Chapter 1: Twenty Years
Chapter Text
Miranda sat down on her chair at the conference room table, all she could feel was shock. She was shocked that Andrea was back, sitting a couple of meters away from her.
After Andrea had left, she tried not to think about her. Tried not to think about the warm feeling she grew to have whenever they were together. It felt easier pretending that she could not remember her, than anything that could cause them to be 'close' again.
But she still felt that warm feeling inside of her chest. 'What even is that?' She did not know why she felt like that around Andrea, why she felt like smiling whenever they were together.
She glanced around at the others to see Nigel giving her a look. 'Of course he knows that I remember her.' She thought to herself, before Emily started to speak. "So, where should we start?" Emily asked, causing Miranda to look over to her.
"I am now a feature editor at Runaway." Andrea announced.
"What!?" Emily exclaimed, her voice sounding shocked. "NO YOU ARE NOT!"
"Oh she is, We are all so thrilled about this." Miranda said, her voice sounding emotionless. She was happy that Andrea was back and that she was now a feature editor at runway. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Nigel look back in her direction, causing her to arch her eyebrow mouthing "What?"
"You know what I find funny?" Emilie asks, looking back over to the brunette. "You have changed so much, you are so much more confident than you were when I last saw you." Miranda found herself glaring at the red head before rolling her eyes. "You kept those eyebrows tho didn't you?"
"RIGHT. We should probably get back on topic." Miranda said, trying to keep her mind off of how her heart felt. She knew that nothing between them would be like how it was when Andrea worked for her.
She did always blame herself for Andrea leaving, yes she was hard on people, well everyone who worked for her. But she couldn't understand why she only felt guilty over Andrea. Not when she spent too much time working, that she had gotten divorced multiple times. 'Why do I feel like this?'
Miranda finally returned to her office, ready to get back to work instead of having to be around Andrea. Once she sat down at her desk opening up her emails, she head someone call out her name causing her to look up. "Miranda listen." The Brunette said, closing the door behind herself. "Can you really not remember me?"
Miranda found herself breathing in. How could she answer then? Tell her the truth, that she could remember her, that she couldn't stop thinking about her for two whole decades, that she felt guilty over how she treated her? Instead she glanced back at her computer. "Miranda?"
Miranda looked up to her eyes, until their eyes locked. "For the record," Miranda started to say, knowing that this was probably a mistake. "I never forgot you."
She looked away, but Andy still stared at her more out of shock. "Oh- Oh, What?" She replied, with a smile across her face.
Miranda glanced over to her, seeing her smile. It made her feel warm, happy. But she knew that that feeling would not be able to last long.
"Why did you pretend that you didn't remember me?" Andrea asked, walking closer and placing a hand on the desk. "I worked for you for eight months. I did so much for you. I can't see why you wouldn't want to remember me."
"It's not that I didn't want to remember you," Miranda answered, her voice quiet as she focused on reading her emails, well pretending to read. She had no idea what she was actually reading. "It's more that I couldn't stop thinking about you. Feeling guilty for everything that I did, how I was too hard on you, setting you these tasks that you never would have achieved like the books! I thought that this would make it easier. I was wrong."
Their eyes locked again, Miranda watched as Andrea smiled at her and she gently placed her hand on top of the Brunette's.
Andrea breathed in as if she was about to say something but the sound of the door opening stopped her. Nigel. Miranda quickly pulled her hand away, hoping that Nigel saw nothing. But she knew that he definitely did.
She focused on the way her heart felt, the way Andrea made her feel. She watched as Andrea left the room, wishing that Nigel hadn't walked into her office. Allowing for her and Andrea to continue their conversation.
"Miranda." Nigel said in an attempt to get her attention but failed. Miranda thought back to that time twenty years ago, when her and Andrea grew to what seemed like being close. How for the first time in her life she found someone she felt safe around. Someone she felt comfortable allowing into her life. "Miranda!" His voice was louder, causing her to quickly look over to him.
"What?" She said, her voice dry. Sounding full of annoyance.
"You have been staring at the door Andy walked out of for ten minutes! Are you okay?" Nigel asked, his voice sounding concerned . "Is there anything you want to talk about?"
"I do not know what you are talking about." Miranda said quietly, trying to act as if she had no idea what he was talking about. But Nigel saw a look across Miranda's face, that he rarely saw on her face.
"Has it got something to do with–" Nigel tried to say, but Miranda quickly cut him off.
"Nigel, we really do not have the time to talk about my life. " She said, her voice quiet. But she knew that it actually did have everything to do with Andrea. Andrea who she had not seen since that Paris Fashion Week twenty years ago.
Chapter 2: Invitations
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…'
Chapter 3: Date
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…
