Page 42 of Praise You

Ronan drags me by the wrist, my feet trying to keep up with his pace. We dodge people as we zoom in and out of the crowds. We pass booth after booth, my eyes snagging on one in particular selling honey. I make a mental note to return to the booth before we leave.

Ronan slides to a stop, my body bumping into his softly. "Sorry," I say, looking around him to see what booth he's stopped at. "Bath bombs?" I ask, bewildered. My thoughts race as to why he wanted to show me this when I remember telling him this morning I smell good because of my bath bombs.

"Since we both love using these, I thought we could come pick some out together. These particular ones are so good as they have positive effects on your body, Juliet makes them from scratch. I swear you won't find any as good as hers."

I look toward the woman, Juliet, who starts blushing at Ronan's words. She's an older woman who looks to be in her late forties, maybe early fifties. She has graying hair with blue eyes and is wearing overalls with a sweater underneath. Once Ronan finishes with his admiration of her bath bombs, she rolls her eyes playfully.

"Always a charmer, this one," she jokes. "But he's right, I do make the best bath bombs." They both laugh before Juliet hands me a little box with mini bath bombs. "I have this variety pack for my new customers. It's a sample set so you can try the different ones I have and decide which are your favorite."

Ronan smiles then adds, "My favorite is the peach one, but you can't go wrong with any of them honestly."

"This is amazing." Looking at Ronan, I smirk. "I can't wait to try these tonight." Ronan's pupils blow wide and I grin, knowing I just turned him on. I turn toward Juliet and say, "I'll take it." I go to grab my wallet, when Ronan stops me.

"My treat."

"Okay."

Ronan pays for the bath bombs and adds a couple for himself before we say goodbye to Juliet. We continue walking past the booths, stopping at some here and there, looking through the different items people are selling.

"How did you find this place?" I ask as we walk past a group of tables selling different fruits.

"Growing up, my parents always took me to farmers markets. One day I was missing my family badly, so I googled farmers markets in the area. This one had the highest ratings, so I tried it out and fell in love. Some farmers markets aren't that great, but this one is pretty awesome. Plus, they do special themes depending on the holidays that are happening."

"Like the New Year's theme for today?"

"Exactly. And this one is so diverse. They have something for everyone. I had my first Korean corn dog here."

"What's a Korean corn dog?" I ask, not having heard of that before.

"It's a Korean style hot dog. It's awesome, and they have so many different flavors. They’re usually breaded and come with different toppings. We'll see if we can find one here. I'm sure there's a booth."

"Wow, this is not what I was expecting when you said farmers market."

"Is that good or bad?"

"Definitely good," I reply happily. "This is such a cool place. There was a honey booth I spotted earlier. Can we go find it?"

"Anything you want, Freckles."

Fuck, I love when he calls me that. Raising my hand to my cheek, I smile, knowing I’m blushing like crazy. I've always been self-conscious of my freckles. They cover my entire body and as a kid I was made fun of for them. It took me a long time to like them, so I love the fact he's so obsessed with mine. We make our way over to the honey booth, our hands close but not touching. I want to reach out and grab his hand so badly, but I'm not sure if I should. Someone could see us, and we need to make sure no one sees us together like that. Even being here together is probably risky, as I’m not sure whether Ronan wants to go public with us.

Buying two jars of honey, I stuff them into the bag with the bath bombs. Before leaving, we buy two Korean corn dogs and Ronan was right; they are delicious. We eat the food as we walk back to the car. Today has been one of the best days I've had, and I don't want it to end.

Getting into the car, I turn to face Ronan, asking the question I've been dying to. "Do you want to come back to my place again?"

Chuckling, Ronan leans over the console and plants a kiss on my lips. "I would love to."

Stepping through the front door, I guide Ronan into the living room, plopping down on the couch.

"That was so much walking," I complain, loving when Ronan sits down next to me.

"It always is. You know what would be good after a long day of walking?"

"Hmm, what?"

"A bath."

"Yes. That. Let's do that," I stand back up, grabbing Ronan's hand and dragging him in the direction of my bathroom. Letting go, I unbutton my shirt and let it slide off my shoulders onto the floor. My body is pushed face first into the wall, momentarily shocking me until I realize it's Ronan who's behind me.

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