with love, always, michael clifford

ghost of you.

Before this chapter starts, I would like everyone to know that the song I am about to describe belongs to 5 Seconds Of Summer. I am purely using it as a way to connect my liking for writing songs into Asteria. Thank you!

Asteria Clifford sat on her bed with her legs crossed and a piano keyboard in front of her as she mumbled to herself, writing her lyrics into a notebook.

So I drown it out, she writes, Like I always do

She put a small question mark next to the small written down lyrics. She played a few keys on the keyboard, trying to test out notes and melodies. She threw her head back when she couldn't find a good melody.

"Asteria?"

Asteria looked up from her notebook to see Luke knocking on the door. She hummed, "Yeah?"

"What're you up to?" Luke asked, smiling as he noticed Asteria's keyboard in front of her and a notebook next to her.

Asteria shrugged gently, looking back down at her notebook. "Trying to write a song. I've only got two lines so far, nothing is flowing – It's frustrating because yesterday I had lyrics flowing from my hand like the fucking einstein of music."

Luke chuckled, sitting down on the desk chair and scooting it closer to the bed. "Let me see,"

Asteria handed Luke her songwriting notebook for him to examine. He bit his lip as he examined the notebook, his finger tracing along the lines.

"On your first verse, about waking up in the bed, and seeing clothes scattered, change it completely," Luke said. "It doesn't flow."

"And what should it be, music genius?" Asteria asked.

"How about... Here I am waking up, still can't sleep on your side?"

Asteria thought for a moment and nodded, writing it down and bringing her fingers to the keyboard. She played a melody that matched the two lyric lines and a satisfied grin entered her face.

"And then," Asteria spoke, "There's your coffee cup, your lipstick stain fades with time?"

Luke nodded, "Here I am waking up, still can't sleep on your side, there's your coffee cup, the lipstick stain fades with time."

Asteria cheered and smiled. "That's good! Why didn't you become a musician?"

"Me, your dad, Michael and Ashton tried to. We were going to call it 5 Seconds of Summer, what your dad came up with in math class. But it failed, and we decided to become doctors." Luke explained.

"Huh.." Asteria bit her lip. "Maybe you'd be famous?"

"Yeah.. maybe." Luke chuckled. "But it's in the past now. Possibly in another life,"

"Maybe in another life." Asteria agreed, looking back down at her notebook.

"I'm going to go help Ashton make lunch, okay?" Luke smiled. "Later, I can help you with more lyrics."

Asteria and Luke had always shared an interest in music since forever. Asteria was writing songs about the ocean at the age of 8 – they weren't good, but they were songs. She'd never thought to pursue anything with it, because she always thought she'd drop out of college and marry a rich guy, but what if she wanted to make her own money?

And instead, it belongs to her, not some rich old guy?

Downstairs, Luke was humming the melody that Asteria was creating upstairs. He had found her music skills wonderful. He'd always wished that they did music instead of becoming doctors – spending all day in a studio, writing songs– not cleaning up someone's puke.

"I think Asteria has a real good talent for music, you know?" Luke spoke up. "She was writing a song upstairs and she told me she had lyrics flowing out of her yesterday."

"Yeah?" Michael sat down in the chair. "I'd always wished we would've pursued music. Maybe she will."

"Maybe she will."