Warm light was painting the office as she made her way to the elevators. The day was long and hard and tension in her neck has built up throughout the hours that she spent at the office.
But despite the late hour, it still wasn't time for her to peacefully change into comfortable clothes and fall into bed.
Nope, she was about to go on a date.
She wasn't even sure if this was a date.
She met Thomas Keller a few weeks ago at the office and they got along very well. He was a client at the firm and despite her rule not to get involved with the men that she worked with, she didn't stick with it this time. She had to live her life.
That's what she told Harvey a few years ago when she was having her so-called arrangement with Stephen Huntley who turned out no to be the man she thought he was.
She quickly erased the bad memories from her mind that made her feel like this wasn't a good day because he was a client which meant he belonged to the group of men that she worked with, but Thomas was different.
She had digged into his past just to make sure that he didn't hide any shady secrets and she was relieved when he came out clean.
From the beginning, she felt a spark between them. He openly flirted with her, complimented her and valued her as the powerful woman she was.
She liked him. He was charming, intelligent and extremely good looking.
All in all, she had a good feeling about him. He could be the one.
But only if there wasn't the one already.
Harvey, the one she had tried to shove in the back of her head for the entire day without any success.
After the whole Paula Agard drama they just recently had gotten back to decent terms and she didn't want to screw with that.
It made her mad that she put Harvey above her personal luck, so she hasn't told him about Thomas.
He wouldn't agree with it anyway but he didn't have the right to do so. They were friends and he was supposed to be happy for her. That's what friends normally did but it wasn't them.
It bothered them when the other one was involved with another person. It's not that they didn't want each other to be happy but they just hated when that involved a third party.
They were more than friends but less than lovers. It was complicated to say the least.
The elevator doors opened with a sound and she was completely ripped out of her thoughts.
With slow steps she stepped in and closed her eyes.
She had a little time alone before she was about to meet Thomas in the lobby. She clearly looked forward to it but something was holding her back.
Or someone.
When the doors were just about to close there was a hand stretching out in between the doors. It looked familiar to her. Harvey. A little annoyed that she was ripped out of her calm mood she stepped aside to make him space, but without anything said he walked to the metal walls on the back and leaned against it.
She didn't know but he knew about Thomas.
It bothered him that she would go on a date with him even though he forced himself to keep a happy face for her. With all that they have been through it was the only thing that their friendship could take at the moment.
Right now, it still was a bit fragile and both tried their best to regain the strength in it that it once had.
That was harder than anticipated because they didn't really know what that normal meant especially after the kiss, it was harder than ever to go back to the way it was before.
"Donna", he voiced after a while they spent in silence.
It was a little awkward between them and it would get more awkward soon was what she thought.
They'd have to get off that elevator and Thomas would be there. She let out huge sigh but didn't reply a thing to him calling her name. It made her hate herself that his sole presence and the way he made her name sound was causing shivers running down her spine. Her dress was pretty low cut in the back so he would probably see it which only added to her anger.
She just wanted to get out of that little metal box.
His cologne lingered around as she heard him taking a step towards her. He didn't voice a thing, just swallowed when he hesitantly raised his left arm to graze her waist but let it down slowly.
He couldn't do it. It was impossible for him to stay away from her but he didn't want screw with her private life.
She felt his presence behind her and she could and most definitely should step away or call him out on it but it simply went against every fibre of her body.
"Harvey-", was the only thing she was able to let out when he felt his breath on her neck.
He didn't know what encouraged him, maybe the slightly pleading tone in her voice, but the next second he moved his left hand towards her waist again. This time he didn't back away.
His hand lingered on her waist for a few a second before he stared pulling her into him. She let out a surprised gasp but didn't object to any of his actions.
"I miss you-", he stated. His voice was deep and leaping with honesty. His words were blurring her mind and she felt tears stirring in her eyes.
He couldn't do that to her again.
Now, his right hand wrapped around her delicate figure as well.
"Please don't-", but he interrupted her when he placed a rather delicate kiss on her left temple.
Her intoxicating scent was flowing through his body when he pulled her even closer.
She closed her eyes, trying to hold the tears back that were forming in there.
The elevator door opened with a sound.
To their luck, there wasn't anybody who wanted to enter the elevator.
Before she could step out he pulled her around by her arm.
He couldn't let go of her yet. What just had happened was the furthest they've got since the other time and the kiss and it seemed unbearable to him to just let that slip away.
"Harvey, I have a date-", he could make out the hurt in her voice and he hated himself for it.
He hated that he and his actions were the reason for that.
"I know but-", truth be told he didn't find a reason for her to not go and leave him high and dry right there, except that he loved her.
From the bottom of his heart.
He messed up.
"It's too late-", she couldn't get the words out without her voice breaking. It physically broke him when he saw her face and how it looked so sad.
She slowly loosened her arm out of his firm grip.
She needed to get away from him but would running into another mans arm be the right way to cope with her broken heart?
At the heat of the moment she didn't care.
One last time their gazes locked and before it was too late and they would get lost in each others eyes, she turned around and walked away with steady steps. Her mind was blurred and she had to force a smile through her tears when she approached Thomas.
He didn't dare to step out of that elevator yet. He was afraid. Afraid of what he'd see. Donna. The love of his life, the one that got away.
When he finally found the courage to do so he saw Thomas who gently wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into a quick embrace. He only saw her delicate figure from behind.
Truth be told he she didn't dare to turn around. She was too afraid to look back.
She looked happy, he thought as he saw them walking out of the building.
"I love you", he whispered in a sad tone.
She wouldn't hear it but it just slipped out.
Too little too late.