Dreaming

"Thank you for joining us Lin-Manuel. All the best with your new project"
"Well thank you for having me!"

Thea smiled at the TV, picked up the remote and turned it off.
Sitting in silence she sighed. She was so pleased that Lin was achieving everything he was.
They hadn't spoken since the end of school party after they graduated 20 years ago. She went to London to pursue her PHD in medicine and he stayed in New York.
He was a total nerd in college, a theatre kid. Geeky but cute. He had a quick wit, boundless energy, was extremely intelligent and popular with a large set of friends.  Thea had a couple of classes a week with him. She was quiet and found it hard to blend in, Lin was always kind to her, they bonded over a love of Grand Theft Auto, often sharing hints and tips. She fancied him like hell but would never dare say anything.
It didn't surprise her that he had done so well, he worked hard for it.
She looked at the clock. 8pm. Time for bed.
The early shift at the hospital was always a killer.
She got out her clothes ready for the morning and hung them on the bedroom door, showered and got into bed.
Still thinking of Lin she googled him, Jesus had he improved with age! He looked amazing. Still had his thick black hair and those dark chocolate eyes that used to make her weak at the knees. He had filled out, and the addition of a goatee definitely gave him film star looks.
Unsurprisingly he also had a stunning wife. A model he had been with for 2 years, finally getting married last year according to the report.
They looked happy.
She absentmindedly rubbed her ring finger. The omission of a wedding ring was still something she was getting used to. The divorce finally settled 6 months previously.

Lin unplugged himself from the mic and stood still while the wires were taken off.
"Thanks Lin, appreciate you being able to come on at such short notice"
Lin laughed "No problem Jimmy! Even though I wasn't your first choice....." he smiled cheekily.
Jimmy grimaced. "Ah please don't feel like that we wanted you on anyway, it was just planned for later in the y....."
"It's fine! Really! I'm just joking with you, I'm happy to help" He hugged his friend and looked at his watch. "I gotta dash though. I said I'd meet Matilda for a bite to eat"
Jimmy nodded "Say hi from me"

He caught a cab and arrived at the restaurant bang on time. He took a table near the window and ordered a glass of red.
His phone buzzed and he answered self consciously in the crowded room
"Hey, are you nearly here" he said in a loud whisper.
"I've got to keep working on this shoot, I'm not going to make it. I'll have to catch you at home later. Gotta run!" The phone went dead before Lin had even responded.
He ran his hand through his hair and muttered "Damn it Matilda! A 'sorry' would've been nice"
Fiddling with the ring on his finger he sighed. This was not how he thought marriage would be.
He signalled to the waiter for the bill, apologised for taking up a table and left.
Walking home through the park he grabbed a pizza on the way. She wouldn't be home till about 2am if previous days were anything to go by. He was already exhausted. The new show he was writing was taking up all his time. It was very early days but was promising to be a good one. He knew he wouldn't have another Hamilton on his hands, that juggernaut hit with such force and wide reaching ripples it would be a miracle to have another like that, still he was good with it. He still felt incredibly blessed with his work life, it was just his personal life that didn't bring him peace. 
Both successful in their field they had become something of a power couple. To the outside world they were made for each other. Privately it was a different story.
They had hit a rough patch a while back. He was rushing round and hadn't been able to give her the attention she craved. He had gone to surprise her once when she was away on a shoot. He found her in bed with another model. A woman. She said she was lonely and just wanted some company. Claiming it was the first time it had happened. Lin took responsibility for his part and forgave her. Neither of them ever mentioned it to anyone else.
He picked up some flowers on the way back. She loved Tulips.
He let himself into the apartment, put them in a vase, poured a coffee, sat at the table and started to eat his pizza. The apartment felt empty. He couldn't remember the last time they had managed to get a night off together, grabbing quick meals together when they could. He must've seen her about 3 times in the past month.
It hadn't always been like this. Sure they had always been busy, they knew it wasn't going to be easy, but lately it had felt like a very one sided relationship.
He put the pizza box in the bin, had a shower and got into bed. The beautiful Super King Size they had spent ages choosing together seemed ridiculous. "It may as well be a single" he tried to remember the last time they had sex that lasted for longer than a quick twenty minutes. He couldn't.
Still he loved Matilda. Didn't he?
He picked up their wedding photo from the bedside cabinet. She had posed naturally but was very aware of the right angles to make herself look good. He just looked happy.
He picked up his phone and looked at his private photos she had professionally taken for him on their wedding night. She was in her lingerie in the first one laying on a bed of rose petals. The second one she was naked. He sighed, she was beautiful. He looked at his hand "Me and you again!"