Our Love is Evergreen

Chapter 92: Corset Lace Scandal

The next day, Gustave, Bella, Pierre, and Catherine decided to go on a little excursion, leaving Demetrius to watch over his eleven-year-old sister, Athena, and his cousins, Victoria and Gabriel.
Victoria and Gabriel were dropped off early that morning, and by noon, Demetrius was exhausted. He had finally gotten the chance to sit down when there was a knock on the door. He yelled, "Go away!"

A voice came from the other said of the door asking, "Demetrius Destler, are you really going to turn away your best friend?"

"Mia?" Demetrius asked in surprise. He immediately got up and ran to the door. He brushed off his clothes and smoothed his hair before opening it. When he saw the woman on the other side of the door he greeted, "Mia, how lovely it is to see you!"

"It's lovely to see you too," Mia replied.

"So, you are no longer mad at me?"

"Yes. I am still upset with you, however, I missed you. I was willing to put my anger aside to spend some time with you," Mia explained. "How long has it been since we've last seen each other?"

"Three months, one week, and four days."

"You've...been counting?"

"Of course I have. Mia, I've missed you terribly. We haven't spoken since I moved out of the opera house with my family."

"Well, I've been angry with you. You promised me that you would never leave me again. Then, the next thing I knew, you were moving here," the girl said with a tear in her eye. "I've missed you. I'm lonely without you."

"I'm sorry, Mia. It wasn't my choice. If it helps, I've been miserable without you," Demetrius replied. He gave her a knowing smile as he observed, "You're wearing a corset."

"Of course I am. I'm not completely uncivilized. I am a lady, after all," the girl pointed out.

"I thought you hated that thing."

"It's too tight. Can you blame me?"

Demetrius laughed. "No, I certainly can't. Where are my manners? Please, come in."

"Thank you. Are you home alone?" Mia asked.

"Unfortunately, no. I'm in charge of looking after Athena, Victoria, and Gabriel for the day. However, they are all taking naps currently. We could sneak out for a bit."

"You know, you haven't changed a bit. You're just as irresponsible as ever."

"And you're still as beautiful as ever."

"What?"

"Nothing. You're right we shouldn't leave. However, that doesn't mean that we can't spend some time together. What do you want to do?"

Mia pulled a book off a nearby shelf and presented it to Demetrius. "We could act it out like we used to when we were younger."

Demetrius agreed and they began to act out scenes from Romeo and Juliet.
They had just reached the scene where Juliet was about to kill herself when Mia mentioned that she was having trouble breathing.

"Mia, that's not what Juliet says," Demetrius pointed out.

"No, I actually can't breathe," she replied. Moments later, she fainted and fell over.

In a swift movement, Demetrius caught her and lifted her off her feet. He carried her into his room and gently placed her on the bed. At first glance, Demetrius may have seemed calm, but he was far from it. "What do I do? What do I do?" He kept repeating to himself. He suddenly remembered her mentioning that her corset was too tight. How does one go about fixing that? He had a sudden realization, "If I remove the laces, it won't be tight." So, Demetrius, after looking away, carefully removed his friend's corset laces.
Athena walked into the room to see her brother pacing, and stopping every now and then to look for some item. She looked at the girl on the bed and asked Demetrius what happened.

"She fainted. I haven't the slightest idea how to awaken her," Demetrius explained.

Athena quickly left and returned with a red rose and a feather. "Use these."

"So, I am to smack her with the rose and tickled her with the feather? I don't think so."

"No, you idiot. You you tickle her with the feather to wake her up and then you give her the rose."

"Fine. I'm desperate," Demetrius consented. He gently waved the feather under his friend's nose. He was beginning to feel rather stupid, then she began to come to.
"Thank goodness. It worked."

"What worked?" Mia asked, only half awake. She suddenly sat up and asked, "Where am I?"

Demetrius took Mia's hands in his. "You're in my room, Dear. How are you feeling?"

Mia insisted that she was feeling alright, but decided that she needed to go back to the Opera Populaire.

"Will you at least join me for dinner tonight?" Demetrius asked hopefully, extending the rose to the girl.

"Of course," Mia replied with a smile.

Demetrius escorted Mia out of his room and to the front door. He kissed the back of her hand. "I'll see you tonight."

"Until we meet again."

Demetrius felt his back pocket. He pulled out the corset laces and handed them to his friend. "I believe these belong to you."

Mia felt behind her, finding the laces not in their usual place. "When did you-"

Demetrius placed a finger to her lips. "All in time, my dear. All in time," he whispered.