Right Back After This

Riz is one of the most famous men in the universe- a member of the idol group Saccharine, with billions of fans across hundreds of planets watching his every move with bated breath, a twenty-four-seven livestream that never leaves Riz with a second alone. That makes it pretty difficult to hide the fact that he's lying to all of them- and that the person he's pretending to be is far more complicated, far more traumatised, and far less innocent than they've been lead to believe.

It's only through getting caught breaking the rules by just the right person that Riz unlocks a secret about this life- that there are blind spots. It's a taste of freedom he needs, as well as a chance to find out who everyone else around him really is, when the cameras are pointed away.

Ares, his manager, told him the secrets of finding the silence- but he might want more from Riz than Riz is able to give. Amello, his best friend and fellow member of Saccharine, acts like a perfect dream in front of the camera- but who would he be if no one was watching? Kiel, a member of a rival group Atlantis, is supposed to hate Riz with all his heart- but something in his eyes makes Riz suspect there's more going on beneath the surface. And his bodyguard, Colian, seems to share something with him that it's impossible to speak about- and how much about Riz's past does he actually know?

It's not just Riz's wants and needs he's hiding from the world- it's everything about his past, too. The blackmail that he's a pawn in and his doomed home planet are secrets from the universe at large- and if he gets caught, his entire home planet falls with him.

Riz can't live a lie forever. Taking someone else behind closed doors and shutting out the rest of the universe might be the only way he survives- but what if the consequences are worse than he imagined?