“Aaaah!”

  A jolt shot through Ever’s right hip and he dropped his tote bag on the pavement in shock. What had hit him? His hand covered the pulsing, vibrating spot. Cheerful music chimed out it and he realized he hadn’t been struck at all. With the tote bag slung on his left shoulder, he delicately slid out his phone with his thumb and forefinger from his pocket. There was a red button with an “X” on one side and a green button with what looked like a jiggling shell on the other. He’d seen Taylor swipe on the green button plenty of times. He mimicked the motion, bringing the phone to the side of his head.

  “Hello?”

  “Ever, hey. Did you get to the bank?” Logan’s voice somehow sounded calm but pressing at the same time.

  “Yes,” Ever replied. He looked in the slightly scuffed tote bag. Without all of his cash inside it, it seemed cavernous. He could just make out a packet or envelope of some sort at the bottom. “Yeah, I got the float.”

  “Good.” His relief was palpable through the phone. “I was honestly thinking of closing the shop early and going with you to the bank. I would not be caught dead carrying that much cash on me like you did.” He paused. “Knew I could trust you.”

  Ever didn’t know how to feel about that. Didn’t the first part of his sentence actually mean that he didn’t trust him?

  “Thanks, I’ll see you soon, bye.” The light at the pedestrian crossing turned green and he started crossing in front of two lanes of queuing cars. He could just see Logan through the window, running his hand through his hair; he seemed to do that a lot, almost as if it was therapeutic for him.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  Logan unlocked the door for Ever once he arrived back at the ice cream store.

  “Where did you get that tote bag made from?” Logan said, eyeing it as Ever opened it. “It looks like it’s made from plastic bags.”

  “It is made from plastic bags,” Ever said. “I bought it from a lady during Mid-Summer Nights.” Bare feet on the grass, Taylor’s unbridled joy at all the ‘cool stuff’, Gaia’s enigmatic smile. Ever packed the memory up and slid it in the corner of his mind for now.

  “Ah Mid-Summer Nights. I heard it was a great success from Taylor.” He started counting under his breath as he methodically filled in each segment in the cash register with the right denomination.

  Ever went into the serving area to see if anything else had to be cleaned up. The big, circular, plastic bin was filled to the brim, with the backroom looking much tidier and bigger than it ever had. Something poked out from the top. His arms moved by reflex, plucking it out from the bin.

  “Why is this in the bin?” Ever asked, voice hard.

  Logan finished whispering under his breath after ten seconds or so, then looked at Ever. “Oh, I don’t know what that is. It looks like an old vase or something. Was it yours?”

  “It was… it is Taylor’s.” He forced himself to breathe slowly.

  “Didn’t know. Alright, you can put it back.”

  “Excuse me.” The voice was female; both men looked up. “Is it too late to get some ice cream?”