Meetings: An Eddie Redmayne Fanfiction

Chapter One

Chapter One

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Dinner.

By myself.

Again.

I was accustomed to this solitude, of course. A twenty-eight year old composer and vocal instructor living in London with no current job or relationship... I was alone.

I moved here from the U.S. a while ago. My family begged me not to, but more than anything I wanted to live in Britain and continue my work, hoping the closeness to such a famous city would help me find a job.

I flipped the chicken out of the pan and onto my plate, checking my phone for any emails. I had gotten into a habit of that, checking my phone every five minutes to see if he had answered me.

He hadn't.

If you're wondering who I'm referring to, it's Tom Hooper. He was a friend of a friend... Oh, and the soon-to-be- director of Les Misérables. The movie was set to come out in two years, but the actors needed some before- hand help on the singing aspect. That's what I had applied for; a one-on-one vocal instructor for the actors. There would be one for each of the leading roles. So, really, that means about six people would be chosen.

Sitting at the table, I set my phone out where I could see if it lit up and started eating.

About halfway through my quiet meal, my phone's screen brightened. My eyes shot up and unlocked the phone, looking at my inbox.

From: Tomhooper@gmail.com

Subject: Les Mis vocal instructor

Hello, Felicity!

In regards to your application for vocal instructor, I am pleased to inform you that you have been offered the role of vocal instructor for the character Marius Pontmercy. Please reply with an answer to this offer and I will inform you with further details on the job. Thanks,

Tom Hooper

I squealed. Marius Pontmercy? He was one of the leads, had amazing solos... This would be amazing. I quickly replied with a yes, smiling from ear to ear. I got the job. I was part of Les Mis... I squealed again and threw my plate in the dishwasher.

My phone lit up again with another email from Tom. It regarded the time and place of our first meeting, along with a little bit on Marius. Not that I needed it- I had read the book and had seen the musical on multiple occasions. I was so happy, bouncing around my small flat with uncontrollable excitement. Our first meeting was in a week. I wondered what... Wait. Tom failed to mention who the actor was. I had no idea who I was working with; but I shook the thought off and turned on my telly, wondering how soon a week could go by.

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First meeting, in a cafe. Ok, so it wasn't really a vocal lesson, but Tom wanted us to get to know each other. After all, I was going to spend about two years with the guy. I flattened out my sundress and checked the time.

12:45... He was 15 minutes late. I shook my head and took another sip of my lemonade.

The cafe we were meeting at was a small one, right in the heart of London. I was at a table outside, under a striped umbrella, watching the taxis on the street. My head turned when I heard a voice at the counter.

"I'm looking for a Ms. Warner?" The voice said hurriedly. Yup, that was him. I doubt there was another Ms. Warner in the small cafe.

"Yup, right this way." The waitress led the man to me. I looked up at him... And frantically tried to hide my expression.

He was stunning. Dark brown hair with stripes of ginger, hazel eyes and sharp cheekbones. He was almost 6 foot and wore a light tan jacket, dark jeans, and a light blue dress shirt, down to the second button with aviator sunglasses hanging from the collar. As he walked closer he smiled, unveiling a perfect row of teeth and the massive amount of freckles lining his eyes and nose.

I smiled in return and stood, smoothing out my sundress again and sticking out my hand.

I expected a handshake, but the man grabbed my hand lightly and raised it to his mouth, lightly kissing my knuckles.

"Hello!" He said in a deep, rolling British voice. "I'm assuming you're Ms. Warner?"

I stood aghast, then remembered my manners.

"Oh, yes. I am. But please, call me Felicity. And you're...?" I questioned for his name.

"Eddie. Eddie Redmayne." He smiled and sat down. "I'm so sorry for being late. Traffic was horrible, and I barely made it here in the time that I did!" He laughed.

"Oh, no big deal." I smiled at him. "I'm usually the late one. I'm surprised that I made it here in the time that I did!"

Eddie rolled his head back and laughed, his teeth white in the sunlight. He smirked and licked his lips, folding his hands.

"I think this is going to be fun, don't you?" He laughed.

"That all depends... Can you sing?" I joked. Of course he could sing; he wouldn't of been chosen if he couldn't of.

"I don't know. That's why I have you!" He laughed again.

The waitress came, and Eddie and I ordered our lunch. I was starving.

"So... Where are you from?" Eddie asked.

"Well, I live here in London, but I was originally born in the States. In Michigan. What about you?"

"London. Always have been... Probably always will be."

The conversation drifted from topic to topic. I noticed Eddie was awkward; but it was adorable. He stuttered in places, but by no means did he seem unintelligent. It just seemed like he was nervous.

Towards the end of the interview though, he seemed to loosen up. We began teasing each other and laughing nonstop. I loved his laugh; it sounded almost childish and it made me want to laugh harder.

Eddie glanced at his watch.

"Woah! It's almost three. I better get going!" He stood up, me following behind. He smiled down at me. He wasn't that much taller, only a couple of inches.

"Friday, then? First lesson?"

"Yup. Here... I'll give you my number so you can text me where to go." He scribbled a couple of digits across a napkin and handed it to me.

"Till Friday, then?" He asked with a smile. I nodded and he pulled his arms out for a hug. I accepted and leaned into him.

He smelled like cologne... And fresh bread. I loved it.

He smiled at me and let me go, nodding. He motioned for me to go before him, then walked out of the cafe next to me. We parted ways, waving.

As I hopped into my car, I wondered...

Was it bad I was more than excited for our next meeting?