A/N:First attempt to write Fanfiction, so please let me know what you think!
As English is not my first language, I apologise in advance for any mistakes. If you find one, you can keep it. I won't need it anymore... ;)
This is supposed to b the first in a series of one-shots.
Disclaimer: I don't know anything, I#m just borrowing the characters beautifully created by Lauren Weisberger.
Two seconds
Two seconds. Two seconds are a really short period of time. Two seconds are not much more than nothing. Two seconds are hardly any time at all…
It took Andy two seconds after she heard the little splash the phone caused when she dropped it into the fountain to realize she had just made the biggest mistake of her life. The biggest mistake ever!
How could she have walked away from Miranda? Miranda Priestly – the Dragon Lady – the boss from hell – the most beautiful woman Andy had ever laid eyes on – the woman she was madly in love with… It wasn't that she had hopes to ever see her feelings returned. She wasn't that delusional. Andy knew that Miranda would never see her as more than her assistant; that the fashion maven could never have feelings for her – the silly girl that was not only half her age but also just didn't fit into her world of high fashion and glamour.
Andy knew all of this and that was why she had walked away in the first place. Sure, she was shocked about how Miranda had treated Nigel. But she knew it had to be done. She had made that her excuse though, afraid that anyone could find out her real reasons: She just couldn't stand it anymore. She couldn't stand being this close to the love of her life without being able to act on her feelings. She had thought that she needed to get away from Miranda to save her heart. God, had she been wrong…! The moment she had cut her last bond to Miranda by dropping the phone into the fountain she had realized that even though being close to Miranda hurt, being apart from her just wasn't an option anymore. She couldn't live without Miranda just as much as she couldn't live without air. She realized that losing Miranda was much worse than never having her.
But there was one more thing she realized: Walking back now, facing Miranda during the function she was attending, with all the paparazzi around would be a bad idea as well. She would have to wait; wait until Miranda returned to the privacy of the hotel where Andy might be able to talk to the editor, to apologize, to bring her life back on the right track – the one that ran right next to Miranda's.
When Andy returned to the Parisian hotel they stayed in during Fashion Week she hesitated. Sure, she had the key card to Miranda's suite and she had used it several times during the last couple of days to let herself in. But now, after what she had done, walking into Miranda's private sphere would feel like trespassing. But she also couldn't go back to her own room just down the corridor as she might miss Miranda coming back to the hotel and her only chance to face the fashion maven. After a few moments of standing on the hotel corridor, unsure what to do, Andy leaned against the door to Miranda's suite and let herself slide down to the floor. She would wait right here until Miranda returned. Only what to do then, when she was face to face with the older woman, she had no idea…
When Miranda stepped out of the hotel elevator she let her guard down. Having had the floor cleared of all other guests for the time of her stay and the hotel staff briefed not to be seen anywhere near her suite if not called for, she knew that she was finally alone. As much as she loved Paris Fashion Week, she hated many of the functions she had to attend. But it had not so much been the function that had her on the edge but what had happened before that…
Turning a corner, Miranda saw a figure crouched to the floor right in front of her door. She was about to call security when she recognized the beautiful brunette hair that was flowing all around the head that rested on the girl's knees. When she stepped closer, the head snapped up and moments later Andrea was back on her feet, standing in front of Miranda and staring into those beautiful blue eyes she had missed so much during the last couple of hours. Those eyes that had haunted her for several month now. Those eyes in which she now saw a look she had never seen there before – not even the previous night when she had seen Miranda in a moment of defeat after the editor had been informed that her husband had filed for divorce. That time there had been anger, vulnerability and a certain amount of sadness, pity for her twins for losing yet another father figure and shock for the way and time she had been presented with the news. What Andrea was seeing now was different. There where vulnerability and sadness as well but above all other emotions that were showing in those stunning blue eyes was a deep and thorough hurt. As well as something else that Andy couldn't quite put her finger on…
"Miranda!" was all that Andy was able to bring out when she had finally found her voice and she felt silly for that. So she tried again. She knew Miranda didn't like to hear people apologizing as the apology was a reminder of them failing her in the first place but this had to be said: "Miranda, I am so, so sorry! What I did was very unprofessional as well as stupid and childish. I should have never…" She was stopped by Miranda, who had by now walked past her assistant and opened the door to her suite. "Get in, Andrea! I'm not going to have this conversation in a hotel corridor."
As soon as she was in Miranda's suite, Andy started again: "Miranda, I'm sorry for leaving you. When I did, I thought I had to, but it was only seconds later that I realized just how wrong I was. The thing is that I couldn't stand the whole situation anymore. I couldn't be close to you any longer. It wasn't because of Nigel, or what you said in the car, in case you were wondering. It's just…" Miranda was about to interrupt the brunette's babble, when Andrea stopped her. "No, Miranda, please let me finish. After that, you can fire me. You can tell me that I'll never find a job in journalism ever again. I will have to put up with that. But please listen to me first." There was a short pause in which Andy made sure, Miranda was excepting her conditions, before she continued: "Oh my gosh, I never thought I would say this out loud, I mean, especially not to you… Not that I have told anybody else… Well, the thing is… It just that… I'm… I'm…" Andy's voice broke off.
I'm… what? Miranda thought. I'm disgusted with the way you treat the people around you? Well, it wouldn't be the first time she would hear someone say that. I'm bored by your superficial, shallow-brained world of glitz and glamour? No, over the last month Andrea had learned there was so much more to it. I'm scared that if I stayed close to you any longer I would turn into as icy and heartless a bitch as you are? Oh no, please don't say that! The mere thought of the wonderfully warm and openhearted Andrea turning into her made Miranda's stomach clench.
When Andrea found her voice again, she said none of the above. In fact, she said the sweetest words Miranda had heard for a long time. "Miranda, I'm in love with you. I've been for quite a while now. That's why I thought, I had to leave. I couldn't stand being close to you every day but never close enough. It was driving me crazy not to be able to tell you how I felt. Not to be able to touch you or hold you in my arms, like I've been craving for so much. There, now it's out – I said it! I still can't believe I did… Now you can fire me. I mean, I don't expect anything from you, you know that, right? I know you could never see me the way I see you. Just tell me, what a silly girl I am and that you never want to see me again…!"
When Andrea looked up from the carpet, to which her eyes had been fixated during her babble, she saw a sweet smile caress the older woman's lips. "Oh, Andrea…" Miranda shook her head, smiling and moved closer to the brunette. "You are indeed a silly girl to think your feelings are not being returned." With that, she leaned forward to allow her lips to touch Andrea's for the first time. The kiss was sweet and slow. After a moment, Miranda felt Andrea's tongue caress her bottom lip with a delightfully soft yet somewhat demanding pressure and she was more than happy to allow it entrance. And when the tips of their tongues met for the very first time it took both women less than two seconds to realize they were in heaven.
