Will put the last plate in the dishwasher and closed the door.
Will had a restless night. Ari was up on and off. The few hours of sleep Will got weren't productive. There was too much on Will's mind.
Will didn't know what was going on with Sonny and him. He knew his leaving to LA would put some strain on them. But everything seemed fine when he got back.
Sure, Sonny was a bit overly attentive but that wasn't so bad. Weird but not too bad. Will could deal with that. He could not deal with the mood swings though.
'One minute he's telling me how much he loves me and the next he's yelling at me,' Will sighed. He started picking up the living room, making sure all Ari's toys were put away.
Buzz Buzz Buzz
Will pulled out his phone. He had a text from Paul.
-Pub for lunch?
-That depends. You paying?
-This one is on you, Horton. See you there
Will locked his phone and bit his lip. He was looking forward to lunch.
Sonny held Ari in his lap as Will coaxed her into eating.
"It'll feel good," Will urged.
Ari shook her head, hair flying.
"Come on, princess," Sonny pleaded. "You need to eat."
"Just a little bite," Will puckered his lips. "One little bite and I'll get you a popsicle."
Ari opened her mouth eagerly.
"Yeah, I thought that would work," Will chuckled.
Will handed the bowl of yogurt to Sonny and came back with a different popsicle than the ones from yesterday.
"Where did that one come from?" Sonny questioned.
"I made it," Will said. "It's just mashed up berries and fruit juice. I'd make it for the twins when they were teething."
"You're really good at this parenting thing," Sonny smiled at Will.
"I just know what not to do," Will shrugged. "And go from there."
"I mean it," Sonny pressed. "You're great."
"And you're giving me whiplash," Will said pointedly.
"What do you mean?" Sonny asked, confused.
"You," Will shook his head. "One minute I can't do anything wrong and the next you see me and start yelling. I," Will looked down. "I don't know where I stand with you sometimes."
"I," Sonny swallowed.
This was his chance. He could open up to Will. Get rid of his guilt; fix most of their current problems.
'Just tell him the truth,' Sonny pleaded. 'Tell him that while he was away my ex came to town. The ex I never told him about. That I spent a whole weekend with said ex, in his hotel room, in his bed. That it took me an entire weekend to remember I wanted Will. That all I've done since then is lie. That I keep on lying.'
'Just tell him.'
"I know things have been bad but I'll do better," Sonny chickened out. "Chad and I are working things out at TBD. I just need to clear my head and things will be back to normal."
Will nodded. He reached out to wipe around Ari's mouth and hands.
Sonny could see Will didn't believe him.
"Hey," Sonny smiled brightly. "How about we go out together on a date? Tonight?"
"Really?" Will asked. "I don't know if I want to leave Ari when she's in pain."
"We can have my mom come over," Sonny suggested. "We can be together, reconnect."
"Okay," Will agreed. He offered Sonny a shy smile. "I'd like that."
"Good," Sonny exhaled, relieved. "I'll plan something perfect. This is going to be great."
"You made the business deal yesterday?" Chad asked Sonny in lieu of greeting.
"Yes," Sonny confirmed. "They wanted the money upfront but I finished it."
"Good," Chad nodded. He didn't ask where the money came from.
"Today we need to work on the menus and the advertisements," Sonny suggested. "But first we need to head to the farmer's market."
"This revamp is getting expensive," Chad frowned.
The two headed for the door, ready to price shop.
"Alright, princess," Will set Ari down in a booth at the pub. "Daddy needs to do a bit of work but you'll be able to see me. Okay?"
Ari nodded as she munched on another popsicle.
"Good," Will placed her toys in front of her and headed towards a waiting table.
Will didn't plan on bringing Ari with him today. His grandma Marlena was supposed to watch her for a few hours. Unfortunately, she had a patient emergency. No one else could watch Ari on such short notice. Will didn't have any other options.
'I guess Paul is going to meet Ari,' Will realized. For some reason that made him feel nervous.
Will wasn't ashamed of his daughter. She was the best thing in his life. But it was fun, this secret friendship with Paul. There were no expectations, no rules to follow.
It wasn't like being with Sonny lately. The uncertainty and the distress. While Sonny was so unpredictable lately, Paul was steady.
Will knew he was following down a slippery slope.
'But this is different,' Will told himself. 'Paul is just a friend. I don't even know if he's gay. And even if he was he wouldn't be interested in me.'
'I'm just doing my job. I'm not supposed to tell anyone about Paul anyway.'
Will looked up from pouring a cup of coffee to see Paul walking through the door. He couldn't stop the smile spreading across his face or the fluttering in his chest.
'Just working, just working,' Will attempted to convince himself. 'It's just work.'
Paul spotted Will and grinned. He stood up straighter, baseball cap in place.
"Hey," Paul placed his hand low on Will's back.
"Hi," Will looked over his shoulder and caught Paul's eyes. "Um, just let me put this down."
Will put down the coffeepot, nervously wiping his hands on his apron.
"Kept my spot open for me?" Paul wondered with a wide smile.
"Not exactly," Will said with an uneasy grin.
Paul followed Will to his typical booth. He stopped short once he noticed the small, blonde child sitting there.
Ari, scribbling on a kids menu, looked up and smiled at Will.
"Da-da," Ari pointed at her picture.
"Oooh," Will praised. "That looks beautiful."
"Da-da?" Paul's eyebrows rose to the top of his forehead. "What?"
"Right," Will licked his lips. "Paul, this is Arianna, my daughter."
Ari gave Paul a cursorily glance before going back to coloring.
Paul stared at Will blankly for a few seconds.
'Daughter? He has a daughter?' Paul couldn't process it. It wasn't computing. 'Daughter?'
'I should have finished reading those articles,' Paul thought. He gave Will a tense smile.
Will swallowed before pushing Paul into the seat across from Ari.
"Ari," Will sat next to her. "This is Daddy's friend, Paul. Can you say hi?"
"Hi," Ari said quietly.
Paul's smile softened into something real.
"Hi there," Paul offered. He looked at Will briefly. "She's beautiful."
"Thank you," Will put his arm around Ari. "You probably have a lot of questions."
"Uh, yeah," Paul chuckled. "Um, how old is she?"
"She's one and a half," Will explained. "And before you ask she was conceived when I was still questioning myself."
"Oh," Paul nodded. "So, you are actually, um, you know?"
Paul didn't know if he should ask in front of the girl or in public. Or at all really. Paul was no expert when it came to discussing sexualities.
"Gay?" Will offered. "Yeah, hundred-percent. Bit hard to explain the daughter that came out after I did."
"Right," Paul replied with a chuckle. "Do you, um, do you take care of her yourself?"
"Mostly," Will evaded. "Her mom isn't exactly around."
Paul knowing about Ari was one thing. Will still wasn't ready to talk about Sonny yet.
'Why haven't I told him I'm married?' Will vaguely questioned.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Paul told Will. "I know what it's like to grow up with a single parent."
"Right," Will weakly responded. 'Single.'
Sonny and Chad arrived back at TBD. They had a long list of potential suppliers for their new menu.
"We've got some thinking to do," Sonny stated.
"Right," Chad nodded before checking his watch. "I need to get to a board meeting. Email me the menu proposals before you decide."
Sonny agreed easily enough. He checked on the employees and the customers. Alone, Sonny headed towards his office.
Sitting at his desk, Sonny opened his laptop. He found a website that offered menu templates and printing. As Sonny began to design everything, he realized there wasn't enough money in the company account.
'We don't have enough for paychecks, the new food, and this,' Sonny sighed.
'God, I hope Will doesn't kill me over this,' Sonny thought. He knew, once again, he would end up paying with his and Will's joint credit card.
'A daughter,' Paul shook his head. He sat at the table with the girl while Will made his rounds.
'This changes everything,' Paul decided.
Before, Paul thought of Will as young, sexy, and carefree.
'He's still young and sexy but definitely not carefree. Do I even want to waste my time on someone with a kid? Would Will even be interested in sneaking around with a daughter?'
'Well,' Paul rationalized. 'It might be easier. Will's young and yeah, he's got a daughter. But is he going to tie himself down? Not with someone that's leaving town soon.'
'This could work,' Paul smiled to himself. 'Actually, it might make things even easier.'
Ari pushed a block towards Paul expectantly. Paul smiled and helped Ari build a tower.
Will sat across from Paul. Ari was asleep on his shoulder.
"I talked with my lawyer," Paul told Will. "He's working on drawing up some papers."
"Good," Will smiled. He still couldn't believe Paul was willing to help out the pub. "Actually, my aunt has some questions about that."
"We can talk in-depth about it sometime together," Paul looked at Will through his lashes. "We'll go over everything."
"Right," Will licked his lips. "In that case, I should actually ask you some interview questions. I keep forgetting that."
"What do you mean?" Paul wondered. "You ask me stuff all the time?"
"Not deliberately," Will admitted sheepishly. "I haven't focused on the article in a while."
"Me too," Paul agreed. "I've enjoyed getting to spend time with you."
"You're different than I expected," Will confessed.
"So are you," Paul whispered. "I've never met a journalist like you."
"I don't know if that's good or bad," Will laughed.
"Definitely good," Paul insisted.
With a smile, Paul leaned back against the booth.
"Great father, great writer," Paul looked over Will's face. "Is there anything you can't do?"
Will's smile faded.
"You'd be surprised," Will mumbled. He recalled the past few days with Sonny, how nothing seemed to make sense.
"What's with that frown?" Paul questioned.
"Nothing," Will shook his head.
"Seems like something," Paul noted. "You can tell me."
'No, I really can't,' Will thought.
"Come on," Paul tapped his foot against Will's under the table. "I told you the real reason I'm here. You can tell me what's bothering you."
Will bit his lip. He did want to talk to someone. Paul would be able to give an unbiased opinion. He didn't know Sonny after all.
"It's, well," Will looked above Paul's shoulder, away from his eyes. "The guy I'm with."
'Husband, he's your husband,' Will scolded himself.
"Oh?" Paul resisted smiling.
'This might be even easier than I thought,' Paul realized.
"Things have been," Will searched for the right word. "Weird."
"What do you mean?" Paul pressed.
"One minute he seems really happy with me," Will adjusted Ari in his arms. "The next he's mad. He says he's just stressed but it feels different."
"Like yelling about burning dinner?" Paul recalled.
"Yeah," Will nodded. "I just, sometimes he comes home and before I even have a chance to say anything he's screaming. Yesterday, he basically said I was useless because I didn't clean the apartment."
"You don't deserve that," lines appeared on Paul's forehead. "You aren't useless."
"He always apologizes," Will added. "But it keeps happening."
"Have you talked to him about it?" Paul asked.
"A little," Will admitted. "I told him I wasn't going to put up with it anymore."
"Good," Paul smiled encouragingly. "That's good. You should stand up for yourself."
"He said he's gonna take me out tonight," Will finally looked at Paul again. "Said it would help us," Will remembered the word Sonny used. "Reconnect."
"Right," Paul pressed his lips together. "Is that what you want?"
"What?" Will wrinkled his brows.
"Do you want to reconnect with whoever this guy is?" Paul queried. "Or do you want something else?"
Paul's foot pressed down on Will's again.
"I-," Will opened his mouth.
"Hey, Will," another waiter called. "Can you come help me with this?"
"Um," Will looked down at Ari asleep in his arms.
"I can take her," Paul offered. He kept his head bowed so the other waiter couldn't see his face.
"Are you sure?" Will questioned, staring into Paul's eyes.
"Yeah," Paul confirmed. "I'm sure."
"Do you want something like this one day?" Will asked Paul.
Will set a plate down in front of Paul.
"Want what?" Paul wondered. He shifted to lean against the wall. Ari was fast asleep against his chest.
"That," Will clarified. He nodded his head towards his daughter.
Will couldn't deny how sweet they looked together.
"A kid?" Paul opened his eyes wide, worrying his lower lip. "God, I don't even know. I've never thought about it."
"I think you're lying," Will teased with a big smile. "No one looks that comfortable with a toddler if they don't want one."
Paul flashed Will an exasperated expression.
"What?" Will smiled innocently. "You want one. I'd say it's pretty normal. Most people think about having kids."
"Maybe from time to time," Paul reluctantly admitted. "But my life? With a kid?" Paul shook his head. "I can't imagine it."
"A lot of sports figures have kids," Will pointed out. "You and whichever model you settle down with could have some."
Will looked at Paul challengingly.
"Maybe, potentially," Paul evaded. "You never know."
"You'd make a good dad," Will offered.
"How do you know that, Horton?" Paul took a bite of his food.
"You know what it's like not to have one," Will said simply. "You would put your all into it. Make sure your child would have everything you always wanted."
"Like you?" Paul smiled.
"I do my best," Will shrugged. "Although I'm letting my daughter sleep with a stranger. So, I might not be that great."
"I'm not exactly a stranger though," Paul commented. "I know you."
"Yeah, I guess you do," Will nodded.
Paul took another bite before remembering something.
"So, this article," Paul started. "Exactly what are you going to write about?"
"I don't know," Will shook his head and laughed.
"Until you figure that out," Paul remarked. "We'll have to keep seeing each other."
Will tried to hold in his smile.
"Hello?" Will answered his phone as he buttoned up a blue dress shirt.
"How are things with Paul going?" Zoe immediately questioned.
"Good," Will replied. "He's different than I thought he would be, genuine."
"Uh huh," Zoe rolled her eyes. "Are you getting the story?"
"The story?" Will frowned.
"Yes, the story," Zoe emphasized.
"…I don't know," Will answered. "What story are you looking for?"
"Will, sweetheart," Zoe pinched the bridge of her nose. "You know I adore you. But you really need to get a clue."
"Hey," Will sputtered.
"Keep working Paul," Zoe ordered. "Call me when you get what I want."
Zoe hung up without another word.
Will pushed the conversation out of his mind. Tonight was about him and Sonny, no one else.
"Thanks for watching her tonight," Will told Adrienne. "She napped for a long time so I don't know about bedtime."
"I'm sure we'll be fine," Adrienne confirmed. "Besides, I enjoy spending time with her."
"Good," Will responded. "I've always been close to all of my grandmas."
Will turned away from Adrienne's smile.
"Okay, princess," Will kneeled in front of Ari on the couch. "Your Daddies are going out tonight. But Grandma Adrienne is going to be here with you."
Ari rubbed the side of her mouth with a pout.
"There's plenty of popsicles," Will smiled. "But you have to eat your dinner first. Deal?"
Ari held out her pinky. She knew the routine.
"Good girl," Will kissed her forehead.
"Alright, baby," Will stood up. "Does Daddy look okay?"
Ari nodded, making kissing sounds.
"Thank you," Will posed. "You're too kind."
Adrienne chuckled at Will. It was times like this she could see what Sonny saw in Will.
"You look very handsome," Adrienne told Will. "Sonny won't be able to keep his eyes off of you."
"I doubt that," Will adjusted the collar of his shirt. He glanced up at Adrienne shyly. "But thanks."
Sonny wiped his hands on the towel slung over his shoulder. He bustled from one side of the club to the other.
"I guess the new menu's a hit, boss man," T clapped Sonny's shoulder.
"It better be," Sonny called back.
The club wasn't packed but it was crowded. It usually was on weekends. It was weekdays they struggled.
Unfortunately, while firing two employees was good for their budget. It wasn't good for planning. Sonny didn't schedule enough servers for the night.
Which was why Sonny nearly forgot about his date with Will.
Will walked into TBD. He was anxious for his date with Sonny. He wanted it to go well. He wanted it to be like the first day he came back from LA. When all their problems were solved just by Will coming home.
"Hey," Will shoved his hands into his back pockets and approached the bar. "T, have you seen my husband around here?"
"Yeah, he should be in the kitchen getting his order," T replied. "What are you all dressed up for, dude?"
Will pursed his lips, perplexed.
"Why is Sonny picking up orders?" Will questioned.
"Well, who else is gonna do it?" T gave Will a dumb look before turning around to pour a drink.
Sonny walked out of the kitchen with his order on a tray.
"Just let me know if you need anything else," Sonny told his table with a friendly smile.
Sonny turned around and saw Will leaning against the bar.
"Hey," Sonny smiled, walking towards Will. "What are-oh."
'Oh god,' Sonny's smile froze.
Will nibbled his lower lip.
"I thought-," Will began.
"Just give me a few more minutes," Sonny said confidently. "Then we'll leave."
"Did you forg-," Will tried.
Sonny pulled Will into a kiss, effectively cutting him off.
"Go get a drink," Sonny suggested. "Relax."
"Thought you got in trouble for serving me alcohol?" Will touched his tinging lips.
"My uncle took care of it," Sonny grinned. "No inspectors are going to bother me now."
"Sneaky," Will quipped.
Sonny waited until Will sat down at the bar before moving into the kitchen.
'How could I forget this? What the hell is wrong with me?' Sonny thought.
"Hey," Sonny called to his chef. "I have a really weird request."
Sonny rattled off what he wanted.
"All of that and the Oreos?" the chef lifted one judgmental eyebrow.
"Yeah," Sonny smiled. "It's for Will."
The chef nodded as if that explained everything.
Will drummed his fingers against the bar top, bored.
"You want me to bring you anything else?" T questioned.
Will shook his head.
T frowned and leaned in close.
"He's been working really hard ever since you left," T revealed. "Things haven't been going so hot though, from what I hear."
"What do you mean?" Will furrowed his brows.
"Well, Sonny and Chad fired two people," T shrugged. "They're making some big changes. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out."
"Right," Will closed his eyes. 'It shouldn't take a genius to realize he lied to me about it either.'
"Here," T poured Will a fresh soda. "I know how bad you were with alcohol before. Don't look at me like that."
"Thanks," Will tipped his glass at T.
"How did your writing thing go?" T asked. "You're back early."
"It was a disaster," Will admitted. "They hated everything I wrote. The guy they hired to help me out thought I was open for business."
T grimaced.
"That sucks, dude," T expressed. "At least you're home now."
"Yeah," Will leaned his elbow on the bar.
"That's not a good thing?" T wondered.
"Sonny's been stressed out since I got back," Will whispered. "He keeps blowing up at me. Tonight, he was supposed to plan this big date to make up for it."
"And you're stuck here," T clarified. "Got it."
"It's not all his fault," Will wanted T to understand. "I have a new project for Sonix that's taking a lot of my time. I'm helping out at the pub again. Things, things just haven't been the same."
"What are you talking about?" T shook his head. "Dude, you and Sonny? That's, that's just dumb. The guy was a mess without you. He worked almost nonstop. I think the only time he wasn't here was one weekend."
"And I missed him like crazy," Will said. "But, things have been so weird the last few days."
"Things aren't going to be perfect," T remarked. "But I know you. You love Sonny, so that's it."
"That's it?" Will repeated.
"Duh," T rolled his eyes. "You'll find a way to make it work."
"What are you two talking about?" Sonny asked. He put his arm around Will.
"Um," Will blinked a few times. "About how I love you."
"I should hope so," Sonny smiled. "Even if our big date is a letdown."
"I think I'll forgive you," Will leaned against Sonny. "But you owe me."
"I'm really sorry tonight was a bust," Sonny told Will for what felt like the millionth time.
"I know," Will helped wipe down a table.
Will wanted to ask Sonny about the club. Will knew it had to be struggling but T made it seem even worse.
'But I don't want another fight,' Will realized. 'T's right. I love Sonny and that's it.'
"It's just that I've been saying that too often," Sonny continued. "I'm sorry, that is. Instead of saying it I should probably stop doing things to be sorry over."
"That would be preferable, yeah," Will agreed.
"I'll do my best," Sonny promised.
Sonny walked over to Will and took the rag from Will's hands. Sonny took a hold of Will's shoulders and guided him into a seat.
"Wait here, please," Sonny requested.
Will looked around the empty club. This wasn't the night he had envisioned. Although he did have fun talking to T. He hadn't seen his friend in a long time. Will had been so busy with Ari, the pub, and Paul. He almost forgot there were other aspects to his life.
"Alright," Sonny said from behind Will. "Close your eyes."
Will's eyes closed, lips quirked into a smile.
Sonny placed a plate in front of Will and sat across from him.
"Open," Sonny whispered.
Will opened his eyes and laughed incredulously. Before him was his favorite decadent comfort food: chocolate chip cookie dough on the bottom, Oreo cookies in the middle, and brownie batter on top.
"I can't believe you even remembered this," Will said in awe.
Will eagerly lifted the fork sitting on the plate.
"I know that your mom would make this when she felt upset," Sonny leaned his elbows on the table. "And later on when you were upset."
"I'll need to work out for three hours tomorrow," Will teased. He shoveled a forkful into his mouth and sighed. "So worth it," he mumbled, voice muffled.
"You don't need to work out," Sonny dismissed. "You look perfect the way you are."
Will paused, licking crumbs off his mouth. He felt his cheeks warming. Despite the mess he was making, Will hadn't seen that look in Sonny's eyes in a while.
"I know this doesn't make up for everything," Sonny dragged his chair closer to Will's. "I just want you to know that I'm trying."
"It's a good start," Will commented.
"I love you," Sonny vowed. "I really love you."
Will smiled. The declaration reminded him of the first time Sonny told Will that. Sitting on Sonny's bed, elated and awe-struck that someone like Sonny would love him.
"I love you too," Will revealed.
Will stabbed his fork into the dessert and lifted it to Sonny's mouth.
The two spent the rest of their evening feeding each other, sneaking kisses.
For the first time in a long time, Will and Sonny felt like everything was going to be okay.
Author's note:
Any thoughts?
Thanks for reading!