Andrea was sat at her desk typing away as she added the last touches to an article that Miranda had asked her to write for Runway. The young assistant had been rather surprised when the request came from her boss and she had been working non-stop on it ever since she had been assigned the task, well non-stop during her breaks and outside of work that is. Tonight she was supposed to be at a party but instead, she was distracted by the article, it wasn't a groundbreaking topic and nor was it what she intended to write about for the rest of her career, however, writing about fur in fashion was more appealing than the article that she had seen being written by one of the writers' in editorial about fuschia.
Miranda was sat at her desk, she had already sent Emily home and she would have gone home herself but had opted to stay behind as there was always something that she needed to do. In reality, she only stayed behind in order to stay with Andrea who she knew would be working in the office until she had finished the article. She had overheard her two assistants discussing their evening plans earlier on in the day and considering the fact that her daughters were with their father, she thought that it would be a much preferable option to spend more time with Andrea. The house would be silent and lonely if she were to return to it without her assistant. She much preferred the woman to go back to the townhouse with her to work, it gave it more of a sense of 'home' to her than it did when she was absent.
Despite, technically, still being married, her husband no longer lived with her as he had moved in with his latest flavour of the month who happened to have recently announced that she was pregnant. It didn't bother Miranda very much as she had been aware of his infidelity for a while and had simply been waiting for the right evidence but it had now been a month since she threw him out of her home. The girls, it turned out, were rather glad to be rid of him, especially when they realised that it meant that Andy would come over more to see them and spend time with them. Instead of Stephen watching the children or at least pretending to, Andrea watched them and they found it to be much more entertaining and enjoyable.
Andrea was still tapping away at her computer when her cell phone began to ring, automatically she grabbed the noisy item from the side of her desk and shoved it up to her ear so that she could hold it with her shoulder whilst continuing to type out the last paragraph that she wanted to put into the article.
"Where the hell are you?", the male voice shouted down the phone at her.
"I'm at work Nate", Andrea answered with a sigh, "You know that".
"Why aren't you here?", he questioned annoyingly.
"Because I'm working", the young woman said with a roll of her eyes.
"Friends come first", a female voice slurred when she took the phone from Nate, "You should be here, not there".
"This is important Lily", Andrea stated firmly, "Why don't you understand that?".
Miranda was observing the woman discreetly with concern reflected in her eyes.
"Just get here, okay?", Nate demanded although with a sigh, he was clearly drunk.
"No", Andrea replied simply, "I told you that I wouldn't be coming out tonight".
"She's there, isn't she?", Nate questioned in a rather rough but taunting manner.
Andrea rolled her eyes, "Who?", she asked him with a sigh.
"Miranda", he replied whilst dragging out her name in a way that made it sound as if he were cursing.
"Of course she is", the dark-haired woman responded simply.
Miranda's attention was even more focused on her assistant at that moment.
"You're sleeping with her, aren't you?", Nate asked her.
"What?", Andrea asked instantly, "Nate? I'm going to put the phone down because you are clearly too drunk right now".
"That's why you don't put us first anymore, isn't it?", Lily asked, apparently the phone was definitely on loud speaker wherever they were.
"No, Lilly", she replied, "I am not sleeping with anyone".
"You're fucking her though", Nate almost growled, "Because you sure as hell letting me fuck you".
"Of course I'm not letting you…", Andrea paused before whispering, "...fuck me". She did not get a chance to finish because Nate jumped in again.
"Of course you're not", he growled, "That's why you ended us last night too, isn't it?".
"I broke up with you last night because you can't stand to see that I've changed", she highlighted, "Why does it bother you so much that I want to focus on my work? Why does my work suddenly mean so much less than yours?".
"You're an assistant Andy", Lily said as she laughed at the woman, "Or should I say 'Ahhn-dray-ah', just an assistant so yeah… it isn't all that important.. You fetch coffee for crying out loud!".
Andrea sighed and shook her head, "You'll never understand, will you?".
"Why you can't put your friends first?", Lily asked accusingly, "No, we won't ever understand".
"In that case, goodbye", the assistant replied simply.
"So, you'd rather lose your boyfriend and your best friend than give up that dragon for a night and come out with us?", Lily asked her, "You'd rather fetch coffee than have friends".
"First of all, don't call her that. Secondly, I already ended things with Nate, Lily", Andrea highlighted before continuing, "And if you understood how important my job is to me then you wouldn't even be questioning if we're friends but if you need to have my attention 24/7 then you need a childminder not a friend".
When Lily tried to speak again, Andrea simply cut in first, "Goodbye Lily, goodbye Nate, if either of you decide to grow up and want to be an actual friend then you know my number", and then the phone call was over. She hit the end button and put it on her desk before putting her head in her hands and sighing heavily to herself. She had not planned on that conversation but thinking about it she probably should have expected it to come at some point.
"Andrea", a voice called from within the inner-office.
Instantly, Andrea jumped up and was in front of her boss' desk within seconds with a notepad in her hands and a pen at the ready.
"Put that down, Andrea", Miranda said softly, indicating to the desk.
Andrea nodded and put the notebook and pen on the desk.
Miranda walked towards the sofa at the side of the room, "Come", she said simply as she sat down, "Sit with me".
The dark-haired woman did not hesitate to sit down on the sofa, she was curious about what Miranda wanted but she was not nervous or worried at all, they had become friends over time and Andrea found herself to be rather relaxed around the older woman.
"Are you okay?", the Editor-in-Chief enquired gently as she sat facing Andrea in a more casual positioning than what she would be if it were anyone else in the office with her.
Andrea nodded, "Yes Miranda", was the automatic response.
Miranda reached up with her hand in order to cup the other woman's cheek carefully and look into her beautiful brown eyes, "What happened?", she asked, not to be nosey but clearly because she genuinely cared.
"Nothing important", the young woman brushed it off straight away, "Don't worry".
A second hand joined the first in order to gently cup Andrea's face, "If it's important to you then it's important to me", Miranda responded with a soft smile, "What's wrong, my darling?".
The name threw her for a moment, it was the first time that Miranda had ever called her that and she could not help but lean her cheek more firmly against the palm of her boss' hand. She also could not resist closing her eyes very briefly at the feel of the softness against her cheek along with the scent of Miranda's hand lotion. "I…", Andrea sighed, "I was on the phone to Nate".
"Yes, I gathered that", she responded when the other woman paused, "That's that cook boy isn't it?".
Andrea nodded, not bothering to correct the woman and say 'Chef' because well, she simply did not care what she called the man, "He and Lily are drunk… they wanted me to go and meet them but I told them that I'm working".
Miranda kept her hands on either side of Andrea's cheeks as she listened to her, "He just doesn't understand", she said softly, "Not many do".
"But you do", Andrea replied just as quietly.
The older woman nodded, "Yes, I do".
"I don't know why they bothered calling me", Andrea admitted and then paused for a moment before continuing, "I broke up with Nate last night and Lily knew that I was staying late tonight to finish the article".
Miranda listened to what her assistant was telling her, she genuinely did understand but there was more to it than that because she understood her and cared about her, apparently a lot more than her so-called boyfriend, now ex-boyfriend, and so-called friend. "Maybe they just wanted your attention?", she asked softly with a small smile.
Andrea rolled her eyes, "As I said to her, if she wants my attention 24/7 she needs a childminder and not a friend".
"Oh, I don't know, Andrea", Miranda said with a chuckle, "I think your attention is rather sought after".
The dark-haired woman looked a little confused, "What?", she questioned.
"Having your attention", Miranda said softly as she looked deeply into beautiful brown eyes, "Is a very special thing, I can understand why they would want it so much". "After all, I get a lot of it", she continued, "And I am rather fond of that fact".
Andrea was still looking a little confused.
Miranda rolled her eyes and leaned forward in order to press her lips to Andrea's, when she pulled back she spoke softly, "Now do you understand?".
A smile broke out on Andrea's face and suddenly she tugged Miranda much closer before kissing her again but this time much deeper and more lovingly.
When they pulled apart, Andrea smiled brightly at the other woman, "I think I understand now", she said softly, "But I'm going to need many more demonstrations so I can properly understand".
Miranda laughed softly and leaned in to kiss her again.
"But the thing is, Miranda", Andrea said quietly with her forehead pressed against Miranda's, "They knew that they had no chance of getting any of the attention I pay to you… you are simply too amazing and they were jealous".
The woman laughed and smiled, "Oh my darling", she said softly before kissing Andrea briefly on the lips.
"They were", Andrea confirmed, "They even accused me of sleeping with you just then".
"Oh really?", Miranda questioned with raised eyebrows.
Andrea nodded before kissing the woman again.
"In that case", she said before pausing, "Maybe they can tell the future".
The younger woman's jaw dropped, "Come along, Andrea, maybe your 'friends' can be right about something after all", she said as she stood up to leave the office.
It may have been sudden but Andrea definitely did not need telling twice.
