Secret Santa for erjohnson007
Title: The moment
Rating: G
Pairing: Andy/Miranda
Summary: Andy helps out a friend at their restaurant.
Length: 3,500 - one shot
Disclaimer: I claim no ownership over the characters contained herein.
A/N: This is for erjohnson007 . They wanted Mirandy. Merry Christmas!!
A/NN: This is inspired by my own job hunt. EDIT - i forgot to say, this is set roughly two years after the film, somewhere around the time the rescession hit.
Andy checked her watch for the fourth time; she had no idea why she was here. Well, she knew why, she felt like she needed to make it up to Nate for the circumstances surrounding their break up. She knew deep down that it was not her fault. Working at Runway changed her. The problem was that she thought it was for the better, Nate did not agree. Working at Runway under the Devil in heels herself had made Andy strong and driven. She knew these were not skills that were easy to come by and she was proud of her newfound grit.
This grit, however, did not extend to saying no to Nate. This was why she found herself at Ravu, the new pretentious place to be in New York. Although the restaurant was doing well, tonight was not one of their best nights. The maitre d came down with the flu and Andy knew when Nate turned to her with those puppy eyes that she couldn’t resist. The night just seemed to drag on. Andy’s feet hadn’t hurt this much since she spent the day running around New York trying to get the unpublished Harry Potter manuscript for her Boss (New York’s Fashion maven Miranda Priestly’s) fiery haired twins. Sometimes she wished she could say no to her friends, and today was one of those days.
Andy was busy dealing with another Wall Street hotshot wannabe when the phone rang. When picking up she was surprised to be met with a frenzied British woman barking out about her Boss arriving for a table in ten minutes. She was about to tell the poor young woman that they were booked out when she heard ‘Miranda’ and it all clicked into place. It was Emily - of course she still worked for Miranda, Andy was convinced Emily would die at her desk - and Miranda was coming here in ten minutes. There was no plausible way that Andy could say no; doing so would be the end of the restaurant and Nate’s dream job. She would not be responsible for that.
After hanging up Andy surveyed the room. There was a middle-aged couple who were enjoying a romantic meal and there was a wannabe (Preston or Chase or something like that) and his vapid girlfriend. Decision made, Andy zoned in on the Wannabe.
“Hi There, was your meal to your standards?” Andy batted her eyes and was a saccharine as she could manage without going into insulin shock.
“Wonderful of course, it always is here.” Preston-Chase-Whatever directed his comment to his date’s chest.
“Well we always like to take care of our special customers.” It took all the energy Andy had left not to laugh as the guy started preening at the comment. “Is your stay with us today over?”
“We were hoping for dessert.” Andy was shocked the little bimbo could speak through her fish lips. Angelina Jolie she was not.
“Absolutely, let me recommend the chocolate soufflé, it is exquisite. We don’t usually do this, but being special customers and all, perhaps you would like to wait in our VIP area? We don’t usually allow food up there but I can make an exception for you.” The truth was the VIP area was just a bar to hold extra customers as they waited for a table.
As the couple made their way to the bar, it was battle stations go. Andy had a bus boy waiting to clear the table and a waiter was ready with the table settings. All said, the table was cleared and ready for Miranda in less than two minutes. Andy wondered if there was a record for this type of thing.
Miranda’s arrival was imminent and Andy was getting more nervous by the minute. She hadn’t seen Miranda since the day she waved at her in front of the Elias Clerk Building after her interview at the Mirror. Andy could hear the tell tale click of Miranda’s Prada pumps before she saw her. Before Andy knew it, she was engulfed in that familiar perfume, uniquely Miranda, staring into those Cerulean eyes that had haunted her dreams.
To say that Miranda was surprised to see Andy was an understatement. Any emotion, however, was quickly tucked behind that cool mask and the Ice Queen was back. It took Andy a moment to realise that Miranda was waiting; a roll of her icy eyes reminded her.
“Miranda, if you’ll follow me.” Andy led Miranda to the table she had organised. She made sure to be confident with her head held high shoulders back. She was not going to wilt under the other woman’s gaze, which she could feel boring into her back.
“Oscar will be your waiter for the evening, have a good meal.” Miranda’s response was a tight-lipped tilt of the head.
Andy retreated to her post at the front of the restaurant and tried with all her might to avoid watching Miranda. It was a futile attempt. By the time the fashion maven’s date for the night arrived, Andy was glancing surreptitiously at the couple. A fission of jealousy made its way down Andy’s spine. Miranda’s date was handsome, salt and pepper, tall with a kind face. Andy hated him on sight. Andy always knew she had a thing for her boss. That was obvious. Why else would she go to the lengths that she did? However, watching her here, white hair ablaze in the light, black Vintage Dior dipping dangerously low flirting and touching the handsome man made her want to vomit. There was no way Andy was getting any sleep tonight, not after watching Miranda in date mode. She was a vision.
It was during one of these ‘glances’ (stares, semantics really) when Andy noticed Oscar filling Miranda’s Glass with flat water. She knew this was not going to go down well and leapt across the room. She had a sparkling water from the bar within seconds and managed to make it to the table just as Miranda was about to lift her glass. Miranda seemed surprised as Andy carefully replaced the flat water with the sparkling. Her heart jumped in her chest when Miranda offered her a small smile in return. Andy couldn’t remember the journey back her post, she felt like she was floating.
The small reaction from Miranda was like a beacon on a foggy night. Andy could no longer stop her glances towards Miranda, she felt like a starving woman looking at a buffet. Andy completed the rest of the night on autopilot, too preoccupied with thoughts of cerulean eyes and alabaster skin to pay much attention to anything else. Well except Miranda’s date. If looks could kill, Miranda’s date would have been incinerated by a nuclear blast.
Andy was starting to become manic. She watched Miranda intently, overseeing everything for the table personally. She told herself it was just her ‘type a’ personality wanting to make it perfect. Andy managed to divert a well-done steak away from Miranda and swapped it for some executive on table five. She could have made it up to him, but she was too preoccupied watching Miranda devour her steak like it was the best meal she had ever eaten. The editor savoured every piece, her eyes rolling shut and a pink tongue darting out to lap up any juices. It was pure sex and Andy could feel her pulse quicken as her eyes followed Miranda’s tongue make its journey.
It wasn’t long before Miranda caught Andy staring. At first her reaction was expected, she glared at Andy and returned her attention to her date. Andy wanted to stop looking, she really did, but she was entranced. Miranda seemed to notice her fascination and the tone of her actions changed dramatically. It almost seemed like she was putting on a show. The editor would glance at Andy as each morsel of food made its way to her mouth, as if she wanted the younger woman’s attention on her lips.
Before Andy knew it, she was on the edge of her seat, fingernails digging into her palms. If she thought Miranda was flirting before, she had another thing coming. Miranda started to laugh, and not that poor imitation she brought out at events, it was the most genuine laugh Andy had ever heard from the older woman. It was like music floating on the air and most of the patrons of the restaurant were drawn to it. The laughter weaved a spell on Andy and she began to daydream about ways to get rid of Miranda’s date. One such dream was to tip coffee in his lap. There was no way Andy was going to follow through, however, she was glued to the spot, nailed by Miranda’s gaze.
Andy didn’t know how long she was starring at Miranda, but all of a sudden she realised that the salt and pepper man was gone and Miranda was all alone. The editor seemed to be contemplating something and finally tilted her head slightly toward the chair in front of her while holding Andy’s gaze. It was an invitation and Andy was in no state to refuse. The brunette stumbled across the room. She was livid. She wanted to float, to gracefully move about the room, but no, she had to stomp and stumble. The smart fat girl had re-emerged.
“Andrea” There it was, that breathy prayer like way that Miranda said her name. Andy felt her knees weaken as she practically fell into the chair opposite the Editor.
“You, Miranda, Hi, Going well.” What? That was not what she wanted to say. Andy felt a flush spread up her neck as she realised she mixed her sentences. That had not happened since she met Christiane Amanpour at an event when she was in college. Christiane was gracious, acknowledging Andy’s nerves fleetingly. Miranda however simply met Andy’s blithering with a smirk. The editor knew she put Andy on edge and she relished it.
“Working as a Maitre d I see. I know that little daily of yours folded, but surely there is something else to occupy your time rather than herding the cattle in for their evening feed?” The comment would have cut Andy deeply had Miranda’s eyes not been dancing.
“I am just helping a friend in need. Yes the Mirror didn’t manage to survive the recession but I would prefer to stay in the publishing business.” Andy was proud of herself for getting her emotions back under control. She actually felt like an adult.
“Prefer? In the unemployment line again I see. I hope you aren’t going to grovel for your job back. Although I suppose that the fact that you know who I am this time is a bonus.” Miranda had placed her elbows on the table, resting her hands under her chin. It was almost flirtatious. The joking didn’t help, Andy felt her pulse quicken.
“Not my old job, no. Although I am officially unemployed, I am keeping myself busy.” Andy replied.
“Yes I have heard of your, what is it they call these things, your blog? Very popular from what I hear. Richard was raving about it when I spoke to him last week.”
“Richard? As in Richard Peterson, Editor in chief of the Times?” Andy was amazed.
“Yes well I had Emily send him the link. I was impressed with your take on the New York election. Your writing improved considerably when you are not limited.” This was the sincerest Andy had ever seen Miranda and she wanted to cry.
“My editor at the Mirror always wanted me to tone down my articles for fear of upsetting the stockholders.” It was the bitterest pill Andy had to swallow when she started working for the paper. She never got to tell the story she wanted, only what was acceptable to a group of nameless people with share certificates.
“That’s the problem when you have no power. It’s something that I disliked when I was beginning my career. It is the reason I am at the top now, Andrea. No one will tell me what goes into Runway.” The fire in Miranda’s eyes told Andy that the editor had fought many battles to make sure that was true.
“It has been a relief not having to censor myself. My editor never would have let me write the type of article I did on the DADT for instance. When I broached it with him, he was too concerned with scaring the conservative shareholders. I just viewed it as an issue of discrimination.” Andy was beaming under Miranda’s praise; she wondered if many people were lucky enough to have the editor tell them they did a good job.
“You were right; it is about discrimination, but that all gets lost in the political and religious rhetoric. I’m surprised you haven’t heard from Richard, he said he was interested in speaking to you about a column.”
Miranda was fiddling with her cutlery. The truth was she had cornered Richard at an event and told him he was an idiot if he didn’t give Andrea a column because another publication surely would. She never waited for a response, just assuming that he would take her advice.
“Really? I hope so! That would be a dream come true.” Andy was glowing, dazzling Miranda with the type of smile she had never seen before. It was genuine and it was breathtaking.
A silence settled between the two women. It could have been uncomfortable, but neither woman felt it. They were both smiling, watching each other intently. Miranda was spinning her glass by its stem and Andy was mesmerised by her fingers.
“I was hoping I would see you again.” Miranda’s voice was breathy and caressed Andy like a lover’s hand.
“Really?” Andy was sure that Miranda would not have spared a passing thought for her once she left her in Paris.
“Yes despite what you did in Paris, I could never quite forget you.”
“I was wondering whether we would get to that.” Andy had been dreading it, really.
“You thought I would forget that you were so displeased with my actions that you fled the continent?” Miranda was serious again, the flirtation slowly receding.
“I never meant to hurt you Miranda. I was naïve. I thought becoming you would be a terrible thing, that I would lose my friends and family. The ironic thing is that happened anyway. I am truly sorry for what I did. I never understood the sacrifices necessary to be successful.” Andy stared into Miranda’s eyes hoping to convey the sincerity of her words.
“Enough of this, the past is the past. I understood why you left even if I didn’t agree with it. Now we were having a pleasant time flirting, let’s get back to that.” Miranda’s eyes were dancing again and it was doing pleasant things to Andy.
“Flirting? Um…” Andy couldn’t breathe. She could barely comprehend that it was happening, but to have Miranda blatantly announce it was disconcerting.
“Come now Andrea, we are both Adults here, adults who spent the better part of the evening staring at each other. I always knew how I felt, but I could only hope about you.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you are a blunt woman? Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate that. I have never known anyone who was able to cut through all the crap and really hone in on the point. It is a skill.”
“Although I appreciate your compliment Andrea, you haven’t told me whether I am right in my assumption.” Miranda looked apprehensive for the first time that night. As always she trusted her instincts and this evening they told her Andrea wanted her. She was beginning to doubt herself.
“Do you often have people stare at you for extended periods of time? Well I suppose you do, actually.”
“I do, but never the same way that you have tonight.”
Reality was beginning to set in for Andrea. So far, she had been lost in a dream where she and Miranda could flirt and laugh. However, what could really come of this? Was she supposed to believe that the twice-divorced fashionista was going to have a relationship with her? What of the twins? The publicity? Andy wondered if she could ever survive it all.
“Now, now, don’t go analysing this too deeply Andrea. That was always your problem, always looking to the future and never at the moment. All of the things you are worrying about, the reasons not to, will always be there, whatever the decision you make. The point is whether you want what I do, in this moment here just between us, because if you do, then we will deal with all that when it comes. There will never be a way to predict the future, but there is the possibility of having what you want and right now, I want you.”
Andy watched Miranda sip at her wine. She knew in that moment that she wanted the Editor more that she ever wanted anyone else. She just didn’t know if she could let go like that and go for it. Just over Miranda’s shoulder Andy could see Nate staring at her, he was obviously displeased at seeing the Editor. Andy could go to him and try to mend what was once broken. But Nate didn’t understand her, didn’t understand her desire. He thought her blog was pretentious and an attempt to get noticed. Miranda on the other hand took the blog for what it was, Andy’s attempt at reporting the truth as she saw it. How could she pass up the opportunity to be with someone who truly understood her?
Miranda turned and saw who Andy had been looking it. It was that floppy haired boy who’s picture was on Andrea’s desk all those years ago. She could see that Andrea was attempting to come to a decision and for once in her life she felt nervous of the outcome. The editor stood from her chair and draped her wrap over her shoulders. She took the few steps to stand beside Andy’s chair and turned to look at the young journalist.
“What is your decision Andrea?” Miranda wanted to beg her to come with her, to insist that she would never be happy with the chef, but her ego wouldn’t let her do it. She wanted the young woman to come to her willingly.
Andy stood from her chair, enveloped in Miranda’s scent as she stared into her eyes. There really was no choice; she wanted Miranda more than anything. She smiled brightly at the editor and took a step closer. Miranda smiled back, the first full genuine joyous smile that Andy had ever seen from the editor; the sight of it astounded her.
Miranda extended her elbow in invitation and had to fight to keep a smug grin off her lips when Andy linked their arms together. They walked from the restaurant arm in arm and Miranda was pleased to see that Andy never looked back.
Roy was waiting on the curb when they exited the restaurant. Miranda let Andy slide into the car first and followed behind her. Andy was expecting the usual quiet car ride with Miranda watching out the window. She was surprised when Miranda closed the privacy screen and turned her attention to Andy.
“I’m glad you came.” Miranda smiled as she stroked Andy’s cheek.
“Me too.” Andy leant into the touch, relishing the feel of those elegant fingers on her skin.
The tension in the car began to increase as both women watched each other closely. Miranda’s hand began to creep into Andy’s brown locks. She used her position to bring Andy towards her. She stopped the movement, as their lips were so close she could feel Andy’s breath on her lips. Miranda’s tongue darted out to wet her lips and Andy lost any control that remained. She closed the remaining distance between them and their lips met in a soft, slow kiss.
Their slowly parted, each woman’s breathing was laboured as they savoured the feelings the kiss evoked in them.
“Best moment ever.” Andy beamed at Miranda and the Editor chuckled.
“So far Andrea, so far.”
- Fin -