This is my first attempt at writing in english, so please let me know if it sucks! I feel like my vocabulary is not very wide, and most times it may seem very basic. :/

Well, I obviously don't own the characters, nor the feelings they might have. But I adore them and want to see more of their romantic side coming to life.

Good reading to y'all ;)

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Weeks ago, she had kissed him and left him standing in her office, looking lost and broken.

She'd kissed him, putting him in a position in which he was forced to deal with his feelings, with both the pain and warmth that slowly crept inside him. Her lips, pressed against his. Her body, soft and caring, embracing his own. It all brought him back to the other two times he had ever tasted her lips: that one time when whipped cream was involved and that one when she was wearing his shirt, a dream he wished he'd never woken up from.

For a week straight, Harvey had either ignored Donna or been extremely rude to her. When she finally confronted him about the kiss, he judged and blamed her for messing with his head, with his heart and with his relationship. And then she spilled the words that stung him the most: I didn't feel anything, Harvey. And at that point, he couldn't tell the difference between being offended, sad or relieved.

In his gut, he could feel he was reacting to all that had happened the wrong way. And still, he didn't know how to cope with it, how to respond to the confusion that grew in his mind. And then he got scared, and ran straight back to Paula's arms, his intoxicating short-term-effect medicine.

Per usual, Paula sensed the shift in his behaviour, and it didn't take too long before she realised the cause to his conflict.

It was that woman. The redhead, tall and lean woman who's been his rock and safe haven for over a decade. Who, Paula knew, was still the most important person in his life.

Harvey had told her Donna kissed him, and as though she thought she could handle (or ignore) the threat of losing another man to another woman, she couldn't. It was all too much.

So she made him choose: either he'd be with Donna or he'd be with her. And that was it for Paula. Even though he hesitated and almost made the worst mistake of his life, that was the moment Harvey walked out of her life for good.

And from that point on, things shifted for Donna and him, and a new mood was settled: their relationship was back to normal. They made their way back to being friends, to being confidants and to depending deeply on each other. They faced even rougher situations together during the time that followed. But they had won. He always won when she stood by his side.

Tonight, he's had her in his arms for most of the wedding, swaying softly through the dancefloor to the rhythm of ballads and upbeat jazz songs. After Mike told Harvey the news that Rachel and him would be leaving for Seattle right after their honeymoon, Harvey realised that, once again, it was back to Donna and him. They were the ones who would always stay, that would always be there for each other.

If anything, the past 13 years had proven that.

Now, he stands at the balcony of the room Donna had booked for him. She knew he'd probably be tired from all the travelling, and wanted to spare him the time and exhaustion of getting back to the other side of town.

His mind starts to wander back to all the events of the passed couple of months. He is tired and lonely, feeling vulnerable and ready to let his walls down. And so he does. He allows himself to be overwhelmed with emotion and just cries. For the ones he's lost, for the sacrifices he's had to make, for the people he's hurt.

But mostly, he cries for Donna. For the woman who's never given up on him. Who has always taken up with his bullshit and always put his interests first.

He cries for the way he's treated her along the years. The way he's silently and unintentionally manipulated her life to revolve around his. For the unconditional love, support and loyalty she's always shown him. He's been blind, careless and, mostly, plain stupid. But she was still there, with him, no matter what.

Through his fading sobs, he hears a soft knock and a barely audible whisper from across the thin barrier of the wooden bedroom door.

"Harvey… please be up."

She sounds shaken, like she's been crying just as much as him. Nobody should suffer like this on their own. Not caring if she sees him crying too, he quickly opens the door to his best friend and welcomes her into the entry hall.

"Donna…", he says, watching her fragile figure shrink even further to the sound of his cracked voice. Her eyes look red and swollen, and her frown seems everpresent. When they finally make eye contact, she breaks down into sobs and there is nothing left for Harvey to do other than throw his arms gently around her, giving her all the comfort he hadn't given her in all these years.

After a couple minutes, he hears her muffled sad voice. "This is all too much, Harvey", she says, with her head against his chest, eyes shut, begging the tears to stop. "And it hurts like it's never hurt before". He caresses her back, while her body slowly relaxes into him.

"It's been a rough couple of months for us, huh?" Harvey says, resting his chin on top of her head. Both bodies relaxed, it feels just like they were on the dancefloor again, like hours before. Only now they are swaying to the sound of the wind hitting the curtains to the balcony, dictating their slow rhythm. "But I'm here Donna. And I'll always be here, just like you've been there for me through the past 13 years". His left hand switches from her upper back to cup her cheek, where he brushes away a remaining tear.

They stay like this for what feels like hours, until she breaks apart and asks him for a glass of scotch. While he pours them some of the amber liquor, she goes to sit outside, not minding the cool breeze that came with this time of the year. Once Harvey gets to the balcony himself, he stops and takes a deep breath, admiring the beautiful woman right in front of him. And she's been there all along.

He hands her one of the glasses, taking down que content of the other one in one swift move. As he sits by her side, he realises there won't be a better moment for them to open up and say all that's been locked inside their very souls for what feels like ages. It might hurt them even further, but it's time, and that's a risk he's willing to take. Bracing himself for the conversation ahead, he sits more comfortably in his armchair, turning to face Donna as she stares widely into the night sky.

And so, while trying to keep calm and controlled, he starts.

"Donna… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry".

- to be continued...