Her

1

Desi:

We all cheer after Wicked ends. Let me tell you Broadway shows never fail to amaze me. Although, now that I think about it, is it weird for a twenty eight year old woman to go out alone to see a Broadway show? I mean, what else can I do? I live alone so there is nothing else for me to do on a Saturday night.

The only thing you could hear was the endless screams and whistles coming from the audience as the cast took their last bow. And just like that, the red silky curtain went down, leaving all of us in awe.

Oh, how much I love musicals and the theatre. Well, how much I love writing, songs, shows in general. My passion for all of it has been immense since I was a little kid. I mean, how couldn't it be, if it weren't for my parents. I basically grew up with music around me. My dad loved to write whilst my mom adored singing.

I'm suddenly released from my thoughts, and I start gathering my things so I can make my way outside. As I push the doors and the freezing wind makes contact against my fragile skin, I see a guy that looks like he's in his late-twentie's pacing frantically from side to side.

He looked really stressed out or really panicked, either way I decide to reach out to him. "Sir," I approach him carefully. He turns around and suddenly I'm face to face with the most gorgeous pair of brown eyes I've ever witnessed. Ones that seemed as the color of the Earth after torrential rains.

"Are you alright?" I ask, offering some help.

"Actually, no. M-my sister, she," He stutters. It's like he can't think properly.

"Take a deep breath, calm down." I suggest and he follows my advice. He inhales and then exhales, his warm breath forming goosebumps against my skin. He closes his eyes before opening his mouth again.

"My sister. She was at this bar with some friends, and I haven't heard from her. The only thing I did hear was a news article that said that there was a shooting around that area and she's not answering her phone and all I can think is she's hurt, and I'm sorry, could you give me a ride to the bar? I need to know if she's okay." He rambles while shaking. He just left me in total shock, I could never imagine myself in this position.

"Yes, of course. Do you know which bar she was at?" I question as I start walking to my car and he trails behind me.

"Um, yes. Atomic Liquors," He says as we get inside my car. "Alright, Atomic Liquors it is." I say, hitting the gas pedal. I try not to drive over the speed limit, but fast enough to get there as fast as possible.

"Thank you so much for doing this." He says while I was still driving and I turn my head to steal a glance at him. This guy surely was handsome. "No problem," I respond and he smiles.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I never introduced myself. My name is Lin-Manuel Miranda."

I smile at the name. Unique.

"I am Desdemona, but I go by Desi or Des." I say with a light chuckle.

"Perdition catch my soul, but I do love thee. And when I love thee not, chaos is come again." He quotes Shakespeare, basically where my name comes from. My parents were a big fan of his plays and well, they named me after a character.

"Wow, you know Shakespeare." I say in a bit of shock. Name one male you know that can quote Shakespeare like that. Exactly, you can't. There's not a lot of perfect guys in this world, but I think this one might be.

"Well, I don't know him personally." He says, making me laugh. "But, I'm guilty when it comes to reading a few of his plays. Maybe not a few, more or so like ten." He adds, making me laugh yet again.

"I can safely say that that makes two of us." I say, now it was my turn to make him laugh. It was like his worry just vanished away. I admire him being so positive in a situation like this.

When we're about to pull up to the bar, I ask him if he wanted me to come with him. He declined but I said I was going to go with him anyways. What if he got hurt?

We're finally here and we run inside as we search for his sister. "Aspyn!" He calls out and I'm guessing that's her name. I help him search even though I don't know what she looks like. But, at least if I call out her name, one of these girls will turn around. Right?

"Asp-" He calls out again until he sees her. She was chatting with some friends casually, as if nothing had happened. Actually, I think nothing did happen here, since the bar was under control and he said the shooting was around the area and not exactly inside the building.

"Oh, thank God," He pulls her into a tight hug, as she does too.

"Lin, what happened?" She asks worryingly, pulling away and grabbing him by his shoulders.

"There was a shooting somewhere around here and you didn't pick up your phone and I was scared something had happened to you-" He rushes as she calms him down.

"It's fine. I'm okay. I just left my phone in my bag and it was silenced." She said and I saw his face soften. It was good to see how much he cared for his sister.

"Des, I'm so sorry I put you through all of this." Lin says and he puts his hand on my shoulder, automatically sending electric shocks all over my body.

"Hey, don't worry. I'm glad I could help." I give him a comforting smile, one which he returns.

"Asp, this is Desi. I met her at the theatre and she gave me a ride here and well,
calmed me down." Lin said and the three of us chuckled.

"Oh, hi! Nice to meet you." She extends her hand and I shake it firmly.

"My pleasure," I say with a closed mouth smile.

"Well, I'll leave you to it." He says, saying goodbye to her sister and friends. I do the same and soon after, we're walking towards my car.

"Do you want me to drop you off at your home?" I ask him as we're approaching the vehicle.

"Um, actually. I'm just going to be honest. Can I explain in the car?" He questions.

"Yes."