Until You

"We have to go up in the Tower," she'd said mysteriously. "There's something I want you to see."

They weren't going to see anything if Nita didn't get here soon. Miranda glanced at the sky. Clouds were rolling in over the city. Visibility wouldn't be good.

"There you are!"

Miranda turned and saw Nita hurrying towards her, tall and striking in a hot pink cape that went clear down to her ankles.

"There I am?" Miranda said, offering her face for an exchange of quick cheek-to-cheek air kisses. "I don't want to upset you, my friend, but I have been here for half an hour."

"Did you buy our tickets?"

Miranda waved the two billets in the air. "Yes. Now, are you going to tell me what we're doing here?"

Nita grinned, looped her arm through Miranda's and hurried her to the stairs.

"Be patient, girlfriend. You'll find out, in a few minutes."

"Wait a minute. You're going to pass up the elevator?" Miranda stared at Nita. "I don't believe it. What's going on?"

"We're only going to the second level and I'm too excited to wait for the elevator. Come on, come on—if I can do it, so can you."

It was windy, and cool, and they were the only two people taking the stairs. Nita groaned when they reached the first level.

"High heels weren't made for climbing," she said. "Just give me a minute."

"Nita," Miranda said, "this had better be good."

"It is. It's wonderful."

"Uh-huh."

"Go on, don't believe me. I promise, this is going to be something very, very special."

"What? Stop being so mysterious."

"I'm not being mysterious, I'm being dramatic." Nita huffed as they began climbing the stairs again. "Nothing wrong with a little drama, is there?"

"There is, when I've had a long and trying day."

"Poor darlin'. Your friend, the gorgeous American hunk, givin' you trouble again?"

"He's not my friend and he's not, as you so subtly put it, a hunk. He's a pain in the derriere."

"I think you've got the man wrong, girlfriend. He seemed really nice the other day, when he came to see... Oops!"

"O'Neil went to see you?"

"Damn! I knew you'd be pissed. Look, he just asked me a few simple questions."

"About me," Miranda said coldly.

"Yeah. Well, about us. When we met, how long we know each other... stuff like that."

"Did it ever occur to you I wouldn't like the idea of you talking to that man behind my back?"

"Oh, give me a break! It's not like we discussed your bra size! The whole thing took five minutes. I told him that you were my best friend in the whole wide world and that was it."

"I still don't like it."