The rooftop door gave a low creak as Luca pushed it open, stepping aside to let Noel through first.
A quiet hush settled over them.
Above, the sky stretched in soft velvet blues and purples, dotted with scattered stars that blinked behind wisps of thin cloud.
The breeze was light—cool, not cold—and the air carried that faint scent of stone, pine, and distant citylight.
Noel stepped forward, gravel crunching underfoot. His eyes scanned the horizon, quietly absorbing it all.
The rooftop wasn't fancy. Just a flat concrete space surrounded by a low metal railing, a few ventilation ducts humming quietly in the corners, and the faint echo of campus life below.
But past the railing, the world opened wide—trees swayed down the hill, and in the distance, the city shimmered in gold and silver threads.
"This is..." Noel's voice trailed off.
Luca joined him at the edge, their shoulders almost touching. "Yeah. I know."
"You weren't exaggerating."
