"The beginning huh?" Paul said, contemplating how much he wanted to share. He wasn't sure Will was ready to hear everything about his past. Besides Will had openly flirted with him at every opportunity and the last thing he wanted to do was give him any false hope.
He decided to just give him the basic information. "Why don't I just give you the condensed version." he said. "We met when you were writing an article about me for Sonix magazine, that's where you used to work back when I was a major league pitcher. We spent a lot of time together, and eventually we slept together. The article came out and we were over. That's about all there is to it." he finished quickly. "See just history."
"Wait a minute…it maybe history to you," he didn't think it really was or Paul wouldn't be trying to hard to seem like it didn't matter. "But it's new to me." Will said, letting Paul's words soak in. Paul was obviously leaving quite a bit out, that seemed so few words to describe what happened between them, he remembered it quite differently. So the question was why was Paul holding so much back.
"Maybe you could answer a couple questions for me." Will said.
Paul shrugged, but didn't answer otherwise.
"Sonny and I were in love right?" Will asked.
"Yeah, I guess so." Paul said.
"Seriously all I have heard from everyone in this town from the second I got here, is how much Sonny and I were in love, how happy we were… basically my life was all unicorns and rainbows." he was getting exasperated. "So what I wanna know is…. if that is true, why would I sleep with you?"
"Like I said we were spending a lot of time together, you were at my hotel almost every night conducting your interviews." Yes he remembered that well, it had started as interviews.. then when things had started to intensify between them, it turned into him finding reasons to go over there… clarifications on things Paul had said, further questions about a topic they had discussed. It even became somewhat of a game between them. If he wasn't finding an excuse to go over there, Paul was looking for one to get him to stop by. "We just got to know each other, and I was dealing with a lot, going through a lonely time in my life." Paul continued, "I had just learned that I could never play ball again." Paul said quietly. Will remembered the very minute that Paul had told him that the doctor had said his career was over. He would never forget the way he had felt as he watched Paul struggle to hold the emotion in. He looked at Paul now he, noting that had a faraway look in his eye. Will waited quietly for him to continue. "Eh, anyway one thing lead to another and things just happened."
"So I basically took advantage of your pain and seduced you." That was what he was hinting at right? Funny that he didn't remember it quite that way, he had always kind of felt like he had been the one that was seduced. But hey who was he to tell Paul how his memories should go.
"You wanna know what I think?" Will asked, not pausing to wait for a response. "I think that things weren't going so great at home for me anymore and I think that you made me forget about all that. What kind of man lets his husband hang out in a single mans hotel room all the time anyway?" he said.
"Knowing Sonny my guess is he didn't like it much, But at the time, I didn't know you were married, you never said a word till the day you came to my room to tell me the article had been submitted and that we were done."
"I kept that a secret too?" How did you not know I was married?" Will asked not understanding, "Why would that have been a secret, and a ring is a hard thing to miss."
"You never wore your wedding ring to my hotel room." Paul said, looking around the room uncomfortably. "I remember, I uh checked when you first came to my door. I was shocked that you were so young, and of course I found you very attractive back then."
"Oh!" Will said, giving him a cocky grin. "But not now?" he asked changing his grin to a pout.
"Will come on, you know how attractive you are." Paul said grudgingly.
"Back to the ring, thing, Why would I do something like that?" Will pressed, "I am sounding more and more like a son of a bitch."
"No, Paul denied, "You were doing as you were told. Your editor thought you may get a better story as a hot single reporter."
"And I am guessing since we slept together and I basically outed you to the world she was right on the money about that one." Will said.
"Hold up… who told you that you outed me?" Paul asked, watching him carefully. "Did you just remember that?"
"Umm no." Will blushed, he looked down at his feet and rubbed his hands together. "I read the article." he admitted.
"How did you know to read the article?" Paul asked suspiciously.
"Ok truth?" he asked looking at Paul. At least he could tell him that Marlena had told him all of that, and she had for the most part.
"Yes." he said.
"My grandma Marlena told me almost everything you just told me, and I had to read it, to see what it was all about. But to be honest that wasn't the first time I had seen that article." he said.
"Of course you would have seen it before, you wrote it. Did the article seem familiar?" Paul asked excitedly. The sooner Will remembered, the sooner things could get back to normal.
"No, nothing like that, but when I was in Memphis with Susan, I had a laptop and access to the internet, and remember I was closeted basically. But I was a baseball fan and the story about you not being able to pitch anymore was big news, you coming out as gay was even bigger news. So I had read the article already. I even remember the magazine site I read it on boasting about it being an 'Exclusive' interview."
"Wow so you read your own article and never knew it? He asked. "Man that has got to suck."
"Pretty much!" Will said deciding deciding to shake things up, he sat down on the bed. "So tell me was the sex between us good?" he asked out of the blue.
Paul stared at him dumbfounded. "What difference does that make?" he asked.
"Well, I don't remember being with you." Will cringed inside, damnit, that was a blatant lie. "And I wanna know." He smirked.
When Paul hesitated, he pushed a little further. "Come on can't you just tell me the truth?" he asked. "It's my memory too."
Paul rolled his eyes and stood there silently. He was looking at a completely different person than he had known in the past, Old Will had been kind of shy and, skittish, nowhere near as confident as this new cocky, flirty person he was dealing with now. It made him even more attractive, if that was possible.
"Well?" Will pressed.
"Yes." Paul said.
"Yes what?" Will asked.
"Yes it was good." Paul said.
"That's it, that's all you got." Will smirked again. "No details?"
"No details… " Paul affirmed. "Like I said, it's history."
"Doesn't have to be." Will said brazenly.
"Um, I think you should probably go." Paul said. Turning and walking toward the door.
"Why?" Will asked, stopping Paul in his tracks. "Did I make you uncomfortable again?"
"No, it's not that." Paul said.
"Then what is it exactly?" Will forged on.
"Look," he said running a hand through his hair. "Up until a couple of days ago I was engaged to be married, and you, well you are actually married to Sonny." Paul said. "It wouldn't wouldn't be right."
"First of all legally separated I believe is the correct term." Will reminded him, why did people in this town keep forgetting that…. "and Second, That didn't stop us the first time, besides tell me, it wouldn't be right for who, I noticed that you didn't really deny wanting exactly that."
"It would be wrong on so many levels." Paul said.
"Name one." Will said.
Paul chuckled. "Just one? Okay then, I still love Sonny." he said looking at Will evenly.
"Oh?" Will said, he had to admit he was a little surprised, even though he shouldn't be. As Paul had mentioned until a couple of days ago they had been engaged. "That's interesting."
"What do you mean?" Paul asked confused...
"You still loving him, even though he dumped you for me?" Will stated bluntly.
"He didn't dump me for you." Paul denied, "Sonny went through hell after he found out you could still be alive."
"And you stood by him, and he broke up with you basically as soon as you all found me." Will said matter of factly. "Sounds like his loss to me." he winked at Paul.
"It's temporary, we will work it out." Paul said. "I shouldn't even be having this conversation with you.
Will stood up and took a step toward Paul, "I hope for your sake, that you don't really believe that." he said sincerely. "But I get it, I'm sure you need time to process… I can wait." he said walking past him. He got to the door and turned back to the other man.
"If it means anything now, I really am sorry for the way I treated you, I should have never used you for a story like that." he said. "And I am sorry again for the staring, and making you uncomfortable, I hope one day we can at least be friends."
"it's okay really, it was actually a little flattering." Paul admitted. "I would like it if we could be friends."
"Me too." Will whispered. He opened the door and turned for one more look at Paul, then he realized that Paul had followed him to the door. He couldn't resist pushing the door closed, he reached out and grabbed Paul's wrist and pulled him close. Will wrapped one hand around Paul's neck and covered his lips with his own.
Paul's hands went to Wills arms, presumably to push him away, only to end up pulling him closer, he opened his mouth under Wills and allowed Will the entrance he was seeking.
His hands left Will's arms and travelled to his hips, pulling him in even closer.
Will groaned and deepened the kiss. Somewhere in his gut he knew that deep down Paul still wanted this. He remembered the passionate way that Paul had always responded to him, and the way that he came alive when Paul touched him.
He explored Paul's mouth leisurely getting reacquainted. One of Paul's hands gripped his hip tightly, while the other found its it's way to his back, his thumb traced the skin just above the waistband of his jeans.
Wills hands went on a scouting mission of their own, traveling down his chest, over his sides to his back. He stroked his back softly. His mouth left Paul's and he planted small kisses along the side of his face to his neck and sucked his ear lobe into his mouth, biting him gingerly. His hands slid down over Paul's ass bringing their hips together.
He pulled back and rested his forehead against Paul's, their ragged breath mingling together. Paul's fingers had somehow wrapped in Will's shirt holding him still.
"Will." he whispered. "We shouldn't be doing this. We have to think of Sonny."
"Shh..." Will answered. "I don't want Sonny, if it isn't already obvious to you, I want you."
Paul's eyes slid closed. He should fight this harder, he knew that. But Will was right Sonny had dumped him as soon as they had found Will. But truth be told the Sonny that wanted to marry him was gone the moment Ben busted in on their wedding and announced that Will was alive.
He moved his hands to Will's face and brought their lips back together. He swept his tongue into Will's mouth exploring everywhere all at once. He moaned when he felt Will's fingers under the hem of his shirt, skin to skin.
An insistent knock on the door broke the spell. Paul wrenched his mouth from Will's his chest heaving. "We don't have to get that." Will encouraged. "They will go away."
"No, it may.." Paul started.
"Paul." Sonny called through the door. "I know you are upset with me but I need to talk to you."
"It's Sonny." Paul said unnecessarily as he sprang away from Will. He quickly swiped the back of his hand over his mouth and straightened his clothes.
"Why so it is." Will said turning the knob and pulling the door open. "Hey Sonny." he said.
"Will." Sonny said, clearly confused. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
Will looked at Paul, "Do you wanna tell him or should I?" he asked.
"Will had some questions that he needed answers to." Paul answered.
"Will doesn't doesn't need you for that, he has plenty of people in his life to answer his questions." Sonny ground out, then he turned to Will. "I will answer any questions that you have Will, you know that."
"Do I?" Will asked. "Then out of curiosity why haven't you told me that I cheated on you."
Sonny's face drained of color at those words, as they hit him like a dash of cold water in the face. "I didn't think it was important to tell you that right now." Sonny said to Will. He looked at Paul, "This is what you thought he needed to hear right now?" he asked, his voice rising.
"Hey, I didn't tell him anything that he didn't already know." Paul said. He was getting a little tired of Sonny acting like Will should be treated with kid gloves. "Marlena told him."
"Will." Sonny said. "We can figure all of this out and I will answer all of your questions I promise."
"Yeah. Well exactly when did you think may be a good time? Is there a good time to tell me that the perfect picture that you have created of our marriage and our subsequent life together is a lie?" Will said skeptically. "Paul here has been only one with guts enough to tell me the truth. That's why I came to him, besides it was our memory, our affair… so he was the logical choice. I'm sorry if that hurts you." He said. "Anyway you came here to Paul's apartment, after you told me earlier today that you and Paul were done and you had Titan meetings all afternoon. So I am guessing you came here for a reason and I will leave you two to work it out." he said.
"I came to check on Paul." Sonny said. "Nothing more." he played right into Wills hand.
"Oh okay, well I will let you get to that then, see you around." he turned and addressed Paul. "Thank you for the enlightening conversation, I sure hope we can pick up right where we left off next time." he said winking at Paul before walking out the door, closing it behind him.