A/N: really, I just don't like Josh and I love Harvey. If Sabrina didn't kiss Josh during Harvey's football game.
Sabrina knew she had to find a way around double-booking herself. She also knew that it was dangerous to put herself in this position with Josh. She loved Harvey, but she was attracted to Josh. Putting the two of them together to study, could be a problem. But he mentioned having a lot of people who needed help. This would be a group thing. She was sitting on the couch at the coffee shop on her break, waiting for Harvey to come in like he always did.
"Hey Sabrina! It's Doug's turn to watch the turtle so I've got the afternoon free before the game. What are you doing after you get off?" He sat down next to her on the couch and threw an arm around her, leaning in to give her a peck on the cheek.
Well, there's an opening if she ever saw one. "Actually, Harvey, I'm free right after my shift, but I wanted to talk to you about the game tonight." She started to twist her hands nervously, this did not escape Harvey's notice.
He shifted so that he was looking at her instead of sitting closely next to her, his body pressed against hers. She immediately missed the contact. "You're still coming right?'
She leaned forward and put a hand on his knee. "Harvey, how upset would you be if I skipped this game? Hockey is really your sport and I come to all of those! I usually just sit in the bleachers and watch you on the sidelines and you don't even notice I'm there because you're so busy with the guys."
Looking at the ceiling and then returning to lock gazes with Sabrina, Harvey gave a deep sigh, "Boy, you really know how to feed a guy's ego. I guess it wouldn't be that bad." He grasped her hand gently and ran his thumb over her knuckles. "As long as I can see you after?" The look in his eyes was almost pleading. When she nodded, he broke into a smile, "Good. Then I can deal with it. Can I ask what's taking you away from the Eastbridge game?"
Hesitating just long enough to recall all the facets of how she wanted to present this to him- not lie, just shed this in the best light possible, she took a steadying breath, "Well, some people who go to college near here have a huge test over "Great Expectations" on Monday and they're meeting here to study. They know me from here and that I read a lot. I was asked to help." She said it all in what she hoped was a most-convincing voice.
His face lighting up, Harvey responded enthusiastically, "Wow, I always knew my girl was smart, but I didn't realize it was smart enough to tutor college students level! That's great that they asked you Sabrina. Is that the type of thing you can put on a college resume or something?"
This was too much for her to have asked for. Quickly doing a mental tally of her words, she checked that she hadn't accidentally used her magic for him to take this so well. She laughed as he hugged her, "I guess I didn't even think about that, but 'literature tutor' doesn't sound half-bad."
It was at that moment that Josh came out from behind the counter, carrying a tray of drinks. He paused briefly behind the couple and stooped quickly, "Hey, Sabrina, I just wanted to say thanks again for agreeing to help us study, the rest of my section group will be here around 6:30." He smiled that smile that Sabrina sometimes got distracted by at work and walked away.
Facing Harvey again, Sabrina had a sheepish expression on her face.
Harvey's was a mixture of anger and betrayal. "So, you just forgot to mention that it was Josh who asked you to do this? Sabrina, you know I don't like that guy. He looks at you like he wants to kiss you. I know he likes you!"
Feeling indignation well up that she tried to push down, Sabrina steadied her voice and demeanor, "Harvey, you heard him. His section group; a group of people. It's not like this is a date for crying out loud! This is studying. And that's crazy, he doesn't like me like that. We're just friends and coworkers. Don't you trust me?"
She hadn't meant to throw the trust card in his face. After all, there was plenty of evidence that he couldn't trust her from previous mishaps and issues. However, this seemed to calm Harvey. Taking her hand again and lowering his voice, he reassured her. "I trust you. I don't trust him. And the fact that you're missing my game to help him and that you tried to hide his involvement from me…" He trailed off. "I wish I could say that I'm only bothered because you tried to hide that he's going to be here from me, but the truth is that even if you'd started with that, I would still be uneasy. It's your choice, Sabrina." He leaned forward to kiss her forehead, "I've got to go get ready for the game. I love you."
Sabrina called an "I love you too" at his back as he walked out of the café. Dreama came up behind Sabrina and took Harvey's vacated spot. "So I take it that didn't go well? I wasn't eavesdropping, I swear, I even used an overhear spell so I wouldn't hear you two, but I think it backfired and I heard every word." She looked guilty, so all Sabrina did was fix her with a look before getting up to resume her shift.
Dreama followed after her, "So what are you going to do?"
Sabrina barely broke stride as she moved swiftly around the coffee shop, picking up discarded coffee mugs and half-empty sugar packets. "You know, when he left, I was feeling really guilty about the whole thing, but as I've been thinking, what kind of couple are we if I can't skip one of his games to help out a friend? We have to be stronger than that. We've been through so much. It'll be fine. And I'll see him after the game. I'm going to stay and help out Josh and his friends."
"I really hope all of this sticks until your test on Monday." Sabrina waved good-bye to the group of college students still congregated in the coffee shop. She always walked home unless Harvey was with her. Some people may have thought this was a bit reckless, but she could always zap her way out of a bad situation. It was better than pepper spray. She was about halfway down the block when she heard a voice calling behind her.
"Hey! Sabrina, hey! Wait up!" Josh caught his breath as he caught up with her. "It's really late Sabrina, you shouldn't be walking home alone.
She stifled a laugh, "It's fine, Josh. Thank you, but I think I'll be able to make it the mile and a half to my house."
"Sabrina, I would never forgive myself if you stayed late here because of me and something happened to you on your way home. Just let me walk home."
She shook her head. "If you insist, Josh." See? What was Harvey worried about? Josh was just being a gentleman. They chatted and she gave him a few more quiz questions about his Dickens classic test coming up for the entire way home. When they got to her front porch, she stopped and turned to look at him. "Thank you for seeing me safely to my door, I think I'll be good now. Goodnight, Josh, I'll see you at work." Sabrina turned toward the door.
Josh grasped her arm gently above the elbow. She turned to look at his hand on her arm in shock. "Wait, don't go in yet. I've been trying all night to work up the courage to ask you to go out with me."
Backing up and preparing to 'accidentally' ring the doorbell so one of her aunts would come outside and break up this awkwardness, Sabrina responded, "Josh, you know I have a boyfriend. You've seen him at the coffee shop all the time."
He took another step forward. Sabrina didn't feel threatened exactly, but she realized that this was going to take more than a simple rebuff to get through to him. She noticed a bush move out of the corner of her eye behind him. Great, probably Salem. He was going to have so much fun making fun of her for this later.
"I saw you two arguing today and you agreed to hang out with me all night. There are times when we're working where I get caught up in how beautiful you look and I sometimes think I see you looking the same way back at me." The look in his eyes that Sabrina did sometimes get lost in was there, but physical attraction didn't change how she felt about Harvey.
Sabrina shot up her hand to keep Josh from drawing any nearer, "Couples argue, Josh. It happens. I'm sorry, but I don't think of you like that and I love Harvey. You know what we were arguing about? He said that you liked me and I, wanting to believe the best in you, said that we were just friends."
He pressed against her outstretched hand, "I see you look at me, I know you don't want to just be friends. I think just one kiss would prove it to you. But say the word and I'll leave instead."
Holding firm, Sabrina locked the joints in her outstretched arm against him. "I've said the word more than once, Josh. I think it's time for you to leave." With one more step back so that she was leaning against the wall of the house, Sabrina crossed her arms and looked at the ground, the crack in the walkway, anywhere but at Josh.
He straightened up. "You're right." He shook his head. "Of course, you're right. I'm sorry. I really like you, Sabrina, I just really hope someday I get to show you how much. Harvey's a lucky guy." With that, Josh turned around and walked back up the way to the sidewalk beyond.
Deflating completely, Sabrina sank against the doorframe and then straightened up preparing to pull on the handle and go inside. Turning down a really cute guy was exhausting. Just as she had her hand on the handle, she heard her name come from the darkness behind her for the second time that night.
"Sabrina!" She turned just in time to see Harvey, still in his football uniform, come striding swiftly toward her.
He let his football helmet and bag drop as he gently took her face in his hands and stooped to kiss her. He wrapped one arm around her waist and dipped her low, never breaking the lock he had on her lips. She felt weightless in his arms and she let herself just feel. This feeling of total security. This feeling of completeness and absolute surety. Harvey was the reason she had been able to push Josh away so easily. Nothing in her wanted to betray Harvey or his trust.
When he finally stood them both back upright and pulled away, he was smiling as big as she had ever seen him and she knew that she shared the look. "What was that for?" Her tone was breathless and she quickly changed it to sound more sure of herself, "I mean, not that I'm complaining."
Placing a hand back on her waist, Harvey looked sheepish. "Well, I saw Josh walking you here and I was ready to get really mad about it. I was pretty disappointed that you weren't at the game, but I figured we were still on to see each other after so I came here. When I saw him walking with you up to your door, I couldn't believe it. I had all these thoughts that didn't make any sense because I didn't think you would ever hurt me like that. Then I heard what you were saying to him and I ducked behind a bush to see how it played out. If he had really tried to kiss you and you let him, I would have walked away. But I didn't want to leave if he tried to kiss you and you didn't want him to."
Wrapping her arms around Harvey's shoulders and bringing him to her for another kiss, she smiled up at him. "You're always ready to be my hero. I'm sorry for not choosing to go to your game, but I really thought you were just being jealous and overreacting. I'm sorry for not believing you when you said he liked me."
Pulling her closer still in the ever-cooling evening air, Harvey gazed down at the woman he loved. "Nah, you were right. It shouldn't matter what I think of him, I know I can trust you."
Sabrina backed out of his embrace and a questioning look crossed Harvey's face. She smiled up at him, "Want to come inside and you can tell me all about your game?" She held out her hand and released the door from its latch. He took her hand and the two young lovebirds basked in the glow of their happiness as they excitedly recapped their night for each other.