And that man had vanished from her life. When he stepped out of the coffee shop two months ago, he also stepped out of her life.
The Illinois Bar Foundation Gala was one of the very few events that Alicia didn't dread going to. Because even though she attended with Peter, this night she was Alicia Florrick the brilliant attorney, not the Alicia Florrick the Governor's wife.
She elegantly walked down the cascading stairs into the ostentatious opulent banquet room. Under the lavish chandelier, the room was filled with the city's most prestigious elites, the air smelled of power and privilege. Being the typical acholic Alicia, the first thing she looked for wasn't her husband, but the bar (and Will). Just a few minutes later, she got her wish. The sight of Will and tequila made her smile. She told herself that it was the tequila that turned her on, not Will Gardner in tuxedo.
"Hey" she said.
Will turned around when he heard her voice from behind, and his jaw almost dropped onto the floor. Alicia was always the most beautiful woman in his world, but tonight this woman standing in front of him right now… was beyond stunning. Long floor-length strapless purple dress, the sparkling chiffon flowed like ripples when she moved. The elegant necklace surrounded her neck like a wreath made of pearl. Simple teardrop earrings made with sky blue crystals dangling. She was… she was a goddess.
Completely lost for words, he didn't notice that he was gawking at her. Alicia lightly touched his elbow to bring him out of his reverie. "Will, are you okay?"
"Yes, sorry. It's just… um… you look… gorgeous." He spoke shyly. That's an understatement for sure.
Is he blushing? Will Gardner's blushing?
"Thank you." She was about to start a conversation with him when Cary called out to her.
"Alicia!"
She almost jumped. "Cary! You've startled me." Will politely nodded his head and left. She tried to hide her disappointment.
Cary continued. "Sorry, but I need you to talk to someone. You see that old guy over there? Next to that pretty blonde in green dress?" Alicia followed his gaze. "His name is…"
"Guy Redmayne." She finished his sentence.
"Oh so you know him?"
"Not personally, but he contributed a lot for Peter's campaign. I heard he's a good lawyer too."
"I've been told that he is retiring. He's looking for a law firm to take over his clients. Go talk to him and make good impression."
"Why don't you go talk to him?"
"Rumor says he likes to talk to women more." Alicia rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Fine."
She made her way to Guy Redmayne.
"Hello Mr. Redmayne, my name is…"
"Alicia Florrick! First Lady of Illinois! Everybody knows you. What do I owe this pleasure?"
"I heard that you are retiring, congratulations!"
"Oh yes, thank you. You are not the first one congratulating me tonight. Want to get my clients, huh?"
Oh snap. Busted. "Well, I only want to present myself and let you know that our firm is capable and more than willing to take care of your clients. I hope you will consider."
He grabbed her hand and covered it with his. "Fair enough. I can't help but wonder, now that your husband is the governor, why do you have to work so hard? A pretty woman like you doesn't need to work so hard."
Oh boy, he's one of those narrow-minded stubborn old yahoos who thinks women are stupid and won't be able to eat if their husbands don't feed them.
"I'd like to think that I can establish my own career without my husband's influence."
He started rubbing her hand inappropriately. "I see. You are one of those quote-unquote 'independent women'." He emphasized "independent women" sarcastically by sticking out two fingers on each hand.
He put his hand around her bare shoulder (damn this strapless dress!). She instinctively recoiled, and try to squirm out of his grasp. But remembering he was a big donor for Peter's campaign and someone who can give her career a boost, she tried very hard to stay polite and restrained herself from punching his face. (If it's not for the donation and clients, she would kick his nuts and threaten him with a restraining order). He ignored her obvious discomfort and slid his hand lower to the small of her back.
"Come, let's find a quiet place to talk business." He tried to lead her to the door. She was petrified. How do I get out of this without making a scene?
She needed a knight in shining armor. She looked around and saw Peter from a distance. He saw her, and she tried to send him a S.O.S message with her eyes. Peter saw that she was talking to one of his big donors, not only that he didn't get her S.O.S signal, but he even beamed at her, gave her a thumb up. She rolled her eyes vehemently.
Then she scanned for the one person that occupied her mind. Will was chatting with some lawyers when he saw her. They never needed words to understand each other. Will instantly got the hint and ran to rescue her.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Florrick. There are some urgent issues I need to talk to you about."
Before Guy Redmayne could react, Will dragged her away and disappeared in the crowd already. Once they were far away enough, she sighed with relief.
"Oh my God, thank you so much!"
"You're welcome."
They were next to the dance floor, and the music started at just the right time. "Wanna dance?" He held out his hand. She of course took it eagerly. They gently swung to the slow music, the world around them started to fade away.
"Why didn't you kick him away?" He knew she was a fierce strong woman, she could've pushed Guy Redmayne away.
"I thought of that. But I was trying to get his clients, and he donated a lot of money for Peter's campaign."
"I see. But still…"
"I know I know. It wasn't worth it. Hey, but if I saved myself, then who would give you a chance to play hero?"
"Wow, thanks for your big sacrifice to preserve my ego." Enjoying each other's sarcasm was one of the many reasons why they loved each other.
An awkward silence followed.
"I haven't seen you for a long time." She broke the silence with a voice that was reserved for Will only. Will said nothing, but his silence said a lot. The air was filled with bitterness.
"I feel like we are becoming strangers." She said honestly.
Will took a deep breath. "I thought… I thought you prefer it this way." A pang of heartache pierced through both their hearts. She wondered how on earth did they come to this point.
Please don't end up hating me. She once said under her breath.
The thing that hurt the most, was the fact that she let Will to believe that she didn't care. She allowed Will to believe that he meant so very little to her. He didn't know how his hatred and ignorance had torn her apart, and she let it be.
"Will…"
Then the music stopped. People's buzzing brought them back to the reality. Will pulled away. Before he disappeared, he gave her a smile – a smile with so much sorrow…then he faded away, as if he had never been there.
