with love, always, michael clifford

bloody idiot.

"He just apologized?"

Asteria's family issues were most definitely one of the main topics of her life amongst her friends. If her father put a toe out of line, they would know— Blair almost found it interesting in a way.

Asteria nodded her head. "He did. Right when I got home from work last week. It was weird."

"Huh," Blair crossed her arms over her chest. "When you said you wanted to meet me here, I did not expect that to be the reason why."

Blair and Asteria sat in a small cafe outside of Honolulu, a place not a lot of people were familiar with, watching the tourists and people walk around on the beach in front of them. Honolulu had been a small drive, it wasn't long.

"I accepted his apology," Asteria blinked, taking a bite of her pasta. "I mean— I couldn't not accept it."

"Wrong," Blair blurted out. "You could've not accepted it."

Asteria sent Blair a small glare and looked back on the ocean. "I just felt bad. I accepted it because I didn't think it would work. But lately, nothing has happened." Asteria began to list on her fingers, "No fighting, no backtalk, no under the breathe mumbles,"

"Damn," Blair nodded slowly. "It's like disneyland."

"It's not a joke!" Asteria protested. "I'm telling you, this is too weird. Something has to be attached."

Blair frowned. "Why can't you accept he's just trying to be nice?"

"Because in my nearly 17 years of life, he has never been nice with 'no reason'"

That night, Asteria went home silently and said her 'sweet dreams' swiftly before retreating back to her bedroom. With her wooden door shut, and her hair up in a ponytail, Asteria began to write down simple things with neat handwriting.

In a notebook all so similar to her.

The date written at the top— June 28th.

As the sun went down and the moon came out, Asteria found herself getting sleepier. It was almost her self-proclaimed bedtime when she heard her phone begin to ring.

She frowned as she examined the unknown number, and hit the decline button.

And then hit it again.

And again.

And again.

Until she frustratingly groaned, her arms failing up in the air, before grabbing the phone from the bed and hitting accept. Harshly, she said. "What the hell could you want?"

"Jesus." A husky voice spoke lightly and breathlessly. "That's no way to treat your phone guests."

"Who is this?" Asteria spoke firmly, her eyebrows furrowing together. "Why have you called me multiple times? Do you realize how late it is?"

"I know that." The voice said forcefully. As Asteria began to recognize the voice, it spoke again. "It's Casper, you fucking idiot. Do you not have my number saved?"

He almost sounded offended.

"Obviously not." Asteria spat. "What could you possibly want?"

"Ouch." Casper said. "I'm calling you against my will."

"Against your will? What, is someone holding a knife to your neck?" Asteria asked, sarcastically. "Have your ghost friends not been nice to you?"

"First off, fuck you," Casper swore. "And secondly, I will let you know that my mother has asked me to inform you about your arrival at my house this Saturday. She would like it if you passed along the word. Goodnight, sweet thing."

And before Asteria could shout at him, asking him what on earth he meant, the hung up noise rang through her ear and she was left dumbfounded.

"Oh, you bloody idiot—"