Page 20 of Seeking Stars
"I don't want to be insensitive."
"It matters that you know there's a wrong way to talk about it." She forced a sigh out, making up her mind. "Go on, say what you're thinking. I'll let you know if you cross a line."
"Okay, then." He cleared his throat. "How did they end up here?"
"My dad got a study visa for his graduate degree. My mom tagged along. I came into the picture after they'd gotten their green card, a couple of years after he finished his Masters."
"What does he do?"
"He's an engineer."
"Do you have siblings?"
"Nope. Unless you count Ely. We've known each other since we were five. She's the sister I never had."
"Is she who you talked to on the phone last night?"
Ana blinked twice in quick succession. She thought he hadn't noticed.
"Yes. I'm sorry if I was too loud."
"Nah, don't worry about that. I was just curious. I didn't eavesdrop, though, I swear."
"And I swear we didn't talk about you. This time." She grinned.
She took her camera out and, with help from a flexible tripod, set it up on the dashboard. She had to put the music very low for both copyright and filming reasons, which was a pity.
"Very funny." His words dripped with sarcasm.
This time, she chuckled. "No, really. We talk about whatever. We've been friends for so long that we practically share half our brain and could find something to say about seeing paint dry."
"Curious, I thought I didn't ask."
"I guess." She rolled her eyes. He must have known she did, despite not moving his eyes from the road, because he laughed.
Satisfied with the recording angle, she left it filming as they sat in a brief silence.
"Sounds like a great friendship," he added.
"Yeah. I can't imagine my life without her. She's amazing. She balances me out. Where I'm more toned down, she takes life by the horns. Do you have any friendships like that?"
"Not really," he said after a minute. "I do have people I consider friends; people I make sure I see when I go to visit my parents and stuff like that. There's also Logan. We were roommates for years and we're close. It's tough, though, with my schedule and all the traveling."
Ana stared out of the window. "Yeah? So what I saw yesterday— the meetings, the training, the calls— that's your life while in LA… but you also travel a lot."
"Yes. Sometimes it's about principal photography on location, sometimes it's promotional stuff. I fly out for anywhere from two days at a time to two months or more. The longer periods are rare, thanks to CGI, but travel like that is part of an actor's life."
"There was a time my dad was consulting for a company. They kept flying him out to their headquarters. For a year, he traveled back and forth every few weeks. After about six months of that, he said he never wanted to get on a plane ever again."
"It can be rough, yeah. On one hand it's about comfort; that's one of the things where being paid as well as I am is good, because it means I can make the airplane better, and the hotel better, to try to balance out the fact I am not at home, you know?"
Los Angeles shone under the sun, buildings and trees around them clear in the warm light. "Also, at least the way the internet talks about it, famous people are always traveling with a group."
"I often travel with people. Mo, or my PR team, plus stylists, sometimes a producer or two. So that part is true."
"What about taking your friends? Or a girlfriend— or a boyfriend— or someone there for you, not your public persona."
He didn't respond right away. She turned to study him; his eyes were still focused on the road, and a frown was evident on his profile.
