Page 30 of Until the Last Star Fades

He smirked, flipping the bun off his burger. “If you say so.”

“Ben, you don’t know me. You have no clue what I want.” She caught herself. Why was she getting so annoyed at him? He was just being curious, and perhaps concerned. She knew in her heart it wasn’t his questions raising her blood pressure; it was the answers rolling off her tongue—the pretending, faking, lying, acting like all was well. It’s a miracle my nose hasn’t grown five inches. Ben’s right, about all of it.

The server set a bottle of white vinegar on their table. Ben frowned but grabbed it anyway. “Okay, so tell me—what do you want, Riley? Because it sounds to me like you’re following Josh’s dream, not your own.” He drowned his burger in a shower of vinegar, its smell prickling Riley’s nose as he tipped the bottle farther.

Yuck, he’s ruining his meal.

He set down the almost empty bottle and tucked the tablespoon sitting on his napkin into his hoodie pocket like it belonged to him. “Come on, be honest…”

Honest? What? She did a double take. “You—you just stole a spoon.”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“Needs must.”

“What’s that mean?” asked Riley.

“It means necessity compels. Hunter owns forks and knives—no spoons. Mad, eh? How do I put sugar in my tea without a bloody spoon? I hate stealing, but I need one so—”

“But you can’t just take it.”

“Oh, they won’t miss it.” He picked up his burger, but the soaked bun disintegrated into mush, spilling its contents on the plate. “Bugger!”

Riley chuckled. “That’s karma for swiping the spoon.”

He curled his lip, but a carefree glint shone in his eyes as he plucked the knife and fork from the table. “Fuck the spoon. I remember you saying you wanted to go to California, work your way into directing or casting…”

Riley was taken aback that he remembered. “Yeah. Someday…I’d like to work on sitcoms or dramas, happily ever after stories. I think there’s enough sadness in the news and everyday life, so I want to make entertainment that’s an escape, that helps people forget their worries for a while.”

“Happily ever after like…” He stabbed a chunk of burger. “You and Josh—in Minnesota.”

Riley scowled, stuffing a piece of chicken in her mouth. “Oh, forget it.”

“C’mon, I’m just taking the piss. I’m sorry. It’s great you want to use your creative talents in a compassionate way, to help people. It’s admirable, really. Not a lot of people care like that. And I totally get the escape from reality thing.”

“Yeah, I guess, being an actor.” Riley’s face softened. “Have you always known it was what you wanted to do?”

“No. When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronomer. I loved stars and planets.”

“Ah, that explains your tattoo.”

“This one?” Ben stretched the neck of his t-shirt, revealing two hollow stars, one larger than the other, beneath the curve of his left collarbone.

“I spotted it earlier. It’s cool.”

“Thanks. Shame a passion for something can’t make up for shit grades.”

“Because of your dyslexia?”

“Maybe…probably.” He raised his fork to his mouth, chewing a bite-sized piece of burger quickly. “God, I hated school.” He spun his plate around so his fries were facing Riley. “Help yourself, ’kay?”

She nodded with a smile.

“The teachers said I had a learning disability, behavioral issues, and you know what kids are like. They called me a div.”

“A div?”