Chapter 2: First Impressions

He didn't look like how I had pictured a typical Henderson. I don't know what I had imagined, but it was definitely not tattoos, messy hair and this whole rugged look.

He had on a dark t-shirt that revealed the tattoos on both of his arms. Paired with dark trousers. He didn't exactly look like this when I saw him years ago. He also looked older now. I mean… obviously. It had been years.

His stared at me flatly and his eyes slowly dragged over my face before settling on mine.

"Can you not punch a hole through my door?" he finally spoke.

‎"Yeah… sorry. That wasn't intended," I said, trying to keep my tone even. "I only did that because you didn't respond the first time. Could you please turn your music down?”

He leaned on the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest. "And who's complaining?"

"Me," I replied simply.

He raised a brow. "And you are...?"

"Lena… Elena" I said, holding my ground. "Cassie's best friend."

"The music isn't that loud."

‎"It is," I insisted.

‎He shrugged. "Sounds like a you problem then."

I stared at him, genuinely caught off guard by the unexpected arrogance.

This was definitely not how I would have envisioned finally meeting and interacting with Cassie’s mysterious, long lost brother. Then again, I never imagined meeting him at all.

"Are you serious?" I asked.

He nodded. I took a steadying breath, suppressing the urge to roll my eyes. So much for keeping things polite.

"Respectfully, I don't know what kind of terrible taste you have in music, but I would really appreciate it if you turned it down a bit. I’m trying to work on something really important, and I'm finding it hard to concentrate."

He stared at me for a long, quiet moment before nodding slowly. "Okay. I'll turn it down."

Now, that was a relief. I stood there, waiting for him to step back into his room and do it. But he didn't move. He just remained there, watching me.

I scoffed, narrowing my eyes at him. "Are you going to do it, or what?"

"You want to come in and supervise?" he asked with sarcasm in his tone.

"No, I’m just asking because you're still standing ther…"

He pushed himself off the doorframe before I could complete the sentence, taking one step back into the room.

"Relax, princess," he muttered. "I'll turn it off completely."

My breath hitched for a moment. Princess. Princess??

"It's Elen…"

The door shut right in my face, cutting me off mid-sentence.

What actually just happened? I stared at the closed door for some seconds with my heart thumping in my chest. The nerve of him!

Eventually, I headed back to Cassie's room. ‎I sat in front of my laptop and tried to continue from where I stopped but nothing registered.

The music was gone, yes, but the silence somehow felt worse because instead of the heavy bass, my brain was now hijacked by the interaction I just had.

That was why when Cassie got back from her call with Archer, I suggested going for the night drive. I was still too flustered by the interaction I had with her brother to do anything at that moment.

We went out to one of my favorite pastry spots whenever I visited Vermont. Through most of it, I figured I would use the library when we get back so that I could have full concentration.

Soon, we were back at the house. After we both settled down, I took my laptop and headed to the library. I had just gotten downstairs when my phone started to ring.

I looked at the caller ID. It was Mom. I balanced my laptop in one arm and picked up. "Hi, Mom."

"Lena, how are you?," her voice came through from the other end. "I'm calling about this weekend. Listen, your father and I are hosting dinner with the Ashfords on Saturday at seven and we need you to be there."

‎I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling. I knew exactly what this was about. Marcel Ashford. They had been trying to set us up for a long time.

I actually did like him back in college. Because I mean… my parents wanted us together, his parents wanted it, and so I thought it would be effortless.

Boy, was I wrong. He told me he wasn't interested in me and flirted with other girls right in front of me and so I detached myself.

Then came that block party that I attended with Cassie and Archer and he had thought I was the one with Archer. Since then, something shifted. Suddenly, the guy who couldn't care less began paying subtle attention and being unusually nice to me.

"Mom, I'm not in New York."

There was a pause on the line. "What do you mean? Where are you?"

"I'm in Vermont."

"Vermont?" Her tone shifted. "What are you possibly doing in…" She stopped mid-sentence and I could tell she was connecting the dots."Did you go see Cassie?"

"Yes," I said. "Her parents are having this massive thirtieth marriage anniversary. She invited me down for the event."

"And what about your work, Lena?"

"I took some unused Paid Time Off, Mom. Three days plus the weekend. Everything at the office is covered, I'm completely clear."

This was an old argument. For eighteen years, I had been the daughter they wanted me to be. I had followed their rules and rarely did anything they could complain about.

Cassie and I had become so close that instead of returning to New York after rounding up a semester at college in Boston, I would go over to Vermont with Cassie.

My parents, especially Mom, didn't like it at all but with time, they just stopped fighting me on it. That had actually been the beginning of my subtle rebellious streak.

"Well," Mom sighed with obvious disapproval. "I suppose we will just have to schedule another dinner with the Ashfords when you get back. Bye Lena."

"Bye, Mom."

The call ended and I continued my walk to the library. I got in. I took two steps forward and halted right on track.

Sitting in one of the leather armchairs was Ronan. His eyes landed on me the moment he lifted his head. He slowly turned his phone face down on the table.

He leaned back into the chair, his eyes never leaving my face. "We meet again," he said. "Are you following me around?"

"What? No. You’re the intruder here. I was here first…" I started but trailed off.

"In my head," I added in a low voice. After all, I had actually planned to come here.

He arched a brow at that but didn't say anything. His eyes shifted from mine to my laptop before drifting back up to meet my gaze.

"All yours then," he said, picking his phone back up. He slid it into the front pocket of his trousers, and pushed himself up from the chair. The dark T-shirt he was wearing clung to him, stretching across his broad shoulders. I tried not to stare. I failed at that. Miserably.

Damn! He was hot. Annoyingly so.

He reached down to grab his jacket from the back of the chair. He began to walk toward the exit, which meant walking directly past me.

‎I immediately stepped aside, pressing my back against shelf to give him room.

I sucked in a breath when he walked past me. He stepped out and I stood there alone in the library, my heart hammering in my chest for a reason I couldn't place. Eventually, I walked over to the desk and settled down.

After about an hour and half, I was done. It felt fulfilling. At least I could enjoy my time here with Cassie to the fullest.

I walked out of the library and heard movements from the direction of the kitchen.