Hi, this little story came out of nowhere after I found the book "100 Cosas para hacer de a dos" (100 things to do as a couple) in one of my drawers.
This might have more chapters but we will see. Hope you like it! Please leave a comment if you can.
Also, this hasn't been betaed, so, my apologies in advance for any mistakes since English is not my first language.
Enjoy!
ONE HUNDRED THINGS TO DO...
"One hundred things to do as a couple," he reads out loud and with a mocking tone in his voice.
Donna pales and blushes all at the same time but doesn't say anything nor looks at him.
"What is this, Donna?," Harvey asks while scanning the book with funny draws on the cover.
"A book!," she says defensively.
"It's obvious that it is a book," he chuckles. "But why do you have it? It looks like a preschoolers book," he adds laughing.
Donna just rolls her eyes and sights.
"I shouldn't have let you go through my personal stuff."
"Well, help you re-organize your place after the flood, requires to go through your stuff," he responds with a funny tone of voice.
"I guess this has a story, do you mind sharing it with me?" He almost pleads with puppy eyes.
"No, if I tell you, you are going to start mocking me and I am never going to hear the end of it."
"C'mon Donna, you know practically everything about me, even embarrassing things. Like the one time a brunette kicked me out of her place, just wearing boxers, because she found out I didn't remember her name even after the second night we slept together and you went to pick me up with some clothes and even a coffee."
Donna rolls her eyes again, knowing she's about to lose this battle.
"Fineee."
She, who was on the opposite side of the room, cleaning other shelves, moves to sit next to him and grabs the book he is still holding, and before starting speaking, sighs again. Harvey has the feeling that this is a sensitive topic.
"I was 20 years old, I had recently moved to New York and worked in a cafe; that used to help me to go to some auditions during the day and work in the evening. While working there, I met a guy. He was at least 10 years older than me, was a regular customer from the cafe and we started to talk... one thing led to another and sooner than I expected, I fell hard for him. He was a successful businessman, charming, caring and used to treat me really well. That was the first time I thought I had found my 'Prince Charming,' and one day, while I was checking the new arrivals in a bookstore, I found that cheesy book. And it seemed cute at the time and I thought about doing some of the things with him and maintaining a 'Happy Ever After' story..."
Donna is now looking directly at the book, scanning some of the pages. Harvey senses her discomfort and carefully touches her arm, as a reminder that he is there for her.
"You don't have to tell me the rest if you don't want, Donna"
"No, I am going to finish... Everything went perfectly for about six months. We even did some of the stupid things this book mentions, obviously he didn't know the ideas for some of our dates came from this book, I didn't want him to think that I was corny or something like that. Anyway, at the start of our seventh month dating, I noticed a huge change in the way he treated me. He never had time for me, he was always busy and the little chances we had to be together, he just wanted to have sex and nothing else. No more dates, no more calls or messages. We became a couple of strangers and one day, he just sent me a letter... can you imagine that?! A letter! To break up with me, saying that he didn't want to be with me anymore, that he had found someone he had more things in common with and he was about to get married. Actually, later I discovered I was his last 'fling', Harvey. He got married two months after I received that letter; he had been engaged for the past year. I felt used. I felt betrayed. I mean, I gave everything to him. And I was just an entertaining before his marriage started... he was the first man I actually have sex with... and I yeah it's true that I wasn't preserving myself until my wedding night, but, I always told myself that the time I have my first time, I would do it with someone worth it of it. I was so naive at that time! And my judgement wasn't what it is today... I mean, he was engaged all the time he was with me. He just played with me... I feel so ashamed when I think about it..."
Harvey notices how she hasn't been able to look at him the whole time she has been telling him her story.
A delicate tear running through her cheek.
He just moves his thumb to clean her tears and tries to look at her.
"Donna, look at me," he says, lifting her chin and moving her face to his side.
She looks embarrassed, vulnerable, and sensitive.
"Hey, it's not your fault. You didn't know. You were young. You were practically blindsided."
"I kinda hate this book because of that, you know. I have thought about throwing it away many times but it's also a reminder of my personal growth, of how now I know I am better and I certainly deserve better," she responds with a sad smile.
"You definitely deserve better," he replies with a sweet smile.
This is the first time she notices they are so close and that one of his hands is on her face and she blushes.
"This is the first time I talk about this," she realizes, and tells Harvey.
"Well, I am officially your confident, now," he replies.
She just laughs.
"You know, I feel better after talking about this... I think I am ready to throw away this book. I am going to place it on the donation box."
Harvey just nods and removes his hand from her. She definitely looks better and calming.
They finish with the cleaning and unpacking two hours later and after some Thai and wine, they call it a night.
Harvey tells Donna he can ask Ray to drop off the donation box at the community center in the morning and she agrees.
They say their goodbyes and before leaving the threshold, Donna is the one to speak.
"Thank you, Harvey"
"Anytime, Donna, cleaning it's not my thing but that's what friends do."
"No, not just for that, but thank you for just being you."
And with that, she hugs him. They almost never touch, but something about him making her feel secure even in her more vulnerable moments, makes her want to be nearer to him as much as she can.
After the hug they just share a look and Harvey leaves.
Once in the limo with Ray, Harvey takes a look at the box with the things Donna is going to donate and sees the book that led them to hug tonight.
He just realizes that never actually opened it and once he does it, he starts smiling:
1. Sign up in a cooking lesson
2. Ride a bike together
3. Ice skating
4. Spend a whole day in bed
5. Take a shower together
6. Have an erotic marathon
He laughs with this last one and suddenly he realizes that the more he reads, the more he pictures himself doing all these crazy and cheesy stuff with Donna and only Donna.
He even considers the options of:
- Write a romantic poem and
- Dress alike for a whole day.
He decides to keep the book. He doesn't know exactly why but before handing the box to Ray, he picks up the book and once in his condo, he places it on one of the drawers of his bedside table.
Maybe one day, he thinks, maybe one day, I would be brave enough to change the meaning this book has for Donna.
And with that he goes to sleep, thinking about the endless possibilities to make her happy, thinking about the "One hundred things to do WITH Donna".