A soft breeze swept across the courtyard, rustling the leaves above.
The kind of quiet that settled when nothing urgent pressed in — but everything unsaid hovered like smoke.
Alex tapped a finger rhythmically on his closed laptop. Noel leaned back, arms crossed, eyes half-lidded in thought.
"You think she likes her?" Alex finally asked, voice low, almost like he hated himself for needing to know.
Noel glanced at him. "Emily?"
A nod.
Noel's lips parted, then closed again. He didn't want to give empty comfort. Emily had confidence — the type that barreled past hesitation.
Lina, on the other hand, had always been a little harder to read. Sweet, soft-spoken. But she noticed things, felt deeply, hid it well.
"I think…" Noel began slowly, "Lina doesn't fall just because someone shows up bold. She's quiet, but she's not clueless."
Alex gave a dry laugh, looking down at his shoes. "Yeah, but sometimes being loud gets you seen first."
