Write. // (Lin-Manuel Miranda Fanfiction) [[On Hold]]

Chapter 6 - An Envelope

By the time Liza made her way through the hotel doors, she could barely see through her tears. It seemed like she was walking in a nightmare, pushing through an invisible bubble.
It took her a minute to discover that the bubble she was pushing against was a pair of arms.
She put up less of struggle but still forced against the person holding her as they guided her into a room.
When the arms finally gently pushed her down into a seating position and hands wiped her face, she was staring into the concerned face of Tony.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey," Liza said. She tried to conceal the hiccup at the end of it.
"You okay?" He asked. When she didn't answer, he tilted her chin up. "Look, I have something that'll cheer you up."
He handed her an envelope with her name written on it next to a smiley face.
Liza looked up into his gray eyes, tilting her head.
"Just read it." He flipped a wrench in his hand, attached it to his belt, and left.
Wiping a stray tear, she opened the envelope, smiling ever so slightly. Despite the events of the day, Tony always knew how to cheer her up.
She pulled out the letter, unfolded it, and read it.

Liza
It took me a while to figure out where to find you. Since we haven't met in a while (and it would be very coincidental if it happened again!) I hope you'll join me for coffee next Thursday, same place same time as we last met there. Maybe this time keep spilling to a minimum... haha, just kidding.
I've been thinking a lot about what you've told me and I'm hoping we can discuss it further.
- Lin :)

Liza read it three times before comprehending any of it.

***

Thursday morning she pushed open the door of the cafe with almost more nervousness than when she had auditioned for Hamilton. Yes, she'd talked to him a couple of time before, but those were just accidental chance meetings. This was different.
Liza scanned the coffee shop for the ponytail she knew so well. When she found it, she made her way over to the two-seater table with her latte.
"Liza!" Lin smiled as she sat down. "Have you auditioned yet?"
She nodded. The letter and meeting had wiped the audition from her mind, but now the memory resurfaced as painful as ever.
His smile faded. "Tell me all about it," he told her.
So she did. Whenever she would stop, he'd prompt her to keep going. It was all she could do not to cry.
When she finished, Lin tilted his head, almost as if he was analyzing her. "I don't see why you're so upset about it."
Liza looked up at him incredulously. "Why would you say that?"
Lin folded his hands and rested his chin on them. "They told you you had an incredible voice?"
"Well, yes."
"They seemed pleased with the song you sang?"
"I think so."
"Don't you see?" He smiled. She loved his smile. It was contagious. "From what I've heard, you're really an incredible singer. You just need to find a play that fits your vocal range."
Liza bit her lip, thinking. "But there isn't one."
He leaned forward. "Exactly."
She looked down, thinking hard. What on earth was that supposed to mean?
Lin looked down at his watch. "Wow, time really flies when you talk about fun audition experiences." If he wasn't Lin-Manuel Miranda, she would have glared at him.
He handed her a slip of paper.
"Tell me when you figure it out," he said. Then he winked with a little smile and headed towards the exit.
So Liza was left staring at her cold half-drank latte, wondering what in the world he was talking about.
Shaking her head, she got up, swinging her jacket onto her arms. What a day it had been.

_____________

Yay another chapter!!! 😄😄 I love this one.
And thank you so so so much to AnnikaMonge for voting!! 💕
Question: do you guys ship any of the characters in this book? (I already kind of figured it out but I'd love to hear what you guys think haha☺️)
As always, comments welcomed and appreciated. :)