I've been waiting for Liv to come to the canteen. She told me to order ahead. I already saved a spot for us on the corner.
"Hey."
Greeted Liv with a tray of food and sat beside her.
"Hey."
"How's your swimming class?"
Liv already knows her schedule.
"We went into the pool already. Coach Natalie's very good at teaching."
Cattleya planned to omit the part where she and Antonio went to the pool together. But she felt somehow want to be truthful to Liv. She's one of her new friends, after all.
"You know," Cattleya started, "Antonio and I went to the pool together."
Liv momentarily stopped mixing her salad.
"I know we just met...and I don't mean to pry into your private life..."
"Fleur...it's okay. I was planning to tell you anyway so that you can understand what's our situation. But before that may I ask why were calling him Antonio?"
"Well, I was calling him Rian, and he was calling me Lea. Then this thing happened where he decided to call me by full name, and I said it was not fair...I'm sorry I'm talking too fast..."
"No, it's okay. I kinda get it."
"Your turn."
"Well, I like to know what is your relationship with Antonio. I know that you are siblings and all,"
Liv sighed, "Rian and I were siblings. We used to be siblings."
Cattleya just let Liv continue.
"We had the same foster parents when we were like I don't know maybe from 3-10 years old, or perhaps until we were 12. I don't remember I forgot how old we were, but we were old enough."
Cattleya dropped her fork and leaned in to listen, carefully.
"But then we got adopted by different people. I was taken to the Cielo-Lopez family, and Rian's to the Esquivel's."
Cielo. Cattleya thought.
"Cielo, isn't that the same with Prof. Calypso's family name?" she asked.
Liv let out another sigh.
Another one, Cattleya thought.
"Well, you see Callie's... I mean Prof. Cielo's my stepsister. Her mom became a widow too early. Prof. Cielo's father was a soldier..."
Cattleya nodded in understanding. Her mother lost her father, too; he was part of the Air Force.
"...and my adoptive father, Martin Lopez, he and his wife weren't able to have children, adopted me. But unfortunately, she died because of a heart condition."
Cattleya swallowed, life's indeed fragile.
"So, you and Antonio were siblings before, and now you and Prof. Cielo are sisters," Cattleya said again for confirmation that she got the story straight.
"So why are you and Antonio...not ...I don't know how to describe this, maybe not in good terms?"
"Well not exactly in "not in good terms" but I...something happened...He..."
Cattleya noticed that Liv was having a hard time sharing than explaining, so she stopped her.
"Hey, you don't have to share it all to me today, you know. " Cattleya smiled.
