Andy had been busy for a couple of days. Not only her job was giving her hard time as usual, but she was also working on a party for her birthday. Nothing big, just the small group of her friends, Doug, Lily, Nate agreed to come too, and after some time of bargaining, even Nigel relented. This all kept her mind busy, but she couldn't help overhearing Emily's furious rant to Serena one day.

"I've worked here for years Serena, but nobody has figured out if Miranda wants to have her birthday acknowledged or not, if she wants a present or just everything working even quicker and smoother than normally or if she just wants us behave like nothing's going on – and the worst thing is that every bloody year it looks like she changes her mind about that and whatever we try ends up in catastrophe!" Emily complained with emotional exhaustion lacing her British accent.

"Calm down Em! You will figure something out, you have – what, a week? To figure out?" Serena tried to calm her friend down, but received only a deadly are-you-kidding-me glare.

"Four days. And no matter what I figure out, it will be wrong! She's always even more on the edge than usual!"

Andy's head snapped up but she quickly masked it by looking at the computer screen.

Four days.

That was the day of her birthday too.

The wheels in her mind were already spinning and trying to make out what that meant.

The big day had come.

Sneaking quite a big flower bouquet into her work without being seen – and mocked for it – turned out to be much harder than Andy expected, but somehow she made it. She hid the flowers under her desk at her feet, which kept shaking and fidgeting from nervousness.

She was nervous, but she definitely wasn't freaking out as much as Emily, who looked on the edge of losing it and passing out.

"Emily. Calm. Down. You've survived worse things." Andy tried to help set her colleague's feet back on the ground. The redhead though couldn't even manage to speak. She just threw an angry glare at her and Andy raised her hands in surrender.

"Just tried to help."
"Shut it." Emily growled and answered the ringing phone, cringing at hearing the eleventh wish for Miranda's birthday that day – and it was only 8am.

23 minutes and 9 calls later, the elevator opened and with the familiar clacking of heels, Miranda strode in. She dropped her bag unceremoniously on Emily's desk and for the first time that spring, she didn't have a coat. Andy admired the artwork that was her outfit that day, from the black pencil skirt, through the floaty lilac blouse with delicate pattern, to the necklace sitting just above the swell of her breasts. Beautiful.

"Good morning, Miranda," Andy smiled at her and got an absentminded nod in return before Miranda disappeared in her office.

Andy was waiting for an opportunity, for Miranda to call her in her office as she usually did within the first hour after arriving to work, but not today. More than two and half hours passed and nothing. Andy was growing impatient.

Another pair of guests, fashion designers could-be, for all Andy cared, left Miranda's office and the clock was dangerously nearing to the lunch break. Andy decided that she couldn't wait longer.

Emily was bent over, rummaging with god-knew-what under her desk, so Andy took the opportunity, grabbed the flowers and quickly strode to Miranda's office, lightly knocking on the door.

Miranda was standing in one corner of the room, looking through the outfits the last visitors brought. Sudden interruption seemed to annoy her.

"Andrea."

Andy smiled nervously and quickly closed the door behind herself.

"Would you care to explain your audacious behaviour?" Miranda asked in icy tone, but not as icy as she used to other workers, as Andy noticed. And she hoped it wasn't just wishful thinking and her mind playing tricks on her.

"Miranda-uh- I'm sorry for bothering you, it's just that-uh…" Andy was babbling nervously, suddenly forgetting all of her prepared speech.

Miranda raised her perfectly sculpted eyebrow and took a few steps, so she was standing in front of Andy, just millimetres outside the brunette's comfort zone. Andy's cheeks flushed in shade of pink and her gaze dropped to the ground, dodging from her boss' scrutinizing eyes.

"I just… I heard that you have birthday and I couldn't help but do something, because I care about you and I really wanted to wish you happy birthday, so…" Andy very quickly blurted out, immediately angry at herself, because it wasn't at all classy and graceful like she had trained and she only made a fool of herself, so she kept avoiding looking at Miranda.

"Happy Birthday Miranda," she said and handed the other woman the bouquet she had hidden behind her back.

Gentle gasp escaped Miranda's lips, so quiet Andy looked up in bewilderment if she had imagined it. As she looked into Miranda's eyes, she didn't see ice. She didn't see annoyance. She saw something different, something she hadn't seen there before – and she had seen a wide range of emotion even in the subtlest of implications.

Miranda took the flowers from her, intentionally or unintentionally caressing Andy's fingers in the process. She settled the bouquet in the crook of her left hand, giving it momentary adoring gaze, before looking back at Andy. She took one step closer and Andy's breath hitched. The blue in Miranda's eyes darkened as oceans before a storm. A hand slowly sneaked behind the waistband of Andy's panties, fingers tenderly caressing the wetness found there before gently pushing in and bringing Andy closer to Miranda, so close that their breaths were mixing, lips almost crashing against lips.

"Happy birthday to us both," Miranda whispered and pulled her hand out of Andy's pants, licking the two wet fingers. "The girls are at their father's tonight, I'll expect you at 7 sharp."

And with that she turned around and aimed to the other end of the room to fetch a vase for her birthday flowers.

Andy just stood there at loss of words, staring behind Miranda's swaying hips.

"That's all."

It had been just over a month since their first "date". It was a wondrous night, arousing Andy with just the memories of all the birthday sex they had for hours until the sunlight peeked through the curtains. And that was how their relationship worked. Based solely on sex.

Andy wouldn't complain, because what she was experiencing with Miranda was out of this world and nothing compared to all of her previous boyfriends altogether. But still she missed an emotional connection. Because she knew she had feelings for Miranda. She didn't know if the other woman had them too, so the fear took over and she didn't ask, the threat of losing what they had was too painful just to think about.

And so she was there, walking through the house at Miranda's called invite to come in.

"Miranda?" Andy shouted, trying to define where her lover was.

"Just a minute," came a reply from the study, a room Andy hadn't been to since they had started the affair.

"Hey," Andy smiled when she entered the room and found Miranda crouching over a paper, her reading glasses on.

"I will be shortly done," Miranda mumbled and Andy hummed in agreement, leaning against the doorframe. She looked around the room. It was neat, dim, with just the table lamp brightening the room. There was a library, from floor to the ceiling, cabinet with old Runway magazines and shelves with framed pictures of the twins. And in one corner, to the right of the desk, there was a bouquet hanging to dry. From her. Miranda hated dried flowers.

Andy was touched by the sight and walked across the study, leaning over Miranda's shoulder and capturing her lips in tender kiss. The other woman seemed surprised, but her expression morphed in amused smirk.

"Impatient, are we?"

"Not at all," Andy grinned and ran her hand across Miranda's back, on the way up lightly scratching with her nails, leaving goose bumps in the trail behind her dancing fingers.

"Sure not," Miranda whispered, sneaking her hand just on the nape of Andy's neck and pulling her in for a kiss, the other hand using to take off her glasses.

"No," Andy stopped her in the movement. "You look sexy in glasses," she whispered and kissed the smirk off Miranda's lips. The older woman kept the glasses on and her hands drifted down along the sides of her lover's body, stopping just at the hips, suddenly yanking at them and pulling the girl into her lap. Andy let out a surprised squeal, but didn't break the kiss. Instead, she let her hand slip under the hem of Miranda's shirt, which had had already four buttons opened, offering sexy view of her black lacy bra. She quickly unbuttoned the rest and pushed the shirt off Miranda's shoulders, letting it fall on the ground.

Miranda's hands sneaked under Andy's skirt, digging her nails into her lover's thighs, making her moan into the kiss. She took the opportunity to bite the brunette's lower lips, eliciting another moan, this one breaking their kiss.

Miranda's lips moved onto Andy's neck, finding the pulse point and sucked, knowing it was Andy's weakness. The other woman didn't wait for anything, unclasped Miranda's bra like a pro by this time, her hands finding their place on Miranda's breasts, teasing the nipples. The older woman groaned and her hands slipped even higher Andy's thighs until she cupped her ass and brought her closer, causing the brunette to start thrusting against her.

"Patience, my dear, patience…"

Andy was still sitting in Miranda's lap, both finally evening their breaths and coming back to the ground. Andy was mindlessly playing with the grey locks, the other woman nearly purring happily with closed eyes. The brunette smiled at the view and let her eyes slip closed too, revelling in the beautiful moment. Suddenly she felt something on her chest. She opened her eyes and found Miranda with permanent marker in her hand, drawing a curved line on her left breast. She raised her eyebrow in perfect Priestly-manner, but got no answer. She just silently watched as Miranda finished the second line, drawing a perfectly shaped heart. She was just about to colour it inside, when Andy's hand pushed her away.

"Don't," Andy whispered.

"Not fancying something with less of a cleavage?" Miranda asked teasingly, placing a kiss just on the drawing.

"No." Andy shook her head and mindlessly caressed her lover's upper arm.

"Then what is it?" Miranda asked, the fun and teasing disappearing from her voice, leaving it laced with worry.

"Nothing," Andy dismissed it and offered her a smile, which Miranda certainly didn't buy.

"Tell me. Tell me what's wrong."

Andy locked her eyes with Miranda and seeing the insistence flowing there, she sighed.

"It's just that this is a permanent marker." Andy said and at seeing the confusion on the other woman's face, she continued. "I would use that with somebody… uhm… with somebody I love, who I am romantically involved with… You can draw what you want, but with normal marker…"

"But that will wash away," Miranda pointed out.

"Yes." Andy nodded, avoiding Miranda's gaze, but never ceasing with the caress on her upper arm.

"You think we will wash away too?" Miranda asked and at that, the brunette finally looked her in the eyes, but the gaze wasn't warm, it was sceptical.

"You don't think I care, do you?"

"I know you care." Andy said quietly and dodged her eyes again. "But sooner or later, there will be someone you will have feelings for, and this… I don't know, employee with benefits, will end. And seeing that permanent marker heart would be just painful."

Miranda thought hard what to answer. She was good at many things, but expressing feelings wasn't one of her qualities. So she decided that once again, actions speak more than words. And she coloured the heart with the permanent marker she was still holding onto tightly.

"I said-"

"I know exactly what you said. That's why I can continue." Miranda dismissed her and concentrated on the drawing.

Andy blinked a few times, out of words.

"I have feelings for you, Miranda," she whispered, not knowing what she intended with it, if she wanted to explain something Miranda might have missed or if she wanted Miranda to be clear with her feelings. She didn't know and frankly didn't care. She just said it. Always had spoken before thinking anyway.

Miranda's soft voice broke her from her thoughts.

"I love you too."