"I am on my way, Eli. Sorry I am running late, but I have work to do. I just got out of court. I will see you in 20 mins."
She couldn't really blame Eli for being extra grumpy. They were still trying to figure out how to break it to the public that they were not renewing their vow, but getting a divorce instead. When Peter told the reporters that they were going to renew their vow, Eli took advantage of that and ardently promoted Peter as a family man, a rehabilitated politician who had learned from his mistakes and vowed to value, protect, and love his family. By divorcing Peter, Alicia had undoubtedly not only screwed Peter up, but Eli too.
The public still had no idea what was going on. She still received thousand messages every day to congratulate them for renewing their vow. She wasn't sure how to respond to those messages. Going to a meeting with Eli and Peter felt like going to a mandatory after-school detention.
She was walking towards the elevators when she suddenly heard two loud popping sounds…
BANG
BANG!
Shots rang out and the sound echoed throughout the whole floor. For a second, as if time hung still, everyone was frozen and silent, confusion and fear filled the air. Alicia wasn't sure if that was indeed gunshots or not, until she heard high pitched screaming coming out from one of the court rooms. The police reacted immediately – some of them ran towards that court room with their guns drawn, some others tried to evacuate everyone else on that same floor. Many people ran for their lives, pushing against each other to rush to the exits. Alicia knew she probably had to run too, but somehow her terrified body just wouldn't move.
A few seconds later, she saw Diane ran out from another court room with a pale panic face – she had never seen Diane this pale.
"Alicia! What's going on?"
"I… I don't know. I heard two gunshots came out from that room"
Diane's legs nearly gave out, her eyes widened. "That's…. that's Will's court."
"W…Will… Will is inside there?"
"Yes!"
Oh my God.
The police had set a line to stop anyone from going near Will's room. Then, the glass door of that room shattered, revealing people ducking under the benches inside the gallery. The police exchanged gunfire with the gunman inside. Alicia and Diane tried to peek and locate Will, but they couldn't see him from afar.
"I have to get to him." Without hesitation, Alicia approached the police line. She was blocked by two tall policewomen.
"Mam, you can't go in there! You have to leave." They grabbed her arms.
"No, but my friend is in there. I have to know if he is alright." She kept pushing and twisting to try to get away. Then Diane tried to push too. The policewomen were overwhelmed and had a hard time holding both of them back. Alicia finally sneaked through. She stayed closed to the wall and bent down to keep low.
The gunman was clearly panicking, spinning in circle and aiming the gun randomly at anyone around him. The witness's lifeless body laid on the floor, one of the jurors was shot dead too. The bloody scene was so surreal, it was like one of those countless crime scene photos she'd seen coming into life. The miasma of blood was sickening.
Then she saw him. Standing near the prosecutor's table. Standing, thank God he is standing.
"Will!"
Will was already shocked, but when he heard Alicia calling out to him, his eyeballs nearly rolled out of the sockets. What the… Why are you coming in here now?! What are you doing?
"Alicia" He shouted. No, you can't be here now. It's dangerous!
The relief that washed over her when she saw Will alive was short-lived. Will' voice had drawn the gunman's attention and he aimed the gun directly at him. Will's body was facing towards Alicia and away from the gunman, so he didn't see the gunman was about to pull the trigger.
"NO!"
Everything happened in slow motion. Alicia was too far away from the gunman to intercept him, but she could get Will out of harm's way. She instinctively hurled herself at Will, threw her arms around his neck to push him away.
"LEESH! NO!" She pushed him backward and they both slammed onto the wall behind them. She was ready to dodge the bullet. She closed her eyes tightly to await her inevitable demise.
CLICK
CLICK…
Two seconds had passed, nothing happened. They turned to see what was going on, and both heaved a sigh of relief – the gunman had run out of bullets.
It was so so so very close.
The police swarmed in and handcuffed the gunman. They collapsed into each other's arms. They embraced so tightly that their bodies melted, they didn't know where he ended and she began. She buried her face against his neck and planted a kiss there. He kissed her forehead, her nose, then her lips. Having a brush with death, the sound of each other's heartbeat was all they could hear, as if they were the only two people on earth. Their breathing was the greatest symphony ever written, and their lips tasted like an apology and a promise.
"You do know that there are people around us right now, right?" He suddenly noticed that Alicia had never kissed him in front of anyone else.
She whispered back into his ears "I don't give a shit."
"You do know that if the reporters see us, we'll be on the headline tomorrow, right?"
She smiled sweetly. "Good. Let the whole Chicago knows that Bachelor No.16 is officially taken. Permanently off the market."
"Want to mark me, huh? You know you don't have to. I am yours. I've always been yours, and just yours."
And together, they created their good timing.
