10.

Miranda folded the kitchen rag and placed it on the counter. Looking around she hummed approvingly. It took them more than an hour to clean up, but finally the kitchen was spotless. No words passed between them, just stolen, somewhat shy glances. Anticipation of what was coming next. Their so much needed talk. Would that resolve their concerns or just complicate the situation more. Miranda knew she was walking on thin ice there and it wasn't just about Andy's untold story. There was that undeniable draw that absolutely made no sense for Miranda. Yes, Andrea was gorgeous but wasn't she always surrounded by beautiful women? What she felt went beyond pure physical attraction and that's what was throwing her out of balance. Love at first sight was not in her dictionary, she found the concept utterly sappy, yet she was seconds away from declaring her wish for happily after ever. With a woman. Half her age. Someone she only met the other day. Madness.

The sweet macaroon scent still lingered in the air, in soothing harmony with the aroma of the freshly brewed coffee. Miranda arranged two mugs filled with the hot liquid, cream and some sugar on a tray and carried it to the living room, where she found Andy standing in front of the undecorated Christmas tree.

Handing one of the mugs to Andy she eyed the tree and the boxes of ornaments laying around it. Lots of boxes.

"Merry Christmas, Andrea."

"Merry Christmas, Miranda." She saluted with her mug and took a healthy gulp. "I see, you didn't skimp on style here. This is a lot, I mean a lot of decoration."

"Go big or go home, Andrea. Isn't that what they say?"

Andy put down the mug and kneeled on the floor. She opened a box and carefully pulled out a hand painted, bronze color-based globe ornament. Holding it up she admired the fine details of the drawings. Funny looking elves playing in the snow.

"This is wonderful. Reminds me of the ones Ed made me when I was a kid."

"Ed?"

"My sister, Edna. She was a very talented artist. Drawing, painting was her life."

"Edna Martin? The Barracuda? An artist?"

"She was a different person back then. We both were."

Andy gently hang the globe on the tree and stood. She dusted her pants to get rid of the imaginary dirt, she needed a couple seconds to collect herself. Childhood memories raided her mind, disturbing her already fragile peace.

"Do you mind if we postpone this? I don't feel like decorating right now." Andy said.

Miranda squeezed Andy's arm, smiling warmly at her. "Don't worry about it. We can do this later. Or not at all."

"Anything you wish, Andrea."

Andy took hold on the hand resting on her forearm. Folding their fingers together, she put her other arm around Miranda's waist and hauled her close. The forceful almost rough motion had an immediate effect on Miranda. She felt a gush of wetness between her thighs and her nipples hardened painfully. She was certain that Andrea noticed them, as they were poking through the thin fabric of her night clothes.

Andy was indeed aware of the physical response. The extreme heat radiating from the editor's body, the delicious, swollen nipples pressing against her breast, the sharp intake of breath. Her lips, so close to hers.

"Anything?"

"Anything."

Andy fell onto the couch, breathing heavily. She was sweaty, her muscles felt like jelly and all she wanted was lie still and never move again.

"Holly shit, Miranda." she exclaimed. "That was…Where did you learn that move?"

"You weren't bad yourself, Darling." laughed Miranda.

She collapsed next to Andy and patted her trembling thigh.

"Don't forget I have two teenagers who happen to love dancing. I practice with them sometimes."

"Yeah, but hip-hop?"

"Hip-hop, electric boogie, latin dances, Shastriya Nritya…name it, we danced it."

"Indian classical dance? No way."

"Yes way, my dear. I'll demonstrate for you some other time though, if you don't mind."

As they lay there, this time the silence was comfortable, even relaxing. Andy chuckled as she recalled the editor's dumbfounded expression when she asked her to dance. She could tell, that in the older woman's mind they were moving toward to a very different destination but she obeyed without missing a beat. It wasn't that Andy didn't want Miranda. She did. But it wasn't about her want. She knew, that without a solid foundation there was no chance to build a meaningful future together, and that was all she craved. A future, with Miranda.

"I know there is a lot going on right now, but this is the best birthday I've had since ages."

"Birthday?"

"Yeah, I was born on Christmas Day."

"Your parents must have been enthusiastic. The perfect Christmas gift."

"Quite the opposite, I assure you. My arrival messed up all their plans. No Aspen that year. Go figure."

Andy sat up. Pulling her legs under herself, she curled up in the corner of the couch, facing Miranda.

"The only person, who welcomed me positively, was Ed."

Miranda sat up as well, mirroring Andy's position. Resting her head on her palm, she studied Andy searchingly.

"I'm a bit puzzled here Andrea. You talk about the old Edna so fondly and on the other hand, the picture you painted of the present one is not too flattering."

"Ed was the perfect big sister. Half- sister really. She's from my father's first marriage. When my parents met, Ed was sixteen. By the time I was born she as off at college. She only visited us on the holidays. As I got older, I always looked forward to those visits. Ed was the only one who didn't think I was a mistake. A mistake, an accident, that's how my parents called me."

"A mistake?" Miranda was furious. "How could someone say that to their child?"

"They had the decency not to call me that face to face, but I often heard them mention it. My father was old enough not to fancy another kid and my mother just never wanted any. Long story short, I spent more time with nannies than with my parents. They traveled, entertained a lot and I didn't fit in with their high-end lifestyle."

"Oh, Andrea." Miranda opened her arms and Andy accepted the gesture with no hesitation. Miranda leaned back, pulling Andy with her and they ended up entangled, snuggled as close as humanly possible.

"Ed was always there for me. We did fun things together, she was kind and caring. And as I mentioned before she was a gifted artists. Her professors forecasted a bright future for her."

"What happened?"

"Many things. First of all my parents reckless spending almost ruined the family business and Ed had to intervene. She sacrificed her art to save the company. After years of hard work, she built a successful empire and made the mistake of stepping down to continue on her dreams. My parents didn't learn anything and almost destroyed the business again."

"Let me guess. Edna had to take over again."

"Yes. This time she had some help though. A sixteen year old financial prodigy, with a doctorate in her pocket. The wizard of numbers she was called."

"Who was that?"

"Me."