Page 34 of Praise You

We've only kissed a handful of times, but nothing has ever compared to this. His tongue finds its way into my mouth, and I grip onto his shirt, trying to get closer. He slowly pulls away, biting my bottom lip with his teeth, then chuckles, shaking his head.

"Why do I like kissing you so much?" he asks. I don't know if he's looking for an actual answer or if it's a rhetorical question, but I answer, anyway.

"I’m not sure, but same here. I don't see myself getting tired of having your lips on mine."

"Fuck, Freckles. There's just something about you." He keeps one hand on my waist, while he lifts his other hand to my face, his thumb slowly caressing my lip, back and forth. "I was never much of a kisser, but kissing you is completely different. I'm obsessed. And I never want to stop."

He leans forward again, kissing me once more. A whimper leaves my mouth as Ronan fights for dominance. Dominance I easily give him. He takes control of the kiss and I'm just along for the ride. We stay that way for a few minutes, basking in each other, kissing nonstop. Eventually we finish, me pulling away when I remember where we are.

"Will I see you tonight?"

"Yes." There's no uncertainty in his voice; he’s all confidence. "I'll see you tonight." He places one final kiss on my lips before lifting his backpack onto his shoulder. "I gotta go, but I'll see you later. Bye, Freckles."

"Bye, Ronan."

I spend the rest of the afternoon finishing up my classes and workload. We have a few weeks off for winter break, but I want to make sure I have everything ready to go for when we come back in January. It's weird to think it's already been an entire semester. It seems as though I had just moved here and now I’m getting ready for the next set of students to come in.

Sitting at my desk, I lean back and close my eyes, thinking about where I was only six months ago versus where I am now. It might not look like I've changed much, but I know I have. Moving here was the best decision I could have made.

I'm uploading my syllabus onto the university's website for my next classes when my phone vibrates on the desk. Opening my messages, my heart drops when I read the message on my screen.

Ronan: I am so sorry to do this, but something is going on with Noah and I need to be here for him.

"Fuck," I whisper to the empty room. I'm debating on what to say when my phone buzzes again.

Ronan: I hate doing this, but he's my best friend, and he needs me right now.

Oliver: I understand, and I would never stand in the way of that. I'm disappointed, but I'll see you when I get back.

Ronan: Get back?

Oliver: I leave tomorrow, remember?

Ronan: FUCK!

Ronan: Dammit, Freckles, I'm so sorry.

Oliver: Don't be. I hope everything is okay with Noah.

Ronan: Yeah, me too. I'll keep you updated.

I don't respond, tossing my phone back down onto my desk. Well, shit. I've kept my hands off him for the past few months. What's two more weeks?

These past two weeks have been hell. While I've been here in Chicago with my family, Ronan has dealt with the problems Noah was having and then he went with his parents to his hometown for Christmas before coming back to BU. As much as I hate that we weren't able to get together before I left, we've talked every day since then. I've been staying with my cousin Alexander, so while we haven't been able to do anything sexual, we still make sure to have nightly chats. I like being able to get to know him better, but fuck, do I want to get my hands on him, too.

Luckily, Nate has been able to go in and check in on Ember for me. He says he’s not a cat person, but he’s sent me multiple selfies of him and her. So, that’s one less thing I’ve had to worry about. Which means my mind has constantly been on Ronan and Ronan only.

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and I'm hoping to make it back to surprise him. I know he's already back with his roommates, so if everything goes well, I'll finally get to touch him.

But that's tomorrow. I still have one more night here and Alexander and his boyfriend, Elias, want to take me out. They've kept my vacation busy, as if I hadn't lived here before. Elias is such a spitfire and I love seeing him and Alexander together. I've spent some time with my parents, but the majority of my time has been spent with Alexander and Elias.

We've done all the touristy things I've done a million times, but it's been nice to get my mind off of Ronan and everything that's been going on with him. I haven't told anyone about him yet.

"Hey," a voice cuts through my thoughts and I jump into the air. "I'm so sorry," Elias laughs, hitting me on the shoulder. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Oh, fuck. It's okay, I must have just been lost in thought."

"It's okay. I wanted to see if you were ready to go."

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