Chapter 3 Madelina
My determination to move forward with my life lasted all of five minutes.
Louis and Gabriel, Mr. and Mr. Eavesdropper, were given the whole story after the waiter served us a bottle of rosé, which I drank most of.
Gabriel thought I did the right thing by ending it before it was too late.
Louis, on the other hand, played devil’s advocate.
It was fine until his opinion segued into a conversation about Louis’s ex.
This was when things got heated. I didn’t expect to play the mediator in a lovers’ spat, but the spat became a problem when Gabriel stormed off, and Louis ran after him.
One would think my aura is toxic.
At this point, I would agree.
I chickened out of heading back home, instead booking a one-way ticket to Ibiza. It seemed like the solution to all my problems—party all night, sleep all day, and meet incredibly cute guys. The only way to get over your past mistakes is to make a new one, right?
I was too old for partying all night, though. By eleven in the evening, I retreated to my hotel for sleep and spent my days binge-reading instead of sleeping. I found myself in this small-town romance binge fest, which is ironic since I was avoiding going back to my own small town.
As I sat at Ibiza Airport waiting for my connecting flight back to New York, it officially marked the end of my European escape.
The moment the wheels touch down on the tarmac, a jolt races through my body.
I continue to stare out the window, and soon JFK Airport looms into view as we slowly roll toward the terminal.
The dreary skies hang low, hinting at an impending storm.
I can already feel a pang of nostalgia wash over me, missing those blissful days spent lounging on sun-drenched beaches, where the warm rays kissed my skin and boredom was my companion.
That—and a smutty book.
“Welcome to New York,” the airhostess announces over the speaker. “The current time is eleven-fifty a.m. with a temperature of eighty degrees. If you’re visiting, we hope you enjoy your stay. For everyone else, welcome home.”
Around me, many people appear excited to have landed—I can only assume they’re tourists. The rest looked relieved to be home, as if the weight of their journeys has finally been lifted the moment they touched down on familiar ground.
As for me, I am neither.
I quickly text my brother to let him know I’ve landed.
Aston suggested during our last conversation I stay with him at his loft before driving out to Cinnamon Springs.
Knowing me and my so-called fragile state, he said it would be much better for me to ease myself back into my old life.
I couldn’t be bothered arguing, so I agreed, since I knew jet lag would hit me.
It’s the only thing I loathe about traveling because once it finds you, it’s like the foggiest of fogs where nothing in the world matters but sleep.
Me
You better not have one of those dumbass signs welcoming me home. I’ll kick your ass if you do.
Everyone waits until the seat belt sign turns off, except for one man, who is already up. The hostess shouts at him from her seat. The moment the sign is off, an announcement airs over the speaker, prompting everyone to rush like sheep being herded into a barn.
Thankfully, no one sat beside me on the flight, so I didn’t have to make small talk with some stranger. I’m convinced plane small talk is a punishment from the universe. It’s all fun and games at the beginning, but it’s not worth the awkward silence for the other ten hours of the flight.
As I stand up and stretch my arms, my phone pings inside my purse.
Aston
As if you could kick my ass. Meet you outside.
He has a point, but I don’t dwell on it, distracted by two young girls staring at me. One whispers something into the other girl’s ear, and then they both continue to gawk at me. Instinctively, I wipe my face in case I have some of that god-awful pudding I ate on my chin or something.
Passengers start moving toward the exit with their hand luggage. As I step out of my row, I’m forced to walk past the girls who linger in their section. I lower my gaze to the floor of the plane, staring at my Dunks, until a voice says, “Excuse me, are you Madelina Beaumont?”
The mention of my name draws my attention to the two girls.
“Um, yes” is all I manage to answer.
“Your brother is Aston, right?”
“Yes…”
Their eyes widen, and then the one with the messy bun whispers, “I told you so. He’s so hot.”
Of course, this is about Aston and his viral posts of Donuts Ever After, which he started after creating a social media account. A sweet gesture to show Eva how much he loved her when they were apart.
Since things went belly up with my dad, Aston’s been making a name for himself and running in the same circles as other well-known billionaires. Every girl and her vagina has been drooling over him like he’s some sex god.
“I saw this video, and is it true your ex stood you up at your wedding, but your father made it sound like you ran away?”
I tilt my head in confusion. “What? Where on earth did you read such bull—”
“Excuse me, ma’am?” The lady behind me interrupts. “I’ve got a husband, mother-in-law, and a cranky manager who didn’t want me to take two days off from my shitty job to attend my aunt’s funeral waiting for me. Could you move it along?”
Ma’am? I am only twenty-six.
There’s no time to continue my conversation with these girls, let alone stew in my anger. The anticipation of freedom surges within me—the confined space suddenly feels like pure hell.
My fingers grip the suitcase handle as my knuckles turn stark white, and I wish I could transport to anywhere but here. I could wait for them to disembark, but what’s the point? People are forming their version of my life, and nothing I say will make it all go away.
I breeze through customs without any interrogation of my travels, a wave of relief washing over me as I head to the baggage carousel. Usually customs has a long wait, which has me questioning my will to live, and whether I am carrying bags of cocaine.
I spot my suitcases rolling toward me on the carousel. Grabbing hold of them, I push through the glass doors into the bright arrivals hall.
As I scan the area, I quickly spot Aston waiting for me, his familiar figure standing out among the crowd. The sight of my older brother ignites a rush of emotions, and I feel a lump form in my throat, even though I saw him a month ago in Paris.
“You looked wrecked,” Aston is quick to tease with a smile. “I offered to upgrade you to first class.”
“I have to unlearn a billionaire’s daughter’s lifestyle. Dad doesn’t pay for anything anymore. A trust fund can only last so long. Besides, first class would have been me drunk on whatever liquor they handed out, and I would have been kicked off the plane.”
“Well, I missed you.” Aston wraps his arms around me as I bury my head in his chest. Again, I fight back my tears but allow myself to linger. For my entire life, he has been my big brother, trying to protect me from the world.
When I pull away, Aston draws his brows together. His dark brown curly hair is a little more tousled than usual, and he’s grown a slight beard. Eva has a thing for beards, so this doesn’t surprise me. “I’m worried about you.”
“I’m a big girl, okay? I can do this myself without my big brother holding my hand.”
“I know, it’s just…”
“What?”
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 of my true 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 we not talk 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.
“God, no. Why is the moment ruined?” I complain, then attempt to swallow before continuing with, “I take it back. I miss France.”
Aston shakes his head. “It’s New York City. Anything is possible.”
In a city so big, where dreams are made, and anyone can be who they want to be, I’m a small fish. Without my billionaire father’s support, and no job since I selfishly left it to travel Europe…
I have nothing.
I have no place to live since my former apartment was shared with Myles.
There’s no income to support my independent lifestyle, aside from some shares I’d invested in thanks to my father. I wouldn’t even know how to cash them in, if that’s a thing you do with shares.
And more importantly, no idea of what I truly want. The canvas is completely blank. It should be thrilling to live on the edge, but the truth is, I’m scared.
My phone pings in my purse, and I check the message.
Eva
You’re staying in my apartment in Cinnamon Springs, which, let’s be honest, is practically yours anyway since you took up half my closet with your denim phase.
Honestly, your Britney era wasn’t your best. Elliot will need some help at the café if you’re keen to pick up some shifts for extra cash.
I know it’s not Broadway, and your stupid pride won’t allow your brother to help you, so I’m stepping in as part of my best friend duty.
I reread the message. I’d forgotten all about Eva’s brother, Elliot, taking over the café while she traveled with Aston. I haven’t seen him since he left for college a long time ago. The few times he visited Cinnamon Springs, I was away traveling, so our paths never crossed.
Still, working with Elliot can’t be that bad. It will be the same as hanging out with Aston—just like a big brother.
A gentle wave of calm washes over me. My shoulders ease and my lips lift into a soft smile. I glance over at Aston, and he tilts his head, eyes shimmering with intrigue.
“I have the most awesome bestie in the world,” I tell him proudly.
“Yeah…” He smirks in return. “She ain’t so bad. Fantastic in bed.”
I smack his arm, scowling. We laugh in unison until the drunk man comes back, and my PTSD comes roaring to life. “I love the city, but I think I’m ready for small-town life again. At least I can eat my lunch in peace.”
“You and me both,” Aston mutters, then stands up from the bench. “Ready?”
I take a deep breath, straightening my posture as if I’m Clark Kent about to step out of a phone booth and save the damn world.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”