In my multi chapter story 'The sparkle in his eyes', I have a chapter in which Will quickly tells Adrienne about when he and Sonny first met and their first dates. For some reason I was suddenly writing them out... and adding some new ideas to it which makes this fic unrelated to the multi-chapter story. Hope you like it. Happy thanksgiving to all those who are celebrating that at the moment.

Will's POV

(...First meeting...)

I stuff my books and notebooks in my backpack while I am trying to eat my cereal. Today I have an important class in which I have to give a presentation. In my head I go over my text again and again and I am sure that the nerves I feel now, will only get worse in the coming three hours. I reach for my coffee tin and of course when I need it most I am out of coffee. I decide to leave now, so I can get myself a cup of coffee at one of the coffee houses in town. I quickly finish my cereal and then I am on my way. While I walk towards the town square I come across some signs advertising a new coffee house in Salem: Common Grounds. And for some reason, ten minutes later I find myself walking into this new coffee house. One costumer is being served and while the barista is making the drink I check the enormous list of options hanging on the wall. Then I hear a voice asking me:

"What can I get you..."

And while my eyes screen the list one more time, I decide to go for my usual:

"A large Americano please..."

My eyes let go of the drinks list and I look at the barista's profile while he is making my coffee. His back is turned to me, but for some reason I find him very attractive. I cannot stop staring at his messy, but very sexy dark hair. And then that apron, tied around his waist, accentuating certain aspects of his body that makes is so much harder for me to think in a coherent manner. When he turns around I feel how I hold my breath. He looks at me and I look at him, and it feels as though time stands still. I cannot believe that he does not only have the best hair and the cutest ass in the whole world, but his eyes are the most gorgeous velvet brown I have ever seen. He places my drink in front of me and I see his lips move as though he is saying something. Still recovering from his beautiful eyes I am suddenly distracted by the perfect shape of his lips. I reach for the coffee and try to remember what people usually say at this point, and finally I manage:

"Thank you..."

And then suddenly the sun shines when he flashes me the most perfect smile I have ever seen. I automatically smile back and decide to repeat myself because I have nothing better to say:

"Thank you..."

And then I force myself to walk away, asking the universe why some people just seem to have it all. I mean come on... perfect hair, ass, eyes, lips, smile... that is just not fair. And while I can't stop thinking about this cute barista, I meet my friends at university, who cruelly remind me of my upcoming presentation. And of course, my friend Tyler asks me if he can borrow some money because he is broke as usual. I reach for my wallet and suddenly I feel my cheeks go bright red.

"Oh no..."

"What... I promise I'll pay you back tomorrow..."

I look at Tyler with slight confusion, completely forgetting what we were talking about:

"What?"

"The money... I'll pay it back tomorrow..."

"Oh that... that's fine..."

I hand him ten bucks and try to calm myself down. But Tyler, as my best friend, looks at me while asking slightly worried:

"What's up Will... you seem to freak out a little..."

I shake my head and pull my fingers through my hair:

"Promise you won't laugh, and promise you won't ever bring it up again..."

"I won't laugh, but I can't promise on the rest..."

I look at him and sigh:

"OK, that's good enough, I guess...I went to get a coffee this morning..."

"Oh Will, how dare you..."

"Shut up... it was at this new place... and the barista was just... just... you know... perfect..."

Tyler's eyebrows shoot up and I see a hint of a smile on his lips, so I raise my hand:

"You promised you wouldn't laugh..."

"Right... sorry, go ahead."

"I was just so confused... I don't think I paid for my coffee."

Tyler is biting his lip and I shake my head:

"OK, go ahead, you can laugh..."

The time tells us we have to get to class, so he just gives me a friendly punch on my shoulder and while we stand up he says:

"Well then, you've got a good excuse to go back there this afternoon."

After my classes and after my presentation which went quite well, I walk back to Common Grounds. Through the window I already see his profile behind the counter and I try to breath in as deep as I can to slow down my heart rate. Just before I walk in I try to calm myself down by telling myself once more that he is probably the most arrogant, unkind person I have ever met. In walk insight and close the door behind me. There are no costumers in line so I don't have time to change my mind, because he immediately turns to me:

"What can..."

He stops midsentence and his face lights up in a gorgeous smile. I take a deep breath and remind myself to keep it together. I shyly hear myself say:

"Hi..."

"Hi... you were here this morning..."

"Yeah... I was..."

"I'm Sonny."

"I'm Will..."

"So you liked the coffee huh..."

His smile seems to get brighter and brighter and I can't help feeling a certain comfort and safeness, even though I am still nervous.

"Yeah, especially since it was free..."

I know I am blushing but the way he laughs after I said that is the best sounds I have ever heard. I reach in my back pocket to grab my wallet but he shakes his head:

"Don't worry about it... it was on the house."

"Well, thank you, but since I am here I would like another Americano and I intend to pay for this one."

He nods and bites his lip while he turns around to get me my coffee and I try to find something to say that would justify me standing here talking to him for a while longer. Instead of getting me a mug, he gets me a carton cup for take away orders and for a moment I am just unhappy because I interpret it as him wanting me gone. But before he pours in the coffee he writes something on the side, and then he hands it to me. While he says something he holds on to the cup and since I had already stretched out my hand to get it, we are now both holding the cup, which means my fingers are slightly covering his.

"I know how you can pay me for the coffee... if you still insist on paying for it? Give me a call so I can take you out..."

He slowly lets go of the cup, while our eyes are linked together. He smiles again and as usual I just have to smile along. Then I look at the side of the cup and see that he wrote his phone number on it, so I happily nod my head:

"I will call you... I will definitely call you..."

(...First date...)

And two days after our first encounter at the coffee house we have a date planned. I called him yesterday and he was quick to invite me out for today, saying:

"I have a great idea about what we can do... I am sure you like it."

So I decided to trust him and now I am looking into the mirror one more time before I am leaving to pick him up at the coffee house. When I walk into the coffee house I see how he just hands his apron to a tall guy saying:

"Thanks for covering for me... I owe you one."

"And don't you forget it..."

The tall guy smiles teasingly and then looks at me. His grin just gets wider but before he can say anything Sonny pushes me out the door. When the door is closed behind us he says apologetically:

"Sorry... he just always says the wrong things at the wrong time..."

I nod, smiling like an idiot because I am so happy to see Sonny again, while I follow him to his car:

"So where are we going..."

"You'll see..."

After a fifteen minute drive, in which I really enjoyed how his hand grazed my thigh when he had to shift gears, we stand in front of a building called 'Ups and downs'. And before I know it we are standing inside looking at walls with knobs and handles. I feel panic rush through me when I see how Sonny enthusiastically points around him saying:

"Those are so much fun... let's get roped up..."

In a split second I grab his arms and I know I cannot hide the panic in my eyes. Even though I am sure I will never see him again after I admit my fear of heights, I just cannot hide it:

"Sonny... I don't know about this..."

"What do you mean... are you OK?"

"I...uhm... I am afraid of heights... and not just a little bit afraid... seriously afraid..."

I know I am babbling but I know that when I stop talking he will tell me that it was nice to meet me but that he has somewhere to go, and that will be that. I just keep rambling on and I don't even hear him saying my name to get my attention. And when I finally do hear him I stop talking and look at him all insecure and nervous.

"It's OK, we can leave and do something else..."

"I don't want to ruin this date Sonny, honestly..."

"I know that... common."

As quick as we were suddenly inside, we are back outside and I sigh deeply while I say:

"I am so sorry Sonny... I was really hoping this date would go well.. you know..."

And before I can look up I feel soft, sweet lips against mine. I feel my heart flutter while his breath is on my cheek and his hands softly cup my face. I feel overwhelmed by how this feels, how right and perfect this feels. And when he lets go and I slowly open my eyes to look straight into velvet chocolate sweetness.

"I just had to kiss you..."

I suddenly feel a bit braver again and whisper:

"So I didn't screw up the date?"

He shakes his head and flashing me another blinding smile, making me weak in the knees again. Then he pulls me towards a Chinese restaurant:

"You're not afraid of chop sticks, are you?"

"Are you now making fun of me?"

"Just a little... and just because you blush a little when I do that and I think that is cute."

I stop walking and he immediately stands in front of me, still smiling. I shake my head and try to sound offended:

"Cute Sonny...? You are saying I am cute?"

"I definitely think you are cute... but don't worry... in a sexy kind of way..."

"I don't even understand how that would work..."

He leans forward and gives me a perfect peck on my lips, as if kissing me is the most natural and familiar thing to him:

"Well it works for me..."

(...Second date...)

He parks the car and we both get out, slinging our backpacks on our backs. We just arrived at one of the biggest woods around, and we decided to go for a long hike. The weather is perfect, sunny but not too warm, and all I can say is that my boyfriends looks absolutely perfect in his hiking outfit showing his athletic build. This is our fifth date and I cannot believe how well this is going, and how deeply I am in love already. His eyes catch mine and I like the way his cheeks become slightly red under my staring eyes. But he smiles and says slightly shy:

"You look great..."

I bite my bottom lip and look down at my outfit which matches his sporty look. When my eyes meet his again I smile back:

"Thanks, so do you..."

"OK... let's go... I brought my compass so we cannot get lost..."

I raise my eyebrows and slowly shake my head:

"Wow, now if we do get lost I am blaming you..."

"I just told you we won't get lost... I know how to do this..."

"OK explorer... lead the way..."

He puts his compass in his pocket and grabs my hand, while we start our hike. And we both enjoy ourselves tremendously. The sights are beautiful, the weather is nice, and holding hands is absolutely perfect. And I love the way how Sonny sometimes just stops walking to pull me close and to steal a kiss, sometimes just a soft peck on my lips and sometimes a deep, warm, lingering kiss that makes me moan softly into his mouth. And while we walk we talk about everything, our childhood, favourite holidays, favourite food, friends and family, and with each step we take I feel I know him a little bit better. And we are so caught up in our conversation that we miss the changes in the sky. It is only when the I feel the first drop of rain on my forehead that I actually look up to see the dark clouds hanging above our heads. Sonny pulls out his compass and I wait for him to tell me where to go to find our quickest way back to the car. It takes a while but I wait patiently, enjoying the concentrated look on his handsome face. When he looks up at me I smile, realising I must have a goofy lovesick expression on my face. But then I see a slight worry in his eyes and I cannot help but smile widely, as the worry tells me loud and clear that we are indeed lost:

"Now what did you say when we started this hike...?"

"It's just that we have been walking and talking and I did not pay much attention to where we were going..."

"No Sonny... no no no, you said you would make sure we would not get lost, you said you knew how that thing worked. And here we are, it is going to rain... a lot... and we are going to get wet..."

His cheeks are bright red and his eyes avoid mine while he softly and insecurely says:

"I am so sorry..."

And then I let go of my teasing attitude and pull him in my arms, like he did so many times with me along the way. My lips softly brush his cheek and I whisper while I hug him close:

"I'm teasing... I'm sure we'll find our way back... don't worry..."

"I know... but I promised and you're right... we are going to get wet and you might get sick and..."

I pull back so I can look into his brown eyes and I shake my head:

"You are looking at this all wrong... I think it is romantic that we were so focussed on each other that we forgot where we were going. And I have loved every second if this date... and I am sure I will love every second of this date that is still to come..."

He smiles slightly and sighs:

"OK then... what do we do now..."

I shrug my shoulders:

"I think we best go back the same way we came from..."

He nods and tries to step back so we can start our walk back, but instead I pull him flush against me, not caring about the rain that is changing from sputtering into real rain:

"First I want a kiss though..."

His lips are warm and soft against mine, and his tongue makes me dizzy. I feel his hands on my hips and his soft moan makes me feel like his hero. When we pull back, smiling, we are already getting wet. We turn around to walk back, trying to find some cover under the trees, when he suddenly points to a little hut about 50 metres away. We run towards it and crawl insight, realising is must be a play hut from a child, as it is very small. We sit closely together while the sound of the rain on the wooden roof creates a cosy feeling. I don't hesitate and pull his arm around my shoulders while I lay my head on his shoulder. His kisses my head and pulls me close:

"You OK?"

I nod against his shoulder:

"Perfect... this is perfect."

As the rain continues, we continue our conversation where we left off, learning more and more about each other, never having to search for things to talk about. And while he tells me about his coffee house and all the plans he has to develop it, I suddenly lean in and kiss him while he is mid sentence. He doesn't complain and I feel how he immediately responds passionately. I can't resist to let my hand slide under his coat and his sweater, to just let my palm touch his warm flat stomach.

"Your hand is cold..."

"Well, you can warm it up..."

He smiles while I spread my fingers over his skin, cupping my face with both his hands as he pulls me close. The little hut is the place where we have a long make out session, that takes our breath away. At some point we both realise it is no longer raining, but we are both not sure whether it just stopped or whether it stopped a long time ago and we just missed it. Hesitantly we decide to walk back to the car, taking our previous route back to make sure we would actually find our way back. While we crawl out of the hut he gets his phone out to make a picture of it:

"I'm sure I will never forget this little place..."

I smile, and put my arm around his waist, while we slowly start our walk back to the car.

(...Two years later...)

"Sonny, where are we going..."

I look at my boyfriend, and try to read our destination from his perfect face:

"Are you taking me to climb a wall, like our first date?"

He just laughs and shakes his head:

"Honey... as much as I loved our first date... I would never do that to you again..."

He looks at me quickly before focussing on the road again, and I feel butterflies from the sweetness in his eyes.

"Yeah... our first date was nice... I enjoyed the Chinese food."

"Hmm, and luckily I was there to actually pay for it..."

He is laughing again and I just shake my head, remembering how we first met. Two years we have been together and for two years he has reminded me of that coffee I didn't pay for. And several times I tried to hand him the money to shut him up, but each time he would shake his head with a big smile and kiss my cheek, before saying how cute I was. So now I just wait for it, and he doesn't let me down.

"You were cute honey...it was love at first sight for me remember?"

My hand grips his thigh and I squeeze when I say:

"Yeah... me too."

We both smile as we remember what happened a week ago:

We tried to clear out our second bedroom which is still stacked with boxes and stuff we don't really use. As we tried to find our way through it, Sonny found a box that had something written on the side: Important stuff Will, don't throw away.

"Will honey... this is yours..."

I walk over and see the box in front of his feet. I kneel down and I feel he is slightly hesitant to sit down next to me so I just pull him down. I open the box while I explain:

"In here I kept everything that means something to me... there isn't much"

I smile while I pull out Snuffy, a cute little stuffed animal I carried around for most of my early childhood. Then I hold up a few drawings I made when I was little, which my mum saved and showed me when I was confused and trying to find myself. I also find a souvenir my dad brought home for me from China and while my hand goes in to find some more my eyes land on Sonny who is holding Snuffy like it is the most precious thing he ever held. He smiles shyly:

"This belongs to you..."

I smile and lean over to kiss his cheek. And then I smile even wider when my hand finds what I was hoping to find. I pull it out of the box and hold it in front of me so Sonny can see it. His eyes grow big as he reaches out to hold it:

"You saved this..."

"Of course I did... the most important coffee cup I ever had."

I shift on the floor so I can lean into him, while he is staring at the coffee cup to go, on which he wrote his phone number on the day we first met. When he looks at me he seems emotional:

"I love you..."

"I love you too."

I squeeze his thigh one more time and sigh:

"So where are we going..."

His hand covers mine and he shakes his head:

"It's a surprise babe... now stop whining."

So I do and we both enjoy the familiar comfortable atmosphere that is so very us. When he parks the car I smile while I remember the parking lot.

"Our hike... we hiked here on our second date didn't we..."

"We did..."

While we get out of the car I cannot hide my enormous happy smile and when we meet in front of the car I kiss him firmly:

"I like this."

He grabs a bag from the back of the car and then we are on our way, hand in hand, just like our first hike. While I tell him about a new idea for my writing class I suddenly see where we are heading.

"Sonny..."

"Yeah..."

I point in front of me:

"The little hut."

His smile is radiant and he pulls me behind him. Like the first hike we crawl inside, even though this time the sun is shining and there are no clouds in the sky. I curl up against his side and sigh contently while I listen to him talk:

"Exactly two years ago my life changes when you came in to order an Americano... And when you came back later that day I knew I was made to love you... and all our dates have been perfect... and even though we have our fights, you make me so very happy..."

I can't help but smile while feeling a little lump in my throat. While he was talking I just closed my eyes so I could hold back the tears that always seem to be just behind my eyes. But now I open them because I want to tell him how I feel. But the moment I open my eyes I have to catch my breath. He is holding a little black box, in which two identical rings shine away. His arm pulls me even closer to him while he continues:

"I love you so much... please, please marry me and make me the happiest man in the world."

I stare at the rings and suddenly realise I have to say something. When I turn to look at him I see the tension written on his face. I lean back to I can wrap my arms around him while I kiss his cheek and whisper in his ear:

"Yes... yes..."

It takes a while, but eventually we are each wearing a ring, and we decide to leave our little perfect hut in the woods. After we crawled out he makes a picture, just like he did two years ago. I smile and tease him:

"It's a hut in the woods Sonny, it hasn't changed much honey..."

He just smiles and grabs my hand while we start walking back to the car:

"Maybe not... but the first time I wanted a picture to remember the first time we made out... now i want a picture because you said yes."

I kiss his cheek to let him know I understand, and that I won't make fun of it again. And I cannot do anything else than agree when he says:

"I think the picture should be on our wedding invitation."

And I decide to add my contribution to the invitation:

"I'll make a picture of the coffee cup..."