Chapter 15: Just Us Tonight

The moonlight spilled in through the curtains, painting soft silver lines across the hardwood floor. Bora sat cross-legged on her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest while Noah sprawled beside her, one arm tucked under his head, the other resting casually near her knee.Neither of them seemed in a hurry to end the night.It was quiet, the kind of comfortable silence that only came after hard truths were laid bare and hearts had been forgiven."I'm glad you stayed," Bora murmured, glancing at him.Noah smiled, eyes half-lidded. "You sure you're not sick of me yet?""I was sick without you."His expression softened at that.They sat there in silence for a beat longer, and then Noah shifted, lips quirking into a teasing smile."Can I admit something embarrassing now?"Bora raised a brow. "Only if it's juicy."He grinned. "I was... stupidly jealous. Of Eunho."Bora blinked. "What?""Yeah," he sighed dramatically, draping an arm over his eyes. "You were smiling with him. Laughing. And for a second, I thought I was already too late. Like, I blew my chance and you'd moved on. With my own friend, no less."Bora couldn't help the small laugh that bubbled out. "You? Jealous of Eunho?""I know," Noah groaned. "It's tragic. I hate it."Bora tilted her head, smile growing. "I never thought you'd be the jealous type."He peeked out from under his arm. "Me neither. But apparently, I'm the 'wants-to-be-the-only-one-who-makes-you-smile' type."She laughed again, cheeks flushing. "That's... kind of adorable."Noah groaned, burying his face in her comforter. "Don't say adorable. I'm trying to be cool here.""You lost that battle when you got jealous of Eunho," she teased."I was vulnerable," he mumbled dramatically. "Love does that to a man."Bora blinked, heart skipping. He said it so casually, so playfully—but the weight of the word love lingered in the air between them, unspoken but felt.She didn't say anything about it.Not yet.But her fingers gently reached out and brushed his hair away from his eyes."You're ridiculous," she whispered."I know," he murmured, eyes fluttering closed as he leaned into her touch. "But I'm your ridiculous."Bora smiled.They lay down eventually, side by side, still talking in hushed voices about silly things—Eunho's bad jokes, Bonggu's terrible singing, Hamin's obsession with bubble tea.At some point, their voices grew softer.Their breaths evened out.And somewhere between laughter and heartbeats,they both drifted off to sleep—fingers gently entwined,hearts finally at peace.