Author's Note:
Hello lovely readers! Sorry it has been almost two months between updates! Other writing got in the way of this fic but I'm here to finish it off. Thanks for your patience.
Dwelling on a breakup has never been Donna's style. She gives herself appropriate time to grieve, but she is proactive, and works quickly to remove all traces of a relationship from her apartment – an exorcism, Rachel had once called it. Donna likes to reserve sentimentality for the people that are always going to always be in her life.
When she returns to her apartment on Friday night, she finds only a handful of mementos that prove Thomas was ever there: the odd piece of clothing, a handful of books, a few hair products and a toothbrush. The minor imprint on her home speaks volumes, and it breaks her heart just a little bit.
She pours herself a glass of pinot noir, opened just before she left a week ago. The wine has developed a slight, unpleasant vinegar taste but she gulps it down while she carefully boxes up his things. It doesn't take long until the box is filled, and when she's done, she slips the engagement ring off her finger and puts it in a suit jacket he left behind, pressing it into the left pocket with a note that simply says, this is yours.
She had meant to give it back and chalks it up to an uncharacteristic oversight; another regret among many.
It's late when she finishes. She groans at the thought of all the phone calls she has to make tomorrow. Rachel, her father, the venue, the bridal boutique, the caterers, the florist… it's an overwhelming task, but she knows it will be a hell of a lot less painful than marrying the wrong person.
She falls asleep, a little buzzed on questionable wine, feeling like a weight has been lifted.
Looking around at his sparse apartment, Harvey feels a little hollow. He pushed himself for years to get where he is today, and the apartment is a reflection of his success, but he doesn't harbour the same feelings for it as he does for his office. The apartment has seen a revolving door of women enter and leave his life; one-night stands, meaningless flings and a handful of sincere attempts at serious relationships.
His office though, that's sacred ground, reserved for the true milestones and most important people in his life.
He'd left the office yesterday with little fanfare, no different to any other Friday. Gretchen stayed late to say her goodbyes and assured him the rest of his belongings would be shipped from his office to Seattle next week.
Louis had been more stubborn. Come nine o'clock, Harvey was ready to leave the offices of Specter Litt Wheeler Williams for the last time, and Louis' office had been his final stop.
"Walk me to the elevator?" Harvey asks, entering the office.
Louis stays rooted in his chair, gaze fixed on the skyline, with Harvey's reflection very much in his peripheral.
"Louis…"
He turns around at the use of his name, face filled with anguish.
"Is this really how you want to go out, Harvey?" he asks. "Sneaking out under the cover of darkness without saying a proper goodbye?"
Harvey swallows. "I'm saying goodbye now, Louis."
"There are other people who will want the same from you."
Harvey grits his teeth, thinking of Samantha and Alex, but Donna most of all. He already let her go on a crowded street in Manhattan and it almost killed him. He's not sure he has the strength to do it again.
"I'll be back Louis, Seattle's not that far."
Louis sighs, resigning himself as he joins Harvey at the doorway. They fall into an easy step down the hallway. How many times have they walked these corridors together? Louis might drive him crazy, but he's as close to a best friend that Harvey has left in New York and he will miss not seeing him every day.
When they get to the elevators, he opens his mouth to say as much but the words die in his throat.
"Are you sure about this Harvey?"
He shrugs, parroting the words once used on him, "I have to live my life."
Louis nods, blinking rapidly to hold back his tears. The old Harvey would have made fun of him for blatantly showing so much emotion, but this Harvey simply hugs his friend and partner.
"Thanks for keeping me on my toes all these years, Louis."
Louis pulls back with a laugh. "You were a real asshole."
Harvey smiles fondly. "Yeah, you too."
It's only midday, but Harvey pours himself one last scotch and drinks it outside on his balcony. When he's done, he wheels his suitcase out of his apartment, pockets his key and goes downstairs to meet Ray.
Although her week off work has been emotionally necessary, Donna is dreading the overtime she will have to put in just to catch up on the five days she's missed, so she makes her way to the firm on Saturday morning to collect her work laptop and the paperwork that has likely made it to her desk since she's been gone.
Sure enough, she finds a small, yet substantial pile of documents on her desk which she pockets into her large handbag along with her laptop.
Donna doesn't linger in her office, but just as she's leaving, her eyes drift over to Harvey's out of habit. She only has to take one step inside to know that everything is completely off. Harvey's prized basketballs are gone, over half of his record collection is missing and the photograph of his mother's painting is absent from the wall.
She tries to calm herself as her heart thumps rapidly. The logical side of her brain tells her there's no reason to panic, that he might simply be switching offices or decluttering his space. But she can't ignore the gnawing feeling in her stomach.
She takes out her phone and calls Harvey but it goes straight to voice mail. Her next call is Louis and he answers on the second ring.
"Donna," he says her name like he was expecting her to call.
"Louis, what's going on?" she demands. "I came to the office to grab my laptop and Harvey's office is half empty."
Now it feels like everything is missing and she can't unsee it – no signed baseballs, no scotch, no glasses.
"I didn't want to have to be the one to tell you this but…" Donna's heart sinks. "Harvey left."
"What do you mean he left? Like left the firm?"
"Not just the firm. He's moving to Seattle to work with Mike and Rachel – he's leaving today."
Donna sinks onto Harvey's couch, eyes hopelessly searching for some kind of clue to disprove what Louis is telling her.
"But I – why would he do that? He wouldn't just leave."
"Donna, you know why," he says gently.
Donna's eyes fall shut and she thinks of the last time she saw Harvey. That can't be their final goodbye.
"I just broke up with Thomas."
"Holy shit."
"Has he left yet?" Donna asks desperately.
"He said he was flying out today but I don't know when. I don't even know which airport." Louis pauses. "But I know someone who might. Let me call you back."
Louis abruptly hangs up on her. "Louis? Ugh." Donna leaps off the couch and charges out of the building. She hasn't the faintest clue about Harvey's flight details but there's an old apartment key that she never returned still burning a hole in her purse.
Once she's downstairs, she hails the first taxi in her line of vision and promises the driver a huge tip if he can get her to Harvey's building as fast as humanly possible.
It's all for naught though, because when she arrives, Harvey's apartment is as empty as his office.
JFK Airport is filled with a hoard of people and Harvey spends an inordinate amount of time waiting to check-in. He resents the fact that if it weren't for his checked luggage, he could have had Gretchen check him in online and avoid the hassle of queuing at the airport.
When he finally makes it to the front of the line he holds out his phone to the airport services agent so she can see his flight confirmation.
"Harvey Specter, flying to Seattle," he tells her.
She smiles at him and searches for his name on the server. She frowns at the screen then looks back up at Harvey, fixing him with a smile that verges on condescending.
"I'm sorry sir, check-in isn't open for your flight yet."
"My flight leaves in less than two hours."
She glances back at her screen and reads aloud, "we have you booked on the flight to Seattle leaving tomorrow at 2:20pm. That flight's not for another twenty-four hours."
"Excuse me?" He checks his confirmation again and shows it to the services agent. "That's for today? See?"
She gives him a tight smile. "I can see that sir, but our records show that you recently changed your flight."
Harvey feels his patience beginning to wane. "I've been standing in this line for half an hour, why would I have changed my flight?"
"That's not for me to say, sir."
"There's clearly been a mistake," he says tiredly. "Can you just change me back to today's flight?"
"Unfortunately that flight is now fully booked."
Harvey bites his tongue to avoid unleashing on the person simply trying to do their job.
"I suggest you come back tomorrow sir and we can check you in then."
"Right. Thanks for that," he says through gritted teeth.
Harvey storms away from the desk, his suitcase in tow. He tries to access his emails but the signal is poor in the departures area, so he exits the airport and stands out in the taxi bay.
He is finally able to refresh his emails when he sees a traitorous new confirmation email pop up in his inbox: AMMENDED FLIGHT INFORMATION.
"What the fuck?" he says aloud.
A slew of missed call notifications also pop up on his phone. One is from Louis but the others are all from Donna. His pulse quickens at the sight of her name etched across his screen, but he forces himself not to get his hopes up.
Then he opens a text message from Louis:
I would probably stop giving Gretchen full access to your personal information. Also, I thought you'd like to know that Donna is no longer engaged.
Harvey almost drops his phone. When he regains the use of his motor functions, he calls Ray.
With Ray's car parked outside Donna's building and his suitcase stashed in the trunk, Harvey launches himself up the stairs to apartment 206. He bangs on the door, his heart hammering in his chest.
It's practically an eternity before Donna wrenches the door open. Her tear-stained eyes open wide at the sight of him and he simply smiles, closing the distance between them and kissing her deeply. Her hands slide into his hair and she's kissing him back just as fiercely and every nerve ending in his body is screaming finally. He's dreamed so often of kissing Donna but the reality is the most natural thing in the world.
Donna pulls her lips from his, breathless as she says, "I thought you'd left."
"I thought you were getting married."
Donna flashes him a self-deprecating smile. "Hard to do that when you're in love with someone else."
Harvey grips Donna's waist and threads a hand through her hair, bringing her lips back to his. They kiss until they're breathless and aching for more. When they break apart, Donna takes his hand and leads him through to her bedroom.
There's a silent acknowledgement that they'll talk later, but for now, they allow themselves this uncomplicated moment.
Harvey had always thought that if they were to ever be together again, that he'd take his time, savour every second and do whatever he could to prolong the experience because he could never fathom a world where he'd have Donna forever.
This is different. It's passionate and frantic and it's a release of a decade's worth of tension and heartache and longing. Donna comes quickly, writhing atop his body while Harvey works his hand between her legs, then he rises to meet her in a searing kiss when his own orgasm takes over.
They fall back onto the sheets, Donna never leaving his arms. He feels their heartbeats slow to an even tempo and kisses her brow.
"Donna, I hope you know," he starts, still a little breathless, "that I am completely in love with you."
She lifts her head from his chest, propping herself up so she can gently brush her lips against his.
"It took me a little too long to realise it, but I do know."
"I thought I was doing the right thing by leaving, by… removing myself from your life."
"Harvey, you are my life."
She peels her eyes away, toying with the hairs on his chest, before looking back up at him. "I think Thomas could always see that."
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
She chuckles softly. "Like before I got engaged?"
"More like, before we left the D.A.'s office."
Donna rears back and Harvey smiles softly at her surprised expression. "You've always been the one, Donna."
They spend the rest of the day in bed and Harvey proves to Donna just how much he means those words.
Okay, no airport scenes because I hate that rom-com trope - so unrealistic!
Next up: the afterglow ;)