Perfectly Imperfect | Lippa

"Highlights!" - Three

   WARNING: There will be some harsh language.

-

   Lin was waiting anxiously at the cafe that Pippa had been talking about. He fiddled with a napkin nervously, looking around. Pippa had to do something at home, but she promised that it was small and she would be there, although she might be a little late. So far, she hadn't shown up and she was 20 minutes late. Lin was starting to think that he had been stood up, when he heard the small bell door jingle. He glanced up to see Pippa walking through the door, and he let out a small sigh of relief.

   Pippa instantly spotted Lin and made her way over to him. "So sorry for making you wait, Steven and I got into an argument and he wouldn't let me leave," she sighed and took a seat across from Lin. She seemed a bit jumpy and restless. Pippa looked around, inspecting the cafe for a second or two before turning back to Lin.

   He gave her a small sympathetic smile. "It's okay. Not your fault. What did you two argue about?"

"How I was spending more time with you than with him," Pippa said, rolling her eyes. "He gets jealous too easily. I'm really sorry once again, Lin. I swear I wouldn't even had gone back home if I knew Steven was going to be there to start a fight."

   Lin put a hand on hers and smiled at Pippa. "I know, Pip. Like I said, it's fine. Vanessa's like that as well. She'll get jealous over something small, and get mad at every little single thing." He interlocked their fingers and squeezed her hand gently. He knew that if Vanessa saw him right now, he would think that he was cheating, but in reality, he was just trying to comfort Pippa.

   "Well, we're not here for me," Pippa replied and took a deep breath. "Come on, Lin, pour it all out."

   Lin nodded and began; "I don't know what to do anymore, Pip. Every little problem she blames it on me, on how I'm never home, on how I don't love our son, which is nonsense because I love Sebastian more than anything. But I guess it is sort of my fault, because I always fire back.."

   Pippa shook her head and grabbed his other hand, giving him a small smile. "No, Lin, it's not your fault. If Vanessa wants to----"

Click!

   A sudden flash stopped Pippa from finishing what she was going to say. Both Lin and Pippa looked at what had happened, and they saw a photographer, holding a camera aimed towards them. He took another picture.

Click!

   They quickly pulled their hands away, their faces red. "Hey man, what are you doing?!" Lin exclaimed.

   The photographer looked down at his camera. "That's what I should be asking you, Lin-Manuel Miranda. What are you and Phillipa doing? Together? In a cafe? Holding hands? I wonder what Steven and Vanessa are going to say when they find out about this..."

   Pippa shook her head in disbelief. "I was just comforting him! He was sad and I was trying to help him. I promise you that it was nothing more than that, I swear."

   The photographer looked unconvinced. "Sure.... You can tell that to everyone once your little secret is out. How long have you two been seeing each other?"

   Now it was Lin's turn to speak. "Listen, we're not together. Do you think I would cheat on Vanessa? Do you think Pippa would cheat on Steven? No, I don't think so. I wouldn't even dream about it! Pippa's a smart, beautiful young girl, but I already have a wife and kid."

   "Sure looks like you two were cheating," the photographer stated before smirking at Pippa and Lin and walking away.

   They weren't cheating. They knew that they weren't. But it did look like they were. Pippa and Lin looked at each other, their eyes wide. This would be the thing that would end their relationships. And they both knew that.

-

   The day after, Lin woke up and got ready to go to the theater. When he got out of his room, Vanessa was waiting for him. "What is this, Lin?!" she yelled, pointing at the front page of a newspaper.

   It was a picture of Pippa and Lin holding hands at a cafe.

   And it was in the front page. Everyone could see it.

   "Listen, Vanessa, I know you're mad, but I can explain---" Lin was trying to reason with his wife, but she quickly cut him off. "Do you think that it's fine to just hold some other woman's hand when you're married?!"

   Lin was desperately trying to calm Vanessa down. Sebastian had started crying because of all the yelling that Vanessa was doing.

   "I know that it was wrong, but it's not like anything happened---"

   "Not like anything happened?! You were clearly cheating on me, Lin! What the hell?! Do you think you could have just gotten away with that?!"

   "Vanessa, I wasn't cheating on you!" Lin yelled. He had lost his chill. Not like he had much of it, anyways. "We met up at the cafe because I wasn't feeling so well! She was comforting me!"

   Vanessa crossed her arms, glaring at him. "Do you seriously think that I'm going to believe that bullshit?!"

   "Yes, because it's the truth! Why do you even think I would cheat on you?! Plus, Pippa is engaged! You know that she wouldn't cheat!"

   Lin's wife shook her head and pointed to the door. "Get. Out."

   "What? No, this is my home, I'm not---"

   "I said get out!" she barked harshly.

   Lin grabbed his coat and shook his head. He looked over at Sebastian, who was on the couch, still crying. It broke Lin's heart to see him like that. I'll come back for you, Sebastian. I promise.

   He walked out of the house and Vanessa slammed the door behind him. He could still hear Sebastian's faint cries.

-