Chapter 5

At Noah's house, Noah was sanding the surface of a table when Allie arrived. Radiant. He handed her a small bouquet of wildflowers. "Come.on. I want to show you something," he told Allie. At the country lane, night. Frank's truck moved along a dirt road. "I'll Be Seeing You" was playing on the radio. There was something special in the way that Allie looked at Noah. The truck stopped in front of an old abandoned plantation house known as the Windsor Plantation. "Wait here," Said Noah to Allie. Noah moved inside and Allie looked around. The grounds were wild and beautiful. A river wound below her, the moon in its reflection. When Noah appeared at the doorway, he held a candelabra. Noah led Allie inside. There were lit candles everywhere. The old home was dilapidated, but right now it is fairly glowing. "Noah, what did you do? Oh my God, it's beautiful," said Allie. They moved through the house from room to room. "It's the Windsor Plantation, one of the oldest homes in the state. Built in 1772. Rumor has it that Francis Marion proposed to his wife on these very steps," explained Noah happily. "Wow, this place is gigantic," said Allie. "Yep, it looks crappy now, but one day I'm going to buy it and fix it up. All it needs is a new floor, new walls, and a new roof," said Noah.

"Is that all?" Asked Allie. "Yeah. Except for plumbing and electricity," he replied. "And furniture," she added. "Yeah. But it's right on the river. And it has a big barn that will be my workshop," he said. Allie thought he was kidding. But played along. "What about my stuff? Don't I get a say in this?" She teased. "What do you want?" Asked Noah, "well, first of all, the house should be white. I must live in a white house. With blue shutters, if possible. And I'd like a room overlooking the river, so I can paint," expressed Allie with determination on her face. "Anything else?" Asked Noah. "A big old porch that wraps around the entire house, where we can drink tea and watch the sun go down," she finished. "Okay," said Noah, looking dead serious. Allie moved to an old grand piano that sat in what once must have been the living room. She hit the keys and Chopin floated into the night. As Allie played, Noah lifted her hair and kissed the back of her neck, her shoulders, her ears. She fumbled a few notes. "I think you need more practice," said Noah. "Are you kidding? I couldn't play chopsticks with you doing that," Allie defended herself nonetheless flustered.

Noah moved to an old Victrola and cranked it up. "I'll Be Seeing You" played. Noah took Allie's hand and they danced. Their lips came together. His hand moved to her hips. Allie's head tipped back, her eyes closed, breathing heavily. She hooked her fingers under his belt and whispered in his ear. "Make love to me." Noah looked at her and Allie nodded. She stood back, unbuttoning her dress until it dropped to the floor. Noah pulled his shirt off and Allie knelt before him, undoing his belt and taking off his pants. Then she unfastened her bra and let it drop. He took her in his arms and lowered her slowly to the floor, kissing her neck, her shoulders, her chest. Allie suddenly got very talkative. "Noah. Noah?" Allie called. Noah looked at her. "I know I said to make love to me but I think you're going to have to talk me through this," she said. "What's going on?" Asked Noah confused. "A lot of thoughts. I'm having a lot of thoughts right now. Never mind," she said. She pulled him in, started kissing him again, but after a few moments, her eyes opened.

"Like, what are you thinking right now? Right this second," she asked curiously. Noah tried to talk, but he was breathing pretty hard. "Uh…" he loaded. "Did you know when you brought me here that this would happen?" She asked. "No," he replied. "No? Did you ever even think about this moment?" She asked. "Of course," he admitted. "You did? What did you think?" She asked. "Allie…" Noah tried talking but he put a finger to her lips. "Talking too much? Got it. Sorry. Shutting up. Mum's the word," she spoke nervously. The lovemaking continued. The rest of their clothes came off and they were now both completely naked. Finally, Noah was on top of her and the moment of truth was at hand. But Allie was a bundle of nerves. "I don't understand how come you're so quiet. You don't have any thoughts at all? I'm going crazy over here, but no, with you, everything's fine, not a care in the world," she said, intensely nervous.

Noah sat up. "Oh, I'm spoiling it, aren't I? I wanted this to be so perfect, and I can't shut up," she said. "Hey. Be yourself. It is perfect. I love you," he said, relieving the tension. "You do?" She asked. Allie looks at Noah and becomes emotional. Her breath came in heaves, "I love you too," she said. Then Noah looked at her. "Sure?" He asked , "yeah," she replied absolutely sure. She put her arms around him and they melted into one another. Allie kissed Noah with great passion, their heat taking over. Allie forgot her fear and closed her eyes. When she opened them, Noah was over her. He nodded at Allie, asking permission to enter her. Allie studied Noah's eyes, then nodded back. Suddenly, there was the sound of a car arriving outside, its headlights flooding the room. Noah and Allie froze.