(...) Will's POV (...)

I could really do with a good cup of coffee now. For a second I consider going down to the coffee house, but almost immediately I push away that thought. I don't even realise that I am shaking my head, as though I have to convince myself once and for all that going to the coffee house is no longer part of my days. I shuffle a bit to get more comfortable on this park bench while I let my mind wonder. I have never seen him so mad at me. Or perhaps it was more the hurt than the anger that got to me. The silent pain in his eyes, pain I put there. His eyes almost black from the emotions he tried to keep inside. His Kiriakis nature suddenly came through, and I never thought I would be at the receiving end of it. His lips were pursed together in a thin line, he almost spit out the words as his hands made short quick movements. His eyes were deep dark pools of hurt, pain and anger, and his voice was filled with emotion when he told me to leave and never ever come back. I tried to talk to him, to explain everything, but he didn't let me. And eventually, when I realised he was about to completely lose it, I decided to leave. Very vividly I remember opening the door of the coffee house, turning around one last time, hoping he would let me come back. But when I saw his face I knew that was it and I walked out, closing the door behind me. I slept at my mum's place that night, and about a week later I received a text message from him:

'I will be working all day tomorrow, could you pick up your things?'

And so I did. I walked into his apartment, the apartment that became ours while we grew closer and closer. I packed my stuff while trying to blink away the tears, and refusing to let myself touch or smell any of his clothes or things. My mum lets me stay at her place without asking any questions, but I can see how worried she is about me. Sometimes she just looks at me, concern in her eyes and wordlessly asking me to tell her what is bothering me. But I just give her a hint of a fake smile and leave the room, trying to shield myself from any actual questions.

"Hi Will..."

A familiar voice gets me out of my thoughts and memories.

"Hi Chad... you OK?"

"Yeah..."

He sits down next to me on the park bench and bites his bottom lip as though he is unsure what to do next. And I don't know what to say either, so we just sit there for a moment. Then he opens the conversation with an unfinished question:

"I uhm, I understand you and Sonny...?"

"Yeah..."

I have to clear my throat, and I swallow a few times before taking a deep breath. He just nods and without looking at me he says:

"For what it's worth... I am sorry..."

"Yeah... me too."

"If there is anything I can do for you, anything at all, just let me know..."

"Thanks... I really appreciate that."

When he walks away I fight the urge to ask him how Sonny is doing. I am sure Sonny spoke to him about us, so Chad would be the person to ask how Sonny is. But I decide not to, and watch my tall friend walk away.

"Hi beautiful..."

I turn around and see my sweet grandmother next to me. I stand up and hug her close, suddenly realising how much I want to talk to her about all this.

"You OK?"

I shake my head and she sits down next to me, just like Chad did minutes ago.

"You want to talk about it...?"

"Yeah..."

I whisper and I don't know how to speak when I am moments away from crying like a baby.

"It's OK honey... take your time..."

So we just sit here, looking at people walking their dogs in front of us. Finally I know how to start:

"I messed up grandma..."

"You did?"

"Hmmm."

She just waits and once again I am impressed with how she can just listen, without judgement. I can just talk and be me, and she will love me no matter what.

"There was this guy in school... you know... and he liked me.."

"Go on honey..."

"And perhaps I should have kept my distance, but we were placed in the same group to do an assignment. So we worked together for over a month, and he was always giving these signals... you know..."

She nodded while listening to my confession.

"And then one day he just pushed me against the wall and kissed me. And I was shocked and for a moment I was unable to move... and that moment Jason came in. And when he said something I finally got over my shock and I pushed Marc away from me. But Jason left immediately, and as he is one of Sonny's close friends he told Sonny what he saw... and he probably saw Marc and me kissing... but it wasn't... Marc was kissing me and I was just frozen, I guess..."

"Why were you frozen honey..."

"I don't know... because it was all wrong... his kiss was... I don't know... hard and I just didn't like it at all. I didn't want him to kiss me... never ever..."

I look at my grandmother and she smiles softly.

"So what did Sonny say... did you explain to him what happened?"

I shake my head and sigh deeply before I continue my story:

"When I went to the coffee house afterwards Jason already told him. I came in after closing time and he was furious. He didn't even let me explain, he just told me to get out. And he looked so angry, and so hurt... there was just nothing I could say to make him listen, so I left."

"I'm sorry honey..."

"I don't know what to do grandma... Sonny... Sonny is... I need him... I love him... what should I do?"

(...) Sonny's POV (...)

"Hi Sonny."

"Hi Chad... ready to take over...?"

"Yep... just hand me the apron and you are free to go."

I just nod and take off my apron.

"Sonny... sit down for a second..."

"Why..."

I try to avoid his eyes, because the tone in his voice tells which subject he is about to bring up. But he doesn't let me get off easy and I sit down on one of the bar stools. He leans over the counter and looks at me.

"Sonny, I just saw Will..."

I don't say anything, still unwilling to be in this conversation. But he doesn't seem to care about that and he just goes on:

"He looks miserable... and you don't seem much better..."

He sort of waits for me to reply but I am just silent, staring at the coffee machine without really seeing it.

"Sonny, whatever happened, I am sure you can get over it... you two are... I don't know... you're right together."

I sigh and shake my head while raising my eyebrows, finally contributing to this conversation:

"That's what I thought Chad... but I don't want a boyfriend who thinks that it is OK to kiss another guy..."

"Did you ask him about it? Did he tell you what happened?"

"He didn't have to, Jason told me everything..."

Chad frowns his eyebrows and I look at him in frustration:

"What... just say it..."

"Jason tells you something and that is enough for you to just break up with Will? I mean... I have known Will for a long time and he is not the kind of guy that just kisses guys..."

"That's my point..."

I can't hide the fact that I am tearing up, but I don't care:

"That is my point exactly. He doesn't just kiss guys for no reason... so when he kissed Marc, there must be a reason..."

For a moment Chad seems slightly defeated, his argument has turned against him and he realises it. But then he takes a deep breath and says:

"Look Sonny... I think you just have to talk to Will, let him explain... All I know is that he is crazy about you... he loves you Sonny... you were and you are his world... I just think you should talk to him."

After that he turns around to help some costumers and I walk to our office to get my things. While I walk through the coffee house I walk passed the table where we had our first date, which wasn't really a date because I had to work. I love that memory, and suddenly I realise how much I miss him and how incomplete I am without him. While I grab my bag I blink a few times to get rid of my watery eyes. Suddenly Chad is behind me:

"Sonny... I am sorry, it is none of my business... I am sorry if I overstepped or anything..."

"No Chad... it's OK...It's just... what should I do?"

(...) Will's POV (...)

Ping. Off course I forgot to turn of the sound of my phone so now everyone in this class room is aware that I just received a message. The professor seems slightly annoyed and I smile apologetically, while I quickly turn of the sound. Fifteen minutes later the lecture is over and after I said goodbye to my class mates I open the text message:

'Can we talk?'

My heart skips a beat and I don't know what to think. Sonny wants to talk. I could cry from the relieve that rushes through me and the nerves that suddenly tighten my throat. My hands are shaking when I text him back:

'Of course, when?'

He must have been waiting for my answer because I receive a text back immediately:

'Tonight 7pm, restaurant the Swans.'

'OK, I'll be there.'

I cannot believe it. I thought he would never speak to me again and now I am going to see him in less than three hours. Suddenly I am freaking out as I realise how important tonight is going to be for me... for us. I rush home and stand in front of my closet for a long time, unable to decide what to wear. I am glad he decided to go to that restaurant, as I could not have dealt with being in his apartment or at the coffee house as those are filled with memories of us. I am glad to meet on neutral territory, but I do want to look my absolute best. I finally decide on a green shirt, knowing he likes it when I wear it. One look at the clock tells me I should be going if I want to be on time, so I grab my keys and head to the door. Suddenly I hear my mum:

"I have a feeling you have something important tonight... good luck sweety..."

This time I give her a real smile instead of a fake one and I nod:

"Thanks mum."

When I park outside the restaurant I see Sonny's car nearby, telling me he is waiting for me inside. I fold my hands into fists, trying to stop them from trembling. After a few deep breath, in an attempt to slow down my heart beat, I get out of the car and go inside. A waiter comes my way and asks:

"How can I help you..."

"Uhm... I think my euhm date... company is already here..."

Is he my date? Is this a date? Before I can actually think about this I am standing in front of him while the waiter gestures me to sit down. He takes out drink orders and then we are together. Whenever we were together before it was comfortable and nice, but tonight, for the first time, it is slightly tense and neither of us knows how to break it. He finally says softly, without looking at me:

"Thanks for coming..."

I just nod, unable to say anything, touched by the difference in his tone since the last time he spoke to me. The waiter comes back with our drinks and asks if he can take the rest of our order. We both shake our heads and he suggests to come back in ten minutes. I stare at the menu, but I don't read anything. And even though Sonny's eyes are transfixed on his menu, I am pretty sure he doesn't see anything either. We're quiet, and when the waiter comes back I just give him a number from the list, hoping it will be good. We hand him back the menu's, and then there is nothing left to do but talk. When my eyes meet his he looks away quickly, but not before I have seen the hurt that is still there.

"Sonny...I..."

I can't finish my sentence as he shoots his question my way:

"Why Will... Why did you kiss him..."

I shake my head and see the irritation on his face:

"Don't deny it... we both know you kissed Marc, let's face reality here..."

"You're wrong..."

I whisper the words, afraid he might just walk out on me. He doesn't though, but his eyes are hooded in a way I have never seen before.

"OK Will, you have one chance to explain..."

I nod and think quickly about how to start. I look at his hands while I take a deep breath and start telling him my side of this story:

"I knew he liked me... but I already told him I had a boyfriend and I was not interested. But we had to do this assignment together and that day he suddenly grabbed me and pushed me against the wall. He kissed me and I just... I don't know... I couldn't move. I was overwhelmed and believe me... not in a good way Sonny... I was shocked... And then Jason walked in and that brought me back to my senses and I pushed Marc away..."

I am still looking at his hands, suddenly realising that he has very nice hands, while a shiver runs down my spine as I remember how they touched me. We are quiet again and I take a sip of my coke to get rid of my dry throat. He sighs deeply and asks:

"What was it like...?"

"What?"

"What was it like when he kissed you... did you like it?"

"NO... no Sonny, I did not like it... at all..."

I look straight into his brown eyes and I see he believes me. He nods and looks away when he speaks softly:

"I want to be the only one to kiss you..."

The thud of my heart hits me, and I wait until he turns his head and meets my eyes with his:

"What?"

I need to hear that again, I need to make sure it is not just my imagination fed by my hopes that makes me hear things he is not saying. He shrugs his shoulders as though he is almost apologising:

"You are mine to kiss... nobody else's."

"Sonny..."

The waiter could not have worse timing, as he walks in with two plates. While he places it in front of us we both go bright red. The waiter smiles widely when he says:

"Enjoy your meal."

I bite my bottom lip trying not to laugh, while I look from my plate to Sonny's and back again. When we look at each other we start laughing. And although it is funny, we also laugh because we know we will be alright.

"Wow Will, these two weeks apart have made you a sophisticated man..."

"And I always thought you were the most mature one of the both of us Sonny?"

He smiles and pushes his plate to the middle of the table and smiles softly:

"You want some of mine?"

I push my plate full of snales away from me and lean over to grab some French fries from his plate which is filled with the restaurants version of a happy meal for young visitors. When I go in for some more fries my hand touches his slightly and instead of grabbing fries his hand takes a hold of mine. I take a deep breath while looking at our intertwined hands at the side of the table, and then I look up to ask the question:

"Sonny... are we... are we OK? I mean, you were very mad, and I understand why, but... I mean... what does this all mean."

I use my head to point towards our hands and his plate that is standing between us so we can share a meal. He squeezes my hand and his brown eyes are all sorts of sweet when he says:

"I'm sorry... I should have asked you what happened before pointing you to the door..."

I can't help but smile, telling him he doesn't need to apologize.

"One thing though..."

Right now I could promise him anything. I would move a mountain if I had to.

"Stay away from Marc... far away from him..."

"Of course..."

"One more thing..."

"Anything Sonny..."

"Make sure that I am far away from Marc too, because I might kill him if I see him."

I just want to kiss him now. Feel his soft beautiful lips on mine, letting my tongue touch his in the most intimate way, feel his breath in my mouth. But the stupid table is in my way. A table full with a happy meal, snales and almost untouched drinks. While I try to think about how to do this he says:

"I really want to kiss you..."

I look at him and smile:

"Me too..."

Before I know it he pulls me from my chair and drags me to the counter, where he pays the bill. The waiter just smiles and before we walk out he says:

"Good luck guys..."

And then we are outside on the parking lot and it is already dark. We suddenly realise we came with separate cars and for a moment we are not sure what to do. Then I feel his lips brushing my cheek and he suggests:

"I'll see you in fifteen minutes at my place?"

I nod and we both let go to get into our cars. I drive behind Sonny to his apartment, knowing that I have all night to kiss him all I want, letting his sweet lips take away the horrible memory of Marc's lips on mine.

(...) Sonny's POV (...)

He is almost asleep with his head on my chest, curled up against my side. I smile when I remember how we rushed into the apartment, and how we finally kissed when I closed the door behind me. All the emotions came out and we made love mixing sweet tenderness with sheer want and need. I can't remember making love to him with such passion, with such an irresistible need to make him mine. And the way he responded to me showed me how much he is mine. Now I can't understand why I blindly believed what Jason told me, and how I told the most important person in my life just to leave. He sighs against my chest and I hug him close, making sure the duvet is covering us completely to keep us warm and cosy.

"Sonny?"

His voice is sleepy, and I feel butterflies in my stomach of the way we are right now. How he is warm, relaxed and satisfied in my arms, letting me hold him while he is almost sleeping.

"Yeah..."

"I love you... I love you so much."

His whispered confession is almost too much for me. I plant a kiss in his hair and stroke his arm that is hugging my stomach.

"I love you too baby..."

"I just... these past weeks have told me that I can't be without you anymore Son... I don't know how to do that anymore..."

"Me either..."

It is all I can say because I am choked up. Normally I am the one with the words, but this time he nails it. And I just listen while he continues:

"Being with you... like this... it is just... everything. I just want us to be forever Sonny..."

Suddenly he lifts his head from my chest to look me in my eyes. I cannot hide the tears that found their way down my cheeks and I smile shyly:

"Sorry... thank you for saying that Will..."

His hand reaches up and he lays it firmly against my cheek, using his thumb to wipe away some of the wetness on my skin. I shiver at this sweet touch and bite my lip to keep myself together. He shakes his head and smiles while he leans forward so his face is only inches away from mine.

"Don't cry... I never meant to hurt you baby..."

"I know..."

Then his lips are on mine and his kiss is firm, deep and full of promise and love. When he lets go he finds his previous position again, but his hand stays on my face, and his thumb continues to softly rub my cheek. I hold him close and stroke his hair absentmindedly. He hums his content and I can't help but smile at the way he purrs like a cat.

"Will..."

"Yeah..."

"Just so you know... I want us to be forever too.."

I feel his lips curve into a big smile against my skin. He kisses my chest and sighs:

"Goodnight baby."

I look down on him, knowing that I will not sleep for several hours, just so I can enjoy the feeling of him in my arms, the sounds of his breathing, and his heartbeat against my chest. Nonetheless I whisper softly:

"Sweet dreams sweety..."