★ MIMI ★

Dylan: same as before but better

Dylan: it must be nice for you to be home again

Mia: good, i’m glad

Kat just chuckled when she saw Mia’s glare in regards to the food. Mia had always been food orientated. Or at least, with the things she made. Kat watched as Mia opened the present; she hoped she would like it since she had given her so many over the years and she did worry they would be getting old for her. “I’m so glad,” she smiled as she hugged her sister back just as tight, “I was worried that you might feel like you’re getting too old for them.”

“I’ll never be too old.” Mia spoke softly, eventually pulling back from the hug. “I’ve kept all of them, you know.” She kept them in a scrapbook which went everywhere with her. It had been with her in New York and she took it with her when she returned to Asteria. And whenever she was feeling down or unmotivated, she would look through it and remember her purpose. She placed the little painting to the side and eyed up the picnic basket. “What food did you bring?” Mia asked Kat, raising her eyebrows. She was honestly such a foodie at heart, especially with her sisters cooking. 

Sitting down at her table, still in eye-line with Mia, Quinn focused down on her prescription pad, scribbling down in mostly legible handwriting that ‘Miss Mia Rhodes is once again in full physical condition to resume her work effective immediately’. She wished she could’ve added a PS to ask if they could work her less, if they could give her smaller heels and not as tight turns, but she couldn’t. This was Mia’s work. Taking the paper from her hand, she filled out all the questions, signed and stamped both papers, stood up and handed them back “Here you go, Mimi” She said with a small sigh, sitting back next to her sister “You promise you’ll take care of yourself, right?” She asked once again. Both as a doctor, and a sister.

Mia practically squealed when her sister handed over the paperwork. “Thank you so much, Quinnie!” Mia beamed, launching herself at the older sister in a tight hug. “I promise I will. I’ll make sure I ice it after every performance and not overdo it.” Mia swore. Honestly she really was going to try and look after herself, but she knew that sometimes she got a little carried away. But she couldn’t do that now, she needed to really take care of her body because she didn’t know if she could mentally cope with another injury that would take her back out of the game for months, if not longer. 

“One of my favorite places in SoHo,” he agreed before taking a drink from his glass.  Mikael’s eyes widened towards her.  “Calm your tits honey, I was merely suggesting you are so incredibly talented and dedicated to the performance you may not be as socially active.”  Of course, the two were merely teasing one another.  Hearing her list off a few things, he brightly smiled.  It was good to hear she had things other than work.  “Which gym are you going to?  I have been taking yoga for the last few months and I swear I am learning I have muscles I never knew.”  Although he whined every time he entered the gym.  The moment he came out he felt like a new man and loved the feeling.

Suddenly, Mikael leaned forward hearing she had a date.  “Do go on,” he lifted the drink to his lips to take a sip as he listened intently to the story.  A gasp fell from his mouth hearing what her date said to her.  “You’re kidding.”  It stunned him to think someone had the audacity to drag her career through the mud.  Not anyone could be a star on Broadway and Mia shined the brightest in his opinion. “I am at a loss of words, uh. What a complete asshole.”  Mikael commented on the whole matter still baffled at this loser who thought so little of her work on the stage.  “I am not going to lie, it makes me so happy I am out of the dating scene and settled with my boo.  Don’t tell him I said that, he hates when I call him that.”  Although Hector had an array of issues that Mikael refused to acknowledge as far as he was concerned he was happy.  “On my side, I’ve just been busy with work and I am thinking of changing apartments.  Something a little bigger, but I hate dealing with the hassle of packing and unpacking.”

Mia laughed, knowing he was just teasing her. “I’d do more but I need to look after this voice and my body. I am too old to be hitting a party every other night and still be in top shape to perform. Not that she ever really did that, but she definitely needed a lot more rest than she did when she was younger. “I just started using Encore Fitness on Fifth. It’s not bad and pretty quiet most of the time. Where have you been taking Yoga?” Mia asked, perking up. She was honestly obsessed with Yoga and tried to practice at least a little every day to keep her mind and body in check. 

“I wish I was kidding.” She told Mik, taking a long sip of her drink. “If you know any single straight men that are not total assholes, please send them my way. I think my mom is wondering if I will ever find a man.” She chuckled, kidding of course with the last part. Her parents never minded what she did as long as she was happy. “I would never. You and Hector are so lucky.” Mia wished she had something like that, but then again, her career didn’t lend itself to relationships unless they were in the same business, and even then it didn’t always work out. She certainly knew that more than most. “Is that you asking me if I’ll help you move?” Mia raised her eyebrows at him. Mia had moved countless times while in the city until she had bought her apartment a few years back so she had gotten very good and packing and unpacking her life. 

First and foremost, Mikael wanted to encourage Mia to follow her passions. And he needed her to know despite distance between them, the two would maintain their friendship.  Also, he loved the city and needed a small vacation from Asteria. This was the perfect opportunity for him.  When she returned with the drinks, his eyes lowered towards the shot glasses.  “C’mon there has to be something going on in your life.  You are way too cute, fun and young to have nothing.”

As she lifted her shot glass, Mikael hesitated for a moment.  Picking up his, he took in a breath and waited for her countdown before downing it.  Within just a few moments, he pulled his martini close to him to help wash the taste of the shot from his mouth.  “You excited about the new baby about to make its appearance into the world?”

Mia racked her brain, but there really was nothing interesting in her life to speak of right now. Had she really become that boring since returning to Asteria? Maybe it was time to get back to the city, even if only to make her life more interesting. All she had been doing lately was go to work at the gym, the dance studio then return home to repeat over again the next day. Drinks with Mikael had been the most exiting event in her life for several weeks. “Seriously, nothing.” She told him, lifting the shot to her lips. “How about we change that tonight?” She added with a grin, tipping back the shot. 

“Oh I am.” She took a sip of her drink before continuing. “I’m hoping I might actually be here for this one.” Years of working in New York had meant she had missed all sorts of family things. She had been in high school when Kat’s kids had been born, but she had missed the birth of both of Liv’s boys, so she was hoping she would be around for this one. “What do you say we move this party elsewhere. I want to dance.” She told him, downing the rest of her drink and placing the glass back on the table. 

“Well alright then, I can just take them back,” she challenged as she reached for the box of food, knowing her sister would most likely protest. She chuckled at her response to the present suggestion before she nodded. Kat already had a few things wrapped and sitting on her bed; perfume, makeup and other things like that. But this one was special; one of her little paintings. But she had put it in a little box to throw her off the scent of what it was. She reached into the basket and produced it, “Here you go,” she smiled. 

“You leave that food right there.” Mia glared playfully, knowing her sister wouldn’t really deprive her of delicious treats. Mia took the gift from Kat, inspecting it curiously. It was a small box that was light as a feather. She carefully untied the ribbon and opened it up, gasping when she saw what was inside. Kat had given her countless paintings and drawings over the years, all with a little illustration and a quote and Mia had kept every single one in a little scrapbook. ‘What is the best thing you have learned about storms’ said the horse. ‘That they make us kinder,’ said the boy. ‘And that they end.’ Mia looked at the picture for a few minutes, realising just how fitting it was to her life and when she looked back up, she had tears in her eyes. “Thank you.” She whispered, embracing her sister in a tight hug. “I love it.”

Dylan had two emotions: happy and serious. Happy all of the time and serious when he didn’t know what else to be. Well, he got angry too and that was why his knuckles were in a permanently in the process of healing. He couldn’t think about a time where he knew how to deal with his emotions. Maybe that was because he had a good life… no. Thinking back on it, the Valentine’s were a lot more fucked than Asteria thought they were. Dylan played the part of a fun and careless person so well that no one ever tried to dismantle the facade they inadvertently created. At least, no one except those who say them every day and paid attention. “I’ll drop you off.” Kennedy would understand, right? She couldn’t be in serious trouble or she would have called 911 and the evening would be much different. “I bet the kids will love it. I’ll have to let Peter know so Maddie can see them as well. Maybe they can all go together.”

The car ride was much faster than he was anticipating, but that was a good thing. Mia was at his side and he didn’t realize how quiet and focused he had been until they blurred past they Welcome to Asteria: Pop. 4,870 sign. Dylan turned to her for a second and softly smiled, pulling himself out of his thoughts, worries, and concerns for Kennedy. He wasn’t stupid enough to say that he would make it up to her. Dylan wasn’t really the second date or second hook up type of guy… but he was a good friend. “I’m really sorry, I know you were enjoying that as much as I was.” He said as they pulled up to Kat’s house. “Just so you know, I wouldn’t hesitate to do the same if any of my friends were having an emergency.” He parked and fought the urge to check his phone again. “I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah? Bright and early.”

Mia gave a small smile and nodded. “Sure, that would be great.” She couldn’t quite work out what sort of emergency would make Dylan need to leave immediately, but she also knew Kennedy and Dylan’s relationship was seriously complicated and even though she didn’t know much, she knew something Dylan didn’t. She’d never tell him though, as much as she despised the girl, she would keep a secret regardless. “I’ll have to as Peter if he wants to come with us. I think Maddie might be a little obsessed with me.” She laughed. Maddie had been taking ballet classes with Mia at the dance school and the tot had become her little shadow while she was there. It was honestly adorable. 

Before she knew it, they were driving back into Asteria. They hadn’t really spoken most of the way back, but she could see that Dylan was deep in thought. Sometimes she wanted to know what was going on in that head of his, because he was far more troubled than he ever let on. She had seen a snippet of it in the gym, but most of the time, he kept up a facade of smiles and jokes but even she could see that slipped away sometimes, even if only for a moment. “It’s fine.” She told him. “The aquarium isn’t going anywhere, is it?” She really had been enjoying herself, but in a way she was glad reality had come crashing down, because she was getting a little too comfortable for her liking, and that meant she was getting attached and that couldn’t happen. “Good to know.” Mia smiled softly as they pulled up outside her sisters house. She popped her seatbelt and opened the door, stepping out of the car. “See you tomorrow.” She repeated, closing the door behind her and walked up to the front door, stepping inside. It wasn’t until she was safely inside the house and the door was closed that she let go of every emotion she had been holding in the whole journey home. He isn’t worth it, she told herself, but that didn’t stop the tears falling. 

Kat smiled when Mia told her everything was perfect. She was glad since she didn’t want to be completely off the mark with everything. But they had wasted a lot of precious time since she expected Mia to return to New York at some point. She just hoped she didn’t feel like she had to stay in Asteria. “You burn an impossible amount of calories everyday; you’ll be fine,” she laughed as she sat down with her sister. “Would you like you present now? Or do you want to wait a little while?”

“I might burn a lot of calories, but it doesn’t mean I have to eat them again.” Mia let out a laugh. “But I’ll make today an exception because it’s my birthday.” She grinned, putting her hands under her chin and posing with a sweet smile for a second. It was something she had done ever since she was little to fool people into thinking she was all sweet and innocent. “Present?” Mia asked, perking up. “Present first!” She grinned like an excited child. She hadn’t expected for Kat to get her anything. Something like this picnic would have been more than enough, but she was also not one to turn down a present. 

It felt a little bit bittersweet, agreeing to sign Mia off. For one, she couldn’t wait for her sister to be back on the stage. Mia was not really herself if she wasn’t within a livable distance of a Broadway stage, and she loved her sister for that, so she knew that signing this paper would make her shine again. But at the same time, writing this slip would mean that Mia would be in the first flight out of Charlotte and straight into New York. And as much as she’d hate to admit it, spending time with her again had definitely set a tone, and Quinn was gonna miss her baby sister more than she’d like to admit. “Alright, remember, you promised.” The doctor said, pointing her finger and chuckling a little bit before standing up to go find her pad and a pen “Do you have anything official I have to sign? Or just a written up note in the prescription pad would be enough, Mi?”

“I do.” Mia told her sister, pulling some paperwork out of her bag that needed to be signed and sent back to New York for her even to be able to go back. She handed the papers over to Quinn before adding, “but a note to go with it would probably help. The I can scan and email the lot over to the office before they close today.” She would have to leave in a weeks time so the paperwork sign off needed to be done quickly or she wouldn’t be covered by insurance and then wouldn’t be able to perform. She waited for Quinn to sign the papers, sipping her coffee. It really would be strange going to back the city but it was what she needed. Asteria was her home, but apart from her family, there was nothing really here for her anymore. 

Dylan appreciated the silly side of Mia. He hadn’t seen any of that before, but he really should have guessed it was there. She was an actress after all and actresses usually didn’t get embarrassed too easily. It was nice to see her having fun because he felt like every interaction they had before today was limited, mostly on his end because he was a little traumatized after everything that went down following their first date. He still beat himself up about screwing that up and pretending like he could be a changed man when everyone knew that Dylan would always be, well, the Dyldo. Things didn’t have to be weird between them though. Their first date had been months ago and Mia hadn’t said anything to him to believe she hadn’t moved on the very next day.

“I’m sorry, but thanks for being understanding.” He wasn’t sure what the emergency was but Kennedy knew that he was in Williamsburg that day so it had to be something serious for her to ask him for help. The fact that it could be urgent made him worry the most and he put his hand on Mia’s back to guide her out, letting go once they were outside and headed to the car. He barely said anything on the quick back to the car and didn’t even relax until he saw the Leaving Williamsburg sign off to the side of the road. His jaw had been clenched for the entire time. “I can drop you off first if you want.” He forced the tension out of his shoulders. “Thanks for coming with me, you were a lot of help. Seriously, Mia.” Dylan might not have said the things Mia probably wanted to hear, but he was always trying to be honest about things. “I’m sorry for cutting it short.” It was obvious that he was worried. “But I’m glad we got to see the sharks and at least we have a picture to prove it happened.”

Whenever Mia seemed to get lost and just start having fun with Dylan, she was always somehow reminded that they would never be anything more than this. Something always brought her crashing back to reality, but she had hoped they would at least have a little longer before that happened. And she was also upset that she wouldn’t get to explore the rest of the aquarium. She considered staying but quickly realised that Dylan was her ride and she wouldn’t have any other way of getting back to Asteria. And she was not about to take the bus. She was not a diva by any means but an hour on a stuffy bus seemed like a little slice of hell.

“Of course.” Mia nodded. What else was she going to say? No, you can’t go and help your friend, you have to stay with me. What kind of person would that make her? That wasn’t Mia at all. He didn’t divulge on any details on why he had to leave, so she didn’t ask. As he guided her out of the aquarium, she couldn’t help notice his hand on the small of her back. She wanted to move away from it, she didn’t want him to touch her like that when clearly she didn’t really matter to him. But she didn’t. She let his hand stay there until they were outside again. As they walked back to the car in silence, her mind wandered to the decision she had to make; return to New York or stay in Asteria. She had been torn, but now she was realising that she needed to get back out of this small town more than ever. She wasn’t supposed to be here. And she couldn’t wait around for something that would never happen. Getting out and moving on was the only option. And this was the first time that she realised she had already pretty much made up her mind. She sat in silence as they drove back to Asteria until Dylan’s voice broke the silence. “Yeah, whatever is easiest.” She told him as cheerfully as she could, not wanting to sound distant. “No worries, the gym seriously looks great.” The bubble had bust and they were back to being professional once again. “Me too, the sharks really were amazing. I’ll have to go back and take Liv’s kids.” She still wanted to see the rest of the aquarium. She thought about the picture they took and realised it would be the only one. Because she needed to get out before she ended up getting hurt. 

“Girl you are going to make me blush.”  Mikael responded playfully swatting at her before he let her kiss him on his cheek.  Somehow a miracle happened that night when the two managed to make an actual decision. So they headed towards the bar he suggested and per his upbringing Mikael got the door for the blonde, helping her out of the vehicle.  Leading her inside, the two took the elevator up to the roof and before he knew it they were scanning over the menu.  Of course, his mind was already made up it was just a habit of his to review the menu before ordering.  If there was one thing about Mikael, he tended to go to certain places for certain things and never waiver on what he ordered.

“Perfect, stay here beautiful I will go fetch us some drinks.”  Standing up from the seat, he made his way towards the bar and handed the bartender his credit card to open a tab as he ordered their drinks.  After several minutes he returned hanging her drink and sitting across next to her on the cushioned seats.  “Damn, they have such a wonderful view.”  Mikael then breathed in the night air and took a sip.  “Now darling, you must catch me up on your life.  I know you are busy with the show, but please tell me there is more than just the show.”

Mia gave a smile and nodded when Mikael stood up to order their drinks. She took the time to admire the view of the city at night. It truly was something beautiful when it was lit up like this. Because it was already fairly late, the nightlife was already in full swing and she was entertained to witness people at different levels of drunk making fools of themselves, even though she was sure that would be her and Mik in a few hours. When he returned with their drinks, she sat back on her seat and let out a happy sigh. “It really is the most amazing view.” She beamed, looking back out at the city scape. 

Mia took a long sip of her sangria and of course Mik had been right; it was absolutely incredible. She took another drink before setting it down on the table between them. “Hey, I do have a life outside of work.” Mia giggled, feigning offence. “I go to the gym, get lunch with friends, go to dance classes.” She told him, knowing full well it sounded pretty lame. “Okay,” she let out a breath, leaning forward and resting her chin on her hands. “I did go on this one date. It seemed to be going really well until he asked me what I did for work. I told him and he had the audacity to ask if I was to old to be messing around –– his words –– and should probably get a real job. I just laughed and made a swift exit when I got the chance. I probably make at least triple he did, and he had the cheek to tell me it’s not a real job!” She let out a laugh, taking a sip of sangria then used the straw to stab a piece of fruit, popping it in her mouth. That was why she hardly dated; it was a disaster.

“Uh if you must,” Mikael tilted his head back and rolled his eyes.  He knew he needed to get back into the habit of working out.  Last thing he needed was for his closet to become too tight.  Talk about a disaster.  Usually he had Dylan getting on his case, but thankfully Mia stepped up and decided to get Mikael to do what he needed.

“Honey, nothing in the world will stop me from coming up for a visit.  I promise you that.  And no worries, I will come up once you clear the place.”  He only hoped if he went to the city, he would not give into temptation and see Hector.  Even after all this time, his mind continued to wander to his ex. Hearing he was right, his brows shot up for a second.  “Two words I love hearing.”  Mikael nodded in agreement, it was not a long time to be gone and it would certainly give her perspective on things.  When she got up to get their drinks, Mikael remained seated and picked up his cell phone to glance at some of his matches.  Mikael let out a ragged breath seeing nothing suitable and when he noticed Mia on her way, he put the phone away.  “Thank you dear, you are the sweetest.”  Reaching for his drink, he took another sip.  “What else is going on?”

“Good, I’ll hold you to that.” Mia grinned, knowing Mikael was a man of his word and would be visiting Mia in the city at the first chance she got. She had grown close to so many people in Asteria and knew leaving would be hard, but of course her friends could still come and visit her in the big apple. “Oh and don’t I know it.” The blonde laughed, twirling her empty glass on the table. Aside from Kat, Mik was the first person she would go to for advice, especially to get an outside perspective. And he hadn’t failed her yet, so of course he was always right. 

Mia ordered their drinks at the bar, deciding to also get them a shot each before returning to the table with their drinks. She slid his glass over to him along with one of the shots. “Honestly? Nothing. My life is pretty boring at the moment.” She considered speaking to Mik about Dylan, but decided against it, not wanting to bring his brother into the conversation. She gave a slight shrug and picked up the shot, waiting for Mik to do the same. “After three?” She counted town, tipping back the shot, letting out a cough as the alcohol burned her throat.