calm, as if the world hadn’t fully woken yet.
Noel stretched once, his movement lazy and fluid, before padding toward the bathroom.
The sound of the door creaking open was enough to have Luca trailing right behind him like a shadow.
Noel glanced back, already suspicious. "Don’t even think about it."
Luca raised both hands in mock innocence, though the grin tugging at his mouth betrayed him completely. "What? I’m just making sure you don’t hog all the hot water. It’s a public service."
Noel stepped inside and, with a pointed look, pressed a hand firmly against Luca’s chest to stop him from following. "Out."
"Out?" Luca scoffed, leaning stubbornly against the doorframe. "What are we, twelve? We’ll waste half the morning taking turns. You said beach, remember? Beaches don’t wait for slowpokes."
"You’re impossible," Noel muttered, pushing him lightly.
"And you’re wasting time arguing," Luca shot back, deftly slipping around him before Noel could react. He leaned against the sink with his arms folded, a perfect picture of smug victory.
Noel narrowed his eyes, clearly torn between amusement and exasperation. "You really don’t know when to give up, do you?"
"Not when I’m right," Luca replied smoothly. "Separate showers, we’ll be late. Together? Efficient. Practical. Very... time-saving."
"You mean very clingy," Noel corrected, though the corner of his mouth betrayed a telltale twitch of a smile.
"Call it whatever you want. Just don’t call me late for our date."
For a moment, Noel just studied him—the stubborn set of his jaw, the playful defiance lighting his eyes—and finally let out a resigned, fond sigh. He turned on the shower, steam beginning to curl into the air like a promise. "Fine. But don’t complain if I push you out halfway through."
"Deal," Luca said quickly, already pulling at his waistband. "But you won’t."
"And why’s that?"
Luca’s grin softened into something quieter, more intimate, as he stepped closer, brushing his fingers against the inside of Noel’s wrist. "Because you like it when I stay close."
The way Noel’s breath hitched for a fraction of a second confirmed it before he even gave his low, reluctant murmur: "Maybe I do."
Steam blurred the glass door, curling through the small bathroom until the air was thick and warm and carried the clean scent of soap.
Noel stepped under the spray first, tilting his head back as water traced paths down the muscles of his shoulders and back.
He barely had a second of peace before Luca slipped in beside him, grinning like he’d won a grand prize.
"You’re standing right under it," Luca said, reaching for the stream with a mock frown. "Greedy."
Noel shifted slightly but not enough to grant full access. "I was here first."
"So? Sharing is caring." Luca dipped his head into the water, then immediately shook his wet hair like a dog, splattering droplets all over Noel’s chest and neck.
"Luca—" Noel’s tone carried a clear warning, but his lips twitched upward despite his best efforts.
"Oops." Luca’s grin widened, pure daring in his eyes. He flicked another handful of water straight at Noel’s face.
That was all it took.
Noel reached for the bottle of body wash, squeezed a generous amount into his palm, and without a word smeared it across Luca’s chest in one bold, slick swipe.
Luca gasped at the sudden, cool foam spreading down his skin.
"That’s not fair—" he started, but Noel cut him off by rubbing the suds over his arm, deliberately slow and thorough.
"Efficient," Noel murmured, his smirk subtle but unmistakable, "remember? Time-saving."
Luca caught his wrist, his eyes gleaming with mischief and something warmer. "Oh, so that’s how you want to play it?" He took the soap straight from Noel’s hand and returned the favor, sliding it over Noel’s chest, lingering at his collarbone as though the excuse was practical but his touch said something else entirely.
For a moment, they laughed—water dripping, their bodies knocking together in the cramped, steamy space, the sound of Luca’s playful protests bouncing against the tile. It felt messy, chaotic, and utterly alive.
But then, the laughter softened. Luca’s soapy fingers slowed, tracing instead of scrubbing, smoothing over the planes of Noel’s shoulders with uncharacteristic care.
The change in his touch quieted the room more effectively than the rain outside ever could.
Noel stilled, catching Luca’s gaze.
The teasing melted between them into something deeper, something that made Noel’s chest tighten with a familiar, warm ache.
"See?" Luca whispered, his voice quieter now, almost shy. "Better like this."
Noel’s hand rose to cup his jaw, his thumb brushing a damp cheekbone. "You mean with you glued to me."
"Exactly," Luca breathed, leaning in until their foreheads touched.
Their lips met—first tentative, lips damp and warm from the steam, then firmer, the kiss deepening until the playful chaos faded entirely into pure sensation.
The water streamed around them, but neither moved, anchored only to each other.
Noel’s fingers threaded into Luca’s wet hair, tugging lightly, while Luca pressed closer, chest to chest, as if the narrow shower stall wasn’t nearly narrow enough.
Between the droplets and the heat, every brush of their mouths felt like an indulgence, slow and steady, with no need to rush.
Steam still clung to the bathroom mirror when their laughter finally ebbed into quieter sounds—soft breaths, the hush of water hitting skin.
Noel had Luca pinned gently against the tiled wall, their mouths still brushing, reluctant to part.
"Thought you said we were going to be late," Noel murmured, his words breaking against Luca’s lips.
Luca’s eyes fluttered half-open, a grin tugging despite the flush high on his cheeks. "And whose fault is that? You’re the one who started with the soap ambush."
"You splashed me first." Noel’s voice carried that steady, patient tone, but his hand was still resting on Luca’s hip, his thumb tracing idle, possessive circles that betrayed his true feelings.
"Fair trade," Luca whispered, pressing one last, lingering kiss against his jaw before finally slipping away under the stream, rinsing his hair with a satisfied sigh as though he’d won the entire war.
They managed to finish quickly after that—rinsing, bumping into each other in the tight space, still exchanging half-hidden smiles that spoke volumes.
By the time the water was turned off, the room was fogged in a warm, dense mist.
Noel reached for a towel, wrapping it around his waist in a few efficient motions.
Luca, however, dragged his out slowly, knotting it lazily at his hips as if they had all the time in the world.
He leaned against the counter, watching Noel wipe droplets from his hair with a focused expression.
"What?" Noel asked, catching the look in the misty mirror.
"You," Luca said simply, his grin returning full force. "The shower’s the best excuse to touch you without you glaring at me."
Noel gave him a flat stare, though the tips of his ears betrayed him with a faint flush. He stepped closer, leaning in just enough for his voice to drop to a low, intimate rumble. "This is exactly why I don’t want us showering together."
Luca’s brows lifted in playful challenge. "Why? Because I make it fun?"
"Because you don’t actually shower," Noel corrected dryly, but his lips brushed Luca’s temple in a fleeting kiss before he turned away, betraying himself all over again.
Luca’s laugh echoed through the steam-filled room, bright and utterly unbothered. "Still worth it."
The air in the apartment still smelled faintly of soap and rain when they drifted back into the bedroom.
Clothes lay half-folded across the rumpled bed, the open bag waiting in the middle like a silent argument ready to happen.
Noel tugged his soft, grey hoodie over his head, the fabric falling into place around his frame.
He adjusted the sleeves once, then glanced up at the mirror, brushing his damp hair from his forehead.
Luca, meanwhile, pulled a plain white shirt onto his frame, buttoning it with careless speed before shrugging into a dark, well-cut jacket.
The contrast made him look sharper, almost effortlessly stylish, like he’d stepped straight out of a magazine spread.
"You look like you’re trying too hard," Noel commented, tugging the zipper of his hoodie halfway up.
"And you look like you didn’t try at all," Luca shot back, smirking as he shoved another shirt into the bag. "Balance."
Noel frowned, stepping closer to peek into the overstuffed bag. "We’re not staying the night. What’s with all of this?"
"In case," Luca muttered, stuffing in another pair of jeans for good measure.
"In case what? It’s two hours there, a few hours at the beach, two hours back. That’s eight hours, tops. We’ll be home by nightfall." Noel’s tone was matter-of-fact, already calculating the day’s timeline in his head.
Luca groaned, dragging a hand through his still-damp hair. "You sound like a GPS."
"Or someone who doesn’t want to carry unnecessary weight," Noel said, plucking one of the extra shirts out of the bag and tossing it onto a nearby chair.
Luca caught it midair with a dramatic glare. "Unnecessary, huh? What if we decide to stay?"
"We’re not staying."
"You don’t know that."
"I do," Noel said, his voice leaving no room for doubt.
Luca opened his mouth to argue, but the look Noel gave him—sharp, patient, and utterly immovable—made the words die in his throat. He shut his lips around a sigh, his shoulders slumping in theatrical defeat.
Still, as he zipped the bag considerably smaller, Luca’s mind was already spinning. Deep down, he knew he’d find a way.
Noel might plan the whole day down to the minute, but Luca never followed a map without taking a few detours.
"Fine," he said at last, his voice flat.
Noel tilted his head, suspicious of the easy surrender, but didn’t push it. "Good. Then let’s go."
Luca slung the lighter bag over his shoulder, his eyes flicking once to Noel, lingering on how effortlessly he made that simple hoodie look so good.
His chest tightened with a wave of unspoken affection, but he masked it with a crooked, challenging grin.
"Beach trip, huh? Guess we’ll see who’s right by tonight."
Noel gave him the faintest, most knowing smirk, turning toward the door. "Don’t test me, Luca."