Reaching out for her alarm clock Andy woke up with the strangest sensation in her stomach. She was struggling to breathe normally and felt strangely empty as if something very important had been taken away. As she tried to get her breathing under control she closed her eyes and tried desperately to remember what she had been dreaming about before she was so rudely awoken by her alarm. She could picture Miranda coming up behind her as she sat at her desk. She must have been showing her something on the Mac because soon enough Miranda was leaning over her with her hand resting on Andy's hip. She could still smell Miranda's perfume which caused her breathing to become uneven again. Andrea reached down under the covers and touched her side; it was as if she could still feel Miranda's hand there, as if the dream had been real. Finally beginning to calm down Andy got up to have her shower, telling herself the cold temperature had everything to do with waking her up and nothing to do with the feelings the dream had stirred within her.
As she began to dress for work she realised Nate was nowhere to be seen in the apartment. Andy closed her eyes in frustration; surely she should have noticed this earlier. She looked around for evidence that he had come home at all and found none. Nate had never been one to work late but recently he had been staying for drinks after work seeing as Andy would often return home much later after a long evening waiting for the book. Even then however Andy would hear him arrive home at some point. Andy reached for her phone to call him but noticed a text from Lily explaining Nate had stayed over after a few drinks with Doug. Not knowing whether to be relieved or narked at where Nate decided to spend the night Andy text back explaining she would call Lily later about Nate's birthday. It was past time that the old gang got back together and Nate's birthday seemed like the perfect excuse. She would prove to everyone, especially Nate, that she was still the old Andy.
While Andy rode the subway to work that morning the dream was still replaying in her mind. She looked down at her outfit, she felt drawn to it this morning even though she had never considered wearing it to work before. There was after all nothing wrong with wanting to look good at work, it had nothing to do with the fact she remembered wearing that exact outfit in the dream from that morning. Andrea laughed out loud at the idiocy of the situation; she was in a relationship or at least what was meant to be a relationship and yet here she was obsessing over a dream about her boss hoping that by wearing the same outfit it might just come true.
Someone looked at her over their paper and she continued to chuckle to herself quietly. What annoyed Andy most was that feeling of loss when she woke up, The way Miranda had placed her hand on her hip, that and the fact that she could remember the smell of Miranda's perfume so vividly it was driving her insane. Shaking her head Andy decided she needed to snap out of it. She should not have been obsessing over a dream or her boss, this whole situation was bordering on the ridiculous.
Nigel mouthed an enthusiastic "wow" as Andy strolled into the office distracting Emily who was in mid rant over a Miranda request.
"Very chic Andrea what's the occasion?" Emily remarked as she turned around. Andrea blushed, the occasion after all was... insane, "Oh nothing I felt a bit down so I thought dress up to cheer up you know?" Thankfully Emily and Nigel both nodded with sympathetic looks before Emily continued her moan.
"How on earth am I meant to know where she got it from, and I can't ask them because they will use it against me. God I can hear their annoying whining voices now.." Emily screwed up her face and in a high pitched accent began to speak"Mummy, Emily can't do her job properly she had to ask us, we think you should fire her!"Andrea had to laugh because that would be exactly Caroline and Cassidy's reaction.
Emily had never managed to befriend the twin terrors something which Andy had made a priority after the fiasco with the book last month. Andy still cringed at the memory. How stupid do you have to be to be lured upstairs by eleven year old twins!
"What do you need from the twins Em?" Andrea asked as she sat down at her desk.
Emily's head snapped round as she gave Andy a look that Miranda would have been proud of, "Nothing, I'll find out where Cassidy got the silver bracelet from that Miranda saw her wearing last week without their help and yours for that matter." Emily added frustrated. Andy groaned, Emily obviously thought that she had some secret plan to over throw her as first assistant. If only Emily knew that the last thing she needed right now was more work.
Emily eventually disappeared for lunch with Serena leaving Andy alone in the office. Thinking back to Emily's conversation this morning she remembered commenting on Cassidy's bracelet herself last week. She got it as present and hadn't taken it off since apparently all the kids at Dalton were wearing them. If only she could remember the website they had spoken about then she'd hide the address on Emily's desk for her. Deciding that was the best plan of action Andy set about finding the bracelet. After a few moments searching Andy found herself engrossed in all the designs and failed to notice anyone enter the office. Suddenly the smell of perfume hit her stronger than before and she heard a voice behind her.
"Go back a page Andrea..." Miranda took up position right behind Andy's chair. It took far longer than it should have for Andrea's hand to follow the instructions from her brain, probably due to the lack of oxygen seeing as Andy was struggling to breath with Miranda standing so close. Finally Andy clicked the mouse button, the action causing both delight and terror as she felt Miranda lean forward, moving closer. At this point Andy stopped breathing completely.
The mantra of 'this can't be happening' in her mind did nothing to stop Miranda's hand casually rest on her hip as she leaned in to look at the screen. The smell of perfume and the warmth from Miranda's hand was driving Andy insane. She heard Miranda speak but had no idea what she said, everything sounded so distant. Andy was brought back to reality as suddenly Miranda's hand was on her own moving the mouse to where Miranda had obviously asked it to be moved. The sound of blood rushing in her ears seemed to clear just in time to hear Miranda whisper, "Just another gut feeling of yours Andrea hmm?" and then just as suddenly as it ended that morning Miranda was standing upright in front of the desk.
"Order two of those one with stars one with hearts. Have them wrapped and written out to the girl having her 12th birthday next week, that's all..."
Emily walked in to find a rather flushed Andrea staring into space at her desk. Emily often wondered how the girl managed to keep her job. Emily was just about to voice her thoughts out loud in an attempt to snap Andy out of whatever sad little day dream she was having but before she had a chance to discover what was wrong she was summoned into the dragon's lair, without the information on the bracelets. This was going to be fun.