Of course he loved her that way! The woman was ten different kinds of amazing and if he didn't want to fall at her feet and worship her, then he was not as smart of a man as he claims to be. But she was Donna His secretary. His best friend. The only woman that had stayed in his life for more than a decade. Not even his mother could honestly say that.
If he did this, if he was honest about how felt and started something next level with her…Well, first of all- the very idea of a relationship with Donna terrifies him because hello the woman can read his damn mind and he does not like people being in his head. But second, if things went south…if they crashed and burned like, let's face it, most of his relationships have, then he'd lose the only steady confidant he has. He has Mike, he supposes. Mike is great, yes, but he's more like a younger, blue-eyed version of himself and the kid is still learning, he doesn't want to go to him for life advice or to share his feelings.
What reasons would she even have for staying in a romantic relationship with him? She's seen better than anyone how many degrees of fucked up he is. How is that incentive for a serious relationship starting? Not to mention that what should have been his first example of fidelity-his parents- sunk faster than the Titanic. One could say that Harvey Specter wasn't exactly a big believer in long-term relationships.
And of course he knew that Donna loved him. How could he not? She's stayed with him for twelve years and has almost gotten arrested twice just to help him win a case. The woman is devoted to him, no ifs ands or buts about it.
But Louis? She'd rather work for Louis? Why? Because she's had enough of dealing with his shit? Because he doesn't have the balls to tell her out loud, in actual normal people words, that he's totally and completely in love with her? Hell, why does it even need to be said; it's plain as day and has been for a couple years now. Is her ego that big that she needs to hear the complimentary words out loud?
If he's being honest with himself, it's his ego that's the problem. He's too prideful, he's too hurt and scared of being vulnerable. So much so that he'd rather let his greatest chance for happiness walk out his door just so that he doesn't have to explain his emotions. So he doesn't have to say "Yes, I love you in a romantic way. Yes I want to see your face when I wake up and I want to feel your scent wrap around me before I fall asleep. Yes I love the way your nose wrinkles when you laugh and makes you look like a dork. Yes I love that you know what I want before I do. Yes, I've had dreams of rolling around in the sheets with red hair tossing around beside me. Yes I'm stupid and you're always right and always have been right. "
But he doesn't say any of that. He can't. He's completely frozen. Paralyzed. Because his entire world just strutted down the hallway to his sometimes friend, sometimes pain in the ass. And unlike the puppy, he's too afraid to cease the day with the one he loves.