“Really? That’s awesome!” Noah had some friends who’d gotten full rides for wrestling at SMSU and CMSU. “Congrats, man.”
“Thanks.” Ramin twirled one of the hoodie’s tassels around his finger and went quiet again. He’d been a lot quieter since his mom died. Noah hated that Ramin’s mom had died. And he hated even more that he hadn’t been able to go to the memorial. He was still mad at his mom about that. If he had to hear about the “Axis of Evil” one more time…
“What about you?” Ramin asked.
“Me?”
“Where are you going?”
“Oh.” Noah rubbed his head. He’d buzzed his hair a couple weeks ago, and now it was at that stage where it was soft and messy and sticking up every which way. “I’m not.”
“Not what?”
“Not doing the whole college thing.” Noah said it quickly, like if he got it out of the way he could skip past the weird looks people gave him. Or the disapproval. Or the shouting, in the case of his dad, but he was eighteen now, and they couldn’t make him.
“Oh.” Ramin didn’t sound disapproving, though, just curious. “How come?”
Noah chewed on his bottom lip but stopped himself. It was still tender from where Stacy had gotten a little rough with their making out last weekend. He started smiling at the memory, then realized Ramin was still looking at him.
Ramin’s eyes were so much greener than Stacy’s. And he looked at Noah, really looked at him, like he cared what Noah thought. Noah hadn’t realized how few people did that sort of thing.
“I just don’t think it’s for me,” Noah said. “I’d rather get out there and work, save some money. Figure out what I want to do.”
“That’s cool. More time for your art too, right?”
“Yeah.” The lie came easily to Noah’s lips, even though it curdled his gut. But he liked that Ramin liked his art. He didn’t have the heart to tell him he’d given it up. He needed to be saving money.
Noah hated it, but in this, his dad was right: He needed to do something practical. Especially if he was going to get out of his parents’ house.
Still, a small part of him wished he was going off to KU, too. He and Ramin could take classes together, go to basketball games, maybe even carpool out to campus to save on gas, unless Ramin was going to livein the dorms. It was an hour away, so notthatfar, but Noah would hate making the drive there and back five times a week or more.
Heck, he and Ramin could’ve roomed together. Then both of them could’ve had a built-in friend on campus.
But that wasn’t Noah’s life. That wasn’t Noah’s future.
Ramin was smart. He was going places.
Noah was running from them.
He’d never live up to Ramin, no matter how hard he tried.
Now
Noah had been convinced Ramin was joking about waking him up with a blowjob, until he blinked awake with the sunlight framing the curtains and a warm mouth around his morning wood.
“Oh, baby,” he groaned, voice sandy from sleep. “That feels so good.”
Ramin’s mouth was so talented, Noah didn’t know how he’d ever compare. But he was determined to practice, as often as Ramin would let him.
Ramin hummed against him, and Noah felt it in every nerve he had. Ramin’s mouth was slick and hot, and as Ramin moved to take Noah into his throat, things only got slicker and hotter. The sounds coming from beneath the blankets were downright obscene.
It only made Noah harder. He flexed involuntarily. Ramin made ahrksound but didn’t stop. Didn’t even slow down.
Noah’s breath hitched. A spasm of bliss rocked his core.
“How do you do that?” Noah sighed when he could breathe again. He didn’t know how long Ramin had been at this, but he was getting close already. “You’re a miracle.”
Ramin just hummed some more with Noah buried to the hilt. He did that trick where his tongue snaked out to caress Noah’s balls.
