Sonny sat at a table in the student union seething inside as he eavesdropped on the conversation happening at the next table. He knew eavesdropping was an unattractive quality, but he couldn't help himself. And he thought maybe he should just gather up his books, his notes, all his index cards he had spread out, and move tables. The place was full, but he could probably sit at the end of the table with the girl in the back by the vending machine who was painting her nails. Maybe putting up with nail polish fumes would be better than sitting here and listening to this conversation.

And yet he didn't move.

You know, it would be such a hassle to pack everything up. Mental note to explore this later and see if he has some masochistic or self-loathing tendencies he should be working on.

"Can I sit here?" asked a guy, setting down his book bag at the end of the table. "There's no open tables. I'll just be a sec."

"Oh, sure, yeah, go ahead," Sonny told the strikingly good-looking blonde. And added internally, 'if you don't mind that the students at the table behind us are complete idiots. And loud about it, too.'

"Oh no! They're back on!" laughed a girl from the table behind him. Sonny looked up and tried to shoot the red head an angry stare but she was just looking up at the student union television that hung in the corner.

"Grosssssss," said the girl next to her. "Er my Gawwwd, I think they're gonna kiss some more."

"Why do they have to show this stuff on daytime television? It's practically porn!" said a third girl who wore a stupid big pink bow in her hair.

Sonny rolled his eyes and while he should be looking over all his Poly Sci notes and trying to memorize the pros and cons of school vouchers and their impact on public education he looked up at the television.

It was a soap opera he had never watched, called "Tears, Fears, Mares and Gears" and apparently was about the lives and loves of a some rodeo people and professional car racers. It sounded ridiculous to Sonny. But what was even more ridiculous to Sonny was this table's reaction to a gay couple that was featured in today's episode.

Sonny knew enough about soaps—his mother used to watch that one about the hospital—that they were usually all about drama, far-fetched plots and sex scenes. So if a gay couple on this rodeo-racing show was kissing how should that be the least bit scandalous?

Look! Thought Sonny. They aren't even in a bed. They're standing in a stable. And there's not even any tongue. For crying out loud!

"I mean, they need to show more of that super hot cowboy, Wyatt and pit-girl Angel in bed together, this is just disgusting and it's so unbelievable and stupid."

"You're stupid," said Sonny. You know what? Restraint wasn't always his strong suit, and he admittedly knew he had a bit of a temper. He will put this on the list to explore these personality qualities, as well. Later. After he told this dips off.

"Exxxxxxcuse me?" said Bow-on-her-head girl, her lip curling up at him.

"No one asked you. We are having a private conversation," said the red-head.

"Well, for someone who values privacy you were being awfully loud," said Sonny.

"It's, like, totally a freeee country," snarled one of the girls, getting more ugly by the second, Sonny thought. "We have a right to our opinion. And they gay couple is grossssss."

The red head crossed her arms defiantly and said to Sonny, "I'm so sick of the media's agenda to push gay rights down my throat and try to make it like it's okay. I mean, it does not have to ruin a good soap and nobody wants to see these guys kissing."

"I do," said the blonde at the other end of Sonny's table. Sonny looked at him and raised his eyebrows.

"No, you don't," said Ugly Girl.

"Yes. I do. I love it. I think they should show it every day. I think they should show more. They should be in bed right now, and Drew can be showing Cam how much he loves him and worried he was about him after that rodeo stunt he pulled last week."

"Uggh," said the red head.

"Ha!" laughed Sonny, flashing a wide smile at the blonde. Oh my god, did he notice before how handsome he was? He had, objectively. As a human being, because it was impossible to look at this guy and not notice how hot he was. But now? Sonny was having a hard time restraining himself from leaping over the table and kissing the guy full on the mouth. So hot.

"You watch the show?" Ugly girl said.

She had to be noticing how hot he was, too, thought Sonny, look at her.

"Yep," said the blonde. "I totally ship 'Dream'. "

"Was that English?" muttered Sonny. "I have no idea what you just said."

The blonde looked at him, now. Oh my god, his blue eyes sparkled, and Sonny thought he could completely lose himself in them forever. Then the blonde smiled. Smiled at Sonny. Oh. My. God.

"That's the most unrealistic thing I have ever seen, by the way," bow-head said. "Gay guys in their early twenties like that are not going to be having a serious relationship. I read this gay guy's article on them and he said so, too. They are going to be all about getting laid and one night stands and would never actually be like this."

"You've done reading on this subject?" asked Sonny. "For someone who is completely disinterested, you seem to have taken a lot of interest it."

"It's not unrealistic," said the blonde defensively. "They love each other and are committed to each other and that sort of thing happens for gay people just like it happens for straight people."

"Yeah right," extremely Fugly girl said. She was just begging for the argument to continue, but then a sudden realization washed over Sonny. You can't always argue with stupid. Poor blonde, though, he just kept at it.

"Yes, I'm right. Look at me, I am in a serious monogamous relationship with the man of my dreams and couldn't be happier or more committed." The blonde looked at Sonny. Then he winked.

Sonny flinched in the smallest of ways. He could see this guy was up to something.

Both girls let out haughty breaths and gave defying stares, and he could see the blonde's frustration growing.

"Am I right, babe?" asked the blonde of him. "What, have we been together—two years?"

"Two and a half," said Sonny not missing a beat. Inside, Sonny grinned, but he could see that the blonde was completely serious about making a point to these idiots. He admired his tenacity and determination.

"And we talk about the future and marriage and adopting kids, just like Drew and Cam. So fuck off."

"Okay, whatever," said the girls. Because whatever is a super great comeback when you can't actually think of one, thought Sonny. He could see they just wanted to call the whole conversation off, because they knew they were losing and they didn't actually want to be open minded about their opinions at all. At least not today.

"Not, whatever," said the blonde. "Admit it. Admit that it's not unrealistic. Also, Drew and Cam are really hot together and they have a lot of fans and if you don't like it, maybe you should quit watching."

"We've been watching this show since we were kids, we're the real fans. And real fans don't care about the gay couple and they should listen to the fact that real fans don't want to see this."

The blonde practically leaped out of his chair the frustration growing and now making him flush even.

Sonny pulled him down, to the chair next to him and gave him his best puppy dog face. "Don't get upset, sweetheart, they aren't worth it."

The blonde looked Sonny over. He released a big breath.

"Look," said Sonny, tugging at the blonde's collar and smoothing it out. "Not everyone is going to understand. We know what we have and we don't have to defend ourselves against the haters. We have each other." Sonny offered him a smile.

"Yeah," the blonde answered quietly. "I don't know why I got so worked up."

"It's okay," said Sonny. He glanced over at the girls who were staring at them and raised his voice, "So, that reminds me, I was thinking for the wedding, someday, how about Christmas time? I love the idea of a winter wedding, rich velvets and capes and snow on the ground."

"That sounds really nice. You've given this some thought." The blonde half-smiled at him. "But for our honeymoon, we should go somewhere tropical. The ocean, the sun and the sand. You with your shirt off, like, the whole time. That'd be so sexy."

Sonny's insides felt like they were lit up like a candle. No… candles, plural. Birthday cake candles. Happy Birthday to me.

"That sounds. Um. Really great." Sonny was hoping he wasn't sweating. He gulped hard and licked his lips.

"Yeah," the blonde said, now reaching out and touching Sonny's cheek gently with his thumb. "It does actually. Or. Or I would love to take you to Paris. I think it would be so romantic, you know? I want to walk the streets, holding your hand and whispering in your ear how much I adore you." With that his hand dropped down and rested on top of Sonny's hand. With an index finger he traced small circles on Sonny.

"Uh…" sputtered Sonny. "Okay. Or that."

"Shutup!" said a girl from the table—Sonny didn't bother looking to see which one.

"Do you want to adopt right away or should we have a little time just you and me first?" he asked Sonny.

Hmm, thought Sonny. Which would be better? It would be nice to have some couple time, a time when they could just travel together and make love on the kitchen floor and spend lazy Sundays in bed together reading the newspaper and working on a crossword puzzle. But then, again, he wanted to have kids when they were young and had energy and it would be amazing to have a family that—oh my god. Sonny realized that he might be taking this charade too seriously.

"Right away, is what I think. Is that okay?" said the blonde, interrupting his thoughts. "I mean, I love kids and I think you and I are going to be amazing dads and we have so much love to share. You know?"

"Yes," said Sonny. "I know what you mean. I want to have everything with you. I…"

"I don't even believe this!" said the red-head from the table.

On the screen, Drew and Cam—that must be their names, right?—began kissing again, and one of them was pushing the other up against the stable wall in a fiery embrace. "I hope, they're going to do it now," said the handsome blonde. "Sometimes they get cock-blocked by the dumbest things. Like, a horse bolting from the stall, that was the last time."

Sonny smiled at him and looked at the television. His fake fiance just kept talking, "What I really want to see is them with their shirts off, kissing each other. Maybe them with everything off, and we can see them sweaty, mid-thrust, pounding into one another, screaming out each other's names."

The girls seemed equally disgusted with the blonde's conversation and the on-screen kiss. He looked at Sonny, almost apologetically, "I mean, yes, they love each other, and also, I want to see them expressing that love with one another, in all the ways couples do, you know?"

"Absolutely, hon," said Sonny.

The girls could stand it no longer, they packed up their things and quickly left the student union building.

"Bye," the blonde said cheerfully to them.

"See ya," called Sonny.

After they were gone, Sonny just wasn't about to go back to looking at Poly Sci notes, that was for certain. "I don't think they should be invited to our wedding," said Sonny.

"Nah," agreed the blonde. "I want something smaller anyway, just family and closest friends, okay?"

"Okay," agreed Sonny, who couldn't stop himself from smiling no matter how hard he tried. "But tell me the truth, if you don't want a winter wedding, we could do something different. Spring? Fall?"

"No, no, it's perfect in the winter. Maybe something even for New Year's, though. I love New Year's Eve."

"I do, too," said Sonny. "I have this box, and I write my New Year's resolutions and put them in it and then next year I like to see how I did." Why was he still talking, he asked himself. The box was something completely private that he hated talking about and here he was opening up to a complete stranger about it? A stranger he had just met two seconds ago and now they were planning a fake future?

The blonde looked like he was listening and thinking about the box and the resolutions, when Sonny suddenly said, "If we're going to get married I should probably know your name."

The blonde laughed warmly. "It's Will. Sorry, yeah, we probably should have actually met before I dragged you into that."

"No, I think I sorta started it," said Sonny. "And you didn't drag me into it, I went willingly. I'm Sonny."

"Ah, nice to meet you Sonny." Will glanced at the soap opera where the closing credits rolled on. "Oh, man, 2 pm, I gotta run. I got like, ten things to do before my next class."

Try not to let the disappointment show on your face, Sonny, he told himself. Keep it cool. "So, um, if we're going to get married we should probably also, maybe have like a first date? Can I get your number? Maybe we could do something this weekend?"

Will picked up a pen that lay in front of Sonny and jotted down a phone number on the note card that talked about how advocates of school vouchers believe the competition for the money provides motivation to improve public school performance. "Here's my number," said Will. "But I'm kinda busy this weekend, I think. I've got like three dates lined up already. But text me."

Sonny narrowed his eyes. "Uh…three dates?"

Will offered a shrug. "You know how it can be sometimes. But, seriously, text me, we'll see, okay?" With that Will left the student union building.

And Sonny was left wondering what the hell just happened.