To Be Young And In Love In New York City

Chapter 5: "I Only Date Blondes"

Brother.

A single word that aroused fury within River when it fell from Jesse's mouth.

River got up from his chair so fast that it thrust backwards from the force and clanked against the table, causing Colette to flinch. The sound didn't affect either of the brothers, as River moved dangerously close to Jesse's face, the glare he was casting never faltering. "I'm not your brother," He spit out.

"How have you been brother?" Jesse asked, an evil smirk resting on his face, clearly enjoying the rage he was causing his brother . He placed a hand on his shoulder and continued. "How's it living in that shoebox apartment of yours?"

"I am not your brother," River repeated, pushing his hand away from his shoulder.  His anger level was rising, and his clenched fists remained close to his body as if he would lose control over them if they didn't.

"You can't wish away family, River." They stared at each other for a few moments, River glowering at him while Jesse mirrored him. Jesse's eyes slowly moved away from his and landed on Colette, who was observing them awkwardly. He studied her for a while before saying, "Well, well, well, who do we have here?"

He moved closer to her. Taking her hand in his, he placed a kiss on the back of it and smiled. "Hello there, I'm Jesse."

"I....I'm Colette." From the looks of it, she seemed intimidated by him, or more specifically, by his effect on River.

River yanked Colette's hand away from his. "Don't touch her."

Jesse laughed. "Don't get jealous, brother. She's not really my type. Besides, you know I only date blondes."

Before River could say anything else, Jesse waved to someone behind them, trying to get their attention. "Mother!" He called out a woman. "River's here!" This earned Jesse a few stares from people standing near them. A few of them pointed to River and started whispering to each other.

Son of the owners of Dery leaving them was no secret, everyone found out about it the day after it happened, thanks to the high publicity they got. It wasn't like River didn't read the articles about him on the internet, some twisting what actually happened or criticizing him for leaving what could've been his legacy. It got to him, no matter how much he tried to convince himself that it didn't. It was hard for him to be told his story by people who didn't have a single clue as to what it actually was. But that was the thing about River, he avoided anything negative in his life and constantly convinced himself that he was strong enough to not dwell on them when he really wasn't.

He had avoided the harassing paparazzi that nagged him with questions, he had avoided multiple phone calls and emails that were begging to interview him and he had also avoided going to public places for a long time due to the fear of being recognized because he was all over the news following his split from his parents.

His father had given a brief statement; saying that their family was going through a tough time and everybody was figuring out their own life so, until further notice, he and his wife would remain the CEOs of Dery.

The next three months River remained low-key, not doing anything to draw attention to himself, wearing sunglasses and beanies whenever he went out. He mainly focused on getting a job, finding an apartment, and working on his writing at the coffee shop which also offered him a private place, all of which he was successful in.

Eventually, when the media realized how stubborn he was, and that they would get nothing from him, they lost zeal to harass him with questions, and since there was always someone else doing something scandalous, he was off the hook and went back to leading his life normally. Lucky for him, he didn't face any paparazzi or emails asking for an interview after that.