widdy26

Title: Driving Miranda – Chapter 5

Author: Widdy
Disclaimer: I don't own the Devil Wears Prada, or Miranda or Andy, unfortunately someone else does so I'm just borrowing them I will return them after I'm done.
Rating: PG for now!

Feedback: Yes feel free to feed me.
Pairings:  Andy/Nate, Miranda/Stephen, Andrea/Miranda eventually.

Summary: While Roy is ill Miranda gets an interesting new driver.

Beta: Amelie (thank you so much for your help!!)

Chapter 5

Andy entered the bar and laughed when she saw the sight that greeted her. Lily was sitting upon the lap of her dark-haired boyfriend Kyle. Andy had liked Kyle from the instant she met him. Andy recalled that evening perfectly, it was also the same time that Lily had met him. Lily had been busy working the crowd that had gathered in the gallery. Andy herself had been standing sipping warm champagne as she tried to figure out the puzzling subject matter of the paintings being shown. Kyle who was a friend of the artist had tripped upon a bag that someone had left carelessly upon the floor. Andy could recall watching in stunned shock as he had then pitched forwards. He had fallen face first though one of the paintings and his head had impacted with the wall. Andy had been standing to the left of the painting in question and had immediately gone to Kyle’s aid.

Andy had always believed in love at first sight, that night in the gallery she got to see it up-close and personal. Lily had made a beeline for them her eyes blazing as she was ready to rip into Kyle’s hide like a bullwhip for being such a klutz. Andy could recall how Lily’s mouth had opened and her eyes hardened for seconds before she saw Kyle’s face. Then Andy had stood shocked as Lily, her quick witted friend had stood slack jawed and stared at the slightly bloody Kyle. Her eyes had softened and she had aimlessly reached out a hand and had cupped his face.

He had a small cut on his head and to further Andy’s own shock she had been surprised when Lily had quickly offered to help Kyle up. The rest they say was history. For the rest of the night Andy had stood and watched flabbergasted as Lily had tended to Kyle, the two couldn’t take their eyes of each other. Two weeks later to Andy’s astonishment Lily had squealed and announced she was moving in with Kyle. Level headed Lily had turned into a loved sick teenager once again. Now one year later the pair were still together and planning to get married in the spring. Kyle had bought the painting that had been ruined that night (and was still ruined). It now had a prominent place in their shared apartment.

Kyle was broad and his face was always clean shaven. His nose was strong and straight, his light green eyes seemed to shine no matter what he was feeling. One of his thick shapely eyebrows was marred by a small scar that cut through his brow. It was what he had acquired the night he met and fell in love with Lily. Andy had always thought of him as being a beautiful man. Thick black curly hair fell in waves upon his shoulders framing his smiling face.

Andy couldn’t deny they made a great couple, Kyle’s easy going attitude complemented Lily’s insanity perfectly. They also looked good together, and most importantly they were happy. It was slightly sickening at times, but Andy was happy for her friends

Kyle was first to notice her presence and waved Andy over to their table. Lily quickly hopped of Kyle’s lap and took a seat next to him. Kyle asked her if she wanted a drink and Andy shook her head.   

“So how was the first day?” Lily asked.

“Exhausting, Lils!” The day had been truly exhausting, and long. She had run Miranda and her children around the city. At six she had thought her day would be over, but no she had had to return to Ellis Clark and wait until 9 for her assistant so she could deliver the ‘book’. Then Andy had returned the Bentley to the garage, and as she had promised come to meet Lily and Kyle. I was now 10:15.

Kyle nodded as he sipped his beer. “Yeah dad said she was demanding.”

“He doesn’t sugar coat things.” Andy watched as both Lily and Kyle looked to the door to see if she was alone.

Lily looked at Kyle and then asked the question Andy had been dreading, “Where’s Nate?”

“He said he couldn’t make it,”

While Lily shook her head and said nothing, Kyle just couldn’t restrain himself. “What the matter? Can’t drag himself away from his Playstation?”

Andy sighed as Lily glared at her boyfriend. “Kyle, shut the hell up. We are here to celebrate Andy’s first day and congratulate her on surviving the Dragon Lady.”

Kyle hated Nate, Andy knew that he thought he was a complete waste of space, he also made it well known he thought that she was too good for him.

“Oh come on Lils, Andy I say this with love, Nate is a bum.”

“Kyle!” Lily was furious and hit Kyle’s arm, hard.

“Kyle, please don’t.”

Kyle held up his hands and Andy saw his eyes soften as he looked at her. “Ok, ok, but he’s a loser Andy. You’re out there working your butt off trying to pay the bills, and he sits in that apartment all day running up those bills, you have to pay. You should dump him and let me set you up!”

Andy shook her head, and tried to defend her boyfriend, “Kyle he’s tried to get another job, but it’s hard for a chef in New York.”

Kyle let out a sharp laugh, and shook his head, “Andy stop deluding yourself, McDonalds are hiring, and you take what you can if you want to live. Beggars can’t be choosers! If flipping burgers pays the rent, then so be it!”

Andy sighed as she watched Lily’s boyfriend down the rest of his beer, Lily looked at the table surface and Andy knew that Lily agreed with Kyle. Lily had always been quick to defend Nate, but now even she could deny the truth of what Kyle was saying. There was no room for snobbery when you couldn’t afford to eat. Andy had tried to discuss this with Nate but he just got defensive and Andy was usually too tried to be bothered arguing.

“Well Kyle you sure know how to bring the mood down.” Lily sighed and glared once more at her boyfriend who immediately looked apologetic.

“Oh I’m sorry baby. Sorry Andy. Just ignore me.”

Lily forced a smile on to her face and sipped her white wine, “Yes ignore him.”

“Let me buy you drink Andy, to make it up to you.”

Kyle smiled hopefully and Andy shook her head. “I shouldn’t.”

“Come on to celebrate your first day, just the one, my treat?!” Kyle waggled his eyebrows and Andy felt her resolve crumbling.

Looking at her watch Andy saw it was now 10:30 and she had to be up once again at 5:30, still one drink wouldn’t hurt. Smiling Andy nodded her consent. “Just the one...”

****

Andy sighed when she noticed muted light that bounced of surfaces throughout the whole apartment. It meant only one thing Nate was home, he was either watching TV or playing his video games.

Andy gently shut the door and drew off her gloves, they weren’t the ones she used to drive in, those gloves were in her bag. She drew off her overcoat and her blazer quickly followed it. Next were her shoes. Andy pushed them with her foot and pushed them to the right of the entrance to the apartment. She hung up her over coat. Grabbed her blazer and moved further into the apartment.

It didn’t take Andy long to spot Nate, she was reminded of Kyle’s earlier comment about Nate and his play station. It appeared that they were as attached as Kyle said. Andy sighed and forced a cheerful smile upon her face. She called out and Nate just grunted in response.

Andy sighed, he hadn’t even has the decency to ask about her day, Andy received no ‘how was your day baby?’ no ‘did you have a safe journey home?’, ‘I hope everything went ok when you met with Kyle and Lily’. No, Nate hadn’t even said hello.

Things had been strained for months, it wasn’t just the money and the stress of living in these times, no Andy knew that she and Nate where moving apart. It was if they had physically embraced Newton’s first Law, he had stayed constant an object at rest and she had kept moving an object in motion. While Nate had sulked over the fact he couldn’t have the job he wanted, Andy had gotten over her numerous rejections and had jumped at the chance Kyle’s dad had gifted her. It was hard work and the training had been tough, but it paid off, she was now a fully qualified chauffer. Nate had just sniffed when she had told him about the job; he had laughed and told her she would never become a journalist if she continued to drive around rich people all day. Andy didn’t care, she needed the money, she had told Nate this and then he had gotten defensive, and another argument followed.

When he got angry Andy got scared, he was a completely different person than the boy she had fallen in love with. Nate the boy was kind gentle and considerate. He made love to her on rainy nights and cooked her breakfast, woke her up in the mornings with words of love, and peppered her body with hugs and kisses. Nate the man was a shadow of the boy. It was if at some point the boy had died. Now Nate was a sorry excuse for a human being, he was sullen, withdrawn, and angry at times. They no longer made love, they had sex, rarely, and on those occasions it was rough and quick, hard, heated thrusts of anger and frustration. He no longer made breakfast for her; he no longer woke her up in the mornings with hugs and kisses. No more did Andy hear Nate say ‘I love you’.

Andy didn’t want to argue with Nate, she knew if she mentioned just one of her thoughts that Nate would blow up and explode. They would argue, they would fight, Nate would storm out, get drunk and either come home in the early hours of the morning, or like most times he wouldn’t bother to come home at all.

No, Andy did not want to argue, so she said nothing. She moved around the sofa and ran her fingers through Nate’s hair. Andy felt her heart constrict as Nate pulled his head away from her fingers and leaned forward away from her touch.

Andy felt her eyes sting with tears. When had their love stopped being enough?

She told Nate she was going to have a shower and then she was going to bed. She asked him if he wanted to join her but he said one word that broke Andy’s heart.

No.
 

Chapter 6