You stare at the ten numbers written on the small piece of paper. Should you throw them away? Should you use them? Should you put them in a drawer and forget about them?

When you finally decide to put the phone number into your contacts, your phone buzzes. You see that you got a new email, and open it.

Y/N L/N- We are proud to say that we'll be doing a showcase at our theater. Part of the showcase that we'd like to have is the song "Champagne" from the musical "In The Heights." First, we contacted Karen Olivo to see if she would be willing to play Vanessa for the showcase. She informed us that she was out of town, and wouldn't be back until next month. Knowing how many theater productions you have been involved in and how much experience you have, we would like you to play the part of Vanessa in that scene. Please let us know before the end of the week. The showcase is next Friday at 7:00pm. We will send you the details, should you choose to be a part of it. Best, Hugh Carlson, director at Green Valley Theater

You look up from the email in surprise. They wanted you to be Vanessa in the showcase? That'd be amazing! But wait- who would play Usnavi?

Mr. Carlson- I would be honored to play Vanessa in "Champagne." Thank you for thinking of me! The only question I have is that who would be playing Usnavi with me? Thank you!

You send it, nervous for the answer. Whoever it was, you had to kiss. Hopefully it wasn't some creepy guy.

Within a few minutes, a reply popped up.

Y/N L/N- I am thrilled to know that you will be able to play the part! Details will go out to everyone involved in the showcase tomorrow morning. Although Karen Olivo was not able to come, Lin-Manuel Miranda said that he would be happy to play the part of Usnavi about a half hour ago. Thank you!

The color drains from your face. You're going to have to kiss Lin. But it's okay. It's just a stage kiss. You've done that... a couple times before. It'll be fine. Everything will be fine, you tell yourself. But inside, your heart is beating wildly, and panic filled you.

You: So, you're playing Usnavi in the Green Valley Theater showcase? Oh, and this is Y/N.

You nervously hit send. A few seconds later, he replies.

Lin: Yeah. Are you playing Vanessa?

You: Yeah

Lin: How come you left without saying goodbye? I wanted to introduce you to Vanessa

Why did you leave? It's not like you liked him or anything. You guys were just good friends.

You: I don't know. I guess I thought you two would want some alone time, since you were apart for so long

Lin: You could've said goodbye

You bite your lip. You know you could've. But at that moment, it hadn't felt like you could.

You: I'm sorry. I guess I wasn't thinking straight.

Lin: It's okay. I'm just glad I gave you my number before you ran off

You: Me too. So you're going to have to teach me the choreo for Champagne, because I don't know it.

Lin: No problem, it's pretty straightforward

Yep. Pretty straightforward. Just a few sung lines back and forth, then a long kiss. No big deal. No big deal.

"Alright, welcome. If you're here, it means you either auditioned to be part of this showcase, or were asked to to be part of it. Either way, thank you for coming. The purpose of this showcase is to get the people of New York interested in theater again. Over the past year, we've had a decline in the amount of people that audition for productions, and that come to see them. We're hoping this showcase could change that. We'll have a tech rehearsal on Thursday at 7:00 pm. Bring your costume and props if you need them. The show is on Friday at 7:00 pm. I expect you all to be here at 6:00 sharp. Today, we'll be going through the order of the performances and your scenes. Up first is Mira Gordan and Holly Frank, performing 'Defying Gravity' from 'Wicked'."

"I wonder when we're going," Lin whispers to you as you watch two women walk up to the stage after Mr. Carlson stepped off it.

"I'm nervous," you say suddenly. "I don't know any of the choreography."

"It's okay. We don't need to have the choreography down today. I'll teach it to you tomorrow, if you'd like."

You look at Lin as the music starts. "Would you? That would make me feel so much better."

He smiles. "Of course."

Turns out, you and Lin were the very last act. "Finishing off with a cliffhanger," Mr. Carlson had called it.

You stepped onstage, and quickly fell into character. You weren't Y/N anymore. You were Vanessa, a tough, witty, compassionate woman who grew up in Washington Heights. And someone you loved, Usnavi, was leaving. For good. And you owed him a bottle of champagne.

"So I got you a present. I went downtown to get it," you begin to sing, and melt into the scene.

A couple minutes later, you hear Lin sing, "Vanessa, I don't know why you're mad at me."

"I wish I was mad." You had watched the video. You knew that this was the part where Vanessa and Usnavi were supposed to kiss. But Lin thought you didn't know any of the choreo. You wanted to keep it that way.

You stare at him wistfully, and find yourself not being Vanessa anymore. You suddenly understood exactly what she was feeling in that moment.

"I'm just too late," you sing, and Lin's lips part. Could he tell you really meant it?

The applause shakes you out of your thoughts, and you smile.

It wasn't going to be that bad. You were just psyching yourself out. It was just a stage kiss. A stage kiss between two actor friends. No biggie.

But when you looked at Lin, you knew it was going to be a biggie.

"Y/N, hi."

You smile at Lin and step into his apartment. "Wow," you say. "This is really nice."

He smiles. "Thank you."

You start to take off your coat, and he says, "Let me get that," like the perfect gentleman he is. But when his fingers brush your skin, you feel those familiar, stupid, stupid, tingles. When will that go away?

"Would you like a tour, madam?", he asks in a British accent.

"I would love that," you reply in your best accent.

He offers his elbow, and you take it, then he shows you around his really good sized apartment.

After the tour, he first slowly runs you through the choreography. He says the line, then shows you what you do. When he got to the kissing part, he just says, quickly and simply, "Then you kiss me," then moves onto the next part.

Every time you ran it after that without the music, you both just stared at each other when you were supposed to be kissing. It was a rehearsal. You didn't have to yet.

Then, after a couple good run-throughs, he says, "Let's do it with the music and with all the choreo this time."

Uh oh. All of it?, you think nervously.

Using a large two-liter soda bottle as the champagne, you go through it again.

With the music, it was easier to get into it, and you found yourself having fun acting, until- "Vanessa, I don't know why you're mad at me."

"I wish I was mad." You stay there for a second, then try and brush past him, but Lin- Usnavi grabs you and brings you back out in front of him.

Putting your hands on the side of his face, you lean forward, heart racing. Lin's eyes are closed, and he's leaning forward too. Closing your eyes, you brace yourself for impact.

When you're less than an inch apart, there's a knock on the door.

You both pull apart in surprise, and look at each other.

Before either of you says anything, they knock again. "Lin it's me!", you hear.

Vanessa.

He goes over to the door, and you follow him, pulling your jacket off the hook.

"Hey, Lin!", Vanessa says happily, hugging him.

She notices you. "Oh, did I interrupt something?"

Lin opens his mouth, but before he can answer, you say, "Nothing." You look at Lin. "I'll see you on Thursday."

Then you walk out of Lin-Manuel Miranda's apartment, feeling even more conflicted than before.

*Author's Note: I swear the emails and the texts looked better in the rough draft. Oh, and made up the Green Valley Theater, it's not an actual theater in New York. Copyright to Lin-Manuel Miranda for the "In The Heights" lyrics.*