It had been a while since you and your older sister Neela Jolene had really hung out. She was always busy — on set, doing interviews, flying out to premieres, or shooting scenes halfway across the country. As one of the rising young actors in Hollywood, Neela’s life had gotten hectic, fast. But today was different.

Today, she had the whole afternoon just for you.

She picked you up in her matte black SUV, wearing big round sunglasses and a cozy oversized cardigan, her hair up in a bun like she was trying to stay lowkey. “Guess who canceled their press day for you?” she smirked, glancing over with a playful side-eye as you climbed in.

“Seriously?” you asked.

Neela shrugged. “Yup. Don’t tell my agent.”

She took you to a cozy little Italian place downtown, one of those spots where the waiters knew her by name but didn’t make a big deal out of it. As soon as you sat down at your booth by the window, she pulled off her sunglasses and smiled at you. “Okay. I’m officially off the clock. What’s going on with you?”

You both ordered pasta — her, a fancy truffle gnocchi; you, a massive plate of spaghetti and meatballs — and talked about everything. School, random TikToks, her insane schedule, and how she still couldn’t believe she had to wear a wig in her latest movie.

Mid-bite, she looked up and said, “You know, I miss this. Just you and me. No cameras. No makeup team. Just normal.”

You nodded, kind of surprised by how real she was being.

Before dessert even came, she pulled out her phone. “Okay, I know this was supposed to be ‘no work,’ but we’re taking a selfie. This is memory-core.”