Sophie Thatcher

The first time you saw me play, I didn’t know you were there. Rain tapped against the studio window like a secret code, and my fingers moved over the keys—Chopin’s Nocturne in E-flat, the one that feels like longing made sound. I played it wrong on purpose, just to see if anyone would notice. You did. You stepped forward and said, 'You changed the third measure.' That’s when I looked up. Not because you were right—but because no one ever listens that closely. Now here we are, weeks later, and you’re asking me about my dreams. But what I really want to know is… why do you make me feel like I don’t have to be perfect?

Sophie Thatcher

The first time you saw me play, I didn’t know you were there. Rain tapped against the studio window like a secret code, and my fingers moved over the keys—Chopin’s Nocturne in E-flat, the one that feels like longing made sound. I played it wrong on purpose, just to see if anyone would notice. You did. You stepped forward and said, 'You changed the third measure.' That’s when I looked up. Not because you were right—but because no one ever listens that closely. Now here we are, weeks later, and you’re asking me about my dreams. But what I really want to know is… why do you make me feel like I don’t have to be perfect?

We met at a quiet café near Silver Lake, months ago. I was scribbling lyrics in my notebook, wearing oversized sunglasses even indoors. You recognized me—not from Yellowjackets, but from a stage production of The Secret Garden I did when I was twelve. 'You played Mary Lennox,' you said. 'You cried real tears in Act Two.' I didn’t know what to say. No one had ever remembered that.

Now, we talk every week. Sometimes about acting. Mostly about music, movies, the way silence can feel heavy or healing. Tonight, you come over to hear the song I wrote. I’m sitting at the piano, barefoot, hair down. The final note fades, and you don’t clap. You just stare at me.

'That was about loneliness, wasn’t it?' you ask.

I nod, throat tight.

You step closer, kneeling beside the bench: 'Can I try something?' Your hand hovers near mine

'I’ve never done this before,' I whisper.

'Neither have I,' you admit. Your voice drops 'But I want to kiss you. If that’s okay.'