The apartment door swung open and Astra heard the voice before she saw the woman it belonged to.

"Thank goodness! We have been calling and calling and… wait a minute… you weren't ignoring us, were you?"

Eydis stepped neatly into the doorway, blocking Astra from view. "Mother. Fat…"

"Come here." Cleo von Apfelhof swept her daughter into a hug.

She was petite, so all Astra saw were forearms wrapping, and re-wrapping, around Eydis's waist. A taller man followed and folded both of them in with a sound that suggested tradition more than consent.

Eydis stiffened immediately, regal to the point of ridiculous, back straight, chin lifted. Not a hug, Astra decided. A squeeze. The crack that followed was not cinematic bone-breaking, anime could keep that. It was Eydis's knuckles, tightening into fists by her thighs.

Astra bit down on a smile. Oh, this was entertaining. She had wondered if she would ever see Eydis this genuinely off balance. Apparently, yes. Today.

"Have you eaten? We made pizza. Your favourite," Cleo announced, somehow finding a way to squeeze harder. "Why are you so quiet, sweetie?"

Eydis inhaled as much oxygen as the current stranglehold allowed. "I require lungs for speaking."

They sheepishly released her.

"Mind if I bring in… a friend?" she added, dusting her black trench coat.

"A friend?" came a low, curious voice. Amber eyes turned toward Astra. Anthony von Apfelhof's mouth opened, closed, then opened again.

Cleo's glossy black fringe peeked around Eydis's shoulder, followed by clear blue eyes that widened with interest.

"Oh. You're…my goodness, you're stunning. Wait, are you someone I should recognise? Your face is… familiar some—" She stopped mid-hypothesis and finally looked properly at her daughter. "Oh. My word. Look at you."

"Devilishly charming, aren't I? I could even intimidate my mirror," Eydis deadpanned.

To her credit, she stood perfectly still while Cleo ran a hand over her dark hair, eyes widening as if she had touched silk for the first time. "Wow," Cleo breathed.

"Divine," Anthony concluded, still looking at Astra. Hearing no reaction, he dragged his gaze back to Eydis and froze in exactly the same way. He blinked a few times. "Divine indeed."

Both Eydis's parents stared at them in awkward silence.

Astra stepped forward, polite smile in place. "Mr and Mrs von Apfelhof, I believe we spoke on the phone. My name is Astra Elite. Eydis's… roommate."

"Roommate," Anthony repeated.

"Oh, just Cleo and Anthony is fine," Cleo said to Astra. "Now, do you eat pizza, Astra? Or… light? What does Godd—what do you actually eat?"

"Pizza sounds lovely," Astra said.

They were ushered inside. The apartment smelled of garlic butter, hot cheese, and something sweet that did not belong on a savoury dish.

When the door clicked shut, Astra heard Cleo tiptoe up to Eydis and whisper, not quietly, "I like her already."

Only then did Eydis allow herself a small, genuine smile, which seemed to shock Cleo more than the makeover itself.

"Likewise," Eydis said, her striking amber eyes holding Astra's.

Heat crept up Astra's face. She was, as always, embarrassingly susceptible to that gaze.

Anthony was still glancing between them. "So, are you two… travelling together? Is that why you asked for those documents?"

Cleo cleared her throat when Eydis's expression soured. "Ignore him, Astra."

She moved to the kitchen and began spreading tomato sauce over the dough with the back of a spoon. "Now, be honest, are you always this celestial, or did you polish up for us?"

Like mother, like daughter.

Astra blinked. Had she overdone it? She had only thrown on a thick, oversized grey coat, skinny leather pants, black lace-up heeled boots, and a knitted beanie she absolutely did not need, considering—

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Oh.

"Maybe," she admitted shyly.

Cleo laughed, delighted. "Your friend is dazzling, Eydis. If I were you, I'd hold onto her."

Eydis raised a brow, then smiled, just a touch too mischievously for Astra's comfort, as though saying, I will suffer only if you suffer with me.

"I intend to," she purred. "Every single day."

The exhaust fan chose that exact moment to burst into a furious roar. Cleo switched it off at once, her eyes never leaving her daughter.

"O-oh," she said softly. "Oooh."

Anthony's eyes widened. "Oh."

"Ant, retrieve the documents. I will handle the interrogation." Cleo took a deep breath. "Astra, olives?"

"On pizza, yes," Astra said.

Cleo nodded and scattered black olives over the sauce. "Good. Pineapple?"

Astra wrinkled her nose.

Cleo's grin was instant.

Anthony reappeared with a stack of document sleeves, glanced between the three women and held out a flat palm to Eydis. A dad-bro high five.

Eydis stared at it, equal parts confused and unimpressed.

"This is what young people do when they're winning, yes?" he asked hopefully. "I mean… look at her."

Before Eydis could respond, Astra stepped forward and met the high five with a firm smack.

The room froze. Even Eydis blinked in surprise.

Anthony coughed, suddenly flustered, and redirected his hand to the back of his neck, scratching sheepishly.

"She is absolutely perfect. Keep her, Eydis," Cleo said, eye wide.

"I said I intend to," Eydis muttered, cheeks faintly pink.

Astra watched them and decided that today was Day One of her holiday.

Astra slid another slice of prosciutto pizza onto her plate, showered it chilli flakes, and finished with what began as drizzles and became, under the alarmed gaze of three von Apelhofs, a small spill of chilli oil.

"You've got one hell of a stomach, Astra," Anthony observed, both impressed and worried for his tablecloth. He nudged the jug of watermelon juice two centimetres closer to her, like it was a fire extinguisher.

Cleo grinned. "You know what they say about women who like things spicy?"

Eydis continued carving her slice with knife and fork, the cuts so neat they could have been measured with a ruler. "Do tell, Mother. What does Astra's palate reveal about her this time? Fire-breather? Closet anarchist?"

Astra ignored the banter, took a bite, then a sip of water. In hindsight the water was a mistake, because Cleo, blue eyes bright with mischief, added, "That they're unpredictable in the kitchen and extremely interesting everywhere else."

Eydis, who had been carving her pizza into neat, Tetris-sized squares she'd refused to taste, paused. "Why separate the two?"

Cleo's eyebrows shot up.

Astra choked. She coughed, dabbed at her mouth with a napkin, and blinked hard as the spice rushed to her head.

"I thought it meant something about passion, or fire, or… oh." Anthony caught Astra's mortified glance and trailed off. "Never mind. Anarchist it is."

Cleo burst into laughter. In that moment Astra decided Cleo's innocence was a decorative myth, and that she and Eydis shared more than just jawlines.

When Eydis stayed suspiciously quiet, three pairs of eyes drifted towards her. She finally, finally tasted the pizza. Her eyes widened. "This is… surprisingly good."

Cleo sat straighter, unbearably pleased. "Glad you think so, sweetie. My skills have not gone rusty, have they?"

Astra seized the blessed change of subject, though it surprised her that Eydis's praise sounded sincere. Eydis took another bite, then another, the neatness loosening into reasonable mouthfuls.

"You should eat pizza with your hands, Eydis," Astra advised, still pink about the ears. She folded her slice and took a bite to demonstrate.

"Then I will have greasy fingers," Eydis said, matter-of-fact.

Anthony grinned. "You have had no problem licking them clean before."

"That is a barbaric habit one must not discuss in…" Eydis stopped. She had looked up and found Astra, at that precise moment, licking a glossy line of oil from her fingertip.

She blushed. Properly. Cheeks dusted rose.

Cleo and Anthony blinked in unison, as if their daughter had sprouted antlers.

Astra's heart thumped. Perhaps finger-licking was not the most appropriate action at family dinners. Stopping felt harder when Eydis's eyes had gone darker.

So Astra, being the disciplined operative that she was, gave one last languid lick and smiled when Eydis looked properly thrown.

Maybe she was being a little sulky over Eydis's public flirt and opting for revenge.

Not like she was planning to meet the parents again.

Right?

"Ookay, wow. Barbaric? Of course not!" Anthony shifted and changed course. "My girl is the most beautiful, most graceful human in the world. Right, honey?"

"That is not at all unbiased," Eydis murmured, though the corner of her mouth betrayed her.

"Totally unbiased," Cleo said. "Remember how popular you were in middle school?"

Eydis paused, knife hovering again. "I was?"

"Fan club and everything." Anthony nodded. "Not literally, but you know…"

"Then one day you decided to stop caring. You said you disliked attention, that it made people expect things, and you chose the opposite." Cleo's smile warmed. "You're choosing something else now, aren't you?"

A small frown gathered between Eydis's brows, as if gears turned and clicked into place. "That is… not unlike me, if I were…" She glanced at her knife and let the rest fade.

Cleo tipped her head towards Astra. "You didn't expect my daughter to be this striking, did you?"

Astra looked from mother to daughter. "Truthfully? I didn't notice."

"Didn't notice Eydis?"

"Didn't notice any significant change," Astra said. "She has always been beautiful to me."

And only once the words left her did she realise she'd never said that aloud. The words felt like a confession.

The soft jazz in the background filled the pause. Eydis reached for another slice. She cut it, not into perfect cubes, but into human, sensible bites. The colour in her cheeks refused to leave.

Cleo's smile turned luminous. "Well, I think I have fallen in love."

Eydis's lips curled into something shy and certain. She held out her hand to Anthony, and he met it with a firm high five. Then she looked to Astra and kept her hand lifted for a heartbeat longer.

As if agreeing with Cleo.

Astra felt the warmth rise again, but it was different now. Less like fire, more like the first sip of coffee on a cold morning. She found herself smiling back, while Cleo and Anthony shared a meaningful glance.

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