Something Chpt 2
So, here's part 2.... I rather post lengthier chapters than shorter one's. But that's how far I got with the story at all at the moment. I'm still working on it and I hope the next chapter will follow soon enough! :)
Her heart seemed to beat out of her chest as the white haired woman approached them.
“You aren't that obsessed as you thought, are you?” Doug whispered in her ear “The Devil's here... go and catch her, Andy-girl”
He kissed her cheek, released her out of his supporting half embrace and then took Emily at her elbow to pull her away from her boss and ex-colleague. He got her as he asked her about her “absolutely stylish fashion-sense”.
The white haired woman was as gorgeous as Andy remembered her. Smooth, porcelain skin, silky hair and those blue, icy eyes.
“Miranda...”, Andy managed to choke out and it sounded as breathless as she felt. She inclined her head a bit and then looked her straight in the shining blue eyes. “How - How have you been?” she asked.
“After I picked up the pieces of your melt-down in Paris and the divorce from Stephen, you mean?” her ex-boss asked her sarcastically.
Andy blushed.
“I'm sorry, Miranda.”
“Oh! Are you? For sure?” the woman asked, her voice an icily blizzard.
Andy narrowed her eyes. Sure, she'd made the decision to leave in a very bad time. But it was a decision she had made long before. Just the time had been an irregular factor. Factor X.
Miranda was very like she remembered her as her boss. But Andy knew, she could be different. She had seen a very different side of her. And she knew that Miranda remembered that very well.
“Yeah, I'm sure I'm sorry. Very much. Well, not about leaving you at all, but about leaving you in Paris. If I had stayed...” she trailed off without finishing her sentence. Instead she said: “How's Nigel?”
“He's no longer working for me. I don't see him that often.” Miranda answered, her voice still icy.
“Miranda, for god's sake, just tell me. I know, you know.” Andy said, all herself again now. But her heart was still pounding wildly in her chest, just because of the sight of the older woman.
Miranda frowned.
“Fine. He's fine. He's working with James now. It's doing him good.” And why did it happen?, her eyes seemed to ask.
Andy smiled gently and nervously took a step towards Miranda.
“And how have your girls been, after Stephen left?”
Miranda blinked in surprise, but masked it as soon as it showed in her eyes.
“They are okay, I think.” Miranda managed, the surprise still evident in her voice. Andrea actually cared about the girls?
“You still hadn't answered my first question, though”, Andy said very quietly. Mirandas lips thinned visibly.
“I'm here, you see, I'm fine. Don't I look fine?” she asked in a sharp voice.
A few months ago, Andy couldn't have answered, too afraid of Miranda. But now?
“There are so many words to describe how you look. Gorgeous, attractive, sexy. All eyes in this room or where ever you are, are on your perfect body. But Miranda, that doesn't show me a bit of how you are feeling.”
Mirandas lips quirked upwards, just a bit, but they did. Andy couldn't say what it might mean, but she liked the sight of it. But she still didn't get an answer.
“Why are you here, Andrea?”
The woman still let her name sound so exotic.
“Doug had two tickets and he asked me out.”
“And Doug is.. your lover?” Miranda sounded strange. Her voice icy, but strangled.
Andy had to laugh.
And made Miranda purse her lips.
“What's so funny, Andrea?”
“He-He's gay, you know, touchy and all that. My best friend.” She took a deep breath to calm herself down. “I have no lover at the moment... I'm in love, though” Andy whispered and caught hold of Mirandas deep blue eyes. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest. Now it was all or nothing. As long as she was confident enough she should be daring, shouldn't she?
But she could see Miranda tensing.
“Huh” was all the older woman could manage.
Andys heartbeat quickened again and with a deep intake of breath - as long as she knew she'd be brave enough to do so - she asked:
“What about dinner sometime soon?”
Miranda quirked one perfect eyebrow.
“Is it supposed to be a date?” she asked back.
Andy shrugged her shoulders and then grinned sheepishly.
“I'd like that, yeah, but it's up to you... We could talk more privately then...” she whispered. Miranda looked up abruptly.
“Emily and your best friend are coming back. I'll have Emily call you as soon as I'm free.”
Without another glance at her, the white haired woman turned and walked away through the crowd.
Her Andrea looked not that good. Too pale. She had to find out what happened.
****
Andy hadn't told Doug so far. She hadn't told anyone.
The next morning, Emily had called, snapping at her, what the hell she'd be doing.
She then informed her, Miranda would be free at Friday night, not earlier, she'd be sorry (Emily spat that word out in wonder) about that and she wanted to know where they'd go.
The brunette said she'd call back when she'd made the reservations.
Friday was coming so soon.
They'd meet at the restaurant Andy had booked. Miranda hoped the girls choice wouldn't be bad, because she hadn't heard of the name of the restaurant before.
She arrived 10 minutes early. Roy opened the door for her and Miranda looked at the establishment slightly suspicious. She glided in and was stopped by a waitress. The girls taste wasn't bad.
“Miranda, Andy is waiting for you.” the young woman said, a bright smile on her features.
Miranda lifted her eyebrow in surprise, but no other sign indicated that she indeed was surprised. She followed the waitress upstairs. At the second floors were some rooms, most of them with an open door, some were closed and at one of the closed doors, the waitress stopped, knocked and then opened the door.
“Andy, your guest is here.”
“Thanks Maddy.” Andy said absent-mindedly, she was facing the window, though it was dark outside and she could see nothing.
“You're welcome.” The waitress smiled and closed the door behind herself.
They were alone.
Andy turned around, a gentle smile graced her lips.
“Good evening, Miranda.”
“Hello Andrea. Are you here more often?”
“Yes, but it's nothing important. I already ordered. I hope the lamb is okay for you.”
“Are you getting the same?”
Andy blushed and shook her head no.
“I can't eat anything this heavy in the evenings... I ordered some vegetables.”
“Why-”
“You are getting your answer, when I have mine. How are you?”
The corners of Mirandas mouth quirked slightly upwards.
“You got very demanding, Andrea.” Miranda turned away from here and eyed the already set table suspiciously.
A cold hand suddenly laid on her bare forearm. The white haired woman shuttered slightly.
“I'm not demanding, Miranda. I'm just... curios about your well-being” Andy stated in a low voice.
Miranda turned around again, without breaking the contact to Andreas hand.
“Very few people really care about... my well-being. Do you really care about my well-being. Or are you just curios, so you can write something nasty about me.” It wasn't a question.
Andreas eyes suddenly seemed full of hurt and betrayal.
“I would never do that. I could have written so much 'nasty' things about you after I left, couldn't I? But I didn't. Guess, why, Miranda Priestly. I was always loyal, made you as my boss to the most important thing in my life. And then... I changed. And I needed to leave. It would have destroyed me, if I had stayed. Just think about it.”
Her hand had begun to get warm on Mirandas arm, but Andy took it away now and moved to stand at the window again.
The tears in Andys eyes threatened to fall. But she wouldn't let them. Not here. Not while Miranda was in the same room.
“Andrea...” Miranda began and sighed. “What changed? Why would have it been destroying?”
But Andy didn't answer. Instead she turned around, a wan smile plastered around her lips.
“I can't talk about it right now-”
“You said you wanted to talk” Miranda stated, pursing her lips. "So, talk."
Andys fake smile faded.
“That's true...” she agreed and looked down on her hands.
Miranda followed her gaze. Andreas hands looked bony, like the rest of her body, or what she had seen of it. She looked like Emily, she thought startled. And she didn't like that at all.
When she spoke again, her voice was soft: “Andrea... please look at me.”
The white haired woman waited patiently for her Andrea to comply her plea. Miranda knew that she herself was very difficult. No one could read her. No one, except Andrea. The girl had always known what she wanted. Sometimes even before Miranda knew herself what she wanted. That she'd lost the girl during Paris Fashion Week was something she didn't like at all. But she hadn't stopped her. Why, she still couldn't tell. Maybe because she had wanted more from Andrea than she could've get while she worked for her. Miranda knew that she had been thinking about her more than about any other former assistant, ever. And she didn't want her back, as her assistant, at least. But she wanted her. She wanted Andrea. And she knew it.
And what Miranda Priestly wanted, she would get. That was simply it. Always.
Andy looked up again, in those stormy blue eyes. They were no longer icy, she recognized, just stormy, and tender. Surprised, Andy fell back in old patterns.
“Yes, Miranda?” She blushed.
Miranda smiled gently.
“What changed?” Miranda asked again, holding Andys gaze steadily.
Andy didn't dare to look away again.
“My feelings... towards you.” she answered so quietly, Miranda had nearly difficulties to understand her. Nearly.
“Your feelings?”
“Yes... In the beginning, I hated you... Then I took it as a challenge to get better than I was, to get the best out of me. Then... it changed again. I saw behind your mask, got glimpses of.. the real you. Of the woman Miranda Priestly. And I found myself wanting more... of that woman. In the same time I realised, I would never get that. I would never get to know the woman, just the boss. And that's what would've been destroying me if I had stayed.”
Now Andy couldn't hold back her tears any longer. And she couldn't stand to look her ex-boss in the eyes, too. As she even tried to turn away a warm hand on her wrist stopped her.
“Don't you dare to walk away again.” Miranda growled. Now she knew why Andrea had left.
And she had no intention of letting her leave again.
****
They began dating, at Mirandas request.
The older woman had made it clear during that fateful first date, that she didn't want Andy to leave her again. But she still hadn't told her about her own feelings. Even though Miranda was pretty sure about her feelings. She felt very much for Andrea. Deep inside herself, Miranda knew her feelings went even deeper, deep inside herself she knew, that she loved that girl.
And it was an obvious norm that Miranda always got what she wanted. No matter the price. This time, she wouldn't order one of her assistants to do so, this time, she would all do it herself.
TBC....