alippaphabet ✎

m for move

Pippa watched as cars pass by the windows of the restaurant she was in. She could've swore that she saw Daveed Diggs in one of them, but that wasn't the point. Lin had stood her up for lunch again, probably for the umpteenth time for these past weeks.

She could understand that the man was coped up in so many projects, —hell, she even recorded a demo for this song he made for Moana just weeks before— but it was infuriating to simply sit and wait for the writer to arrive as their food got cold. She wasn't even hungry anymore.

She had mixed emotions. Anger, sadness, understanding... But mostly disappointment. It was so unlike him to just forget about the plans they made. Then again, she rarely got to see him lately so she wasn't so sure if she really did know him anymore.

"Phillipa?"

She tensed. She was about to burst (thinking that it was her pretend husband) but once her mind registered who owned the familiar voice, she relaxes.

"Steven?"

"Pip! Long time no see!" Steven Pasquale exclaims, smiling when Pippa turned to face him. The two were friends back when she did Great Comet (he was just someone who was in the audience one night and the two somehow became friends) and haven't seen each other since those days.

"How are you?"

"Doing great!" He grinned. "I heard you're a big-shot now, huh? Leading actress in Hamilton?"

"I'm not sure if that's the right way to put it..." She replied, shaking her head in embarrassment. She didn't like to think of herself so highly. All she thinks about is how much happiness the job brings her and other people.

"Don't be humble. You were always such a great actress."

"Thanks, Steven." She smiled. She was glad someone was there to cheer her up.

—

"It was great catching up with you, Phillipa. Unfortunately I have to leave soon. Gotta meet up with my manager." Steven said about half an hour later, gathering up his things. The two had talked about a lot of stuff; the main topics being life, work and hobbies. The two can relate when it comes to acting, which was a good thing.

"No biggie. It was nice talking to you, Steve."

"We could meet up sometime else if you'd like. When you're not busy."

"Definitely. I'll see you soon." The corners of her lips rose into a smile, genuine happiness flowing within her. Talking to old friends was such a great thing to do.

When the waiter arrives with the check (they ate the food she ordered earlier), Steven stopped Pippa before she could pay and did her a favor.

"You don't have to,"

"But I want to." He grinned. "You're welcome."

She rolled her eyes but smiles. He's such a sweet guy. "Thanks. Again."

She moved closer to give him a friendly kiss on the cheek (like she does with everyone), but like some cliché movie, he turned at the most ironic time possible that her lips met his for a few seconds. Both were surprised, but they decided to just shrug it off and simply wave each other goodbye.

—

Lin was always on point. She didn't know what he was up to, but he wouldn't look her straight in the eye each time they met each other onstage, most especially in Take A Break. It bugged her. He was probably just not in the mood today.

The next day was the same. He would break off the kiss at Helpless quicker than usual, even loosening his grips on her on most of the scene. It was like he was slipping away.