Prompt: Facebook (from tumblr)

Lately, she cried at the strangest things. Last week it was the new toaster that had been delivered; today, a Facebook post. A post in which Andrea publicly declared that she had been thinking about her when she woke up this morning.

"New York Mirror, Andy Sachs."

"Andrea."

"Oh, hi. How are you?" the woman replied in a softer tone.

"I love you, Andrea," she said.

The young woman chuckled. "I know. What's going on?"

"No, but I really love you." She paused and wiped her eyes, a sniffle echoing through the phone. "I don't know what else to say."

"Are you crying? Mir, what's wrong?" Andrea asked, suddenly concerned.

"Nothing, I just—can you come over tonight?"

The reporter was concerned. It wasn't like Miranda to call her out of the blue, let alone ask her to come over. Andrea usually invited herself to the woman's home. She began packing up her things and signaling to her coworkers that she was heading out. "Sure, I can come by in a little bit," she said.

"Okay. So, I'll see you soon?"

"See you soon. Bye."

"Bye," Miranda repeated, ending the call.

She looked around the kitchen and realized she needed to tidy things up. Since the girls went off to college, she sold the townhouse and downsized to a condo with full-time security, maintenance, and a whole list of other amenities. She had a housekeeper who came once a week, but Miranda still hadn't fully adjusted to losing Cara, hence the need to tidy up her kitchen.

It was good that she had something to do to keep her mind off the young woman. Until last year when news of Miranda's retirement broke, she hadn't heard from the young woman for nine long years. Then, out of the blue, Andrea sends an email congratulating her and wishing her well in retirement. One thing led to another, and the two women formed a friendship that was—in a word—easy.

They knew everything about one another from Andrea's time at Runway, despite never having had a personal conversation until years later. Andrea had created a successful career for herself, and there were no ulterior motives. They were simply two women with shared interests who enjoyed each other's company.

On occasion, they slept together after having consumed too much wine (or that one night, after smoking that joint). It was that platonic way between women, between girlfriends. But now, they hadn't seen each other in four months—which felt more like decades. Between Andrea's busy schedule and Miranda's new project work with CFDA, there simply hadn't been an opportunity to connect outside of the semi-regular emails and texts.

Last week, Miranda had mentioned in passing that her toaster was unevenly browning the slice of bread, and to her surprise, Andrea had a new toaster sent over the following day. She attributed the gift to the young woman's training as an assistant, that she had been trained to respond to her whims like so, but on days like today, she liked to hope that there was more to it.

Before Miranda could ruminate any further, there was a knock at the door.

"Coming!" she called, prancing over to unlock the door and let the woman in. They hugged briefly before Andrea set her bags down and made her way to the kitchen, helping herself to a glass of wine.

"Your hair is different," Andrea said. "I like it."

"Thank you," Miranda said, blushing at the compliment. "I've been trying to grow it out and just see what happens. Who knew it was naturally wavy?"

Andrea smiled. "It looks great. You look…great. A sight for sore eyes, indeed."

Miranda shook her head and took the offered glass of wine, spending a little more time than usual taking in the young woman.

"So, I'm glad you called, but what precipitated it? You seemed a little upset on the phone," Andrea said.

"Nothing. I was overwhelmed. You wrote that thing and it made me…you know."

"Sorry, it's been a while. I am rusty on the Miranda-speak," she said with a half smile. "Help a girl out?"

Miranda smiled and shook her head. "I posted that thing on Facebook about how I was enjoying the cool weather this morning. You replied."

Andrea suddenly looked concerned. "And it made you cry? Oh my god, what did I say? Was my account hacked?"

"No, nothing like that. I read it and was suddenly overwhelmed at the thought of you thinking of me when you woke up this morning. I don't think I've ever been the first thing on someone's mind before," she said before taking another sip of her wine.

"If I posted every time I thought of you throughout the day, I think everyone I know would unfriend me," she said. "What did I say? I don't even remember."

"You wrote that you thought about me when you woke up this morning and were wondering if I was enjoying the weather," she said.

"Well, you are always on my mind."

Miranda smiled as her cheeks turned a deep shade of pink.

"You know that, right? This isn't news?"

"You've said it before. It didn't sink in until I read it on Facebook—where everyone else could see it, too."

Andrea smiled. "I'm pretty sure they all know I'm still under your spell," she teased.

Miranda cracked a half-smile and set down her wine glass on the granite counter. "I hope to god you are serious," she muttered under her breath.

"What?"

"Andrea," the woman said, turning to her, a serious look in her eye, "I, too, think of you every day. Every morning I wonder what you're wearing. I wonder if you're taking that awful bus to the office or if you've splurged on a taxi. I wonder if you're able to take a lunch, and if so, if you're eating alone. I hear a story on the news—any story—and wonder if you're covering it, and if you're safe. I wonder if you're eating dinner alone or if you're on a date. If you go home at night to an empty apartment, all alone in your king-sized bed. I think of you so often, Andrea."

The young woman was floored by Miranda's confession. "Why have you never told me this before?" she asked.

"I didn't think you'd want that from me. In fact, until that toaster, I thought you were just placating an old woman."

Andrea smiled and shook her head as she stepped closer to the woman. Reaching out to tuck a stray hair behind her ear, her hands naturally came to rest on the woman's arms. "Miranda, I love you—very much. I've loved you for a decade."

Miranda's jaw dropped. For the first time in a very long while, she was speechless.

"I never thought that—that you were interested in that. I apologize for not saying something sooner," she added.

"My god, the time we've wasted," Miranda whispered as her fingers reached up to feel the young woman's face.

Andrea turned her head and pressed a kiss to each of the woman's palms. "Do you have any plans this afternoon?" she asked carefully.

Miranda shook her head.

"Good. We have a lot of time to catch up on," she said, her eyes gleaming.

"That we do," Miranda said as she pulled away and began walking out of the kitchen. "Come along, Andrea."

"Yes, Miranda," she replied, obediently following the love of her life.