Thank you for all the interesting reviews and for appreciating the progress of this story!

Here is the much-needed heart-to-heart :)

Please read and review!

Year 2005

Salem

It's been more than an hour, and Sonny hasn't turned up yet. Will is losing his patience, sitting in the library, directly facing the door. Then, he arrives with the brightest smile. Will doesn't smile deliberately, even though his mind is thinking of slamming Sonny right against the door and run his hands all over his body, because Sonny looks damn hot in those black t-shirt and beige knee-length shorts.

"Hey cutie, sorry I'm late" Sonny slightly puckers his lips to give an air kiss and sits close to Will. Will frowns and sticks his tongue out at Sonny before pretending to read. Sonny giggles "ok, come on, babe. Let me apologize in a nice way" and pulls Will to get up.

They go to "their" place in the middle of a dense cover of trees in the nearby park. Sonny makes Will lean against a tree and kisses him amorously. Will wraps his leg around Sonny's thigh and runs his hand along his arm and back. Deeping the kiss and moaning, both do a little dance with their hips touching. Sonny gives a tight squeeze to Will's butt and pulls away so that things don't get out of hand. Will whimpers with disappointment. "I know, babe. Hell, I too want it desperately… but not this way, definitely not here" Sonny caresses Will's rosy cheek. Will pouts and then hugs him "I love you, baby." "I love you more than you do" Sonny coos.

"Nice shirt" Will rubs Sonny's chest. "You like it? It's a gift from Mia. She is the sister of Alex's soon-to-be wife." Sonny grins. "Wait. Is she the same girl that proposed to you a year ago in Dubai?" Will narrows his gaze. "Yes. Now she's come here with her family to attend the wedding" Sonny says. Will's face hardens "now, I HATE this shirt" and takes a step back. Sonny gives a concerned look "Will, I get it. But please understand, that time I was not out, and Mia had no idea. Will, I'm not even remotely attracted to her. I never was. I'm not bi or something. Mia is just a good friend. And, you, mister, are my love!" Sonny closes the space and pecks Will's lips. Will stares at Sonny's eyes for a while and smiles a little.

"Ok. Now about the camping trip: have you made your decision?" Sonny's eyes look hopeful. Will nervously grabs Sonny's hand "Baby, I…I can't…sorry" and does a sad puppy face. "Oh…ok. I don't wanna know why. Because every time I ask you out…to a concert or to watch a movie…, you avoid it giving some reason or the other" Sonny sighs with anger. "Sorry Sonny" Will's voice cracks, and he gets teary-eyed having let Sonny down for the third time. If only he'd not made that stupid mistake of faking his surname and still hiding in the closet… Seeing Will sob, Sonny softens and whispers "that's ok" and wipes those tears with his fingers.

As they walk out, Will asks "Is Mia joining you guys?" "Yes. Now that you have ditched me…I'm thinking of turning into a straight guy and start dating Mia" Sonny teases. Will clenches his teeth and grips Sonny's crotch "If you do, I'll cut this off." "Ouch! Looks like I'm dating an axe murderer!" Sonny takes Will's hand "Was joking. No one can take your place, babe. And, I'm all yours" and kisses the back of his fingers.

Present

Standing in front of the mirror, Will wipes his tears. He looks sick. His face is bloated and his eyes have shrunk. The past two days, his mind has been not coordinating to perform the basic functions like bathing, eating, and sleeping. He won't be able to do that until he sees Sonny…until he begs to get his love back…because, now, his love and respect for Sonny is beyond measure and life without him is beyond imagination.

In a couple of hours, Will should be in office. He stares at his computer for a long time and sighs "I can't." He sends a mail to Sarah, giving some valid reason that he is on leave. And, after some more thinking, Will sends a message to Sonny, enquiring about his daughter's health and also mentions that he is not going to office. The reply isn't too late: *Yes, she is fine. Thanks, Will. I will meet you at 7. Just tell me where*. Will wants him to meet at his house. Sonny is fine with it.

Straight from office, Sonny knocks on Will's door at 7 pm precisely. As soon as Will opens the door, Sonny hugs him "I'm so sorry, Will." Will squeezes Sonny to his chest. "No, Sonny, you have apologized enough for something that was barely a mistake by you. It's not like you forced me, Sonny. I wanted that, as much as you did. Please don't tell me I'm wrong" Will nods his head holding Sonny's palm. "But, Will…" Sonny pouts worriedly. Will places a finger on Sonny's lips "Shhh…I should be the one apologizing, Sonny…what I did to you was just…oh god… why did you hide that when we talked, Sonny. Why?... Just because I shouldn't feel guilty or bad?… Why did you make it so easy for me?" Will bawls out.

Sonny keeps his head down for a while for Will to calm down. Then, he makes him sit on the chair. Sonny says in a calm tone "Will, I didn't hide the fact about my daughter from you…I was going to tell you later…I wasn't ever sure whether you would stay here... I didn't want to complicate things at one go. All I wanted that day was to talk about us, you and me. You apologized for your mistake and I forgave you. And, why are you unnecessarily killing yourself for something that is not at all your fault."

Will nods vehemently "Don't be good to me Sonny. If it was not because of me….because of my betrayal…you wouldn't have…"

Sonny raises his voice a little "I wouldn't have gone to Mia and had unprotected sex….that's what you're gonna say, Will? Why? There were chances of doing other things as well…I could have slept with a guy, instead…or, I could have just drowned myself in alcohol or some illegal Ecstasy, which wasn't out of reach…or, I could have done some other crazy thing to get my mind off you…It's fate, Will. It's just not my fault…I didn't know what I was doing…Mia is 2 years older than me for god's sake… she should've had some sense at least….but she wasn't thinking… she too was depressed with a breakup…It all happened in a flash and was forgotten…both by me and her…until the day she got to know about the life we both created by our stupidity…" Sonny hiccups through tears. With blurry eyes, Will rubs Sonny's back and makes him drink some water. He urges Sonny to go on and get it all out of his chest.

"Then, all sort of things happened…my family felt ashamed of me, especially my brother Alex. Handling Mia's homophobic father was tough…Mia was already in her second year of college here in Philadelphia…so, I discontinued my studies in Berkeley to take care of her...I joined Mia's college and worked part-time as a waiter. I was getting more depressed…took to alcohol and…random men…I was taking the route of self-destruction. Then, Brian came into my life and changed me for better. He encouraged me a lot and introduced me to a professor who was looking out for a junior editor. I always look up to Brian as a best friend and a role model….And, in the course of time, Athena was born…holding her for the first time was the best moment and greatest turning point in my life that now, I don't regret a bit… I'm so grateful to have her in my life…she's so precious, Will" Sonny smiles weakly, brushing the tears with the back of his palm.

There is a minute of silence. Sonny stares at his palms, and Will's eyes are transfixed to Sonny's face.

Will gathers some strength and kneels in front of Sonny "You are a great person, Sonny…such a compassionate soul. There's no doubt, Athena has the best father in the world… Sonny, I love you…Be at 16 or 24, my love for you never changed. When we talked that day, I controlled myself hard not to let my feelings out because I thought it would be too much for you. Since that day, my love for you has surmounted to no end. God, I love you so much… that I can't even describe it in words….I love you so much that I never allowed any other man to even touch me in all these years!" Will puts his head down.

Sonny swallows hard and squeezes his eyes. He gently lifts Will's face "Will, I love you too…I never loved anyone after you…I never was in a relationship…because there are these beautiful memories of being with you that I always carried with me… and I still do….But, Will, now it's altogether a different scenario…I have a daughter…I have a life-long commitment…and I'm forever tied to Mia, for Athena's sake…I don't want you to get into my drama, Will. It'll be hard for you…I want you to have a better life, because I love you and care about you…Please try to understand, Will."

Will gets a bit angry. "A better life, huh?...You know what a better life for me is going to be without you, Sonny? It's going the same that I have been living all these 8 years…empty and half-dead." Will abruptly gets up and walks out of the door.

"Will!" Sonny helplessly watches Will leave.

Will walks aimlessly for about 15 minutes and settles down under a big tree next to the children play area within the huge premises. He just gets into a meditative state, getting his mind blank for some time. After half an hour, his gets a message from Sonny asking for his whereabouts. Will sighs and texts him the exact location.

Sonny runs as fast as he could. His pace picks up speed when he spots Will from a far-off distance. Will gets up and leans against the tree. He gets anxious. Sonny almost dashes on Will but he somehow balance his hands on the tree, on either side of Will's face. Breathing erratically, Sonny looks deep into Will's wide eyes "I love you…I've always been so in love with you, Will…never a day passed without thinking about...when I stroll under the bright sun...when I stare at the twinkling star in the night sky...when I smell the earth before it rains...you are…YOU ARE IN ME, WILL… IT'S LIKE YOU ARE A DISEASE … I'M INFECTED BY YOU, FOREVER, WILL…I JUST LOVE YOU SO MUCH IT HURTS DAMN IT!" Sonny yells and shakes Will's shoulders, before dragging his hands down Will's arms and sliding himself to the ground. With overwhelming tears, Will kneels down and rests his palm on the back of Sonny's head. Sonny's tear-filled eyes meet Will's. "You just said it" Will trembles and smiles. Sonny's lips curve up. He grabs Will's head and smashes their lips together. They pull apart and look at each other in disbelief that this is happening for real…that they are kissing their first and one and only true love. They cry and laugh and kiss, tasting the tears of joy. They kiss for eternity, like it's the end of the world.

(to be continued...)

A/N: I pulled out one of my favorite lines (Lexie to Mark) from Grey's Anatomy and twisted a little. I guess you know which one :)