16. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Ronan

T oday'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."

"You're going to have a great semester, I know it."

"Speaking of semester..." my voice trails off and I battle with myself on what to say. I'm not a relationship person. I've been screwed over so many times before, but Oliver makes me want to try again. He makes me want to risk my heart one more time. "What is going to happen with us?"

"Come here," he rolls his chair out and pulls me down onto his lap so I'm sitting on him. "Talk to me. What do you mean, what's going to happen with us?"

"It's just we haven't talked about what we are or what we're doing. Sure, we've hooked up, and we've talked a shit ton. But we haven't talked about this."

"You're right, we haven't. Can I be one hundred percent honest with you?" he asks, squeezing me tighter.

"Of course," I tell him, wanting him to know he can always be honest with me.

"When I first moved here, I wasn't looking for anything serious. Hell, I was mostly trying to figure out who I am, outside of who I was before. And then you came barreling into my life. And I've been mesmerized by you ever since. But you said you don't do relationships, so I've been waiting to see how you want to handle things and taking your cue. I would never want to force you into something you weren't comfortable with. And since our situation is already stressful, I didn't want to add to it." He rushes out all the words, then finally stops and looks at me nervously.

"So, you're saying you've been waiting for me to say something and I've been waiting for you to say something," I snicker.

"Essentially, yes."

I lean forward, placing a kiss on his lips before pulling away. "I wanna try to have a relationship. I want to date you." There I said it. Now I can only hope he doesn't break my heart.

"I've got you," he says, as though he could read my mind.

"Wanna get out of here?"

"Let's go," he replies, tapping my thigh, causing me to stand up.

Tossing another pizza crust into the box, I groan, falling back onto the couch cushions.

"Ugh, why did you let me eat so much?"

Oliver laughs, placing his plate onto the coffee table. "I didn't tell you to eat that many slices. You chose to."

"Yeah, but now I'm too full to do anything."

"Oh, yeah? Like what?" Oliver asks, scooting closer to me.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"What a shame. I'm not too tired or too full to do that."

Doing a double take, I stare hard at Oliver. "Really?"

"Yeah, really." He stands up, reaching his hand out to me. "I've been dying to have your hands on me all day. Are you sure you're too full?"

"Nope, I was kidding. I'm not full. Come on Freckles, let's go."

Ember jumps up onto the couch, the little cockblock she is. It's as though she knows I want to get Oliver naked and under me. Oliver chuckles, shaking his head. "Just leave her there. Come on."

Standing up, I stick my tongue out when Ember glares at me, but stays on the couch. She still hasn't warmed up to me, but I would be the same way if Oliver was giving someone else all his attention. I pull him down the hallway toward his bedroom. I've been in here so many times, I could walk these halls in my sleep. As soon as we step over the threshold, I close the door and let go of his hand.

Leaning against the closed door, I demand, "Get naked, Oliver, and show me that sexy body of yours."

A visible shudder runs through his body as he starts undressing. The vest comes off first, followed by his button up and last, his slacks and briefs. My eyes track every sensual movement, the ache building for him. When he' s completely naked in front of me, I step forward and grab his hip.

"So damn good for me, Freckles." A whimper falls from his mouth as I grab his glasses, taking them off his face. "I don't want anything to happen to these," I say, showing him his glasses, then setting them down on his dresser. "Get on the bed and wait for me."

Oliver does as I say, and I love how well he follows commands. I've always loved having control in the bedroom and with Oliver being older, I worried he would want to have all the control, but it seems as though we're perfect for each other. I need control and Oliver loves giving it up, plus he loves the praise I dish out to him. And fuck, do I love praising him.

Undressing quickly, I keep my eyes on Oliver while his own worship my body. His gaze travels up and down my chest while he licks his lips. Making my way to the bed, I kneel down on the mattress, pausing to let Oliver get his fill.

"Ronan, please," he begs.

"Please what?"

"Come do something. Anything."

Chuckling, I shake my head and make my way up his body. I lay on top of him, my naked body flush with his. Nipping at his collarbone, I love when his body jerks off the bed. Oliver lifts his hips, trying to grind into me while I keep nipping at his skin, trying to taste every inch I can. His hands dig into my back and I lift up, putting some space between us.

"Get the lube, Freckles," I murmur, my vision trailing down his sculpted chest. Fuck, his body is intoxicating. I'm already getting addicted to him.

Oliver does as I say, reaching over and grabbing the bottle of lube off his nightstand. Snatching it from his hand, I flip open the cap and drizzle some onto his shaft and then mine. Lining my cock up with his, I glide our dicks together, the lube making it easy to move. I hold both of us with one hand, stroking us together.

"Dammit, Oliver, you feel fucking amazing," I grit while jerking us both. Oliver's face is right within reach, so I lean forward and brush a kiss on his cheek.

"No, you do," Oliver pants, his fingers digging into my shoulder for leverage.

I hold us tightly, working us hard and fast. The wet sound of the lube and our panting are the only sounds echoing throughout the room. Moving my arm under his back, I flip us so he's straddling me.

"Take over, jerk both of us. Make me come." Oliver arches his back and bats my hand away, taking over. His confidence shines through and I love seeing him be himself. There's no shyness as I lie back and let him take what he needs. "Tighter. Hell yes, just like that. You're doing so damn good. You touch me so fucking good and know exactly how to work me." I tell him, and that gorgeous blush appears on his face. I try to savor this, to lie back and take my time, but I can't stop myself. My balls draw up tight, my dick unleashing cum all over us. Oliver's eyes widen as he licks his lips, staring at my dick. He finds his release right behind me, then face-plants into my chest. Hugging him tight, I give him a few minutes before nudging him to my side. "Let me clean us up."

I go into his bathroom and grab a wash rag and drench it with water. I clean myself up, then head back to Oliver and clean him off. Tossing the rag into his laundry hamper, I climb into the bed, throwing the blankets over both of us. Oliver rests his head on my chest, his finger drawing circles on my nipples.

"Do you prefer having control?" he asks, his fingers slowly finding their way across my whole chest.

"I do. Is that okay with you?"

"Obviously. I love being able to give up control and knowing you'll guide me. While also knowing if I didn't like something you would stop."

"Always." I kiss his forehead then ask, "Do you realize you have a praise kink?"

"What?" He sits up quickly, looking at me wide-eyed. "I do?"

"Yeah, you do. And I fucking love it. You're always so fucking perfect for me and the way you react to my praise is the cherry on top." His pupils dilate and I chuckle, loving his visceral reaction to my words. I grab his nape, pulling his lips to mine. Growling, I attack his mouth, sliding my tongue inside, moaning loudly. When we pull away, I look him in the eyes. "So fucking good for me." Oliver closes his eyes, and a whimper escapes his mouth. "See... praise kink."

"I knew I liked it when you told me how good I was doing, but I didn't know there was a term for it." He seems baffled and turned on, and I can't help but laugh again.

"Does that bother you?" I ask, hoping that drawing attention to it doesn't upset him.

"No way. I fucking love when you tell me how good I am for you."

He lies back down and I ask the question I've been too chicken to ask him.

"Does our age difference bother you?" I ask, avoiding eye contact, my finger rubbing a circle on his shoulder. It's something that's been in the back of my mind. Not only do we have the professor and student thing against us, but also our age.

"No," he states matter-of-factly. "Does it bother you?"

"No." And it really doesn't, but it's different for me who's younger versus Oliver who's the older one.

"You're perfect for me, Ronan. Let's just enjoy each other and get to know one another better."

"Always so smart. Okay, let's do that."

Oliver snuggles in close and I pull him tighter against my body. For the first time in a long time, I'm excited to see where this goes.