Chapter 1: The Henderson Brother

ELENA

I was about to dial Cassie for the second time when I heard a familiar voice.

‎"Lena!"

I turned around to see Cassie running toward me. Next thing I knew, we were squealing and wrapping our arms around each other in a hug.

It had been months since we’ve been in the same space and the distance of post-college adult life had a habit of making those months feel like years.

"Look at you!" she smiled when she pulled back. "You're really here!"

‎"I am," I laughed. "Happy anniversary to the parents."

‎"I know… thirty years is no joke," she said, taking the handle of my suitcase before I could protest. "I'm way too excited to see you. Come on. My car's in the short-term lot."

After she invited me for a massive event her parents were having for their thirtieth wedding anniversary, I figured I could use some time off work and spend time with my best friend .

We walked out of the airport terminal. The drive to the house was filled with non-stop catching up and the excitement of being back together.

Six years ago, we were just two eighteen year olds, randomly paired up as college freshmen roommates. Now? She was like the sister I never had.

We finally got to the Henderson mansion. We stepped out of the car and I rounded the trunk to grab my suitcase. We began to walk through the paved path toward the front doors.

We had only taken a few steps when she suddenly stopped in her tracks and I almost walked into her.

She turned to me, her eyes wide. ‎"Ok, guess what."

A slow grin spread across my face. She was definitely excited about whatever it was. "You know I hate guessing. Just tell me."

"Ronan is here."

My brows pulled together. "Ronan? Your older brother?"

‎"Yes!" She beamed, bouncing slightly on her heels. "He showed up yesterday. Lena, it literally took endless persuasion to convince him, but he finally agreed!"

I looked toward the house.

"That's... nice," I tried to match her enthusiasm. "That's really great."

The only thing I know about him is that he is Cassie's older brother. I had only seen him once in my entire life and it was years ago, during one of my first visits to the Henderson house.Then suddenly, he wasn't around anymore. Apparently, he left and that was all I knew.

But despite how close Cassie and I became, she rarely talked about it or the reasons why he left and I never pressed her for details because I always believed that if she wanted me to know, she would tell me.

I glanced back at her. I could tell from the look on her face and her reaction just how much his return meant to her.

‎"I’m still in shock he actually showed up though," she shook her head as we continued our walk to the door.

"Anyway, Mom and Dad won't be back till tomorrow," she said as we stepped into the house. "They took a quick trip with some major investors who they would invite to the event. Trust them to turn their own milestone to another business deal."

"Alright then," I said.

‎We headed upstairs to her old bedroom where we always stayed whenever I visited. I unpacked my things, hung a few clothes up and settled in.

We spent over the next three hours catching up for all the months we've been apart.

At about 7:30 pm, after we've had dinner and settled down, I pulled my laptop out of it's bag and set it on the desk.

‎Cassie let out a dramatic gasp from the bed. "I know you are not about to work right now."

I laughed, opening the screen. "Look, I have a promotion proposal due for review. I spent three weeks on this, and I just need one solid hour to polish the final section so it's off my mind. Once it's out of the way, we get to spend the rest of my time here together."

‎"Unbelievable," she groaned. "One hour right? And we're going for a night drive."

‎"Just an hour," I chuckled.

I turned to my laptop and got to work. ‎I was barely ten minutes into reviewing the proposal when a low, rhythmic thumping started echoing down the hall, breaking the silence. Music…

I paused, my fingers hovering over the keyboard before glancing at Cassie. It didn't seem to bother her much.

"Oh, that's Ronan," she said without looking up from her phone.

I looked toward the bedroom’s closed door before looking back at my laptop.

The music wasn't exactly blasting, shaking picture frames off the wall or anything… but it was loud enough to hear clearly and it seemed to be shattering every form of concentration in my head.

I bit the inside of my cheek. I didn't want to be the difficult houseguest on my very first night, but then, this needed to be sent to my supervisor by morning.

Just then, Cassie’s phone buzzed. She picked it up. "Hey, sweetheart."

I looked over at her with a knowing smile. I already figured it was Archer. Been together since sophomore year in college.

She pushed off the bed, already moving to the door. She looked over to me. "Lena, I'm gonna take this downstairs. I'll be right back."

"Tell Archer I said hi," I called after her.

"Will do," she called back and stepped out, the bedroom door clicking shut behind her.

I turned back to my laptop. I read through the section I had been working on before the music distraction.

"These are the necessary areas that will ensure long-term growth and…"

I paused, deleted the last few words and started again. I tried to read the sentence again.

"These are the key areas that will ensure.."

I closed my eyes and took a long breath. Then tried again.

"These are the key areas that will ensure long-term…"

There was another beat. It was relentless and I got frustrated. I groaned loudly, dropping my head back against the back of the chair, covering my face with both my palms.

If it were some soft R&B or literally anything with a melody, maybe I could have found a way to work through it. But this? This was the exact opposite and it was impossible to ignore.

I would have considered asking Cassie to help tell him to turn it down a bit but God knows how long she would be on that call with Archer.

Sure, I had never actually spoken to Ronan before, not even during that brief moment I saw him years ago. But how hard could it possibly be?

I would just go down there, ask him 'nicely' to lower the volume of his music, and come right back. Because it was either that or staying here and fighting hard to concentrate.

I adjusted the chair and stood up. I walked out of the room. With every step I took toward the far end of the hallway, the music grew louder. I followed the sound until I reached a closed door and stopped in front of it.

I lifted a hand and it hovered for a second before I knocked. There was silence from inside. Well, apart from the music. I let out a sigh and knocked again. Harder this time, making sure it would be heard over the noise.

The music lowered abruptly a moment later and before I knew it, the door swung open so fast the rush of air made me take a step back.

And there he was. Ronan.