"I'll take this one." The customer said, eyes gleaming at the new violin. He nodded to me, quickly thanking me before walking out of the door, the bell ringing as it closed shut.

I bolted to the back room. The guy had taken a whole 20 minutes deciding on instruments, leaving me with a 40 minute window to walk all the way to the music hall. I was going to be late for the first time in my life.

I was vaulting over the front counter at the same time Erik was exiting the backroom, resulting in a head on collision.

"Sorry, sorry! I'm going to be late if I don't leave right now." I squeezed by him into the room and haphazardly threw on my coat and scarf.

"Late for what?" James spun around and leaned against the door frame. "Oh, right. You started that new, mysterious second job yesterday."

"It's not mysterious," I grunted. "I told you, I'm giving piano lessons."

I didn't want to imagine what James would say if he saw Noah King, of all people, sitting in the parking lot. I think he'd be less shocked if I told him it were Darth Vader I was teaching.

"Let me drive you then. Linda won't mind."

"No!" I said a little too quickly. "I mean no, I'll be fine."

James narrowed his eyes. "Alright, I'm totally not suspicious now."

"You got me, James." I shouldered my bag. "I'm selling drugs in central park."

"You should at least call for a - "

"I'll text you." I kissed him quickly and was halfway to the door when I turned back to wave.

James waved back, "Don't forget about the concert tonight."

I froze for an instant. Shit.

--

It was freezing.

I'd barely walked a block before I started to shiver. Shoving my glove-less hands into my jacket pockets, I made quick work of crossing the busy streets. My toes had gone numb in my boots by the time I arrived at the music hall.

The same grumpy lady from yesterday was positioned behind the desk again. She did little more than point in the direction of the room, indicating Noah was already here.

Damn.

I heard the familiar sweet sound of the piano before I was at the door - that meant he'd been here long enough to begin without me. He was playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star again, but still.

Banging the door open with more force than I intended, I said, "Sorry I'm late."

Noah's head whipped around to face me.

"Hey!" He smiled. The same way frowning was James's neutral expression, I think smiling was Noah's. Not necessarily with his lips, but his eyes danced, his voice held a feverish warmth and intensity like he was just on the verge of a grin.

"You're not late," He said, even though the clock on the wall told otherwise - 11 minutes late, to be precise. "I'm early, which you'll soon come to realize is quite the miracle."

I dropped my bag in the corner.

"How's your car?" Noah asked cautiously. He looked worried, like I was about to lunge across the room and throttle him senseless. The thought might have crossed my mind if I weren't focusing all my efforts on trying to not look like I'd been running through traffic.

"It's in the shop." I sat down on the bench beside him. It didn't allow for much personal space - our jeaned thighs touched every time one or the other shifted. "Have you studied at all?"

"A little." He admitted.

"Well, that's a start. Did you get the copy of all of the songs your character might be - "

"How old are you, exactly?" Noah inquired, as if I wasn't in the middle of a sentence. The genuine curiosity kept me from sighing - that and the reminder that he was paying me for these lessons. He could just as easily find another pianist to teach him if I was too much trouble.

"What? You didn't Google me?" I asked, only feeling a little guilty about mimicking him.

Noah let out this abrupt bark of laughter, like it'd snuck up on him. "Okay, I get it. I probably deserved that. Look, I'm sorry about last night."

"Oh." I hadn't expected an apology.

"Aidan - my driver, you know the guy who looks like Hagrid? He said I might've, possibly been a dick to you," He went on. "But I always get the I'm-not-like-other-girls routine. Its exhausting. You understand that, don't you?"

"Sure." I didn't understand it at all. "Can we get back to the lesson, now?"

"21?" Noah blinked. "Maybe older...You can't be more than 23 though."

"I'm 18. Focus," I physically put his hands on the keys. "We've already wasted 20 minutes."

"Of course. You're right." He relented, smiling again. His teeth were commercial white.

In what I hoped was a subtle motion, I slid over on the bench as far away from him as I could get.

After the lessons, Noah sat down on the couch and I crossed the lobby towards the front door.

"We could give you a ride, if you want." He said, just as I was bracing myself against the cold wind. I looked out at the darkening sky. It might be a walking kind of night.

"I'll walk," I looked back at him. His brown eyes shone, reflecting the screen of his cellphone. "Thanks though. Don't forget to bring me those songs tomorrow."

"Will do," Noah said.

I pulled out my phone and texted James that I'd be on my way home.

---

"I just don't understand him. He's horrible one moment and then decent the next. What's his angle?" I groaned as I closed the door behind me, turning to Clef who laid on my bed, his ear moving at the sound of my voice. "You're right, Clef. It's not my job to understand him and I shouldn't be thinking about some other guy..."

Not that I was thinking of him in any particular way because I wasn't. I was perfectly happy with James. I moved to my bed, settling next to Clef.

Clef barked and licked my hand emphatically before walking off. He wasn't interested in boy talk but it isn't like I had anyone else to discuss the movie star with. But who else was I supposed to talk to this about? I'd tried mentioning him to the desk lady at the music hall once but she burst out laughing and said, you're the only girl on this planet who would complain about being alone with that boy every day.

I was simply curious about him; I was curious about everyone I met.

I checked the clock on the wall, knowing I had to get ready for the concert. Reluctantly I got up.