"Love is of all the passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses."

Lao Tzu

"Love is the poetry of the senses."

Honore De Balzac

Will's POV

(...Hearing…)

I am in a train, on my way to visit my aunt Carrie. It still have two hours of train journey to go and I close my eyes, hoping to sleep for a while. But sleep doesn't come to me, so I just stare out of the window, enjoying the beautiful scenery. An elderly man who is sitting opposite me smiles and says:

"One can look at a scenery like that for a long time without getting bored."

I smile and nod. There is no need to say any more as we understand each other completely, and thus we both enjoy the view. We pass another station and it is suddenly noisier around us. Two guys behind me are having a conversation and without wanting to I hear everything they say. One of the voices seems to plan to open a coffee house somewhere, because he is talking about which drinks to sell, and what colour chairs he is going to buy. The other guy is involved, but he is more easy-going, not really making a big deal on whether there should be light red or dark red chairs.

"I think the light chairs will be too cheap looking… you know."

"Whatever you prefer, Sonny, I don't really mind."

Although I still stare out of the window I am drawn to their voices. Now I know one of their names, Sonny. It seems to fit. The energy in his voice suits happy name like that.

"I think I am going for the darker red…"

"Sounds good to me."

"You're not the decorating kind of guy, are you Chad…"

So they are Chad and Sonny. It is funny how a random conversation can slowly tell you more and more about two people you have never met.

"I honestly could not care less if the whole coffee house would be blue instead of red."

They both laugh, and then they just tease each other.

"I've heard gay people are better at those kind of things anyway, so I'll leave that to you…"

So now I know for which teams they are playing. I wish I could turn around and see what they look like, but the train is full, and the chairs are quite high. So instead I just listen.

"So we have two more days here in Switzerland and then our holiday is over. And when we are back home I think we can open the coffee house in about four, maybe five weeks."

"Sounds like a plan."

I wish I knew where 'back home' is. For some reason I would enjoy going to their coffee house and make friends with them. I'm drawn to the voice that belongs to Sonny. His energy and tone makes me smile as he sounds like someone who never stops being busy and someone who would make a great friend. The train stops again and they are quiet for a while. Then I hear one of them say:

"Let's get some coffee."

The voice is much further away, and moments later the doors close and the train continues its journey. I try to look out of the window, but the train is so full now that people are standing in the middle of the train, blocking my view to the platform. I sigh and close my eyes again, hoping to finally get some sleep.

(…Smelling…)

After visiting with my aunt Carrie in Switzerland for ten days I am now back in Salem. The first semester at University is starting soon and I decide to look for a small studio apartment. I am still living with my mum and my brother and sisters, but look forward to having my own little space. I tried to get a room on campus, but everything was already full. While eating some fries at my great grandmother's pub I am screening a studio renting website on my phone.

"Hi Will."

"Hi T."

"Found something yet?"

I shake my head and put the phone down:

"I think I am just too late. The semester is starting next week and everyone seems to have just moved in to one of the rooms I would like."

I watch while T stuffs himself with my fries and then I push my ice tea towards him. He just grins and within moments the ice tea is gone too.

"Did you just come here to eat my food?"

"I'm broke… and I am very happy with your support."

I smile and shake my head:

"You are always broke, and so am I. Yet somehow I always pay for your food and you never pay for mine."

He stands up and hands me my phone from the table:

"I will pay you back my friend. I have heard of a studio apartment that is for rent. It is in your budget, and in about half an hour they have open house."

I stand up and look at my best friend:

"Are you serious?"

He nods proudly, obviously very happy with himself. Then he takes out his own phone and starts typing. Moments later I receive a message and he says:

"That's the address… Can't come with you I'm afraid, I have a job interview."

"You do?"

"Yep, in about twenty minutes I am expected to be at a coffee house that is due to open in about four weeks. I am applying for a position as barista."

I have opened the text and try to figure out where I have to go, so slightly distracted I congratulate T with his interview, and wish him all the luck in the world. And then we are both on our way. The apartment building is nicely between the centre of town and the university and it appears to be in a nice neighbourhood. I ring the doorbell and almost immediately the door opens.

"Hi, I'm Will, I hear this apartment is for rent?"

The man in a suit shakes my hand and gestures for me to come in. I follow him and look around to see a small but nice studio apartment.

"Thank you for being here, Will. You are right, this apartment is for sale. The guy who is renting it at the minute is going to move across the hallway. I am John, the landlord of this building."

I nod and follow him while he shows me the place. I like it. Not just the place, but I like the atmosphere. The stuff from the guy who lives here now makes me feel at home. John shows me the bathroom and I can't help enjoying the smell of aftershave hanging in the air. We walk past the bed and he opens the doors of a build in wardrobe. I almost reach out to touch some of the clothes as the smell seems to take a hold on me. I don't know what it is, but I like this guy even though I have never met him. I look around to find a picture of him, but all I see is some pictures of mountain views.

"So, what do you think?

John's voice wakes me from my daydreams and I smile:

"I like it."

He holds out his hand and asks if we have a deal. I look around one more time and for a moment wonder whether I like the apartment or its current resident, who will be my neighbour if I rent this place. But then I shake off that thought and take his hand:

"We have a deal."

(…Seeing…)

I have just unpacked the last box and am very happy with the way this apartment has become mine. I decide to order pizza and to invite T to celebrate moving in. He is never saying no to a free meal, so half an hour later we are enjoying our supersize pizza's at my new kitchen table.

"It's a nice place, Will."

"Thanks… and also thank you for telling me about this place."

"Sure, no problem."

Suddenly I remember his job interview and I ask how it went.

"Very good, I have the job and will be working Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays."

"Isn't that a bit too much with being at university?"

He shrugs:

"I need some cash, you know, dating women is expensive."

I smile and look across the table:

"I'm sure it is."

The way he looks up at me I know he is going to make a teasing remark about me dating guys, so I quickly change the subject:

"So what's the name of the coffee house?"

"Common Grounds, you might have seen the poster in town. They have been advertising quite a bit lately."

I nod, remembering one of the leaflets I saw at University yesterday.

"I'm working tomorrow…"

"OK, I'll come over and see if your barista qualities are up to my standards."

The next day I find my way to Common Grounds and order an Americano from T. It is not busy and I sit down at the bar so we can chat. Suddenly we hear a voice that I recognise from somewhere:

"T, can you go for your break? I'll take over for a bit."

I turn my head and watch while a dark haired guy walks behind the bar. T nods and then introduces us and suddenly I know why his voice is familiar:

"Will, this is Sonny one of the owners of this place, Sonny, this Will one of my best friends."

Sonny smiles at me and asks:

"So, what do you think of the place."

I like his smile. It makes me slightly confused and I have difficulty giving an answer. But eventually I come up with:

"It's great."

His smile widens and his eyes sparkle:

"Thanks, I'm glad you like it."

I realise I am staring at him and I quickly look down. I feel T's eyes on me and I know he knows me well enough to realise I like his boss.

"Will, I'm sorry but I have to go get something in town."

I nod understandingly and make a note to myself to thank him for that later. T leaves and so does the only costumer who was sitting at one of the tables, which means it is now just me and Sonny. He points at my mug:

"Refill? On the house…"

I push my mug towards him and watch while he fills it up. It gives me a moment to really look at him and I like what I see. His dark hair is messy, but in a crafted kind of way. He has nice hands, and his eyes are the most beautiful shade of brown I have ever seen. He puts the coffee in front of me and then our eyes meet. He bites his bottom lip and I feel how my eyes just seem to glue to his lips. His tongue comes out to wet both of them and then he smiles again.

"So you are T's friend?"

I nod, wishing I was better with words. But he is easy in making conversation, just as I expected when I heard him talk to Chad on the train. Suddenly, we are having a nice conversation and I enjoy knowing a little more about him. Then a group of costumers come in and he has to go back to work. I can't help but watch him for a while, but when more people come in I stand up. As if he had been focusing on me, he immediately turns towards me:

"Will."

I raise my eyebrows and smile, when he asks:

"See you soon?"

I feel butterflies in my stomach. We both smile when I quickly answer:

"Definitely."

(…Touching…)

After getting instructions from my mum I am all set to clean the bathroom. I bought the proper stuff and I place it all in the middle of the bathroom floor. It only takes me two minutes to realise I really do not enjoy doing this and I decide to hurry up. I grab the spray to clean the mirror, but before I know it I have sprayed it in one of my eyes and it really stings. I try to rinse my eye but am unable to do it properly. The sting just seems to get worse and eventually I decide to see if any of my neighbours are home. I run across the hallway and it only takes a second for the door to open. I keep blinking and can't really focus so I just ask:

"I have stuff in my eye and in stings."

The person who answered the door grabs my wrist and pulls me inside. He sits me on the kitchen table and I hear how he fills a cup with water. After he poured water in my eye and the sting is finally gone, I am able to look at him. And that is when I feel my heart skip a beat. His dark eyes are all concerned when he asks:

"You feel better now?"

I remind myself to breath:

"Yeah."

He puts the cup on the table and suddenly one of his hands cup my face and pull it upwards so he can look at my eye again. The feel of his long fingers against my skin makes me shiver and I try not to lean into his touch. His thumb very softly strokes my cheek, but only for a second and then he lets me go again.

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

I am not sure what to say now. Here I am, a clumsy guy spraying his eyes instead of the mirror, and here he is, coming to my rescue, looking very good doing so. I finally look at him again and am surprised by the wide smile on his face. The smile I have come to enjoy way too much.

"Didn't think our second meeting would be like this."

I blush and unconsciously bite my bottom lip. He just continues:

"Although I am not complaining at all… You must live in this building."

He reaches out and my heart skips a beat when I feel how his fingers touch my face again. This time his thumb very carefully pulls my bottom lip free:

"Stop that…"

His fingers stay on my face longer than needed and when he lets go I shyly look into his eyes. Soft brown and bright blue meet and the butterflies in my stomach seem to want to break out.

"Can I get you a drink?"

He doesn't even wait for my answer and just grabs two bottles out of the fridge and hands me one of them. I reach out and immediately feel how my fingers touch his. We both hold on way longer than necessary and I cannot help but smile. He sits down on one of the other chairs and just like at the coffee house, we are soon caught up in conversation. But this time we use not only our words to connect, but every now and again one of us finds a way to touch the other. Sometimes it not more than a graze, but each and every touch sends shivers down my spine. But eventually I decide I should go back to my own apartment, and Sonny has to go to the coffee shop. He walks me to the door and when he opens it we see how my door is still open from when I rushed to find someone to help me out.

"Hope no-one took your stuff…"

"I'm a student, I have nothing of value."

We laugh, both not sure how to say goodbye. I really want to hug him, but he might not expect it. I hesitate, and so does he. I look into the liquid brown once more and decide to just go for it. The moment my arms are around him I feel how his arms quickly lock around me. It is a tight hug, a real one. Not the one everyone does where you barely touch the other person. I don't want to let go, and I have a feeling neither does he. I breathe in and it reminds me of my walk through my apartment, when it was still his apartment. I feel how he leans his head in the crook of my shoulder and I can't stop smiling when I feel his heartbeat against my chest. When we let go he coughs a bit and then he says softly:

"See you soon?"

I just smile and nod:

"Definitely."

(…Tasting…)

"Hi T, how is it going."

"I'm good."

He immediately makes me my Americano while I make myself comfortable on one of the bar stools. I told him a few days ago that I like Sonny, and that I think he likes me too, and I am still thankful for the way he was just happy for me.

"Almost finished your shift?"

"No."

I frown:

"I thought you would be finishing at five."

"I was, but Sonny had an accident and broke his ankle and his wrist."

"What?"

I look at him, not hiding my concern, probably showing exactly how I feel about Sonny. He looks at me and despite Sonny's misfortune I see a twinkle in his eye when he tells me:

"He fell this morning over a few boxes so Chad took him to the hospital because he refused for us to get an ambulance. And after they plastered it all in he insisted on going home and he didn't want any help…"

I shrug slightly irritated:

"Why does that make you smug…"

"Because you should go and see him… remember how much you liked him helping you with your eye? It could be the other way around now…"

I need a moment to picture that and then I grab my bag. I leave my coffee untouched and just before I close the door behind me I turn around and say:

"Thanks T, you are a great friend."

About twenty minutes later I am standing in front of Sonny's door. I knock and hear:

"Come in."

I push the door open and find him on the couch with his plastered foot in the air. His hair is much messier than usual and one of his hands is held in a sling. I close the door behind me and walk towards him:

"T told me what happened."

He blushes and I smile. He always seems so confident and I cannot help but enjoy his sudden shyness.

"I fell over some stupid boxes, could not be clumsier if I tried."

His free hand goes over his forehead and the through his hair as he tries to avoid my eyes. I wave around me and ask:

"So you want to stay here… on your own… with only one working foot and one working hand?"

"I can manage."

"Sure you can…"

I sit down at the other end of his couch and smile:

"So why don't you get us a drink."

Two dark brown eyes look at me with slight irritation:

"You can get it."

"I know I can, but you just told me you can manage."

We quietly look at each other for a while and then he sighs:

"I don't like needing help."

Someone is knocking on the door and I stand up to open it. It is the delivery guy to bring the Chinese food I ordered when I left the coffee house. In silence I set the table:

"Dinner is ready."

He stands up and tries to hop his way to the table, but he loses his balance and just in time I can reach out and pull him against me to keep him standing. I feel the embarrassment in his whole body while I hold him close. I look at him and realise his eyes are so much nearer than I anticipated, and I can clearly see the sadness, hurt, embarrassment, and irritation. And before I realise what I am doing I lean in and kiss him. He almost immediately responds while his arms close around my neck. I softly nibble at his bottom lip, asking entrance that he gives without hesitation. The kiss is soft and intense. Feeling his breath in my mouth, his tongue against mine, feels absolutely perfect. We take our time, but eventually we need to break the kiss to catch our breath.

"You kissed me."

His voice is soft and I smile, enjoying the sound of his happy and soft laugh, feeling dizzy while drinking in his image, breathing in his smell, and feeling his body pressed against mine. I just cannot resist and lean in for another taste of the man I have fallen head over heels in love with. And while I lick his neck he whispers the words I really want to hear:

"I am so in love with you…"

Thank you all for your support. I get really happy when I read your comments on my stories. They have inspired me to do another one today. As always, I hope you all like this one and please leave a review!