Chapter Five

John had invited Anna over to his place again. It was a cozy place for them to hang out and work on music together if they wanted had ordered a Chinese takeaway and cuddled on the sofa for a while, and now they were in the music room tinkering away. A lyric came to John's mind as he worked on playing the melody on the keyboard. My heart is yours, Battered and bruised.

Anna picked up her guitar and started strumming along with her boyfriend's keyboard melody. They began humming together and working out the kinks in the instrumental for a while. Eventually, they had the first verse completely worked out. My heart is yours. Battered and bruised for God knows the cost. There's a need in my chest for the blood that was lost. For your love was a calming storm.

"I love you, Anna," John confessed when they had finished their run-through of what they had written. "This song, it's about all the life we lived when we were apart, and now that we're together I can't get enough of you. I can't even imagine living life without you in it. You're the calm in the middle of my chaos. You're what keeps my heart beating when I'm tired and weary. And you're..you're the greatest love of my life."

Anna's eyes filled with tears upon hearing John's words and his emotion behind them. She could tell he meant every word he said, and she was so grateful for them. She reached up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arm gently around John's neck saying, "And you are the greatest love of mine."

Their lips were on each other's then, their tongues running along each other's bottom lips before exploring inside their mouths. As things began to heat up, John found himself pressed against the wall, Anna's hand grasping his collar as they kissed passionately. He ran his hands along the small of her back, gently holding her in place.

Soon enough, she had broken from their kiss and whispered in his ear something about continuing this in the bedroom. Their clothes came off slowly between heated kisses before they made it to the bed. They made love slowly and sensually, feeling more connected with one another than they ever had before. And it was a connection, John suspected, that would only grow over time, as this was most certainly something they were going to be doing more often in the future.

They had spent the rest of the night and following day together. They cuddled, made love, worked on their music, and watched TV together. Now, they had decided to head out to a local spot for dinner before they went their separate ways for some Sunday respite. They had stopped at Anna's place so she could change on the way and were now settled at a table in a local coffee house which was having an open mic night.

After they had eaten and enjoyed some of the other performances, John decided it was time to try and convince Anna to perform. "So, Anna, why don't you go up there and show everyone how talented you are," he said, gently rubbing his thumb across her hand to give her courage.

"Oh John, I..I don't really sing in public. Why don't you go up there, Mr. Lead Singer?" she asked teasingly, trying to put him off.

"I've already got the experience. This is for you, Anna. You deserve to go up there and sing your heart out and put your talent on display. You deserve to feel confident because you've got what it takes."

John's words gave her courage. Besides, the place wasn't too crowded. She had posted a video of her singing on YouTube, certainly she could sing for a few people in a coffeehouse, she reasoned. She smiled at him and nodded. "I'll try," she said, rising from her seat to go talk to the man in charge of the sound system.

Soon enough, it was Anna's turn to sing. At her signal, the DJ put on her backing track and she took a breath as she prepared to sing. John knew instantly what song she had chosen, and he was mesmerized from the first word. Lookin' out on the morning rain, I used to feel uninspired. And when I knew I had to face another day, Lord, it made me feel so tired.

Anna looked to John as she sang. It was about him, John knew. Anna had been so exhausted and burnt out in her job before she met John and was inspired to pursue a future with him. Even though she was still working at that job to make ends meet, she had a lot more hope now as she knew she wouldn't be there forever. Perhaps one day her and John would make music together for a living, she thought.

Before the day I met you, life was so unkind. But your love was the key to my peace of mind. 'Cause you make me feel, You make me feel, You make me feel like a natural woman.

She meant every word, and her soul was being poured out as she sang them. Her voice was smooth and low, enticing John as he listened to each and every word. He couldn't get enough of her, and if she was honest, she couldn't get enough of it either. She felt free. Like she could say anything with her music. Like she could be herself to the fullest. And she never wanted to be without this feeling again.

She wanted to be with John. She wanted to be with him making music, making love, and making a life together. Now and forevermore.

A/N: Carole King's voice is how I imagine Anna's voice for this fic, so go listen to her song "(You Make Me Feel) A Natural Woman" if you haven't. I love 70s mellow rock, and I imagine Anna kinda sounding like Karen Carpenter mixed with Carole King and a little bit of how my own voice sounds. I don't sing solo in public, but I'm living vicariously through this fic haha.