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Ronan arrived at the Cullen residence shortly after three in the morning. Having gone hunting and taken a long walk to familiarize himself with the area. As he entered the house, the first thing he saw was Edward, sitting at the piano bench, staring fixedly at the keys.
Ronan could tell that Edward was completely absorbed in his thoughts, which was unusual for him. Ronan was about to walk past, but his brother's voice reached his ears.
"Esme prepared your room," Edward spoke without looking up. "Well, she just removed the sheets from your furniture and dusted it off."
"Thanks," Ronan muttered and continued walking.
Edward clenched his fists tightly and turned to look at Ronan, even though he only saw his back.
"Don't get close to Devon," Edward's voice echoed once again when Ronan was halfway up the stairs. A sly smile appeared on Ronan's face, even though no one else could see it.
"And why exactly would I listen to you, Eddy? I understand you have a girlfriend," he shrugged. The moonlight illuminated Ronan's handsome face through the large window in front of him. "Besides, I'm quite intrigued by that pretty boy. But anyway, Devon is the only one who will decide if he wants me around or not."
Edward summoned all his courage to avoid growling.
"I'm warning you," Edward stood up.
Ronan looked at him over his shoulder, and the two boys engaged in a silent challenge for a moment.
"Your problem, Edward... is that you always want to have the last word and think you can manipulate people to your liking. I'm quite intrigued to see how things will unfold from now on."
Ronan continued on his way.
🥀
The next morning, the doorbell of the Swan house resonated through every room. Devon was still in his room, preferring to skip breakfast and, in general, avoid meeting his family a little longer. He used the excuse that he still had a lot of work to do and would head to school early to buy something on the way.
"Devon!" his mother's voice echoed from downstairs. "Someone is looking for you."
Devon furrowed his brow in confusion. Who could be looking for him so early? He had told the Cullens that he would call them in case of any problems.
He hurried to finish tying his sneakers and descended the stairs quickly. He was halfway down when he heard his mother's laughter, and he recognized the other voice. The scent still seemed unfamiliar to him, so he hadn't identified it easily.
He joined his mother and gave a smile to Ronan.
"Hello," greeted the newcomer. "I'm sorry for arriving so early, but I thought we could go to school together. I didn't have your number, so I couldn't call to ask beforehand."
The woman tried to hide a happiness-filled smile as she placed a hand on her son's arm.
"Devon said he would leave early, so I guess you can go together."
Devon almost rolled his eyes. He still felt a bit uncomfortable with his mother meddling in his affairs.
"Um... yes," he cleared his throat, unsure of what to say next or where to look. "Do you want to come in while I grab my things?"
Ronan flashed a bright smile that even made Amy blush.
"Sure."
The three entered the house. Devon went upstairs, but Ronan followed Amy to the kitchen, where Charlie and Bella were. Both looked at the newcomer with some curiosity.
"He's Ronan," introduced Amy, and Ronan raised a hand in greeting. "He's a friend of Devon."
"Hi, I recently arrived in town, but Devon and I have become quite close," Ronan added.
Isabella stared at him with a slightly furrowed brow. He seemed familiar, but she wasn't sure from where.
"So, are you coming to school with us?" Bella asked without greeting first.
Ronan looked at her curiously, with something akin to annoyance. There was something about this girl that he didn't quite like.
"Yes," he smiled a bit. "All my documents are in order now, and from today, I'll be with you."
Bella nodded. "You seem quite familiar," she settled into her seat. "Do we know each other from somewhere?"
Ronan smiled even more, showing his teeth. Almost as if he had been expecting that question.
"I'm Edward's older brother. We were adopted by different families, but I sometimes come to visit him."
Everyone in the room seemed surprised by those words, especially Bella and Charlie. Amy was a bit more confused. Bella was about to say something, but Amy beat her to it.
"Are you talking about Edward Cullen?" Amy asked, and Ronan nodded. "Esme often comes to the flower shop and sometimes talks to me about her children. Although she never mentioned that Edward had a biological brother," she explained.
Ronan let out a small laugh while scratching his neck.
"I guess she must have had her reasons."
Devon returned with his backpack slung over his shoulder and his hair neatly combed. Ronan's eyes sparkled for a moment, a detail Amy didn't miss.
"Shall we go?" Devon asked.
Ronan nodded and gave a farewell wave.
"See you later. It was nice meeting you all."
"Good luck," Amy said.
"Dev, don't forget we have a family dinner at Carver's tonight."
Devon nodded. "I remember."
The two boys left the house and stopped at the entrance.
"I was told that the beautiful motorcycle in the garage was yours, so I offered to bring it," Ronan said.
Devon smiled at the sight of his motorcycle. He was glad to see that it had been safe all this time. He also noticed that the paint was no longer scratched, and the tires had been changed. He didn't know who had taken care of his motorcycle, but he would thank them when he saw them.
"Thanks," he glanced at Ronan, unsure of what to say. "I guess you don't have another vehicle with you."
Ronan tucked his hands into his jacket and shrugged with a hint of shyness, an unusual trait for him.
"No," he murmured. "Do you mind giving me a ride?"
"Of course."
Ronan handed Devon his helmet, which had been resting on the motorcycle seat. He then took another helmet that was also there and put it on.
"We don't want Charlie to get upset about not using the proper protection, right?" Ronan joked. But he slid his hands over Devon's waist to pull him closer.
Devon felt a breathless sensation. He was beginning to like Ronan more. The fact that he wasn't afraid to show what he felt and what he wanted made Devon feel... safe.
Devon turned his head a bit, and although their eyes couldn't meet directly due to the helmets, something told them it wasn't necessary to see each other's eyes.
"Maybe you should hold on tighter, or you might fall," he teased. But Ronan slid his hands down Devon's abdomen to embrace him.
Devon tensed for a moment, but
soon relaxed. When he arrived in Forks, it was the first time he had a motorcycle because his father would kill him before seeing him on one of those things. Even so, he had never ridden with anyone else, and it was a somewhat strange feeling. Pleasant but strange.
It felt too intimate. Perhaps more than it should be. But he liked it.
During the journey, there was a small conversation about motorcycles. Ronan told Devon that he liked them a lot, and in his free time, he dedicated himself to fixing them. In Alaska, he had five motorcycles of different styles and brands. Besides, he promised Devon that he would show them someday.
Upon arriving at school, Devon accompanied Ronan to submit his documents and complete his registration, although most of it had already been done by Esme, and Ronan only had to submit a sheet filled with signatures at the end of the day.
They were walking down the hallway, laughing about some story Ronan was telling Devon, involving penguins stealing food from tourists, when someone stood in front of them.
Devon smiled at Angela.
"Hello, Devon. I'm glad you're back," she seemed not to notice Ronan at first, more concerned about her friend. "Bella told us you got sick and were really unwell. But I'm glad to see you're better. I collected some notes from the classes we don't share, but I hope they help you."
Angela handed him a folder that Devon accepted gladly. Angela's eyes first reflected concern, but when she finished speaking, they showed pure kindness.
"Thank you very much, Angela," he smiled, and Angela felt her cheeks burn. Devon had something different, but she wasn't sure what.
"By the way, this is Ronan Denali," Devon said. "He'll be studying with us from today."
The girl's eyes finally turned to Ronan, and her cheeks became even warmer. She wanted to say something, but it was as if her tongue suddenly couldn't find a way to help her speak.
"It's a pleasure," she finally said. "I'm Angela Weber. I'm a friend of Devon."
Ronan leaned forward, bringing his face very close to Angela's. She didn't know if she should feel uncomfortable or happy to see the beautiful face of that man up close. But the poor girl was quite confused when Ronan sniffed her. Immediately, he took a couple of steps back to stand next to Devon and showed Angela a smile.
"It's a real pleasure to meet you, Angela. I hope we get along well."
She nodded without being sure of what to say. Devon was also a bit confused but preferred to wait until he was alone with Ronan to ask what that was about.
"So... I'll take Ronan to his first class," Devon said. "See you at lunch."
Angela nodded.
"Alright," Angela could already imagine Jessica going crazy with the new student and Mike and Eric completely jealous because the new guy was getting all the girls' attention.
"And again, thanks for the notes."
She shook her head with a smile.
"Don't mention it."
Devon and Ronan continued their path for a moment until they stopped halfway down the hallway.
"By the way, can I see your schedule? I think I was just walking to my class."
"Oh, sure," Ronan handed him the sheet.
Ronan actually knew the school quite well, and there was no need for Devon to accompany him to his class. But he didn't say anything because he really wanted to continue with him.
The hallway was quite crowded, but no one seemed to notice them. Perhaps everyone was already stressed about next month's exams and had more concerns than paying attention to the new gossip about the new student who seemed to be very close to Devon.
"Wow," Devon looked at Ronan with curiosity. "Except for two classes, we have exactly the same schedule."
Ronan smiled a bit at Devon's excitement but took the sheet from his hands. With his free hand, he took hold of Devon's chin with his thumb and index finger. Devon looked at him with a furrowed brow, not understanding what was happening. But he was completely surprised when Ronan pressed his lips against his. He didn't know what to do. Separate? Continue the kiss? Get upset? Get excited?
It took a moment, but Devon decided to bring his hands to Ronan's waist to pull him closer and deepen the kiss. Ronan moved the hand that was on Devon's chin to the back of his neck, feeling the softness of his hair between his fingers.
Devon's fingers slid slightly under Ronan's shirt to feel his smooth and cold skin, causing Ronan to release an involuntary moan.
Ronan showed a smile when they separated, and both looked into each other's eyes. Devon hated not being able to feel that intense warmth after a kiss like that, but a feeling quite similar ran through his body.
What the hell was that?