She stood in his office, staring at him in bewilderment. It was obvious that something was wrong. It had been much too easy to simply walk through the door and blurt out her question. And even after she did, she wondered if he'd even realized that she was there.

He was sitting in his plush leather chair, his fingers tented against one another, staring into space. And Will Gardner was not a man who liked to sit around and do nothing. Yet, there he was….

And she was worried.

"Are you all right?"

Slowly he turned his head toward her, his gaze meeting hers. "Am I? Yeah, why?"

"Well, because I asked you what you thought about my idea for this deposition on the Collins case and you said yes."

He chuckled. "I'm sorry. I was just… distracted." He paused and regarded her carefully. "I'm… Life is complicated, isn't it?"

She smiled and nodded. "Definitely."

"I don't know what I want and I always know what I want."

Her eyebrows rose at his strange words. She'd never heard him speak this way before. "Is this about work?"

"No. It's… never mind. It's not important."

"Okay, if you're sure. If you need anything…."

"What I need is a friend." he said bluntly. "Someone I can get a drink with, and tell things to."

She was momentarily stung by his words; for the two of them had done just that on numerous occasions, not only at Lockhart/Gardner but long ago at Georgetown as well.

"I'm your friend." She blurted out without thinking. She sounded almost… desperate.

"I mean a guy."

The clarity didn't make the sting any less painful. In fact it was even more so. "Oh… Right."

Her face must have registered hurt because his expression softened. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"

She nodded. "I know… I'll just leave you alone. I didn't mean to pry." She was about to walk out of his office when she heard;

"She has a date."

Slowly she whirled around. "What?"

"Tamara. She has a date. With a South African soccer player."

Alicia swallowed hard, trying not to look at him. To look at him would remind her of how handsome he was and how gentle his touches were. Instead her gaze went to the window where the Chicago skyline was cloaked in grey. "What does that mean, exactly?"

He sighed deeply. "It means she broke up with me. We're through."

Her heart went out to him and she gestured to the chair next to him. "May I?"

He nodded. "Sure."

She sat down and put her hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, Will."

"Me too."

"You really care about her, don't you?"

"Well, yeah. I mean…"

"I'm sorry. This is really none of my business. I don't mean to pry."

"You're not. I'm just…" He rose from the chair and went to the window, staring out at the greyness. "I don't like this feeling. In fact, I hate it."

"What feeling is that?"

He sighed deeply. "Of being alone. I hate it. It feels like she's been gone for years and it hasn't even been twenty-four hours."

Knowing how dangerous it was, she was overcome with emotion as she went to him and slipped her arms around him, the way she'd done countless times before. But the gesture seemed to surprise him and he squeezed her back briefly before letting go. "What's that for?"

"To let you know that you're not alone. I'll always be here for you."
He nodded. "Thanks. That means a lot to me."

Not one to be swayed by his so-called distractions, she hugged him again, tighter than she intended. But this time when she tried to let go, he made no attempt to draw back. But she knew that they couldn't stay in this position forever, and so she reluctantly pulled away. "Well, I'll let you go. I have some work to do anyway."

She turned to leave a second time when she heard his voice again. "I kept my promise."

"What promise? You didn't make any-."

"To Tamara."

"Oh, right. What promise was that?"

"I didn't fall in love with her. I told her that I wouldn't and I didn't. She told me that she would leave me if I ever did, but I didn't."

The way he kept saying it over and over as though he were trying to make himself believe it tore at her heart. He was in love with Tamera; there was no doubt in her mind. He loved her. She could hear it in his voice.

This time it was much too easy to let go of him and walk out the door. He didn't even seem to realize that she was gone.

And that hurt her even more.