Note: The title of this chapter, and the song lyrics in the chapter are from the song "Easy" by Joanna Newsom.

Noah could hear the piano playing as he walked up to his front door. MC had asked if she could stay there while he was out so she could practice. He opened the door quietly, and she didn't notice him come in. She was perched on the edge of the bench, fingers lightly dancing across the keys. He stood in the doorway and watched her sing.

Easy, easy,

my man and me;

we could rest and remain here,

easily.

She was playing a Joanna Newsom song. Her favorite musician, one Noah hadn't heard of before, but who was quickly growing on him, especially when MC was singing her songs.

I am easy,

easy to keep.

Honey, you please me

even in your sleep.

But my arms want to carry,

my heart wants to hold;

tell me your worries,

I want to be told.

She fumbled the notes. "Fuck" she grumbled. He laughed and she snapped her head around in surprise, finally noticing he was home.

She leapt up from the piano bench, ran toward him, and jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. "You're back!" she said gleefully.

He caught her effortlessly, smiling at the act of affection. "Will you record yourself playing for me?"

"I guess. Why?"

"I want to be able to listen to you play anytime I want. And you've got to do at least some where you sing."

She grinned at him, eyes shining, and kissed him. He carried her over to the couch and set her down. He gave her one more lingering kiss.

"How did it go?"

"Good! This is from Bobby." He handed her the croissant, smiling a little sadly. " He wanted me to tell you that you're the best woman he knows."

"Oh" She looked at him wide-eyed for a second, "this is so sweet of him..." Her face crumpled. She covered her eyes with her hands while she cried. Noah wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

Once she had gathered herself, he continued, hoping to reassure her. "It went well, babe. We talked some stuff out. He had some questions about how this came to be. But he seemed okay about it. He had some nice things to say."

MC didn't know how she felt about this. Was Bobby not bothered? Did he not care that MC had found someone else?

As though Noah could read her mind, he added, "I mean, it was clearly hard for him, and he's still processing your breakup. But he said you deserved to be with someone who put himself on the line for you. I think he regrets not showing up for you in the end."

MC's eyes filled with tears again, she didn't bother trying to hold them back. Noah kissed her temple and ran his hand along her back comfortingly.

She looked up at him, wiping her face. "Thank you for not being put off by my feelings. And thank you for always being willing to talk about this with me. You're so supportive."

He tilted his head slightly, looking into her eyes. "Every feeling you have is valuable to me. I want to hear about them all. I know this is hard. And I'm not in a hurry. I'll be here with you, and we'll sort it out together."

These words were a balm on a pain that she had been hanging onto since Bobby began pulling away from her. Her heart had been bruised by the belief that her emotions were a burden, that they ruined a happy relationship, and that they drove special, important things away from her. Here he was looking at all of that straight in the face, and telling her that he wasn't going anywhere. In fact, every time she opened herself up to him, he only seemed to want her more.

"I love you so much," she whispered. "Can we just agree to love each other forever?"

"That was my plan." He kissed her lips slowly and meaningfully, the kiss version of a happy sigh. She pulled back, smiling at him, and then stood up to grab a tissue from the box on his dining room table.

"How do you feel now that they know?" Noah asked her.

"Oh that part feels good, honestly. I'm proud of this," she said waving her hand between them. "I didn't want to hurt anyone, but I want this to be a known part of my life."

He smiled at her, relieved. "Well, that's good to hear, because..." he hesitated, nerves overtaking him. "Because my family wants to have you over for dinner...if that's something you'd be interested in."

She beamed at him. "Really?!"

"Yeah, they really want to meet this new girlfriend that I won't stop talking about." He winked at her, biting his lip.

Her face pulled into a radiant smile, and then a glimmer of mischief crossed her face. She stood a few feet away from him leaning back against the table. She tilted forward slightly and reached her hands underneath the back of her dress. Noah saw a lacy pair of underwear slide down her legs to the floor. "Get over here."

He practically ran to her. He lifted her up, sitting her on the edge of the table, and then ran his fingers through her hair, gripping and pulling her head back, as he pressed himself against her. "You're so sexy. I've never wanted someone so bad in my life," he growled before kissing her eagerly.

She started unbuttoning his pants, but he pulled back, dropping to his knees in front of her. He pulled her hips closer to him, lifting her dress as he put her legs over his shoulders. He kissed a trail up the inside of her thigh, and then MC could feel his tongue touch against her most sensitive part. She moaned loudly, a luxury she'd never had at the Villa, and gripped her hands in his hair. He slid his fingers inside of her as his tongue swirled against her. She felt the pleasure build and build into a blissful release of pleasure that rolled from the top of her head down to her toes. She called out his name as she came against his mouth.

"I need you inside me," she said desperately, pulling him to his feet. He pulled his pants down and she guided him inside her, gasping at the feeling of him filling her up. He gripped her ass as he thrust deeply into her, each time creating a giddy, overwhelming feeling inside her. They fit together perfectly, and it felt so damn good.

She pressed a hand to his chest, "Let me turn around." She turned, so her hips were pressing into the edge of the table, and lifted her dress over her head, dropping it to the floor. He kissed her shoulder blades before pressing her down against the table, entering her again, this time from behind. He wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing his fingers to her clit. When he felt her pulsing against him, as if he were being drawn in even further, he let himself go, breathing, "I love you. I love you so much," into her ear, and clutching her close as he came inside of her.

He held her like that, still inside of her, while they caught their breath. He pulled away slowly, kissing the small of her back tenderly as he went. "You're so beautiful. And so amazing." he said, sounding worn out. "I think I need a minute."

She smiled at him while she pulled her clothes back on. "Me too. Let's go lay down in bed and listen to music."

He held her hand as they walked to the bedroom. They lay quietly together for a while. Noah rolled over toward her and asked, "Is there not some part of you that wishes things had worked out with Bobby?"

She considered this for a moment. She looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully as she answered, "I feel sad that Bobby and I had this beautiful, special thing that doesn't exist anymore. And I'm sad that I don't get to know him anymore. He's a very extraordinary, wonderful person, and it breaks my heart that I can't think about him anymore without it hurting." She rolled toward Noah and rested a hand on his arm. "But do I want a different outcome over what I have with you? No. There's not a single piece of me that wishes it had worked out differently than this. The stuff with Bobby is painful, but you, what we have, is the bright bit in it all."

She looked into his eyes, and moved her hand to his cheek. "I'm desperately grateful that this happened. That you put yourself out there to bring us together. It makes me panicky to think, what if you hadn't come to my show that night?"

"I think about that too. I can't believe I get to have you in my life now. I feel incredibly lucky."

They stayed in bed most of the rest of the day, nothing to do other than enjoy each other's company.