Page 15 of Praise You

"So, what's your costume supposed to be?" he asks, looking me up and down. "I mean, don’t get me wrong, you look hot as hell, but I'm not sure if it's an actual costume or if you just wanted to wow us all." He taps his finger against his chin, eyeing me up and down.

"Definitely just wanted to wow you all." Sam shakes his head and I shrug. "I just saw it and wanted it."

"You tend to do that with most things." He winks, and I pick up on his meaning.

"Well, when I want something, I do what I have to do to get it."

"Same old Ronan."

Not really, but I don't bother explaining that to him. I wasn't like this before. Hookups only, I mean. But after having my trust broken multiple times, I don't want to risk giving it to someone who could hurt me. Sam only met me this past year, so all he knows is the new Ronan, the hookup Ronan. Not who I was before.

"Well, it was great to see you." He offers me a soft smile before turning and disappearing into the crowd. Sam never wanted anything more than hooking up, so we just casually fizzled out. Luckily, we're still able to be friendly.

I turn back toward the table, giving my attention to the game. Halfway through the next game, I notice Noah taking off into the crowd, but I see Asher following him, so I let him go.

Noah is the person I've gotten closest to since coming to BU. He's like a little brother to me, and I'm thankful for his friendship. Thinking about it, we haven't spent much time together since the school year started and he got with Asher. I need to talk to him. I miss him.

I play a few more rounds before deciding to call it a night. I still have a video to make, and this outfit is starting to get too tight. I pass by West and Carter, letting them know I'm going to head home before slipping out of the house and making my way to the street. The party isn't too far from our house, so I decide to walk. The cool air helps to cool off my sweat slicked body caused by the way too tight leather.

I slow to a stop when a smaller SUV pulls up beside me. The window rolls down and Professor Carson’s head pops out.

“Ronan?”

“Oh, uh, hey Professor,” I say, waving my hand awkwardly.

“Need a ride? It’s freezing out.”

“Yeah, sure thanks.”

Rounding the back of his car, I open the door to the passenger side and slide into the seat. The heater is at full blast, a gust of hot air hitting me as soon as I’m sitting down.

“Thank you. I didn’t realize how cold it would be when I picked out this uh...” My eyes flick down to my outfit, my hand subconsciously pulling on the hem of my shorts. “Outfit,” I finish quietly.

“Ah yes. Well, the outfit is something else, isn’t it?” His eyes gaze over what I’m wearing, and if I’m not mistaken, linger a few seconds longer on my lower half. “Where am I headed?”

I give him directions to the house and as he starts driving, I try to make conversation, albeit awkwardly. “What have you been up to this Halloween?”

“I was hanging out with a friend. Decided to head home early. I’m not one to party.”

“No wings and Halloween movies?” He glances at me, his eyebrow raised. “Earlier today you said you were going to get some wings and watch some horror movies.”

“Oh, I got the wings and ate them with a friend. I was on my way to watch the movies when I saw you walking down the street.”

"Well, thank you for picking me up and driving me. When I walked to the party, it wasn't as cold out, so I didn't even think to bring a jacket or anything."

"It's no problem, Ronan."

"So, what movie are you planning to watch?"

"Maybe Scream. I'm not sure yet. Whichever calls my name when I get home." The fact that he might watch the movie I brought up earlier has me smiling shyly out the window.

We pass under a streetlight and I get a good look at him. He's so gorgeous. He has this light red beard covering his face and glasses that make him look hot as fuck. He may be my professor, but I can appreciate the looks of a sexy man. And he is damn sexy with beautiful freckles lining his face. Continuing my ogling, my eyes track down his body, taking in what he's wearing. Black sweatpants with a BU shirt that's tight on the arms. My eyes make their way back up and when I finally reach his eyes, I notice he's looking right at me.

Clearing my throat, I grin before saying, “Maybe I'll go home and watch a Scream movie, too. All this talk of horror movies makes me want to watch them. Plus, my roommates aren’t home and one usually forces us to watch Rom-Coms, so it's the perfect time to use the bigger TV in the living room for what I want to watch.”

"Do you like living with roommates?" he asks as his hand flicks the blinker. He comes to a stop at the stop sign before turning right onto my street.

"I like my roommates, so that’s probably why I like it. If we didn't get along, I would probably hate it. I'm not as close to all of them as I am to Noah, but they're still really good friends."

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