Chapter Text
Miranda lay in her bed staring up at the ceiling of her room, all her mind could think about was Andrea. The fact that Andrea had returned. Part of her wished that she could invite Andrea to dinner, as a date. A romantic date,
But Andrea would never feel the same, it not like Andrea had been in love for twenty years. Regretting how things ended between them,
Miranda knew she been as hard on Andrea as she had been. Probably being the cause of why Andrea left her that day in Paris.
Her mind thought back to the conversation she had with Andrea earlier in the day. Their hands touching. If only Nigel hadn't walked in when he did.
Over the last twenty years Nigel and her had grown to be closer to each other, becoming friends, not just being colleagues. She knew that yes she could have spoken to Nigel about all of this, and he would have been supportive to her.
There was just something stopping her and she did not know what that was. "Would this be a HR violation?" She asked herself out loud. She was Andrea's boss, and Andrea was her assistant when she began to feel this way. "I could just ask Nigel– No, he would never let me live that down."
She sat at her office chair reading through her emails– well pretending to. She wasn't actually consuming the words. Just thinking about Andrea… wondering what the best thing to do would be.
She would just ask Nigel to come into her office– but then she had to speak to him about this. She felt like she should just wait till he comes into her office to speak to her about an unrelated thing.
She heard the sound of her office door opening, causing her to look up. It was Nigel. Of course it was.
Part of her felt annoyed that just as she was thinking about him, he walked into the room. 'Is he telepathic.'
"Miranda, Andrea…" Nigel started to say, hearing Andrea's name made her heart skip a beat. She missed what Nigel said. "Miranda?"
"Yes?" She asked, in an attempt to act naturally.
"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice sounding sympathetic.
"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" She lied, but she knew that Nigel did not believe her.
"Ever since Andrea came back to work for you, since she walked into your office and you pretended that you couldn't remember who she is. You have been acting weird." Nigel walked closer to her desk, quieting his voice. "I know that we work together, but I am your friend and to be honest. I am worried about you. You do know that you can talk to me about whatever is bothering you."
Miranda's eyes looked over to him, before staring at a random part of the room away from him. Trying to focus on anything but this conversation. "I– seem… to have developed… something towards… Andrea."
"So that you like her?" Nigel asked, causing for Miranda's eyes to widen.
"What!?"
"I saw your hands touching… You were pretending that you did not remember her." Nigel carefully explain, trying not to say something that would not annoy her. "I have suspected that something is up between you two, you would never do that if you couldn't remember her… You do know you could tell her …"
" I can't!" She exclaimed, "HR is not going to allow that!!"
"You could ask?"
"And then they will say no, that I am her boss, that it is against the rules…" Miranda's voice was quiet. "Maybe I should just avoid her, pretend that I cannot remember her."
Nigel quietly walked around the floor any chance he got to try and find Andy. Maybe to see if he can find out if it was mutual. Help Miranda, without her knowing of course. He knew that she wouldn't be happy with him meddling in her life.
He glanced around the cafeteria to see the brunette sat at one of the tables and quickly walked over to her "Can we talk?"
"Yes." she replied, looking over to him. Watching as he sat down at her table.
"So…" Nigel began to say. "How are things between you and Miranda?"
"I don't know what you are talking about…" She quietly replied glancing down at the table, Nigel noticed it.
"Yesterday when I walked into the room, i saw her hand on yours…" He said with a smirk on his face.
"To be honest it did hurt when she pretended that she couldn't remember who I was," Andrea explained, her voice quiet. So no one outside of that table could over hear it. "But she admitted that she did remember me…"
"And then placed her hand on yours?" Nigel asked, trying to figure out exactly what happened before he walked into Miranda's office. He saw the reddening on Andy's cheek. "You could invite her to dinner, on a date?"
"Yes, i could ask Miranda Priestly on a date where we would go to dinner in public. Where everyone could see us, create rumours about us." Andrea replied sarcastically, her voice in a slight laugh.
"Who said it has to be in public. Do you really think she would say no to dinner?" Andy watched Nigel's facial expression, he did look like he was being genuine.
"I don't know…" She replied, her voice sounding hopefully. "I can't see her wanting me to go to her house or for her to come to mine…"
"I am Miranda's friend, I know how she was for the past twenty years since you left." Nigel explained softly. "I originally thought it was just because she lost her assistant during Paris Fashion week while she was also going through a divorce. But I started to believe it might be something more than that."
"Oh." Andrea leaned back on her chair, a shocked expression on her face. A thought crossed her mind, 'Is he right? Was that why she acted like she forgot I existed?'
Yes Andrea did like Miranda like that, but she always doubted that anything would ever happen between them. Miranda is her boss, her straight boss. Even if it was mutual twenty years ago, there was no way it could still be mutual.
"It's just something to think about." Nigel said, before standing up from his chair at the table and walked away.
Andy paced back and forth around her new office trying to figure out if she really should ask Miranda out, Just invite her to dinner. 'How do I even say it?'
"This is a bad idea." She muttered out loud, In what world would Miranda agree to go on a date with her. She is her boss and grew to be friends with Nigel. Maybe that's how Miranda felt about her, just a colleague she viewed her as a friend.
'Maybe I shouldn't have returned to Runway…' She thought to herself.
Thinking about the feeling of Miranda's hand on her hand, their eyes locking. It made her feel warm. She remembered the way Miranda breathed in as if she was about ask her something, but Nigel walked in before she got the chance… "What was she about to say?'
"Maybe I should just ask her…" She said out loud glancing out of her office window that looked into the corridor to see Miranda walking by.
"Miranda." Andy said, catching her attention. Her heart skipped a beat hearing the sound of the Brunette's voice, as she looked up in her direction she watched as Andrea closed the door behind herself. "Can we talk?"
"About?" Miranda replied, her voice sounded dry, annoyed. Miranda wished she could avoid Andrea, not have her stand in her office wanting to talk.
"Us."
"Us?!" She asked in disbelief, her voice in a laugh. "What about us?"
"Uh, Would you like to have dinner with me tonight." Andrea asked awkwardly, "Just us, it doesn't need to be somewhere too public."
'Just us, it doesn't need to be somewhere too public.' Echoed throughout Miranda's mind.
'Did she just ask me out?' She thought to herself, watching how nervous Andrea seemed. She couldn't help but smile softly at the brunette.
"How about this…" She began to suggest, her voice sounding soft. Softer than she'd normally speak while inside her office. "You can come over to my house… I will make us dinner… There would be no worry of the paparazzi seeing us… together.."
"I didn't know you cook." Andrea said, staring into her eyes.
"There is a lot you don't know about me." She smirked. "You should probably go before someone notices. At least until we know if this is okay with Human Resources."
She watched as Andrea left her office, and turned back towards her computer. 'Nigel has to have spoken to her…'
