The sky had begun to shift into lavender, the soft prelude to twilight settling over campus.
Time passed.
Somehow, Luca had managed to stay focused for nearly forty minutes without checking his phone.
His head was tilted slightly, lips pressed in concentration as he underlined a key term.
Noel glanced at him from behind his own laptop screen, trying not to look impressed.
Alex yawned. "Okay, I need a break or a nap or a new brain."
Noel smirked. "You said we'd go two hours."
"I lied," Alex said, stretching. "Text me when you're ready to quiz again. I'm going to the café downstairs."
He packed up and disappeared, leaving Luca and Noel alone at the table by the window. The sunlight was softer now, spilling gold across the pages.
Luca exhaled and leaned back slightly. "Am I doing okay?"
Noel looked at his notes. "Better than okay. You actually remembered stuff."
"I told you I'd try." Luca nudged him lightly with his knee under the table. "I want to be better at this."
