As you and Lin drove down the rode in the rental car, you hesitantly brought up a question that had been on your mind: "Does Vanessa know that I'm here?"

Lin pauses, then nods. "She wasn't very happy about it, but she knows. I just told her that the president wanted you to come."

Lin lied to Vanessa to make sure you could come? Okay, now another question arose that you had thought of after the ultimatum; one that you had been scared to ask- until now.

"Lin," you slowly build up the guts to ask him. "Do you trust me?"

He glances at you, then smiles tenderly. "Of course." Then, his smile turns to confusion. "Why?"

You take a deep breath, then carefully ask, "Does Vanessa make you truly happy?

Lin opens his mouth, then closes it. After a moment, he responds, "Yeah, I mean, she's my girlfriend."

"Lin. You said you trusted me."

"I do, Y/N."

"So tell me the truth," you say hardly. You didn't know why you were so determined to prove that Lin wasn't happy with Vanessa. You didn't want to break them up. But lately, on the rare occasion that you've seen him with her, he looked happy on the outside, but didn't seem genuinely happy.

"I just want you to be happy," you say softly, and as you say it, you realize how true it is. Despite the fact that you really, really liked Lin, you just wanted him to be happy.

His dark eyebrows tilt down, and he looks frustrated. You could tell that he was debating with himself about what to tell you.

"...I am happy. Vanessa and I are just having a little bit of a rough patch right now," he says finally.

Why were you disappointed? That was exactly what you expected Lin to say. Trying to lighten the mood a little, you ask casually, "So, are you going to ask her to marry you?"

"Why are you asking so many questions about Vanessa?" You study his face. He didn't look annoyed or angry; he just looked curious, and focused.

"I don't know. To start a fun conversation I guess?", you say weakly, and to your relief, you see Lin smile.

"If you want a fun conversation, then we should talk about how you snore when you sleep," Lin says, raising his eyebrows at you.

You open your mouth in surprise. "I do not!"

The rest of the car ride was smooth sailing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day was the event at the White House. You put on a very nice, medium length blue dress, and added a little more makeup than usual. You were going to the White House, after all. Where you could meet the president.

You got a ride there with Lin (since you were staying in the same hotel, and the car he rented was the only mode of transportation you had), and when he first saw you when you met him in the lobby, his eyes went wide.

"Wow, Y/N. You look really nice."

You blushed. "Thank you. You do too."

On the way there, you could tell he was nervous. He was constantly muttering the lyrics of the song to himself, shaking his head in annoyance, and tapping his fingers on the wheel.

You put your hand on his shoulder. "Lin, it's going to be okay. You've done plenty of performances before. This one isn't any different," you say, quoting his own words. "I've heard you sing the song before. I was with you when you wrote the lyrics. It's perfect. You're going to do amazing." You remove your hand when you finish, nervous that you were overstepping your "friend" boundaries. Then again, you might have gone over the line a few times before.

You feel his tensed muscles relax, and he smiles. "How do you always know the perfect thing to say?"

You? Know the perfect thing to say? That was Lin's specialty, not yours. "I guess I learned from you."

His smile grew, just little bit, but enough for you to notice.

Thirty minutes later, you and Lin were in the White House. Lin was sitting with Vanessa at one of the very first tables, and you found an empty seat at a table on the other side of the room. Just your luck.

Since Vanessa had pulled him away as soon as she met him out front, you hadn't had a chance to tell Lin all of your puns.

While you were waiting for it start, you texted him.

Within seconds, you get a response.

You looked up once you heard someone walking onto the stage. You were excited for it to start.

"Welcome, everyone, to an evening of poetry, music, and the spoken word."

Everyone clapped politely.

Lin ended up being last, and every time you looked over at him, you could tell he was getting more nervous.

You quickly text him in the middle of the second to last act.

You see Lin look down at his phone, smile, then begin to type.

A few seconds later, you get a reply.

After the applause finished, someone announced him, and Lin stepped up onto the stage.

Once the clapping stopped, Lin started talking into the microphone. "Um, I-I'm thrilled the White House called me tonight. I'm actually working on a hip hop album, uh, it's a concept album of the life of someone I think embodies hip hop. Treasury secretary Alexander Hamilton."

The crowd chuckles, and you look around in anger. How could they openly laugh at Lin like that? They hadn't even heard the song. They didn't how great Lin was- and the song was yet.

Once he started singing, you were in awe. Hearing his song, on stage, with lights shining on him, helped you see even more what Lin already saw- that this was going to be something amazing.

During the song, they laughed a couple more times, and annoyance built up inside you. How could they laugh at Lin?

When he was finished, you were the first on your feet, and he turned to you gratefully. Everyone quickly followed your example, and Lin got the standing ovation he deserved.

The only thing was, you couldn't get out of your mind the way he was looking at you. So tenderly, so sweetly. Wouldn't Vanessa see? Wouldn't she notice?

When Lin looked away, his expression was still seared into your mind. Was it possible that he cared for you as more than a friend?

A tiny bit of hope lit up inside you.