by Anna T. Pope
The last few moments before the shooting kept repeating in her mind and she felt numb.
Aria had been so happy when they were in that bed, the man she loved snuggled next to her.
They should have stayed there; she thought bitterly and closed her eyes.
But then Will left and not even five minutes later Aria heard that wretched sound. She knew what it was immediately, the sound of another gunshot forever embedded in her mind, so she ran out of the room while almost breaking her neck in the process, only to find Will unconscious in a pool of his own blood. She started screaming and crying, begging Will not to leave her as she fell on her knees next to him.
“Please don’t leave me, Will. I love you. I love you so much, honey.” Aria kept repeating, while she kissed Will’s face and patted his hair.
Why was this happening? Who would do this?
“Aria?”
She turned around at the sound of her name and saw Meg standing in front of her.
“Why don’t you go with Nura to the restroom, love? Maybe freshen up a bit?” she said as Aria stared at her blankly for a few seconds before realizing what Meg had meant.
Looking down at her body, Aria saw that her hands were still completely covered in Will’s blood from when she was trying to stop the bleeding like the woman from the emergency service told her to do when she had called for an ambulance. Her clothes were in no better shape, the white shirt and pants bloody and moist.
She looked up again and simply nodded still refusing to talk.
Aria didn’t want to talk; she didn’t even want to think; all she wanted was someone to come out and say that Will was going to be alright.
Meg smiled softly at her, her eyes sad and hollow before Nura took her arm in hers.
“Come with me, sweetie, let’s get you cleaned up.”
Aria let her drag her away, not caring about anything except Will.
Once they were in the restroom, Nura gently took off Aria’s clothes and started scrubbing the blood off her. Aria let her do what she wanted, as she stared at her reflection, looking but not seeing anything until a little glint caught her attention. Her eyes fell on the tiny silver necklace still around her neck and she felt her stomach drop.
“You don’t have to wear it if you don’t like it since I know you’re not really a jewelry kind of girl. I won’t be mad, I promise. I just… I just wanted to give you something that will tell you just how much you mean to me because I am not good with words and all that stuff.”
Aria suddenly remembered Will’s words and her legs gave away and she crumbled to the ground. The tears she had been holding back started to fall and Aria sobbed.
“Why, Nura!? Why is this happening?” she yelled and screamed, her whole body shaking while she slammed her fists on the ground. Nura kneeled beside her and pulled her into her chest, not saying anything and just holding her tightly.
“Please tell me that he will be alright. Please!” Aria begged her even though she knew that the brunette couldn’t do that.
So, Aria cried, and then cried some more until there were no more tears left in her body.
~
After what seemed like an eternity to Aria, but was most probably a few hours, the doctor who had admitted Will when he and Aria had arrived at the hospital, came out of the operating room.
“Will Jones’s family?” he asked and was surrounded by all of them in a second.
“Yes, I am his sister and these are his girlfriend and friends.”, Meg said urgently.
“Is Will going to be alright?” she asked and the doctor smiled and nodded.
“Yes, he will. He was shot in the chest, but miraculously the bullet went straight through, not hitting any major arteries or organs. The only problem was the blood loss but we were, fortunately, able to replace it. Luckily the call came quickly, thanks to the young woman over there, and of course the pressure she applied stopped the bleeding as much as possible. If I was being honest, that probably saved Mr. Jones’s life in the end. He is a very lucky man, your brother.”
A collective sigh could be heard throughout the room, as Meg turned around and hugged Aria tightly. The girl started crying again but this time in relief; Will was going to make it.
The happy group thanked the doctor, who informed them that they would be allowed to go and see Will in an hour, one at the time.
Meg went in first and stayed for a couple of minutes before she stormed out of the room looking angrier than Aria had ever seen her.
“Meg what’s wrong?” Nate asked his friend as soon as she approached them.
“Will told me who did this. That bastard better pray that the police find him first because if I do...” she started to rant but trailed off when the doctor approached again to inform them that the police had arrived to take Aria’s statement.
She told them everything she knew, which wasn’t much since she never actually saw the bastard who did it, and then she was finally allowed to go see Will.
When she entered the room, Aria’s eyes immediately zoomed in on the man lying in the hospital bed. Those green eyes were already looking at her and a small smile was lighting up his face.
“Hey, baby. Did you miss me?” he said, his voice raspy and quiet, and as soon as she heard it Aria started crying once again. She ran up to the bed and threw herself on Will, already sobbing into his neck.
“Ouch!” Will moaned and Aria immediately jumped back in fear.
“Oh my God! I am so sorry, Will! Did I hurt you? Should I call the doctor?!” Aria started to blabber, feeling horrified with herself for being so stupid.
“It’s fine baby, don’t worry. I am just as happy to see you.” Will said, chuckling lightly and then wincing a little, as he took hold of Aria’s hand. “Are you okay? He didn’t do anything to you?” the man asked and Aria shook her head.
“No, by the time I got to you, you were alone. I didn’t see anyone. What happened? Meg said that you know who did this.”
“It was a professional hit, sent by Norman.” Will said and when he saw Aria’s confused face quickly elaborated.
“The contractor I am suing for scamming me. He built my offices here in New York, but used cheaper materials and kept the rest of the money for himself. Once I found out and reported him, he disappeared.” he said and Aria frowned, the worry intensifying at the mention of the mysterious man.
“What now? What if he sends someone again?” she asked since just the thought of Will being hurt again, or worse, made her sick to her stomach.
“Don’t worry, baby. I told the police and they are going to find him. In the meantime, I will get security for both of us.”
“Me too?” Aria asked, her eyes bulging out of their sockets.
“Yes. You may have not seen anyone, but that doesn’t mean that they haven’t seen you. And I will rather get shot again than see someone hurt you because of me. Now come here baby, I need to feel you beside me.”
Aria quickly nodded and got into the bed without protest. She put her head in the crook of Will’s neck and sighed in relief.
“Will?” she said after a few minutes, not sure if that man had fallen asleep.
“Yes, baby?”
“I… I love you.” she whispered, feeling more terrified than she had ever been in her life. But every time she closed her eyes, she was back in his apartment kneeling next to him on that floor in a pool of his blood, unsure if he was going to make it, and the only thing running through her mind was regret at not telling him how she felt.
Will was quiet for a moment, making her anxiety skyrocket, before he moved slightly until he was looking at her, the most gorgeous smile on his lips.
“I love you too, baby. I love you too.”
The Ex-files
A year. They have been together for a year already and Will couldn’t believe his own luck.
Just 365 days before, he was a miserable fuckboy, going through women as if his life depended on it, never truly satisfied, and now he was happy and in love
with the perfect woman.
He looked down at the itinerary plan for the trip to China he had made for Aria as an anniversary gift, remembering her wish to travel the world. Will remembered wishing to be there when she did, and now, that wish was about to come true.
“Mr. Jones, I am done for today. Do you need anything before I go home?” Maria asked him from the doorway of his office.
“No Maria, thank you. I am almost finished here; just a few more emails to send and I’ll be off. Have a good night.”
“You too, Sir. And good luck!”, she said smirking as Will smiled at her and waived.
He did just like he said, before sending a quick message to Aria to let her know that he was going to be at her place in two hours to pick her up.
Once he was in the lobby, Will was joined with his two bodyguards and frowned at the sight of them. He hated being followed and watched all the time, but Norman was still out there and after what happened a few months ago, he couldn’t risk it.
Aria didn’t mind the security, which was a bit unexpected. She said once when Will had asked her about it, that they made her feel like a celebrity and proceeded to strut around the room like a Diva, making Will laugh his head off.
They had been spending every free second together, and he thought that that night was the perfect opportunity for him to ask her to move in with him. Half of her stuff was already at his apartment and she slept there every other night, so Will didn’t think that she would object; at least he hoped so.
Once Will got home, he took a shower and shaved, while trying to come up with the perfect way to approach the subject, but in the end, he just decided to wing it. After all, Aria was a simple, no-nonsense type of person, so Will will just have to suck it up and ask her.
He got dressed and checked his reflection in the mirror. He was dressed in a dark, tailored suit and a crisp, white shirt, with a few buttons at the top left unbuttoned. He remembered Aria telling him that she liked Will that way, without the tie, a sort of a casual-elegance look. And if his baby liked something that was all that it took for Will to make it happen.
Looking at the clock, he saw that he only had thirty minutes left to pick up Aria, so he took everything he was going to need that night and got out of the house.
~
Will had picked out his favorite restaurant for their dinner and by the glazed look and wide eyes on Aria’s face, he knew that it had been a good choice.
“You like it, baby?”
“Like it!? It’s beautiful, Will. I love it. But I am afraid to touch anything. What if I break something? I am sure that the water glass in this place costs more than I make in a year!”
That made him chuckle and he hugged her closer. Aria was extremely funny sometimes, and it made Will love her even more.
They took their seats and Will ordered for both of them, seeing as Aria was too entranced with the place to be able to read the menu properly.
“Happy one-year anniversary, baby.” he said, taking Aria’s arm in his and squeezing it lightly. Aria blushed a beautiful red and ducked her head as she smiled back softly.
“Happy anniversary, Will. I love you.” she whispered the last part quietly, but Will managed to hear her.
“I love you more.”
That made her giggle and shake her head like she always did when Will said that.
“I wanted to ask you something, baby.” Will said, once the food had arrived and they were left alone.
“Okay.” Aria said while sitting up straight in her seat, her eyes wide with interest and the most earnest smile on her face that Will barely managed to remember what it was that he wanted to talk about.
“I... I wanted to know if you would like to…” Will began but the words suddenly died in his throat, as he felt all the blood drain from his face when he saw the person standing at the next table, behind Aria, and looking back at him in surprise.
Will’s hands started to shake and his heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest, as hard as it was beating. Aria was looking at him nervously since he must have looked like he had seen a ghost, which kind of felt like he did, and turned around to see what had made Will so flustered.
“Will? Is everything alright?”
“We are leaving.” he said abruptly, already standing up.
“What!? But we just got here!” Aria started to protest but Will shut her up quickly.
“Aria, now! Do not argue with me!” he growled at her and Aria quickly shut her mouth and looked down, her bottom lip trembling slightly.
Will threw the bills on the table and dragged her out of the restaurant. He could hear Antonia calling his name, but he ignored her and kept going until both Aria and he were in the car and on their way to his apartment.
The ride home was silent and the tension almost palpable. Will knew that Aria was confused and most probably angry with him for ruining their special night and shouting at her, but all he could think about was the need to get out of there before he completely lost his mind.
“What was that all about?” Aria asked him as soon as they entered the apartment and Will looked down to his feet and sighed.
“Will, I asked you a question. Who was that woman?” Aria asked again, her voice shaking slightly and telling Will that she was barely able to contain her anger. He looked at Aria, his eyes full of unshed tears to his utter embarrassment.
“My ex-fiancé.” he whispered at last and saw as Aria’s eyes widened in shock before she sat down on the couch quickly.
“Fiancé. You were engaged? But I thought that you never wanted to get married?!” Aria exclaimed, looking completely bewildered and Will nodded, remembering that he had mentioned it once. He joined her on the couch and took one of Aria’s hands in his as he got ready to talk about the most painful part of his life.
“Well, she is the reason I don’t want to get married. I... we… we met in LA. My best friend at the time, Bradley, introduced us and Antonia and we instantly clicked. I fell in love, hard and fast, and after six months I proposed to her and she said yes. We were supposed to get married and I was so happy, but a day before the wedding I went to our house to pick up my suit since I was going to stay in the hotel that evening, and I walked in on her and Bradley.”
Will’s voice broke and his hands started to shake once the memory of them came to mind. That day was the worst day of his life and he tried never to think about it.
Aria was looking at him sadly, her hand wiping a few tears that had managed to escape from Will’s eyes. Will cleared his throat, but the lump that was stuck in it remained.
“I... I later found out that they were together even before we started dating. It was all a scheme to get their hands on my money. They had planned for Antonia to marry me and then get a divorce and a half of my estate since I was so stupidly in love that the word pre-nup never even crossed my mind. I felt confused by that at first because Bradley was rich like me, but it turned out that he had lost almost everything when the stock market crashed. That all happened six years ago, and tonight was the first time that I saw Antonia since that day.” Will finished, his face buried in his hands that were shaking. Aria moved closer to him, taking Will’s head out of his hands and hugged him.
“I got you, Will. I got you now.” she whispered and it was all it took for Will to let it all go and break down.
~
“So, how did the anniversary go?” Ethan asked her, as they waited for their coffee in the canteen at the hospital in which they were doing their practical work. The two of them had become good friends rather quickly, and it had become a sort of a ritual to have a cup after the lessons were finished every day.
“It was okay. It started out perfect until his ex-fiancé showed up at the restaurant which kind of killed the mood.” Aria said while rolling her eyes at the thought of the woman who had once been Will’s partner.
“Oh my God! Really? What happened?”
“We left. Will was pissed, and I was confused since I didn’t know w
ho she was at first. After we came home, he told me everything and we ended up cuddling on the couch and watching Netflix. So, despite everything, it ended up being a good night.”
“That is some crazy shit, my friend. And did you talk to him about the thing?”
Aria shook her head at the question and sighed. She was planning to talk to Will about applying for Med school. Aria had been thinking about it for quite some time now, and since she wasn’t getting any younger, she wanted to at least try and make her dream come true. But then Antonia showed up and Will went crazy, so Aria completely forgot about it, her school the last thing on her mind at that moment.
“How does the ex look?” Ethan asked making her frown. She hadn’t stopped thinking about the woman since they saw her last week and she hated to admit it but she was breathtaking.
She was taller than her, lean and elegant, with dark, stylish hair and big, hazel eyes; Antonia was gorgeous. Aria completely understood why Will fell so hard for her 6 years ago.
What bugged Aria the most about the whole incident was Will’s reaction to seeing Antonia. Sure, he had a right to be surprised but it had been so explosive that Aria couldn’t stop asking herself if there were still some feelings left.
After all, Will was planning to marry that person, once upon a time.
Was he really over her, as he claimed? If so, why did he react that way and why did he still didn’t want to get married?
“Very good looking; Italian goddess.” she eventually answered Ethan’s question, feeling a bit dejected.
“Well, who cares!? She may be pretty, but so are you, and you are the one that has Will’s heart now. So, don’t stress about it Aria, the ex has had her shot and she blew it, so now it’s your turn.”
Aria smiled at her friend and nodded. Ethan was right, like always. He may have looked like an undertaker when they first met, but he proved himself to be incredibly smart and loyal and Aria absolutely adored him.
