Captivated

The Room Where It Happens

Hi everyone I love everybody's talking about Jamie and that's all I have to say. haha. Also, I'm so glad that you all had such strong feelings about the last chapter ;) this one won't be as bad, promise xx comment/vote
-ab

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January 8, 2025

Harper

As I prepare to meet up with my friends in the afternoon, I can't believe that this is actually goodbye. My trip to New York is over.

While that's sad, I know that I'll be able to go home feeling refreshed, and I am rather excited to start performing again. I have been craving it for the past few days, especially with all of the shows I've seen. It'll be good to be back on the barricade, especially without having to worry about Louie.

Just before I leave my hotel, I notice an e-mail on my phone from Trevor. Immediately opening it, my suspicious are confirmed as I see the subject line.

Dear Harper,
I am writing this to inform you that we have officially cast a new Marius, Harry Gibbons. We will be having a put-in for him on January 12 at 13:00. Please be sure to report for this.
I believe that you will feel more safe with Harry. He is only set to stay until Louie's contract would have been up, as of right now, but he is incredibly talented and excited to take on the role.
Wishing you safe travels on your flight home tomorrow!
Sincerely,
Trevor

Breathing a sigh of relief, I decide that I have a bit more time before I must go, so I search up Harry on Instagram, out of sheer curiosity. I easily find his profile.

@harry.gibbons.13
Harry Gibbons
London-based singer, actor, and Swiftie
Fiyero- Wicked UK Tour- 2024

I smile to myself. He's a Swiftie. I know that the two of us will get off just fine. Especially if he's not afraid to declare that in his Instagram biography.

Scrolling through his page, I also quickly find out that he is in a very happily relationship with a man named Alex, who looks to be just as lovely as Harry is.

Breathing a sigh of relief as I realize that Harry won't do anything of the sorts that Louie did, I am able to genuinely smile again as I head out to meet up with my girls... running just a few minutes late.

I feel as though a burden has been lifted off of my shoulders. I didn't even realize how terrified I was about finding a new Marius until the issue was removed.

Meeting up with Annabel and Sophia, we spend a long time talking and laughing, until they both have to get to matinee performances, as it is a Wednesday.

"I guess this is goodbye, then," I sigh.

"Don't worry. We will see each other again soon," Sophia promises me. "If you ever want to come back to New York, either of our doors are always open."

"Thank you so much," I smile. "And if either of you decide to come back to London... well, I have two flatmates, but you can share my bed if you want..."

They both laugh.

The three of us all exchange lots of hugs, and promises to keep in better touch. We have a WhatsApp group message now, so that'll be easier.

And at that, we all part our ways. I can't lie, I'm sad to see them go. I feel my lonliness come rushing back into me.

Once I'm back home in London, I'll have nobody. I won't have Patrick, I won't have Ava, I won't have Nessa and Katherine.

A few days after I'm home, the mandatory month will be up... maybe Nessa and Katherine will be able to talk then, but as our schedules will be all very different, I may have to wait even longer to catch up with them both.

I don't even know what I could say to them. There's so much tension between the three of us. I absolutely see their points. I was kind of a jerk. But they also were less than perfect. They shunned me at a time when I needed them most.

But I know that deep down, I still want to be their friend. I know that they want to be mine, as well. Or at least I hope so.

That's not what I need to focus on right now, though. I have an early morning flight tomorrow, and I need to make sure that I'm all ready for that. I'm catching one final show tonight, so I have to be all packed up before then.

It seems surreal that I managed to snag last minute tickets to Hamilton, the show that truly caused me to fall in love with theatre in the first place. On Broadway, nonetheless.

It turned out, though, that Annabel lives in the flat right next door to one of the ensemble members of Hamilton, and he was able to get me a spare ticket.

Sure, I've seen it on the West End more times than I can count, but there's something special about seeing in in New York City, where it had its first life. I'll truly be in the room where it happens.

As I check my hotel room to be sure that I'm all packed, I can't seem to get my excited thoughts out of my head. I listen to the cast album as I'm preparing, taking my shower and fixing my makeup so that I look cute for pictures, which I'll inevitably take lots of.

Once I decide that I'm ready to leave tomorrow morning, I head out of the hotel for one last night in the city.

This trip has been exactly what I've needed to get my mind off of everything. I remembered that I truly do have people who have my back, even when it feels like my world is ending. I have Annabel, Sophia, and even Taylor. I can't believe that she still wants to be friends, even after everything that happened between Patrick and I, but she does. She refuses to give our friendship up.

And when I go back to London, keeping those things in mind, I just need to reinvent my life. I need to focus on what's truly important right now, start looking ahead at my future as an individual, instead of looking ahead at my future with Patrick, and I'm going to focus on making the remainder of my run in Les Mis as amazing as it can possibly be.

That's what really matters.