Work Text:
https://open.spotify.com/track/2RsAajgo0g7bMCHxwH3Sk0?si=029abf182e424b7f
"Andrea, focus." Emily exhaled.
"Mh" Andrea smiled against her neck. She pressed her 4th, or something around that number, kiss under her jaw.
"The movie, darling. You picked it, the least you can do is watch it" Emily pointed out. It was Andys turn to pick the movie, and her superb choice was 'Am I Ok?'. The kids were with their father for the night, so the two had settled on a movie night accompanied with snacks and wine.
"I've already seen it, baby." Andrea answered, pressing another kiss behind Emilys ear. It was a fact Emily already knew, Andrea only chose the film because Emily revealed she'd never seen it. It was between this and '12 Angry Men', both incredible choices in the words of Andrea.
"Right, well, i'm trying to watch it" Emilys comment held no merit, she didn't try to push Andrea away. Rather, she drifted closer to the source of affection.
"Oh I'm sure" Andrea grinned, Emily felt the action on the neck. Andrea pressed a final kiss onto Emily clavicle, sucking until a mark revealed itself.
"Andy" Emily sighed, her hand immediately finding its way to Andreas hair.
Andrea pulls away for a moment, suddenly hesitant about something Emily couldn't read. Emily didn't pry, she waited for the inevitable moment Andrea spoke. Scratching at Andreas head in her wait.
"Em"
"Yes?"
"I have something to ask"
"Go on then"
A pause. Andrea's anxiousness was starting to rub off on her. What exactly was she going to ask?
Emily knew it wasn't rational to immediately wonder if Andreas source of nerves were directed at her, or more accurately, their relationship.
Did she want, God forbid, a break? Was she tired of co-parenting Bronwyn and Roark?
Sick of picking them up from school, sick of taking them to the zoo because their useless father was too busy to take them out.
She knew Andrea loved the kids, this relationship wouldn't be made possible if that weren't the case.
But, it would take a fool not to see that entering a romantic relationship with a mother would mean she was entering a parental role for her children.
Before Emily could spiral more, Andrea pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Em, its nothing serious, stop with that look my love"
Emilys shoulder visibly dropped in relief, Andrea read her too well.
"Well? spit it out Andy"
"Do you.... uhm... okay.. let me-- okay, right so, I've been invited to a party-- not a party, it's a reunion. God, im really screwing up the wording of this. For an award winning journalist I'm not very eloquent-"
"Darling, you're rambling" Emily murmured, gently holding Andreas face so she'd look her in the face. Her thumb moving at her jaw in a comforting motion.
"It's a high school reunion, i'm asking if you want to come to my high school reunion." Andrea finally blurts out.
Very intentionally not mentioning a very important detail to this meeting.
"Okay"
"Okay?"
"Andrea, we've been together for a year and a half now, obviously i'll come. What's got you so worried?"
"No, nothing. I don't know, I'm dumb" Andrea laughed.
"You're not dumb, you said it yourself, you're an award winning journalist. You're just a little emotionally...."
"Emotionally...?"
"Stunted"
"I am not."
"Sure, you're not"
"That didn't sound honest"
Emily shut her up with a gentle kiss.
Andrea took the opportunity to shuffle up so Emilys head was directed up to keep the kiss connected. Andrea pushed a leg over Emilys lap, not once breaking the kiss.
Once she was fully situated, straddled above Emily, she pulled away.
"Are you sure that was all?" Emily questioned, still not understanding what could've caused Andreas turmoil.
"Yes baby, now let me focus on your beautiful self" Andrea grinned into Emilys mouth. Receiving a scoff and subsequently a kiss from Emily.
->>>>>>>>>>>-
"You're not wearing that to a reunion Andrea, you haven't seen these people in 25 years." Emily complained.
Andrea was wearing a tight cropped top that revealed a sliver of her toned stomach.
The top was edgy, with a white base and gray wings printed at the front.
She paired it with low rise straight blue jeans, slight baggy at the ends but fitting perfectly at her strong quads.
"Oh come on, baby trust me this is perfectly suited for it. It's a specific vibe, we're meeting at a bar they booked out. Imagine it, me in this, low light bar."
"You're a runway journalist, look the part."
"I'm after hours."
"You're getting on my nerves is what you are."
Andrea laughed. Wrapping her arms around Emilys waist, resting her head on her girlfriend's shoulder.Watching her in the full body mirror as she clasped on some hooped earrings.
Her front was now flush with Emilys back, the proximity was not lost on the blonde.
"You're leaning against 2,600 euros, Andrea"
Emily was wearing a gorgeous off shoulder NET-A-PORTER dress.
It was in a deep blue color, the blue was likely named something she couldn't pronounce but Emily most definitely had memorized.
It brought out her, in Andreas expert opinion, insanely distracting ocean eyes. Her blonde hair complimenting.... well, really everything about her.
Andrea knew Emily could rock any hair color. It didn't matter how she experimented with her appearance, Andrea would desire her all the same.
Emily sighed.
"Fine, keep the outfit."
Andrea beamed at the approval.
"But! I'm dressing you for the next month, and we are not taking any photos together tonight." Emily compromised.
Andrea pouted, rightfully. "Fine."
"Fine."
"One photo?"
"Andrea."
"Baby, please, just one" Andrea begged, nuzzling into Emilys neck.
Unfair. Blatantly unfair. Emily thought.
"... Just one" She mended.
Andrea tried to hide her smile by burrowing her face further into Emilys neck.
"Thank you" she whispered, pressing a kiss to her exposed shoulder in gratitude.
Emily rolled her eyes. The action feigned annoyance. Andrea knew it meant 'I love you'.
->>>>>>>>>>>-
Andrea and Emily stepped out of the cab, instantly forced awake by the cold air of New York at night.
"What sort of bar is this?" Emily asked, her voice full of judgement. They were standing in front of a Coyote Ugly bar. A place that, its safe to say, Emilys never stepped foot in.
"It's Coyotes, it's a rodeo bar. Which means it's tons of fun and you can dance on the tables and there's a mechanical bull you can ride." Andrea enthusiastically supplied.
"That all sounds terribly American. Do they wear cowboy hats and boots too?" Emily let out in a wheeze.
"Yes."
"Oh."
"Let's go in, it's going to be just people from school. The general public will not see you here." Andy said in mock reassurance.
"Your 'school friends'" Emily hissed, bending her fingers into air quotes, "ARE the general public."
Andrea didn't dignify that with a response, instead, she dragged Emily in by her arm.
The bar doors bell rings as they entered. The bar was full, people even Andrea could barely recognize were there.
It had been 25 years since she'd last seen most of them, she couldn't be held accountable for not remembering everyone.
"Andrea Sachs!? That cannot possibly be you!" Some girl with dyed navy hair hollered immediately. "Haha, it's me! Samara, maybe you don't recognize me without my blonde hair." She followed up.
"Maybe she doesn't recognize you without her head between your thighs" A mediocre man, clearly coming from a corporate job, teased. He walked up beside them. Samara and Andrea laughed awkwardly.
Emily immediately whipped her head towards Andrea, demanding an explanation.
Her eyes narrowing as she looked between Andrea and Sandy? Or whatever her God forsaken name was.
Andrea locked eyes with Emily. "Oh stop, it's been two decades, how are you still not over that?" Andrea laughed, trying to ease the tension.
Simultaneously reassuring Emily it wasn't recent.
"Yeah Jack, get a life." Samara supplied.
"Oh come on, in my defense, it's hard to forget something so traumatic!" Jack roared.
"Hardly traumatic!" Andrea rolled her eyes.
"What exactly is going on?" Emily questioned.
"Ah, im so sorry. We didn't mean to- okay whatever, basically, me and Andrea dated in school. Me being the drummer and her whatever whatever, who cares. We dated and made the very immature and idiotic decision to.. well get it on in the music room after school. Jack here, in his impatience, got sick of waiting for us at the gates and came looking. He found me propped up on the piano with Andrea between my legs and-" Samara prattled on.
"Stop, please, let this be PG" Andrea interrupted, clearly not too happy to have the situation repackaged and furnished in detail to her very precious girlfriend.
"Sorry sorry, let me reintroduce myself." Samara sheepishly apologized.
"I am Samara, and this is Jack. We were Andreas best friends back in high school, before we split for college. We also have Daniel, but he's currently too distracted chatting up his high school sweetheart over by the bar to notice Andrea walked in."
"Right" Emily replied, her tone clipped and uninterested.
"This is Emily, she's my girlfriend." Andrea smiled, clearly proud to be able to show her off.
Her hand slipping around Emilys waist, squeezing once to make sure she was okay.
"Oh dear, you let me go on about your late relationship in front of your current!?" Jack cringed.
"I didn't let you do anything, you did that yourself" Andrea informed.
Before anyone could say anything else, a few more people came to greet Andrea, everyone suddenly painfully interested in the successful journalist.
Emily knew this night was going to be long, but it was made bearable with Andreas arm around her.
While Andrea was talking to... whoever, Emily couldn’t for the life of her remember their names. Emily thought back to what Sandra? had said, 'music room', 'drummer'.
Savannah clearly had been a musician, had Andrea shared that interest in high school?
Emily immediately wiped that thought out of her head, Andrea would've showed signs if she was musically inclined.
After an hour, or to what Emily felt was five years, she reluctantly pulled herself away from Andrea, motioning toward the bar when Andrea looked back at her with an expectant look.
Once Andy nodded, Emily made her way to the bar where for whatever reason; two women who had lost all concept of shame were dancing on.
While waiting for her drink to be made, she looked back at Andrea.
Coincidentally, Andrea had escaped the increasingly growing group of people crowding her, and had been making her way toward Emily.
Her arms immediately finding Emily once she approached her. Andrea was very touchy, she has become nearly unbearably clingy since they'd started dating.
Emily didn't mind though, she at times craved Andrea and her neediness. The comfort and safety of her arms around her.
"Baby, how are you doing? not as bad as you imagined?"
"It's.. alright. It hasn't become deplorable yet if that's what you're asking." Emily murmured into her recently given drink.
"Yeah?' Andrea kissed Emilys temple, "Well, hopefully you like what's about to happen."
"And what's about to happen?"
Before Andrea could answer the blonde, someone began on the microphone.
"And for the main event of tonight, our favorite nostalgic band will hit the stage for the first and last time in 26 years." A man broadcasted.
Emily could hardly make out his features, she was far too focused on watching Andrea pull away from her.
Andrea made her way to Sienna? Jared? and Dave? She hadn't noticed at first, but they'd all been wearing similar outfits.
Sophia? was wearing a grey long sleeve knitted sweater, stopping right before her waist. She wore it with flared jeans the same color as Andreas.
Joseph? was wearing a long sleeved white henley, with blue bootcut jeans.
Darren? was wear a tight light grey short sleeved v neck, paired with - lord and behold - blue bootcut jeans.
Emily, at first bewildered, was very quickly connecting the dots. She'd always been quite perceptive. She'd always prided herself on her observant nature.
Just as she realized what was going on, Andrea and her 'crew' had been up on a stage with their respective instruments in hand.
Andrea, her Andy, was holding a bass guitar; adorned with the colors white and dark red. The guitar slung around her neck was one thing, the microphone she was repositioning in front of her was another.
Emily paid very little attention to what everyone else was doing, let alone what they played.
She caught a glimpse of Sarah on the drums, her eyes glued onto her evidently nervous girlfriend.
The man who broadcasted the 'event' started speaking again but she didn't hear a thing, she all but gaped at Andrea.
Andrea caught Emilys gaze, winking at her before she began speaking.
"Hi everyone! We'll be performing 'Come As You Are' by Nirvana, if you remember, it was the last song we played for the senior years concert. Haha, if you don't remember that, hopefully this will jog your memory." Andrea smiled kindly at the crowd, settling her eyes on Emily.
Emily, who was still looking at Andrea like she grew extra limbs within the last 15minutes.
Emily doesn't know what she expected, but she hadn't expected Andrea to be good. Like, genuinely flawless on the guitar.
The song opens up with an unaccompanied guitar riff, the man with the henley started it off with his electric guitar. Andrea joins in approximately 9 seconds in.
If that stunned her, she was dumbfounded when Andrea started singing.
Come as you are, as you were
as I want you to be
as a friend, as a friend
as an old enemy
The rest of the band joining in at certain parts, but Andrea was the main attraction.
She looked unreal, she shook her head as she sang. Her hair sticking to her face.
Emily itched to move it out of her way, she itched to do a lot more than that too, but she wouldn't get into that.
The lights illuminated her face in all the right places, her hands moving at a distracting speed.
She handled the guitar like she'd been actively using it for God knows how long. How had Emily not known about this?
Had Journalism been a cover for her musical career? Has she composed any songs? Emily needed her to brag more, she needed her to show her more of this part of her.
It was unfairly attractive.
Andrea was smiling at her, she was singing and grinning.
Come doused in mud, soaked in bleach
as I want you to be
as a trend, as a friend
as a known memoria
Her hair still scarcely on her face, her fingers still expertly playing, her body moving with the music. Andrea was looking down at Emily with a sly smirk on her face.
Emily was desperate. She was in dire need of wiping that smug look off her face.
Emily stood there, drink in hand, internally obsessing over this new piece of information revealed to her.
Andrea was ethereal. Her voice getting louder as the song progressed. Her bandmates coming together to enhance the sound.
no I don’t have a gun,
no I don’t have a gun.
Her voice raspy, her presence immediate and inviting. Andrea transformed, from the golden retriever journalist Emily knew and loved, into an alluring rockstar.
The bar slowly came back to view, Emily was floating back to reality. The bar was quiet, everyone stunned by the performance.
Emily slowly sipped at her drink, hoping no one noticed her flushed face under the dark lighting.
no I don’t have a gun.
no I don’t have a gun.
memoria.
memoria.
The song was finishing up, the drums, the bass and electric guitar coming together. Eventually fading out. The bar roared with applause, people hollered at her Andrea and... Andys friends.
Andrea laughed into the mic, thanking everyone for their love before laying the guitar down for - Emily assumes - its actual owner to pick up.
Andrea moved through the multitude of people coming up to her gracefully, kindly thanking them and reciprocating pleasantries.
Emily decided she was taking too long to get to her. So, she does what any sane and sober girlfriend of a hidden rock star would do. She downs her drink, pushes through the crowd, grips onto Andreas arm and pulls her to outside.
"Sorry! See you guys, sorry! Let's meet for a coffee sometime, text me--" Andrea yelps, interrupted by the door closing behind her.
The cold air woke Emily up, she pulls Andrea into the alleyway beside the bar. It was blocked off, secluded. Only a side door back into Coyotes was visible.
"Emily what-"
Emily pushes Andrea to the wall, halting her sentence with a passionate kiss. It lasts a good 5 seconds before Emily pulls back. Still holding onto to Andreas neck.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Tell you what exactly" Andrea questions, she doesn't know if she means 'why didn't you tell me about your ex band', or 'why didn't you tell me you could sing', or 'why didn't you tell me you could play the guitar', or 'why didn't you tell me you were performing'.
Andrea grasps that it was likely all of these possibilities as one.
"That you-- That you could do that. That you had this part of yourself hidden from me, why?" Emily breathed.
"I wanted it to be a surprise" Andrea speaks honestly. She did want to surprise Emily, keep an air of excitement and mystery between them.
She supposes it was a stupid reason, but she wanted to be dramatic. She feels silly now thinking about it.
"Why don't you sing or, or play the guitar around the house. Wyn and Roark would love it, I'd love it." Emily confessed.
"It's nothing personal my love, I don't know.. I'm 44 Emily, I'm a journalist at runway magazine. I don't have much time to be playing the guitar or singing in a production room." Andrea sighs.
"Andrea, it's never too late to explore a hobby darling. You're not yet 'old'" Emily comforted, tucking the hairs that escaped during Andreas performance behind her ears.
"Yeah... I guess you're right.. so, you'd want a private concert at home?" Andrea softened.
"Yes, I would." Emily blanked.
"Yeah? You would?" Andrea teased.
Emily kisses her, gentle at first. The kiss is quickly deepened by Emily, her arms making their way behind her neck. She clasps her hands together before pushing herself into Andrea.
Andrea gasps, letting out a barely audible whimper that Emily devours. Emily takes this as an opportunity to lick into Andys mouth. The kiss is enjoyable but far too inappropriate for a Coyotes alleyway.
Andrea smiles into the kiss before Emily pulls back.
"Gosh, we can't make out here like inexperienced teens." Emily grumbled.
"Well, we are at my high school reunion. Surely it's warranted?" Andrea bit her lip, far too pleased with her own reply.
Emily rolls her eyes but smiles, leaning in again for another chaste kiss.
"Let's go home Andy."
"Okay, sure" Andrea huffed, her breath fanning over Emilys mouth.
Andrea plants a sweet last kiss onto Emilys mouth before pushing off the wall.