A 'SUB' REQUEST (Cate Blanchett x OC)

Chapter 1: An Academy screening

A crisp April wind filled the lobby of the Beverly Hills Hotel as the sun began to set outside the shimmering French windows. I looked over the lid of the Steinway piano I'm playing as the crowd starts filling in after a screening of Marriage Story, an Oscar shoo-in that year. It was an elite and refined crowd for sure - not one that I was intimidated by, as my own career as a rising film executive made me someone worth knowing at networking events in Los Angeles . But as the night fell, the room radiated the old-school glamor of Hollywood, and I was caught in a deja vu daze of sorts, a bit lost about where I was and whether I deserved to be here at all. 

I was here accompanying my boss to the screening, a sponsor of tonight's event and a bit shot in the industry who I shall keep anonymous here. I had paid enough dues for her over the past two and a half years that she decided that I was seasoned enough for her to bring here but not so much to follow her around as an equal as she chatted up with the celebrities in the room. So she suggested that I play the grand piano in the corner and contribute my artistry to the ambience of the room and she could spare the costs of hiring another pianist. "But feel free to work the room and talk with whoever you cross paths with" she said. A very generous offer given the caliber of the guest list for the evening. 

I had over 6 years of piano training and had a lot of pride in my own skills to entertain an amateur crowd. I started my repertoire with the serene Andante Spianato and then decided to go to town with some of the technically challenging pieces like the Appassionata. It didn't take long before my skills attracted a small crowd. It was one of my favorite things about being a pianist - the most casual pieces have the effect of lowering social barriers and invite complete strangers to engage with you. Within a half hour, Scarlett Johansson and Laura Dern, stars of the movie, had both made their way to my corner to compliment me on my playing. 

Around 11pm, when the crowds were beginning to disperse, a voice rang from behind me - it startled me, not only because it was so familiar but somehow it had made its way very close to my shoulder without my knowing that it was almost like a whisper in my ear. 

"That's beautiful, darling." 

I paused for a split second before I turned around, and there she was. A hint of a smile on her lips, a thousand words behind her searing blue eyes. 

"Thank you, I appreciate it." I said with feigned nonchalance. Sweat began to seep into my finger tips, which a moment ago were making mechanical contact with the keys under the power of muscle memory. Every encounter with a celebrity felt like an interview of sorts, and I always knew in my gut that I'd make a stronger impression if I held my own, like I was their equal. 

"How long have you been playing?" she rested one hand on the lid of the piano, as if asking the question to the instrument instead of to me. 

"I took lessons for 6 years." 

"Fabulous," her gaze wandered back to me, "I took lessons as a girl, and I've always wanted to play a musician. Speaking German in Berlin, preferably." 

"I may have received a few scripts in that vein - I'll keep an eye out. I work for Fox Searchlight in creative development, by the way." I said earnestly. Then regretted it immediately - I should've commented on the idea in the conditional tense, in the absolute fictional sense, instead of inserting my reality into it. 

But she was unfazed and shook my hand, the roughness of her ring grazing into the center of my palm like a secret message. "Keep me posted. I'm repped at CAA with Hylda Queally." Which is information that I had memorized ever since my first day on an agent's desk there 5 years ago. 

I thought that the conversation would wrap up under the polite transactional nature that defines these semiformal Hollywood events. I began to halfheartedly fiddle the start of the Fantaisie Impromptu with my left hand. 

"I think I saw you playing once at the Golden Globes after party a few weeks ago..." she remarked as she began thumbing through my collection of sheet music. I was sure she saw my name printed at the top, and it gave me a brief moment of joy. 

"Yeah, that was me." I swallowed before speaking out, suddenly becoming ultra aware of how tightly my black Zara dress wrapped around my waist and thighs. 

"Well...keep it up" she put down the sheet music, winked at me, and briskly walked away. 

As I sat there playing for the rest of the night, a weight descended upon me that I couldn't lift. I thought about all the things I had to give up to look dignified in an industry obsessed with appearances, and that despite all of it, it was still an industry I loved. The earning power that I missed out on by climbing the assistant ladder instead of a more lucrative career. And the missed opportunity to tell Cate Blanchett to her face how much I admired her talent for years, because I was too focused on being a business executive instead of the pianist that she saw me as. 

My coworkers once asked me what kind of man I was attracted to, and I just said that I was too married to Hollywood to think about it. I had moved to Los Angeles without any connections, and ate, drank, and breathed my career while my friends dated around. Beneath all of the endless labor, crushing rejections, and nightlong toils, there was a vague prospect that my career would open up the world for me. I didn't want to date around when all I had was a pool of people who would settle for middling success, who would be content spending Saturday nights with connections forged over alcohol, and who I would eventually outgrow. 

As Cate walked away from my piano, I was overtaken by a brash sense of possibility. The night was still young - I walked over to the French windows, sprinkled with starlight, and realized that for the whole night, less than 20 feet away from me, I had the vantage point of overseeing all of Los Angeles below my feet. 

Please vote and comment if you like the story so far! Also feel free to DM me any suggestions :) There's a 69% chance that I'll incorporate them.