Ten Minutes Ago // Ben Tyler Cook

Part One / Chapter Six

Ben's POV
"Where are we?" Marlee asks as I come around the car and open her door. We're in an empty field in the middle of nowhere. A few trees dot the edge of the grass, but it's too dark to see much else.

I walk around and open the trunk of my car. "Can you carry this?" I ask, holding a blanket. Marlee takes it, and I grab a basket. "Come on." Once I close the trunk, I lead her to the middle of the field. "Okay, lay the blanket down, please." She does as I ask, and she sits down with me.

"What are we doing here?" she questions, watching as I open the basket and pull out containers of food.

"It's good to get away from the city every now and then. It's quieter out here. And you can see those." I point up at the sky. She follows my finger, noticing the countless stars that shimmer in the black sky. I watch as her eyes light up.

"They're beautiful," she whispers.

So are you, I want to say, but I don't.

"I haven't seen this many stars since I moved here," she continues softly. Once she finally looks away, she grabs some of the food.

"Where did you move from?"

"Tennessee." She smiles fondly. "My family lives in Memphis. That's where I grew up."

"Tell me about your family." I open a bottle of water.

"Well, like I just said, I grew up in Memphis. I've lived in the same house my whole life, until now, of course. I have three siblings. My oldest sister, Asia, is six years older than me. My brother, Connor, is four years older than me. He's married. There's me, and then there's my sister Adrienne, who's six years younger than me." She finishes her explanation with a small nod. "What about you?"

I set down the water. "I have an older brother, Nick, a sister, Kate, and a twin sister, Emma."

"You have a twin?" Marlee looks over at me. I nod. She gets a bottle of water and opens it, taking a sip.

"Can I call you MJ?" I ask suddenly.

She looks at me, surprised. "What? Where do you get that from?"

"Your initials. Marlee Jane." I shrug. "If you don't like it-"

"No, I like it." She smiles slowly. "As long as I get to call you Benji."

I sigh. "Have you been talking to Josh? He's the only one who calls me that. Because he knows I hate it, you know."

"I like it." She laughs quietly. "I'll let you call me MJ if I can call you Benji. Deal?" She holds out her hand, wanting me to shake it.

"Fine. Deal." I place my hand in hers and shake it. She nods in satisfaction.

~ * ~ * ~

Marlee's POV
I lay on my back, looking at the stars with Ben next to me. I try counting them, but I know there are too many to count. Neither of us have said anything for several minutes, just content to lay there in silence with each other, watching the stars.

Ben's the first to speak. "Noelle said you wanted to do theater. That's why you moved here. What happened to that dream?"

"That's a long story, Ben," I say, breathing out a laugh.

"I don't know about you, but I don't have anywhere to be." He looks over at me. I can't say no to Ben, I learned that quickly.

"Are you sure?" I ask, getting a nod in response. "I did theater growing up; my siblings had done it, so I grew up doing it. I hit tenth grade, and I had to stop doing theater. I didn't have enough time, and it broke my heart. I decided to find something else to devote myself to. So I took up photography. My summer job was working at a local studio, even though I was just an assistant. During the school year, I started dancing. I joined the school's dance team, and I did that all the way through my senior year. I moved here about a year after graduation and I had a few auditions. I was turned down by every single one of them, and I realized that theater isn't much of a steady profession. For most people," I add when Ben gives me a look. "I took the job I have now instead of pursuing theater. And here I am."

Ben sits up. "You should keep trying to get auditions. Who knows? Maybe one day you'll get a part."

"Maybe so, but I'm not sure that it's a life I want. It doesn't sound appealing to constantly be searching for new auditions in case your show closes." I prop myself up on my elbows.

"You never know, MJ, unless you try. You have a beautiful voice. I haven't seen you dance or act, but if you're as good as you are at singing, it'll be no time before you get a part."

I shake my head. "I tried, Ben. It's not for me. Anyway, once I get enough notoriety and enough money saved up, I want to become a real photographer. I can't be an assistant forever."

"You're right," he says with a small nod. The conversation ends there. The wind begins to pick up, and I pull my jacket tighter around my shoulders. Ben notices. "It's getting cold out here, why don't we head back?"

I nod. "Yeah, that's a good idea." We pack up and walk back to the car. Once Ben pulls out onto the actual road, I turn to him. "Thanks for taking me out here. This was fun."

He smiles. "Yeah, it was pretty fun. We should do it again sometime." The radio plays softly, providing background music to the quiet drive back to my apartment. Too soon, we arrive, and Ben pulls over to the side of the road.

"Thank you," I say again as he puts the car in park. "I'll text you later." I lean over, lightly peck his cheek, and get out of the car, my face heating up.

"Bye," Ben calls after a moment's hesitation. He waits until I'm inside the building before driving away.

~ * ~ * ~

"How'd it go?" Noelle asks excitedly once I change into my pajamas. "Where did he take you?"

"We went out to this field in the middle of nowhere. Ben brought food, and we talked and looked at the stars."

She swoons dramatically. "That's so romantic. I'm glad I was able to set you two up. You should be thanking me. You're obviously perfect for each other."

I roll my eyes. "Noelle, that was the third time we've met. I don't know if you can say we're perfect for each other." Not yet, at least. My phone buzzes, and Noelle tosses it to me after glancing at it.

"It's Ben," she says with a smug grin.

"Shut up," I mumble as I unlock my phone.

Ben Tyler Cook

<< I don't mean to keep
pushing this if you don't
want me to, but I just got
a text from Sky. Mr. Calhoun,
our director, said that
Stephanie Styles had to go
home for some family emergency.
She's backed out of the tour.
They're holding auditions
for Katherine. You should
look into it. >>
Read 10:37 P.M.