Fic: Happily (n)ever after (5/?)
Chapter 5: Everybody needs somebody
Nothing has happened. Nothing has happened… Andy thought again and again, desperately wanting to believe it.
She turned away from Miranda, who seemed to be busier with her notes she took while watching all these glamorous fashion shows.
They will land soon, only one more hour and she would see Nate again, be in his arms and everything will be alright. She would work for Miranda a few more months, then her year at Runway will be fulfilled and she could go to every magazine or newspaper as a journalist she wanted to. New York Times, Vanity Fair… So many opportunities for her to choose.
She had to concentrate to this, not Miranda, not to think what had happened or not happened minutes, no hours ago.
Jesus Christ, Andy, really: STOP THINKING ABOUT IT! Her inner voice screamed in her head.
There she was, a young straight woman with a hopefully still boyfriend and she thought about if or if she had not “touched” her female boss while she’d dared to laid her head on Miranda’s shoulder and her hand on a (clothed!) tight while they’d fallen asleep for a few hours.
Nothing has happened. Nothing has changed. And your hand is not still pulsating with the feel of the texture of Miranda’s expensive pants. You did not even feel skin. But there WAS warmth you’ve felt…
Andy knew she was trying to lie to herself and she know it failed. There HAD something happened, something had changed, but it had not happened these last few hours. It happened days before.
That evening in where Miranda sat in the living room, no make up, the traces of her tears still visible, a moment of her true self opening to Andy. The way her voice broke when she told about her daughters, it broke her heart.
And then Andy knew it. She has never liked Stephen. Never. The way Miranda became this submissive typical woman whenever he was around, trying to please him, to be his wife, although she was more famous, more important and stronger than he would ever be.
But she needed him. That’s why Andy was able to bring him back to her. For telling HIM Miranda’s greatest weakness: needing him.
And suddenly she felt tears up welling in her eyes, when somewhere in her mind, although he was, is and never would be anything like Stephen, the situation was kind of similar to…. Nate.
No no no! I love him and he loves me! He would never…
And then there was this voice again. The sarcasm in Andy’s inner voice.
Really Andy? He would never force you to choose him over your job? Didn’t he just do that before you flew to Paris? Wasn’t that the reason of your break up? Will you tell him what really happened in Paris?
Andy didn’t want to cry, not here, not yet.
She was praying, begging that no one of the flight attempts saw her, or that Miranda called her to turn her face again and saw her bursting out into tears. Again.
She counted seconds, waiting for something to happen, for hearing Miranda’s voice, pronouncing her name in this special way that send shivers down her spine. Nothing happened. It was all quiet.
All she heard was a subtitle rattle of papers Miranda held in her hands.
Andy felt her heart calming down. She closed her thankfully still dry eyes and before she could further think about it, she drifted back into sleep again, just for nearly an hour.
She was determined to ignore her second assistant for the rest of the flight, but Miranda could not help but taking a peek and saw the girl with the turned back to Miranda seemed to sleep again.
The editor didn’t know why she felt that sudden desire, waking her assistant and forcing to her to pay attention.
Miranda let her sleep. It was only for an hour. She had her reading glasses on and went to her notes, when she decided to put them away for later.
She sighed. Why couldn’t she fire this girl? She had fired assistants for most ridiculous reasons. And Andy was often, very often far on the edge of getting fired. She was in her house, not just delivering the book as wanted, but dared to go upstairs and saw her arguing with Stephen.
The look in her eyes was unforgettable, the proof even the powerful fashionata had a weakness.
“I said you need him.”
This is what she told her, the reason Stephen was willing to “give her another chance”.
He knew his advantage. She needed him. Miranda smirked. If he only knew…
She grabbed her handbag and pulled out the paper, carefully watching if the brunette was awake again, but no, the girl was still sleeping.
A list, Stephen has typed a list of “rules” Miranda will have to follow around, including accompany him to his important events, be home or in restaurants for dinner and especially making sure no one will call him “Mr. Priestly” ever again. And so on.
A list. Typed, not handwritten, on a paper with the sign of his company.
It was impossible he could have typed that in only a few hours, when she looked at the complexity of contend in these phrases. He had planned this. Of course he had. He wasn’t stupid. Miranda Priestly didn’t marry idiots. Well, not at all.
The cruel truth was that after all she did need him. Even at her age, Miranda knew she was still attractive, powerful and wanted by many others, but she was simply tired to find a replacement for Stephen. It won’t last long. She was married 4 years to Stephen now; she knew what was going on. She always did.
Stephen wasn’t unique, but she needed him. For the girls, for the press, for anyone but herself.
Miranda wondered if Andrea sensed this. It was so eerie how the girl was able to read her mind in such a few couple of months.
There was still this question burning on her tongue to ask why Andrea had chosen to call Stephen. For her, Miranda? Or because of what she’d said about her daughters or did she saw a challenge in Miranda’s request that evening. Maybe all together.
The girl really made miracles happen. That’s why Miranda could not fire her. And there was something else Miranda still needed to figure out.
The editor knew Andrea was on the verge to quit. She could not understand Miranda’s words. Not yet. Silly girl… But she will, when the time was there.
Suddenly Miranda’s hands itched to touch her, that beautiful innocent sleeping face. How warm she would feel. Of course the older woman resist and took the paper back into her bag.
No, whatever she imagined to feel was simply not true. It could not be.
Miranda didn’t want to need, but she did. She had to.
Another deep sigh escaped her mouth and her head was turned to the window again.
Reality will be back in less than an hour, so she could not help but savouring the lingering warmth of the young body beside her, pretending there was nothing at all.
Andy slowly woke up when the voice of the microphone on the plane was telling them they would be landing in New York City soon.
She slowly stretched herself and looked over to her boss, staring out of the window. None of them said a word, preparing in silence for the landing of the plane.
Andy really had the urge to see Nate again. She was frightened of the thoughts she had about him, knowing they were not true.
She loved Nate and he loved her. She was not Miranda and he was not Stephen, they’d never be like them.
When the plane carefully landed she raised herself out of the seat to let Miranda passing her by. Just now she smelled her perfume oozing her mind.
Oh no… not now!
A few moments she stood there feeling dizzy suddenly, when Miranda turned around and wordlessly told her to follow her. Andy shook her head, grabbed her belongings and walked after her like a clumsy puppy.
They made their way at the airport through a crowd of photographers and journalists, calling Miranda’s name over and over again.
They were surrounded by the security to keep the distance between the famous fashion editor and the journalists.
The older woman didn’t give any comment, huge sunglasses on her sharp nose, acting cold and professional as ever. Roy was waiting for her.
Andy was looking around, hoping to see Nate somewhere and then she saw him. He was really there, waving at her and she smiled in relief.
Miranda turned her head and gave Andy a short sharp nod, already given her the instruction for tomorrow, freeing the girl for the rest of the day.
Andy nodded in reply, silently wishing her boss a good day and removed herself from the crowd. Some photographers and journalists were looking after her, but they realized she was only Miranda’s assistant and not important, although it was not easy getting out of this insane crowd.
She quickly caught her breath again, making her way to Nate’s direction. To her own surprise she noticed she wasn’t running to him, like she hoped she would. She was slowly walking to him, as if she didn’t know him personally yet, as if he was some kind of pen pal or internet friend she would meet for the first time.
She finally stood before him; recognize him of course, his dark hair and eyes, his cloths, his overall existence.
How Andy wished she could say something, jumping into his arms. But there was something between them, like a thick invisible wall, unable to walk right through.
Her smiled vanished of her lips and she stared on the floor, embarrassed and helplessly.
She did not even looked into his eyes, didn’t know what he was feeling, if he was happy to see her again or not.
But then…. A hand was reached out, in her direction and Andy lifted her head. Nate smiled, not fully, but slightly.
“Welcome back.” He said calmly.
“Thank you.” Andy replied and shyly took his hand in hers. And suddenly the warm feeling, the pulsating in her left hand, was gone. Whatever that meant.
They made their way outside the airport, slowly.
Andy could not help looking around if Miranda had already left with Roy.
There it was, her town car with the ball of photographers still taking pictures of the fashion editor getting in. Andy turned away and Nate put his arms around her shoulder.
Just in this moment Miranda took of her sunglasses and caught the sight of Andrea and a man with the curly brown hair on her side, his arms around her shoulder possessively.
Only for a few seconds before the door with the tainted windows closed and all of the noise out there was gone.
She leaned back in the black expensive leather of her seat. Roy knew he was instructed to take her home and so he did.
It was so quiet in the car; Miranda could hear her own heart beating.
When the car slowly pulled forward, passing the young couple by again, she heard the unmistakable sound of a slight crack inside her and grabbed her chest.
First she feared it was a heart attack, but no, she realized it was even worse.
TBC.....