Luca sat at the far edge of the campus dining courtyard, just beyond the heavier morning rush.
The breeze stirred his hoodie sleeves, the table in front of him empty except for a bottle of water and his phone face down.
Students moved around him — laughing, rushing, tapping away on laptops — but none of it landed. None of it touched the place his thoughts were anchored to.
He checked the time again.
11:23.
Noel had said lunch.
And yeah, Luca knew he still had class. That he might not even be out for another half-hour. Maybe longer.
But still...
He was already here.
He could've waited in the dorm, killed time anywhere else. But he came here. Because this—waiting—meant something now.
He wanted this.
To sit. To wait. Even if the minutes stretched long.
Luca exhaled, reaching for his phone. He flipped it over slowly, fingers tapping the lock screen open.
He hesitated.
Then—
He turned the phone slightly and lifted it.
Snap.
Just one photo.
