They had been together for a month and a half, a period during which they were both the happiest they'd been in a long time.
They had been together for a month and a half, and yet Donna hadn't said the magical three words yet. Sure, she had implied it, she had even said it the night she left him to work for Louis, but not after they had become officially together. Harvey knew she loved him, trying to push away all the reasons that could justify why she hadn't. But he couldn't help but wonder why sometimes, trying to understand what was missing, what more he could do.
He even called Meg for advice one night. He had been working late in the office and she dropped by to say goodbye, leaving for a girls' night with Rachel. She had brought him his favorite food, the mere sight of her offering the motivation he needed to finish his work as soon as possible, in the hope of catching her before sleep.
He stood up when he saw her, tilting his head at the sight of the bag in her hand.
"What's that?" he asked softly.
"You're favorite food" she answered with a smile. "I'm going for drinks with Rachel. You staying late?" she asked, as he noticed Rachel standing next to the elevator
"Will wrap up as soon as I can. I'll call you when I'm done, if it's not too late" he said, taking the bag from her hands and putting it on his desk.
"Okay" she said, leaning in for a kiss.
He kissed her tenderly, his forehead resting on hers before he said: "Thank you, I love you"
She seemed surprised by his words; he had said it before but never that trivially, never so…casually. He saw her hesitate for a moment, wondering if telling her he loved her would make her say it too. It was stupid, he knew, even selfish, but he needed to hear it.
She kissed him again, before whispering breathless: "Eat your food now, before it gets cold"
"Yes m'am" he answered, hiding the disappointment in his voice, watching her walk towards Rachel.
He called Meg then, unable to control the thoughts in his head.
"I'm sorry for calling so late" Harvey said apologetically.
"Don't worry about it, is everything ok?" she asked worried.
"Yes everything is good. It's been a month and sixteen days" he started, only realizing then that he had been counting, "and everything is amazing. We even told everyone" he continued.
"But?" Meg asked, knowing that there was one.
"But, she still hasn't said it" he said, lowering his voice. He felt like a teenager then, ashamed of his words. "She hasn't said she loved me, not after we got together" he explained.
"Oh" Meg said, her silence worrying him even more. She spoke before he lost his chill.
"That's fine Harvey. Maybe she needs a bit more time" she said.
"Why? Even I said it" he said.
"I know, but maybe Donna is a bit like you. Maybe she's still afraid you'd hurt her somehow" she answered carefully.
"I would never let anything happen to her, ever" Harvey said protectively and defensively.
"I know that. Even she does, but you sometimes cannot help your fears" she said calmly. "Just give her a few more weeks and if there's still nothing you can talk to her, ask her what is wrong" she continued.
"Ok" he breathed, still not fully rested.
"Look Harvey, don't worry. I've never known any couple that is more in love than you two, it's just semantics" she tried to comfort him.
For the first time ever, Harvey had fully comprehended why Donna had needed him to verbalize everything, to say it clearly. It was just semantics, but it made a difference.
[One week later]
When Harvey thought things couldn't get more loaded at work, Ray walked into his office, sweat dripping from his face.
"What's wrong?" Harvey asked worriedly.
Between short breaths and jumbled words, Harvey found out that Ray was being charged with reckless driving by a con man.
"I swear I didn't do anything wrong" Ray swore.
"Ray, I believe you but I need you to calm down and tell me the whole story, all details inclusive" Harvey said calmly, leaving the folders in his hand and sitting down to listen to Ray's story.
"I'll see what I can do" Harvey said after hearing Ray's description.
He decided to work on it fast, realizing that dragging it to court would result in a long trial that Ray could not, morally and financially, support.
By doing so, Harvey knew he would be temporarily putting aside an important case, something he knew Jessica wouldn't approve on.
The reaction he expected from Jessica was accurate, as she started criticizing his priorities.
"Harvey, you are going to put this aside and focus on Siemens Industry" she said calmly.
"No" he answered with a deep voice. He was tired and he hadn't (properly) seen Donna for days, hoping that his conversation with Jessica would end as soon as possible, as he peeked Donna sitting at her old desk, waiting for him to finish with Jessica.
"What did you just say?" Jessica snapped. "Listen to me Harvey, this client will bring a much needed economic stability to this firm, which I remind you, you have your name on! So you better act like you're a goddamn named partner and put this case as your priority" she yelled.
"You know what Jessica? I'm too goddamn tired to hear this. I thought you knew by now how I operate. Loyalty is a two way street: if I'm asking it from him, then he's getting it from me. He hasn't fallen short on anything I've asked of him and I'm not willing to do it to him. I'm going to fix it and then I'm going to bust my ass and get you the goddamn Siemens deal, because this is how I do things. But don't ask me to change my priorities. If you don't think I can pull this off then maybe my name shouldn't even be on the goddamn door" he explained harshly.
Donna listened to the whole conversation, her heart swelling with pride at how unbelievably loyal her man was. Jessica herself seemed to be impressed, as she swallowed hard before she spoke.
"Very well. You have a week" she said in her usual demeanor, walking out of his office.
"More than I need" he answered confidently, before crashing down on the couch.
Just when he had started to relax, he saw Donna walk hastily into his office, closing the door behind her.
"What's wron-" he started to say before her mouth crushed on his, and she seated herself on the couch facing him.
"Hmm" he said with a grin between kisses, enjoying her velvety lips. "Not that I'm not enjoying this Donn, but I have so much work" he nagged, his hands however holding her by the waist, not wanting to let go.
"I love you" she breathed, opening her eyes to meet his.
And then she saw it, something she never thought she'd see in the great Harvey Specter. His eyes filled with surprise, his mind taking a few seconds to grasp what she had said.
"You what now" he repeated, his heart beating out of his chest.
"I love you you idiot, don't pretend you didn't know" she said with a soft smile, leaning in to kiss him again, her hand disappearing in his hair.
Harvey's lips curled up in a smile, as he held her face in his hands, their noses touching. She worked with him late that night, as they sat across each other on his desk, just like old times.
Something about hearing him talk to Jessica the way he did had triggered something in her. Turned out she only needed to be reminded of what she had fallen in love with in him years and years ago.
Just tell me you love me
Whisper words I so long to hear
Let this time not be borrowed
Let it be ours to share
If you tell me you love me
It would lead a way to your heart
Through the mirrors of silence, you love me, you love me
Hey guys. So, I didn't get much feedback on the last chapter, but here's one anyway. Let me know what you think and if I should continue, not hearing feedback is a bad sign to me.
Thank you for reading,
Leave a review,
-G
