Captivated

On The Town

Aw, okay, a cute little filler chapter for you all tonight. I'm quite fond of this one. Also, I'm sticking a picture up above that's for my girl sofaroffbway because I had no other way of getting it to her haha. Just ignore it haha. But ya girl got herself some new pointe shoes today, so we love that. I hope you're all having a nice winter break! This book is almost over, believe it or not. I know I've told you all that there will be a sequel, so you can expect more info on that soon! Until then, enjoy this chapter, and comment/vote x
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September 12, 2025

Patrick

One week of my job down. Only fifty more years to go, I think to myself as I leisurely stroll home from work.

So far, my job is nice. It certainly has its challenges, but any job does. It also has some nice perks- kind coworkers who have accepted me into their family, a long lunch break, and of course, a nice paycheck as well.

"We should do something to celebrate your first week being done," Harper tells me when I get home. "Go out for a night on the town or something."

I know that she's getting a bit stir crazy as she sits at home, with not much to do. If she doesn't book a role soon, I'll have to help her find some sort of project to work on, so that she can busy herself for a little bit. I figure, though, that a night on the town wouldn't hurt her.

"I'll tell you what," I tell her. "You go get dressed, and I'll see what sort of cheap, last-minute theatre tickets I can get us."

Her eyes widen. "Really? Patrick, you don't have to do that!"

"But I want to give you the best," I tell her. "Now, go get changed, and I'll join you in a little bit."

At that, Harper scurries off, and I get on my laptop to view the shows currently playing on the West End. As I scroll through the shows, I eventually decide that I'll take her to Matilda. Even though I believe that she's seen it before, it looks cute, and I know that she loves it. She's mentioned before that it is her absolute favourite West End Live performance. She looks forward to the little girls singing 'Naughty' every single year.

After the tickets are purchased and waiting at the box office of the Cambridge Theatre for us, I walk into my room where Harper is still leafing through the closet, trying to find a suitable dress.

"Love," I whisper in her ear, coming up behind her, "you're going to look beautiful, no matter what you pick."

"Thanks," she giggles. "What about this purple dress?" She holds up a lavender-coloured swing dress. "With a denim jacket?"

"Perfect," I tell her.

"Should I straighten my hair for the occasion?"

"That takes too long," I complain. "Your hair looks fine, hon. Just brush it and put it in the half-up style that I like."

"Okay," she laughs, giving my cheek a little kiss before she starts to change. I turn away and begin to rummage through my drawers, trying to find something to wear, as well. I end up with a navy sports coat, grey tee shirt, and jeans.

Soon, we are ready to head out. "We can grab a bite to eat in Covent Gardens," I tell her.

"What show are we seeing?"

"I think that's for me to know, and for you to find out later," I wink at her.

"Paaatrick," she whines, "won't you tell me?"

"Nope. That would ruin the fun."

She giggles a little bit.

The rush hour on the tube is close to the end when we get on, but it is still crowded on there, so there aren't any seats available. Harper grasps the pole tightly, and I stand beside her, instinctively guarding her purse as we ride into the city.

When we make it to Covent Gardens, we get off of the train and take the elevator up to ground level. After we find dinner, I walk Harper in the direction of the Cambridge Theatre.

"I hope that you like Matilda," I tell her with a giggle, as we turn into the Seven Dials junction, with the lovely rows of wispy purple flowers hanging overhead. It's quite a nice area, really.

"Are you serious?" she squeals with excitement. "Patrick, you're kidding me. How'd you do it?"

"I went on the internet and bought tickets," I shrug. "Not that big of a deal. They were quite cheap, really. Not the best seats, but they aren't terrible. Come on. Let's go pick up the tickets, and then we can walk around for a few more minutes before the show starts."

I lead her into the box office and speak through the microphone in the window. "Two tickets, under Patrick Alwyn."

The lady working in the office spins her chair around and looks through the envelopes containing tickets, before pulling one out. "Here you are. You're siting in the upper circle, so you'll enter through the Mercer Street entrance. Those stairs will take you right up to the upper circle."

"Wonderful," I say, taking the tickets from her. "Thank you."

"Enjoy the show," she smiles at me. I thank her, before handing the tickets to Harper. "Could you stick those in your purse for a little bit?"

"Absolutely."

"How about we just walk down towards the Cambridge Circus and back?" I suggest to her. "That should kill us enough time, if we walk slowly enough."

"Patrick," she giggles, "you should know me well enough to know that walking slowly isn't a thing that I do, ever."

"Oh, just try," I laugh. "If we return early, then we can just wait out here for a bit."

We take the walk, trying not to get lost in the many different paths in the area. We share some wonderful moments together, talking and laughing.

Every day, I fall more and more in love with the girl who is holding my hand as we walk back to the Cambridge Theatre, and arrive just in time. We are let in and find our seats in the upper circle.

"Love, do you want any souvenirs from this? A magnet or anything?"

"My parents have a magnet from Matilda on their fridge," she tells me. "I used to get magnets from nearly every show that I saw."

"I love that," I tell her.

"My parents have quite the collection. I should snatch a few from them, the next time that I go out there for a visit," she giggles.

"Well, in that case, how about we just get a programme and call it good?"

"Fine by me. We don't even have to get anything."

"Do you want ice cream, while I'm at it?" I ask, fumbling around in my pocket for my wallet.

"I'm good. Thanks, love."

I purchase the programme, which Harper and I spend a few minutes reading through, and then, the show begins.

At the end of the evening, Harper and I have both enjoyed ourselves. As we crawl in bed next to each other, I know that I've successfully gotten her mind off of her upcoming audition, and how bored she is just sitting around the flat, for the evening. That was my goal in the first place.

And now, I've got her to myself for two more days before I have to go back to work and she has her audition.