Page 11 of When Forever Falls Apart

We begin walking toward the parking lot and Aston continues, “I just don’t want you to think it’ll be easy to transition back to normal like nothing happened. People will bring it up, and God knows they’re desperate to learn ofmytrue paternity.”

My lips remain shut, as I choose not to mention what happened earlier on the plane.

Humiliation will follow me no matter where I go, thanks to the digital world we live in, so what’s the point in burying my head in the sand anymore? None of us know how the paternity scandal leaked either, but it seems like every person and their dog is invested.

“Can wenottalk about this, please? I just want to eat a bagel. There are only so many croissants one can eat. Don’t even start on cheese. I never thought it was possible to be sick of eating cheese, but I overdid it last night during my layover in Paris.”

Aston chuckles. “Okay, East Village it is.”

Tompkins Square Bagels are hands down the best bagels in the city, though New Yorkers will debate this until they’re blue in the face.

Aston isn’t a fan of lox, but growing up, my dad would always order it, which is probably why I love the taste, and Aston despises it.

The after-lunch rush is still chaotic, yet it brings me joy to be back in the city hustle.

Despite spending most of my childhood in Cinnamon Springs, my father often brought us to the city after he purchased a property in Carnegie Hill. The visits were mainly to conduct business, since his idea of pleasure is drinking age-old whiskey with his billionaire acquaintances. My mother would spend her time on Fifth Avenue, leaving me and Aston with our nanny.

Aston is on his phone, so I nudge him and say, “I’ll order.” I place our order, then wait patiently until it’s passed over the counter. We take the short stroll across to Tompkins Square Park and sit on an empty bench.

“I haven’t been here in a while,” he tells me, biting into his homemade roasted turkey sandwich. “Life has been—”

“Blissful,” I interrupt with a smile. “It’s okay to be happy and in love in front of me. Just because I’m single with absolutely no prospects doesn’t mean the rest of the world needs to be.”

“Dramatic as always,” he teases.

I knock his shoulder with mine. “I’m happy you’re happy. I mean it. So, when’s the wedding?”

Aston wipes his lips with the napkin, and only now do I notice a woman gawking at him as she powerwalks past wearing those tights that make your butt look like two basketballs.Argh, why does he always have to attract so much attention?Yeah, okay, he’s a good-looking guy, but it’s getting to the point where everyone’s looking at him. It’s like dining with a celebrity except he’s my big brother and couldn’t care less about the attention.

“Everleigh has signed a lease for the second store in the city and—”

“Wait,” I say with a mouthful of pastrami. “Donuts Ever After is coming to Manhattan?”

Aston nods with a proud smile.

Donuts Ever After was Eva’s dream. After college, things fell into place for her, and soon, the specialty café became a hit in Cinnamon Springs. After Aston posted about it on his social media and all these so-called influencers flocked to see it, her business boomed.

“This is amazing! Why didn’t she tell me?”

“Between the new location and the construction of the house on Peppermint Lake, she’s been busy.”

“Of course.” I nod, suddenly aware my brother knows more about my best friend than I do.

“Why the face?”

“There’s no face.”

“Yes, there is. Same face as that time we went to Cousin Fredrick’s house to use the trampoline, but you hurt your arm, so Mom said you had to watch from the pool house.”

I roll my eyes at him. “You try being eight and watching your older brother have the time of his life.”

“It was fun until I threw up,” he reminds me, then sighs. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“It’s nothing, honestly. Look, I’m just tired. It was a long flight.”

Aston continues to observe me. The truth is, no one knows me better than my older brother. Despite all our differences, he’s the only one who’s always had my back. The only one who has been my rock when I felt alone in this big world. But now, he has my best friend, and I have no one.

We eat in silence, simply watching people pass us on the street. A drunk guy stumbles near the trash can, then stands up beside it to take a piss. The moment I see the yellow liquid against the pavement, I dry heave.