Page 44 of Praise You

"Yeah, that sounds good."

We spend the rest of the evening and the night watching the SAW movies before crashing in each other's arms.

Chapter Sixteen

Ronan

Today's the first day of the new semester and I'm already in a funk. Noah decided to stay back home with his parents and it sucks to know we're not ending the year together. My mood is also sour, because I won't get to see Oliver today. For the past week, we've been inseparable, spending every waking moment together. Since the day of the farmers market, I’ve spent every night at his apartment. We haven't had penetrative sex yet, but we've done everything with our hands and mouths.

I walk past the quad when I notice Asher, Carter, and West walking up ahead of me.

"Hey!" I yell, as I jog to catch up with them.

"Hey man," Carter says as they stop and look at me.

"You guys ready for today?" I ask, taking in the different expressions on each of their faces. Carter looks excited, while West looks indifferent, as though it's an ordinary day for him, and Asher looks pained. I know he misses Noah, and if today is hard for me, it's twice as hard for him.

"Have you heard from him?" I ask Asher, not knowing whether mentioning Noah will be bad.

"We talked last night. He sounded good."

"That's good," I reply, patting him on the shoulder. Asher has been through a lot with Noah, but I know they'll be fine. They have a love many can only dream of.

"Asher and I have to head to Professor Harrington's class. We'll catch you later," Carter says as he and Asher walk away from us.

"You okay?" West asks once we're alone. I turn to start walking, West right on my heels.

"Of course I'm okay. Why?"

"You haven't been staying at home lately. Just wanted to check if you're okay."

"I'm good, I promise. I've just been spending time with someone, but it's new. Like, new-new. So, I don't want to say anything about it yet," I lie. While yes, it may be new, that’s not the reason I don't want to tell him anything about what’s been going on. It's more that Oliver and I never talked about what we are or what's going on with us.

Speaking of Oliver, my body must be in tune with his, because I can sense him before I even see him. Looking to the right, I watch as Oliver comes into view. Fuck, he looks good. He's wearing one of his fabulous three-piece suits, his hair styled perfectly, and his glasses perched on his nose. He's walking with another professor; I think Oliver said his name was Nate. I grin, watching Oliver talk animatedly with his hands, him and Nate talking back and forth.

From what Oliver told me, Nate is his closest friend here. I stand rooted to the spot and when Oliver and Nate walk by, I toss a wink at Oliver, loving when he diverts his eyes, but a pink flush spreads across his cheeks. My eyes follow him until a throat clears next to me. Glancing slowly toward West, he doesn't say anything, just chuckles.

"New-new, huh?"

"Oh, don't say anything. Mr. I-didn't-realize-I-was-in-love-with-my-best-friend," I joke, smiling when West laughs out loud.

"Hey, I figured it out, didn't I?"

"With my help, you did." I start walking when West grabs my arm and stops me. "Hey, I'm here for you if you need anything. Or if you want to talk. You listened to me when I was going through all my shit. I would love to be able to return the favor."

"Thanks man, I appreciate it." And I really do. I helped West deal with emotions and feelings he didn't even realize he was having. It's nice to know he would be there for me if I needed it. "Now, come on, let's go before we're late for class."

We head our separate ways, spending the rest of the day in our classes. When my last class is done, I head to the gym, trying to kill more time before I can see Oliver. It's weird going from seeing him every day to not seeing him since last night when we said goodbye.

Working up a sweat, I spend time working on my arms and legs, making sure I get in a good workout. I don't work out as much as my roommates, but I still try to keep in shape. After cleaning up the equipment, I make my way back to BU, heading straight to Oliver's office.

Not bothering to knock on the door, I gently push it open, taking in the room in front of me. Oliver is sitting at his desk, papers spread out all around him. His glasses are on the desk in front of him and his head is in his hands.

"Rough day?" I ask, walking into the office, the door clicking shut behind me.

Oliver's head pops up, a smile spreading easily when he sees it's me. "Hi. I wasn't expecting to see you today. And yes, today was rough, but not because of work. Just trying to get back into the flow of things. I'm really excited for this semester and all my classes seem to be good. What about you? How were your classes?"

Walking farther into the room, I make my way over to him, grabbing his hand when he reaches it out to me. "My classes were good, too. It's surreal to know this is my last semester."

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