Don't Disappoint Me

Love comes and love goes

That smile clenched the deal for MC. She had, of course, been interested in Noah. He was kind, gentle, funny, and loyal to a fault. But she had been in love with Bobby. She had chosen Bobby again and again. But that choice was no longer available. Her heart felt sore in the aftermath of her time with him. It had been such a tremendous let down after the giddy, playful excitement of the love they had created together. She hadn't been trying to meet anyone in the months since they had broken up. But seeing that smile from Noah...it made her feel warm, and safe, and happy. It was like a hot compress to a muscle that had been tensed up for too long. She felt something inside her relax.

She stretched up on her tiptoes and placed her hand on his cheek. He leaned down to meet her in a kiss. She felt his body relax as soon as their lips touched. They sank into the kiss as she ran her hands over his broad, elegant shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. His tongue gently brushed against her lips and she responded by deepening the kiss. She raked the fingernails of one hand across his neck and into his hair. They kissed for a long time, neither feeling the pressure to rush things. The tenderness and intimacy of the moment reminded him of sitting in the hideaway with her, with no sound but the music she was creating.

Eventually she pulled away and looked at him. "I can't believe I just kissed Noah."

"So, do you think you'll choose me at the next recoupling?" he teased.

"Well, I'd like to, but Hope always seems to snatch you up before anyone else gets a chance."

"Ahh, Hope," he sighed heavily.

"Yeah, you thought you were going to get out of that conversation, didn't you?"

"I had...hoped."

"Wowwww" she replied, detaching herself from him. "Well it was so great seeing you, Noah, but I really must be off," she said in an over-the-top shmoozy tone, as she walked towards the door.

He grabbed her around the waist as she attempted to pass him, laughing, and pulled her to him, her back pressing against him. "Oh no you don't."

She leaned her body back against his, and the playful embrace quickly changed in tone. He nuzzled his head into her hair before kissing her neck, then her jawline. He wanted to breath her in, pull her even closer to him. He heard her release a soft sigh. He whispered in her ear, "Oh MC, you know I just like you so much." He risked sliding a hand under the hoodie she was wearing, and she felt his long, graceful fingers run across her stomach just below her belly button. Electricity shot through her. She felt his tongue draw her earlobe between his lips, and her eyes rolled back in her head. She played at a fake faint and made him catch her. It made his heart leap a little to see her playful side coming out again.

As he lifted her up, she smiled at him. "Okay but you're really not getting out of telling me about Hope. I can outlast you all night"

"Oh you can, can you?" he said with his brows furrowed, mischief in his eyes, and a small smirk. That look had always melted her, even when they were just friends.

"You heard me." She raised an eyebrow.

He relented at last, sighing. "Okay, but we may need to open another bottle of wine for this."

"Suits me! I'll put on another record!" she said brightly.

Noah proceeded to tell MC the unsurprising story of the end of his relationship with Hope. Once they weren't under the watchful eye of millions of viewers and the stakes weren't so high, things started to fall apart. Those cracks that they had seen during their time at the Villa were exposed as the chasms they actually were. Hope didn't find the allure of their "day 1 couple" status as romantic outside the villa, especially when they didn't win the money. Watching himself back in the Love Island episodes forced him to realize how toxic their relationship was. The pressure of being a "power couple" in the Villa had led Noah to accept things he normally wouldn't have accepted. To bend in ways he shouldn't have.