Lin had a Thursday night off and admittedly felt somewhat guilty he wasn't home with his girls. Instead, he was seated in the fifth row of a lecture hall at Columbia University, a gorgeous Latina next to him. He really was trying to concentrate on what she was saying, but her perfume and gorgeous brown eyes were distracting him.

"So what do you think?" she asked him, giving an inviting smile.

Lin's face flushed, realizing he had no idea what she'd just asked him. "I'm sorry, what?"

Vanessa giggled a little and tucked some hair behind her ear. She was so nervous, not knowing if they were on the same page. Lin's wife had died only six months ago. She wasn't sure what was going on between them, but she knew she had a crush on him at the very least. Was it inappropriate to ask him on a date when he was probably still reeling from her death? Not to mention his kids - those adorable girls - who had lost their mother. She couldn't shake the feeling that this was wrong, but at the same time it felt so right.

"About the first official hip hop song?" she reminded him. Vanessa liked to think she had a pretty good intuition about things, and if she was reading things right, Lin was into her too.

"Oh," he adjusted himself in his seat. "Rapper's Delight of course. Sugarhill Gang were pioneers."

"Agreed," she told him. "I do have a certain penchant for some Run-DMC myself."

Lin was feeling more impressed by the minute. She was smart and she could throw around rap names? "Me too," he agreed. "Profile was epic."

Vanessa loved how his face lit up when he talked about music, and rap in particular. It was obvious he was a super fan and that it was part of his soul. Having seen Hamilton, it was incredibly impressive how he'd worked in nods to famous rap songs and artists, like the Ten Duel Commandments as a nod to B.I.G.'s Ten Crack Commandments. His genius was incredibly attractive to her.

A speaker walked up to the stage and the crowd began to clap. As the professor began the introduction, they relaxed into their seats. Vanessa's heart fluttered when she felt Lin's fingers gently find hers.

---

It was past ten o'clock when the lecture let out and the pair walked out into the cold evening. Vanessa didn't know what she'd been thinking when she'd only put on a light coat earlier. The temperature had gotten up into the low 50's unseasonably but now it was in the low 30's. As they walked towards the subway station, talking about the lecture, Lin noticed that his companion was shivering.

Even though he could sometimes be classified as dressing like a punk, Lin was ever the gentleman. The Puerto Rican women in his life had made sure of that. He quickly shrugged off his own coat and put it around Vanessa's shoulders. She was a bit embarrassed she'd been so silly, but gratefully accepted the warmth. As they boarded the uptown A train together, she took a moment to discreetly sniff the collar when he was looking away.

"Are you Lin-Manuel Miranda?" A man across the aisle asked. Lin looked up and smiled.

"Yeah, man," he said, giving him a friendly nod. "What's your name?"

"I'm Carlos," he reached across the aisle and they shared a fist bump. "My wife and I saw Hamilton last month. Dude!!"

Lin chuckled as the guy dramatically held his hands over his head in an expression of awe.

"Pure genius, this guy!" he announced loudly.

"Well, thank you, man," Lin told him genuinely. He'd started to get recognized in public more and more lately. Most of the time he didn't mind and gladly spoke to his fans. He obliged for pictures most of the time, unless he was with his daughters. "I'm glad you came."

They rolled along for a few more stops until they got to 181st Street. They both stood as it slowed and Lin followed behind her. Once he got to Washington Heights, no one gave a shit who he was and he loved that. They reached the area where Lin normally boarded the escalator. He was surprised when Vanessa wandered towards the staircase instead.

"Really?" he asked her, smirking.

Vanessa shrugged. "I like to stay active."

It hadn't been that long ago that she got winded just walking up a couple steps. Now that she had a new heart, she didn't pass up the opportunity to make it work. Lin chuckled and made a scene out of having to take the stairs with her. They began to climb and soon it became a contest. Vanessa sped up a bit and, not to be outdone, Lin began to take the steps two at a time. Soon, they were both running up the steps, laughing and pushing at each other. They felt like teenagers.

When they reached the top, they both stopped and hunched over, completely out of breath. Between gasping for air and laughing, Vanessa felt more alive than she had in a long time.

After a couple minutes, they felt capable of walking. Vanessa's place was just a few blocks away, so they headed in that direction. They reached the gate in front of her building and stopped, facing each other. Vanessa felt that pang of nervousness that was common early in a relationship - when you knew you wanted something but weren't sure the other wanted it too. She saw him searching her eyes, sensing he also wanted a kiss. Vanessa suddenly felt self-conscious. If they kissed, then pretty soon his hands might want to wander. She pulled the top of her button-up blouse a little tighter, worried her scar might somehow be showing.

"I had a really great time tonight," he told her, tucking his hands in his jeans pockets. "It was a great idea."

"Me too," she agreed, smiling. Her eyes sparkled, even in the darkness. "I'm glad you got a night off."

They both smiled and nodded uncomfortably. Vanessa realized she still had his coat on and began to shrug it off her shoulders. "Oh, you're probably freezing. Here's your coat back."

"Oh, no keep it," Lin told her, reaching out to straighten the collar. "You can give it back next-"

Lin felt a sharp pain on his face and he realized Vanessa had slapped him. It had been pure instinct. Vanessa wanted no one seeing her scar, especially Lin.

"Oh!" She screamed, putting her hands to her mouth as Lin grabbed his cheek. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I'm so - did you see anything?"

"I wasn't looking!" He told her, shocked. He still held his stinging cheek.

"It's just that I had a heart - a heart-" Shouldn't she just say it? Get it out? She couldn't. "A heart-warming dream about you!"

"Was it a nightmare?" He asked, shaking his head a little to dull the pain.

"No, no," she insisted. "You were...sexy?"

Lin contorted his face in confusion. "You had a sex dream about me?"

"No, no!" She laughed, in spite of the uncomfortable situation. Vanessa put her hands on his shoulders. "I'm, I'm sorry I hit you, I-"

Without thinking anymore, she leaned in and gave him a kiss on the lips. Before anything else could happen, she turned and started to dart away. "Good night!"

She quickly opened the gate and ran to the front door, mortified. Lin stood there, rubbing at his cheek again. What had just happened? Had she just slapped him, then...kissed him? The feeling of pain in his cheek was quickly being replaced with affection for this intriguing woman. He didn't know what just happened, but he wanted more.

Lin chuckled to himself, and even though she was already through the front door he responded, "Good night."