Page 61 of Praise You

I glance at West, who looks giddy, sitting next to Carter. Remembering he saw me wink at Oliver in the quad, he's probably put two and two together already.

"Go ahead and tell them." I flick my hand in West's direction, giving him the all clear.

"It's Professor Carson!" West squeals, then lowers his voice. "That sexy-ass professor that Ronan and Noah had last semester. The redhead who wears the three-piece suits."

Two sets of wide eyes stare at me and I smile sheepishly, shrugging my shoulders. "Guilty."

"Wow." Asher leans back on the couch. "I didn't see that coming. But I'm happy for you. As long as you're happy."

"I'm very happy."

"And you're not making videos anymore?" West cuts in and we all laugh.

"Sorry, West, but no."

"Damn." West turns to Carter and waggles his eyebrows. "Wanna make some videos?"

"Hell no," Carter says, shaking his head.

"Ugh, fine." West pouts, crossing his arms over his chest.

"So, what happens now?" Asher asks.

"Um, I'm not sure. I think Oliver is going—"

"Oooo Oliver," West cuts in and I smile, tossing a couch pillow at him.

"Yes, that's his name." I snicker then keep talking. "He's going to talk to Dean Grey and to be honest, I’m nervous."

"Why?" Asher asks again and I smile, loving that he seems to care so much.

As much as I kept myself at a distance from them with certain things, they really are my best friends and I'm thankful I have them to talk to.

"While it's not against any of the rules for the university, we don't know how the dean is going to react to the news."

"But you've talked about it, right?" Now it's Carter with the questioning.

"We have. And we've decided what we're going to do, but it's still nerve-wracking. I really don't want him to lose his job because of me."

"What did he say when you talked about that being a possibility?" This is coming from West, now.

"He said it would be worth it, and he would find a new job if needed."

"Seems like a pretty good guy to me," West says.

Asher and Carter agree, and I smile at them. "He really is." Taking a deep breath, I grin. "Thank you guys. For talking to me."

"We're always here for you whenever you need us. Even if you do spend most of your time away from the house now," Asher jokes.

"Don't even get me started. You all paired off first. I was just following your lead. I didn't want to be a fifth wheel anymore." I chuckle, letting them know I was just joking around with them. Even though I did feel that way sometimes, it wasn't all the time. "Do you guys wanna play some more games?"

"If I say yes, will you tell us more about those videos?" West laughs after he says it. "Just kidding, but for reals, I'm still so damn shocked. I’ll probably be joking about this for a while."

"I figured you would." I grab the controller off the floor and toss it at him. "Let's play."

Chapter Twenty-Three

Oliver

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