Harvey spends a lazy morning with Tess before heading to his apartment. After Harvey departs, Tess sits back in her chair picking up the necklace in her hand. This is not a conversation that she wants to have but it is one that she needs to have with Daphne. Tess thinks back to the recent time spent with Harvey. Tess remembers so much of her time with Harvey. Tess remembers far more than she is willingly to outwardly display. Tess acknowledges the pangs of deceit but they quickly pass. Part of holding what she knows close to the vest is instinctual self-preservation and part of it is just the unknown of where the blank spots are. Tess equates it to looking at a puddle and not knowing if it is a inch deep or ocean deep. Some of the memories are vivid, some are vague and there is not always context. Tess wonders if she is defaulting to her training. You touch the door to see if it warm before you open it, you look for the danger signs first and right now every door could be warm.
Everyone is being so protective of her and Tess does not understand it. The memory that triggers the most emotional response from her is one of a fire. Ironically, being close to Harvey, spending the night with him was the trigger to bring it forward but right now, the memory doesn't hurt it brings forth emotion but not pain. It is just a picture in her head. Tess vividly remembers seeing him with someone else. Tess can see the image of the dark haired woman that brings forth the mixed emotions as an immediate response to her image. It was the same woman in the memories of Louis at the Met from what she now knows to be a first date with Harvey. Tess remembers exiting the truck and seeing Harvey with "her". Tess remembers the look on Harvey's face as she made eye contact with him. She can feel the halligan and the axe hit her hands as she locked eyes with Harvey. They landed with the same smack of reality as that vision. It was the look on Harvey's face that brings the emotion. It was the look in Harvey's eyes, the expression of shame. That look was what hurt more that what Tess actually saw. Tess would not have read into the woman standing next to Harvey if it was not for that look on his face but she lacks the full context of the memory which gnaws at her.
Harvey walks around their shared past like he is walking on eggshells. Tess wonders if he lacks faith in her, the faith that perhaps she can forgive him for what he did then based on who he is now. Tess is trying so hard to hold her emotions back from getting attached to Harvey. She could fall for him so easily. A feather could knock her over the line to falling in love with him.
Tess pulls up a picture in her phone. The Chevelle comes into view across the screen. Her phone was sanitized by her family which still completely pisses Tess off. They had no right to alter her life, let alone delete things. They left this picture since was just a car without an affiliation or a context to offer the sanitation crew a point of reference. She owns a shop. Her family would have just assumed it was a car, nothing more nothing less.
Tess knows herself enough to know that the car was an "I love you." She was in love with Harvey. Tess entertains the thought ever so briefly that she could fall in love so easily with Harvey because she never stopped being in love with him or at least something pretty darn close to love. Tess internally acknowledges that she knows what love feels like. She knows loss too. Being around Harvey is like breathing again. Tess wonders if it is that he just so similar to Matt or if it is because Harvey seems to care for her in a way that no one had in very long time. The frustration is the unknown. The gap and the abyss that engulfs her and the frustration that comes from just not knowing.
As Harvey heads into his afternoon, he has to laugh at himself, Tess has been on his mind since he left her and this is unfamiliar territory. Harvey knows that he needs some advice on this Sunday afternoon. He pulls out his phone and calls the one person who he trusts enough to give him that advice. Donna agrees to meet Harvey for brunch at little place she loves down from her apartment.
As Donna enters the restaurant, she can see it written all over Harvey for the first time in a long time as he gives her a hug and thanks her for meeting him. Her Harvey has fallen in love. What concerns Donna is that her Harvey has fallen in love... and Harvey sucks at love. Over the beginning of brunch, Harvey avoids the topic that lured him here with Donna. At this point, he is hoping his Donna knows him well enough to pull it out of him. Donna can see the tension growing within Harvey and decides that she has let him stew long enough. It is time to fix her Harvey. "So, when did you fall in love?" Donna sips her mimosa with a smile on her face. This will actually be fun.
Harvey looks up at Donna feigning astonishment at the question. Harvey is grateful that Donna can see it and that she knows but Harvey questions why does she see it so easily? Given no other option, Harvey is going to make her work for this conversation. Donna is a little too happy with her Donnaness at the moment. "What makes you think I am in love?" Harvey counters with a sip of coffee to mask his expression from her view. You can't read a tell if you can't see the tell. Donna laughs then sighs at Harvey's attempts to be mysterious. "You are going to make me do this... fine." Donna sits back with a smirk as she allows her Donnaness to flow forth. "You didn't bother to shave which means you did not spend the night at your place. You look tired as all hell but... but you have the most blissful smile I have seen on you in years. When I asked the question, you ran your finger along the edge of your cup with a smile because Tess was the first thought in your head at that second." Donna takes a break to sip some more of her drink. "For the last week, you have rushed out of the office because there is somewhere you want to be that isn't the firm or a client... some people call it a life, Harvey and Tess is the reason." Donna pauses to assess the impact of this dose of Donnaness.
"Donna, what do I do if she remembers?" Harvey realizes that he has a tell when it comes to Tess as he watches his finger trace the edge of the cup.
"So what." Donna makes her statement brief by intention to draw it out of Harvey.
"What do you mean... so what." Donna now has Harvey's undivided attention.
"So what if she remembers, Harvey. What do you see when you look into her eyes?" It is time to give Harvey full frontal Donna. She has been holding this conversation back for a while and this is now the time to get Harvey out of his own damn way. "Donna." Harvey pauses long enough for Donna to stop him before he starts.
"Harvey, what if it doesn't matter to her. What if she just forgives and moves on? What if perhaps by some cosmic collision the two of you are just written in reverse?" Donna has now captured his full attention.
"What do you mean?" Harvey is intrigued by her statement. Forgiveness never even crossed his mind. "What if the end was simply your beginning?" Now Donna is going to make him think for his own good. She can't tell him everything. Some lessons need to be learned. "Have a little faith in Tess, Harvey. Just a little faith that she might love you too."
She can see the wheels turning in Harvey's mind as she reaches across the table to touch his hand that is continuing to trace circles on the coffee cup. "You know I love you, Harvey. You are worth loving."
