with love, always, michael clifford

luana evangelista

Sitting in a cafe near the water gave Asteria a weird feeling. The waves crashed on the New South Wales shore, the baristas giving everyone a friendly smile.

Nostalgia.

Her grandparents were outside if anything went wrong. Michael was out with Apollo, which Asteria said was okay — which wasn't 100% true, but Apollo gave her puppy dog eyes.

Casper had repeatedly told her to call him if she felt uncomfortable, and he'd do everything in his power he could.

After 5 more minutes, a beautiful lady walked into the store. She was 5 '9, blonde hair, green eyes that easily popped.

Her eyes flew to Asteria — she choked up.

She walked over to Asteria and instantly pulled her into the tightest hug.

"You look so much like her," The woman said in a soft spoken voice. The woman was her mother's sister, her closest one. Luana.

Luana was an olympic swimmer until she turned 30, when she settled down and had kids of her own with her husband, another olympics alumni. She was now 45, and beautiful.

"Thank you," Asteria said gently. "It's nice to see you."

Luana and Josephine were undeniably close. They were the closest in age, only a year apart. Luana was devastated to hear of her sister's passing.

"You look so grown up," Luana said, pulling away. Her hand reached Asteria's hair. "Your hair is so beautiful! It looks just like Josies. Have you ordered anything yet?"

Asteria smiled warmly. "Thank you, and no I haven't. I wasn't sure if we were going anyway or staying here and I didn't want to order anything without you."

Luana smiled warmly. "Come, I know the perfect place."

Luana and Asteria left the cafe a moment later and got in Luana's car. They drove around 10 minutes while Luana showed Asteria her mother's favorite music. Lots of metal, which shocked Asteria.

"Me and your mother would come here every Thursday at 8, because our practices ended at 7:30." Luana said, grabbing her wallet and leading Asteria inside a restaurant. "She loved it."

The restaurant was, if Asteria's memory serves her right, near Luana's house. They had two funerals — one in Sydney, and one in Melbourne. Luana moved to Sydney after her sister passed away to be closer to the water, and where they used to hang out.

They got a table near the back, and immediately ordered appetizers while Luana asked Asteria about her life.

"How old are you now?" Luana asked, handing Asteria a straw.

"17 in October." Asteria hummed. "The 17th, actually. It's my golden birthday."

"Oooo," Luana hummed. "That sounds fun. Are you excited?"

Asteria shrugged her shoulders. "It's okay. I'm scared to be an adult."

Luana laughed softly. "So was I. Got a boyfriend? Or girlfriend?"

Asteria let her cheeks run red and she nodded. "I do, yeah."

Luana instantly gasped, meeting her niece's eyes. "Tell me all about them."

Asteria went on a ramble about her boyfriend. How kind he was, where they met, and the story of how they got together. Luana was over the moon about it — excited and happy for her.

"That's so exciting! He sounds lovely." Luana said. "I met your uncle while in the hotel where we all stayed for the olympics. He was with his team, and I was with mine and we clicked."

They got their food soon after gossiping some more, and after they were done with food, Luana and Asteria piled into the car.

"Where to now?" Asteria asked.

"We are going to meet your uncles and aunts, and cousins, at the fun center. They are all very excited to see you again."