The Piano Man

XI. A Little Bit of Honesty

"Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people." Spencer Johnson

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XI. A Little Bit of Honesty

Noah could see the genuine curiosity in Sophie's wide, brown eyes. He could also see that she was a normal person, with a normal job, normal problems, and without a hankering for Instagram followers or coveted roles.

Noah had been a little naïve, perhaps, in the past. He hadn't always realised just how influential he was in his industry. He never wielded his influence. He never demanded things of anybody. He never called in favours. He never asked favours. He formed good working relationships, and that, and a little bit of talent, had kept him employed for the last ten years.

Noah knew a lot of people. He knew casting agents. He knew talent bookers. He knew producers. And he knew a lot of very talented directors. His phone book alone was the key to a date with any beautiful, wannabe actress in Los Angeles.

What kid in their early twenties, who still had the remnants of teenage acne, wouldn't fall head over heels in love with a Marilyn Monroe look-alike who seemed to be desperately in love with him?

Only that never lasted.

Tally had pointed out that he tended to get dumped just as soon as his dates started to attend the parties that he was invited to and schmooze the people that they needed to. Before this, Noah hadn't realised that his most attractive feature was his job.

It made dating hard and telling the truth even harder. His two best friends, his only friends, really, were his sister, and her girlfriend. Tally was genetically programmed to never ditch him, and he had known Vanessa for over a decade, and since before either she or him had made a name for themselves.

He knew enough of Sophie's character to know that she was nothing like that. But he liked the anonymity he had in this bar. He liked just playing the piano and being a piano man.

There was also the small legal issue of Noah possessing a burnt copy of the unfinished film which was currently playing on his phone and through his AirPods. He had been listening to a scene and writing before Sophie had come in.

"I'm a musician," he replied. It was the truth, technically.

Sophie furrowed her eyebrows. "What exactly does a musician do? Besides play the piano for no money in a London pub."

"I get paid to write music for other people," he elaborated. Also, not a lie. He was writing this score for his director. He also wrote songs for people.

"What kind of people?" Sophie pressed.

"Talented people," he told her.

Sophie looked at him with an exasperated expression. Noah completely got it. And he knew she wasn't going to let it go. He understood how weird it might seem to someone who did rely so heavily on her pay cheques to get by. Noah knew how fortunate he was in that respect.

Noah liked the rapport he had with Sophie. He liked the back and forth between them, and he could see himself getting on really well with her. He hoped the truth wouldn't change anything.

It had changed every other friendship and relationship he had developed over the last decade.

"You can trust me, you know," Sophie said quietly. "You know an awful lot about me and my problems. And you have helped me incredibly."

Trust never even crossed his mind. He knew he could trust her. She was a good person. Noah liked Sophie, and he didn't want to be dishonest with her.