Chapter 24: Breakfast at Nougatine

Donna stepped out of her apartment building the next morning and was surprised to see Harvey waiting for her in front. He was dressed in a sharp suit as usual and leaning against his parked black car looking at her with a smile on his face.

"Harvey! What are you doing here so early in the morning?" she asked him.

"I thought I'd take you out for breakfast at Nougatine," he answered nonchalantly, his hands in his pockets.

"You want me to have breakfast with you before going to work? Why?" Donna asked, wrinkling her nose in curiosity.

Harvey shrugged.

"Nothing. I just feel like it."

"Come on, Harvey…" she pressed gently.

"Alright, fine. I just thought you need some cheering up after… you know," said Harvey.

Donna knew what he meant.

"I'll be fine, Harvey."

"Well, I still want to take you out for breakfast. You haven't eaten breakfast yet, right?" he asked.

"I just had coffee," answered Donna.

"Good, let's go then."

Harvey opened the back seat door of his car and waited for Donna to get in. She finally relented.

"Thank you, Harvey," she smiled at him.

She got inside his car while Harvey slid into the back seat beside her. Ray greeted Donna with a smile and started the engine. Before long, they were cruising down the busy streets of Manhattan.

Harvey picked a corner table at the restaurant away from the door. It was only 7:15 AM but the early morning crowd were already slowly trickling into the restaurant. As soon as he and Donna were seated, a waiter approached them with a smile.

"Welcome to Nougatine! May I take your order, please?" chirped the waiter.

"I'll have a French toast and a café latte," replied Donna without looking at the menu. She and Harvey already dined at the restaurant before and knew what to order.

"Bacon and eggs, please and a cappuccino," said Harvey, looking at the waiter.

The waiter quickly wrote down their order and excused himself.

Donna shifted comfortably in her chair and faced Harvey who sat across from her.

"Listen, Harvey, I've already thought about the job offer," she started.

"And?" he asked, looking at her.

"I'm taking it," she answered firmly.

"Good! I'll talk to Jessica then about your decision," Harvey smiled, looking pleased.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Donna asked.

"Of course I'm sure. Donna, you deserve it. It's time for you to shine."

She smiled at him.

"Thanks, Harvey."

"You know, it means so much to me that you and Jessica think I can do it," she continued.

"I know the position is challenging but I also know I can handle it. And this will also help me keep my mind off from… from Brent," she said with a bit of hesitation. Her face became a little sad. She looked away from Harvey and toyed with the napkin on the table.

"Donna…" began Harvey. He didn't like it when he sees her like this.

"Anyway, let's not talk about that," she said flippantly, giving Harvey a sad smile. Then she went serious again.

"You know, I've started volunteering at a local shelter," she said conversationally.

"You are?" he asked.

"Yes. They have a feeding program that provides meals for the homeless and I help in the kitchen during weekends."

"That's sweet," said Harvey, looking at her with tenderness. Just when he thought he couldn't love her more, she surprised him with little things like this that made her all the more endearing.

"Actually, I've been there before years ago as a volunteer. But when things got pretty busy at the firm and other stuff happened, I didn't have the time anymore so I stopped eventually."

"You never told me this before," observed Harvey.

"Because things happened," she shrugged. Donna took a deep breath and looked at Harvey.

"It's how I got over you years ago. I volunteered for months. I put the needs of others first before mine. I took up a new hobby. I kept myself busy," she explained.

"Oh," said Harvey, who was quite taken aback. He never knew how much of an impact their one night together had on Donna.

Just then, the waiter reappeared and started serving their food. They became silent for a few minutes while they waited for the waiter to leave their table. As soon as the waiter left, Donna began eating her food while Harvey watched her with love in his eyes. There was so much he wanted to say to her.

"Listen, Donna. I know you're still recovering from your breakup with Brent, but I want you to know that my feelings for you haven't changed in the past month. I still love you and I intend to win you back," he said.

Putting her fork down, Donna sighed and looked at Harvey.

"Harvey, I'm not yet ready to—" she started.

"I know," he gently interrupted.

"And I'm not going to pressure you anytime soon. I can wait," Harvey continued.

"Just tell me one thing, Donna. Are you still going to impose your personal rule on me now that you've taken this new job?"

Donna knew that her working relationship with Harvey would change when she decided to accept the offer. But she never thought about her personal rule for quite some time now until he brought it up.

She slowly shook her head.

Harvey gave a sigh of relief and smiled. He picked up his fork and started eating.

"Look, I'll be honest with you, Harvey. I'm not interested in a casual fling. I don't want to get into a relationship with you unless you're serious about it. Because the next time I fall in love, I want it to be the last. I don't want my heart to get broken again," she said with all seriousness, her voice almost cracking.

Harvey could see that Donna is still hurting. He took her hand and gave it a soft squeeze.

"I am serious, Donna," he said softly.

"I'm done playing the field. There is no woman in the world I'd rather be with but you. I mean, I never thought I would find love myself but I did. And it's you all along. It's always been you. I just didn't realize it," he gazed at her lovingly.

Donna stared at him speechless.

"You taught me how to be compassionate, to care for people when I thought I lost it. You reined me in every time I stray and do stupid things. You helped me make the right choices. You made me a better lawyer and a better person. Donna, you're the one for me. You're my everything. And I promise you that I will never break your heart," Harvey said, his voice filled with emotion.

It was the first time that Donna ever heard Harvey say those things.

"If you really mean that, Harvey… if you really love me, then prove it," she simply said, as she struggled with her feelings and what she just heard.

He nodded.

"I will," he answered with sincerity.

Harvey and Donna spent the rest of the time at the restaurant enjoying their breakfast. Shortly after, Ray drove them to work where they went about their business as usual.