"Are you okay?" she's asks gently.
"Will you come back?"
"Yes."
"Then I'm okay."
She nods softly, a ghost of a smile on her face. "Do you want to come in?"
"Not tonight, no." is his gruff response and she can't mask the hurt she feels at his rejection.
"Oh." she lets out before she can stop herself, feeling her walls start to rebuild, brick by brick. He's never really been phased by the facades she puts up for others, able to always just see her. But lately they feel impenetrable when he's around; reinforced by her hurt and unrequited feelings. "I just thought..."
"Donna-"
"I just thought," she continues, voice hard and cold. "after all we've been through, you'd want to talk; not your strong suit, I know, but I didn't think you'd just outright refuse to come in."
"Donna, I just...I can't right now. I'm tired, it's been a long day and I just can't."
"So, what? I'm just supposed to go back to work tomorrow and we're going to sweep it under the rug and pretend like everything's back to normal? We'll just act like I didn't kiss you and you didn't try to pawn me off to Stu like I was a baseball card to trade because your girlfriend wanted you to fire me and you didn't have the balls to do it?"
"Donna..." he trails off.
"What?"
"I - what?"
"You keep saying 'Donna'. What, Harvey?" she snaps.
Her cold tone triggers something in him, and before he can get a handle on it, he's gone from tired to angry. "You know, you have some nerve being mad at me."
"Excuse me?!"
"You kissed me. You knew I was in a relationship, you know how I feel about that shit, and then you kissed me anyways. We moved on, I did everything I could to not fire you, I broke up with Paula, I stopped you from resigning, and now you have the nerve to stand here and be angry with me?!"
Her eyes are wide by the time he finishes; hot, angry tears blurring her vision as she stares at this man she barely recognizes anymore. She watches him balk as a tear splashes down her cheek, the anger fading immediately into something resembling remorse.
"You unimaginable asshole." she whispers. "I don't know what fucking version of this story you're living out in your head, but let me bring you back to reality."
"I made a mistake by kissing you. Newsflash, Harvey - I'm human and I'm not fucking perfect. I apologized, both to you and Paula and -"
"Wait." he stops her, brow furrowed in confusion. "What? When did you apologize to her?"
"I went to her office after you tried to pawn me off to Stu. I apologized for how my choices hurt her, tried to appeal to her as a woman that just because I made a mistake doesn't mean I should lose the job I earned." And it's clear by the total shock on his face he has no idea what she's talking about. "She didn't tell you any of this?"
"I...no. She didn't." he replies quietly. "Listen, Donna-"
"No, I'm not done." She cuts him off. "I apologized to both of you. Then, when your girlfriend told you to fire me because she's intimidated - which by the way, I'm not a lawyer, but that cannot be a lawful reason to fire someone - instead of coming to talk to me about it like a goddamn grown adult, you went behind my back to try to make it seem like it was my idea. So I resigned. I left a job I have worked my ass off for to make it easier on you, because I felt like I owed you something. Then you show up at my door, ripping up said resignation and, what? You want a fucking award?!"
"I ended it with her for you! So that you could come back!" He argues, panic rising as he sees how upset she is.
"I never had to leave in the first place, Harvey! You put your three month relationship over me, over my job, over everything you and I have built together. And then, you show up at my door like you're doing me some huge, selfless favor; no apology for trying to get rid of me behind my back or for choosing her over my job. I'm sorry you ended it with Paula, I am - I'm sorry you're hurt, but if it really was that big of a sacrifice for you, then just go back to her, Harvey. I don't want to be your consolation prize or the reason you're unhappy. Just...just go fix it with her and I'll come to work tomorrow and we'll just...we'll just be colleagues. I'm not your secretary anymore so you won't even have to deal with me as often."
She's exhausted by the time she finishes. Tired of talking about this, tired of talking around other things, just...tired.
"Donna, you are not now, nor have you ever been something I've had to 'deal' with." he argues firmly, frustrated at the insinuation, but starting to understand how much he truly hurt her.
"Yeah, well...it hasn't felt like that lately, Harvey." she says quietly, all the fight having gone out of her as she leans heavily against the door.
"I know. And you're right; I didn't apologize and this isn't all on you." he sighs. "I'm sorry, Donna. You have to know, you're absolutely the last person I would ever want to hurt or lose. I just...I was trying so hard with her to prove that I'd become a better person that could be in a committed relationship, that could have a job and a life, that when you...when everything happened I lost sight of what and who was important."
"Harvey -"
"You have no idea how sorry I am about going behind your back to Stu. I hate myself for it, hate myself for ever thinking I could do this without you. You deserve your job, Donna. I, more than anyone else, know how hard you work, how much of yourself you give to the firm...to me. I swear to god, I'll never take that - take you - for granted again."
"For someone who doesn't do it often, that was a hell of an apology." she says, a small smile appearing as she blinks back tears.
"Yeah, well" he whispers, sheepishly rubbing behind his ear, "only the best for you."
"It means a lot, Harvey, thank you. And, for what it's worth, I'm sorry, too. There were a lot of things I could've done differently."
"Thanks, Donna." he says, sending her a genuine, imploring smile. "So, you'll come back? We can be...we can be us again?"
"Yeah, Harvey," she confirms, swallowing the urge to tell him she needs their 'us' to be more, but she knows now is not the time. "We can be us again."
"Good." He nods, looking as if he has more to say, but can't, won't; not right now. "I'll see you tomorrow."