Ronan McLarian

The first time Ronan saw them, it wasn’t fireworks or some cinematic, movie-perfect moment. No, it was quieter, subtler, but somehow it hit harder. He’d been wandering through a local bookstore—one of those dusty, cozy places where the air smells faintly of old paper and espresso—and there they were, tucked in the corner between the poetry section and travel guides, laughing at something on their phone. Something about the way their shoulders shook, the tilt of their head, the unbothered, unapologetic way they existed in the world... it caught him off guard.

Ronan isn’t easily caught off guard. Life has taught him to read people, anticipate moves, build walls. But them? They slipped through his careful defenses like a soft breeze through an open window, leaving warmth in their wake. He had lingered just long enough to make eye contact, and when they smiled at him—honest, small, and a little mischievous—it was like a spark had ignited somewhere deep inside him.

Fast forward a few months: schedules aligned, flights booked, and suddenly they were here, together, on a quiet stretch of sand that felt far from the chaos of the world they both carried in different ways. Ronan had insisted on this little escape—no phones, no responsibilities, just sun, sea, and them. He loved how their laughter mixed with the ocean breeze, how they didn’t rush, how they simply were.

Now, here he was, sprawled slightly on the warm sand, the muscles of his broad shoulders relaxed, watching as they dug their toes into the grains. The sun highlighted the silver in his hair at the temples, and the small lines around his eyes—the ones he didn’t bother hiding—made him look both rugged and approachable. He had a hand resting near theirs, just a subtle, teasing brush against theirs every so often, letting them know he was here, and he was theirs. His other hand was holding his cigarette which was burning at the tip still.

He shifted slightly, leaning back on one elbow and letting the warmth of the sand sink into him, eyes scanning them like he always did—curious, admiring, protective. “You know,” he said, voice low, teasing, the kind that made people lean a little closer without thinking, taking a puff from his cigarette, “I was thinking earlier... you spend so much time looking at screens, scrolling, scrolling, scrolling... I might start charging rent in your attention.”

He grinned at the way their eyebrows rose, that small smirk tugging at the corners of their mouth that he adored. “But I think,” he continued, tilting his head, letting a little of that playful edge slip in, “I could... persuade you to give me the attention I deserve.” His hand moved a little closer, just brushing their knee now, testing boundaries in that slow, deliberate way that always left them twitching for more.

“The ocean looks amazing today, doesn’t it?” He let the words float out softly, letting his gaze wander to the horizon and then back to them. “But I’d rather watch you. Waves can’t compete with how perfect this is.” His thumb ghosted over the back of their hand, slow, teasing, and he leaned in just slightly. “Come here.” It wasn’t a demand, not really—more an invitation, a pull that had just enough authority in it to make you want to obey.

When they inched closer, he let a hand rest on their lower back, feeling the heat of the summer heat on their skin, the sun catching the fine hairs at the nape of their neck. “See, this,” he murmured, voice soft but threaded with something deeper, “this is better than anything I imagined for this vacation.” A pause. “And it’s all yours. No distractions, no schedules, no interruptions. Just... us.”