Steps to Writing a Musical || Lin-Manuel Miranda

Step 10: Enjoy!

Two years. Seven-hundred-thirty days. That's how long its been since you moved into your childhood home.

It was very big for someone who lived alone, but you managed. It helped you figure out your feelings, to find yourself. Some nights, you found yourself roaming around the house, remembering good and bad memories. Other nights, when Haley would invite herself in, you found yourself making new ones.

You had gotten to a better place. A place where you were truly happy.

Keys, check. Purse, check. Graded work, check.

You walked to the garage of your home, getting inside the car. After starting the car, the garage door opened and you headed to work. While you were driving, you received a call from Brandon. You clicked the button on the dashboard, "What do you want, doctor?"

He chuckled, "I'm not a doctor yet, Y/N."

"Just one more year. What's up?"

Your brother was almost finished with med school. He visited often, if only to make you help him study for a big exam. (You knew more about the human body than you liked.) You and Brandon worked through the grief of losing your mother together. Through that tragedy, you both grew closer than before.

"Just wanted to remind you that Dad's flight is at ten tonight."

"Right, ten. Got it." You nodded.

The real surprise had been your father. It took the death of his wife to realize that he'd been in the wrong for years. He realized that he had hurt you by not supporting you and what you wanted. He didn't want to end up like your mother; with a daughter who wasn't sure she loved him. He'd been steadily working to try and make it up to you, and you appreciated the effort. You just had to remind him that he couldn't make up for everything with money.

He ended up starting his own business. At first, you thought it was just a coping method, that he needed to think about something other than your mom. As time went on, you saw him really putting passion into it. He said that it was something he wanted to for a long time, but your mom didn't want to take the financial risk. It was doing well; he turned a profit very quickly and set up headquarters in London, where he ended moving last year. He came to visit you since he had an investor's meeting in New York.

About twenty minutes later, you said goodbye to Brandon as you pulled into the faculty parking of New York University. You'd been teaching a summer class on the African Diaspora, and you absolutely loved it. As part of his redemption, your father recommended you for a position. You were ecstatic when you heard you got the job. You jumped up to hug your father. That was the first hug you shared with him since you were a little girl.

As you step out of the car, your phone rang again. This time, a familiar name popped up on the screen. You clicked the green button with a smile on your face, "Hey, stranger."

"Hey, Y/N." Chris's voice rang happily. "Where have you been?"

"Me?" You chuckled. "I've been in the same place for the last two years. It's you who's been traveling everywhere, singing people's hearts out."

"Well, I'm back in town to stay for awhile."

"Great! We should catch up." You told him.

"Free after work, Ms. College Professor?" He joked.

You smiled, liking the sound of the name more than you'd care to admit, "How did you even know that?"

"Lin told me. You know he has friends at NYU."

You froze for a split second. Hearing his name always did something to you. Something that was beyond words, really. It was sort of like a pull on your heart, like someone was pushing you in his direction, but you always pushed back. You weren't sure if you were ready to open that door, even if you were subconsciously dying to. Chris sighed, knowing he shouldn't have said his name, "Sorry, Y/N. I totally forgot."