TEEN IN LOVE

Two days after the dinner with her mother and Harvey, Donna was still confused by the thought of that night and how had felt sleep in his arms under that warm blanket.

She forbade herself from feeling something more than friendly things for him but maybe, just maybe, she wants more with him. But he sure didn't, he flirts with her, he makes her blush but something in the way he looks at Scottie makes Donna think he feels something for her.

And there was no way she was going to risk what they have now.

Feelings just go away, she keeps telling herself over and over again. The sentence turning a little bit more into a mantra every time her mind processes the words.

When she arrives at the entrance of the campus, she is deep in her thoughts and misses Harvey leaning on his car with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Hey, Paulsen" he yells and finds himself enjoying Donna turning around with wide eyes and a scared expression.

"You idiot" she says and hits his arm when she walks to him.

He laughs, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Just you didn't see me"

She smiles and watches him smile too.

"So" she starts after some seconds, "is there a reason why you felt the need to scare me this morning?" she jokes.

"There is, actually" he confirms, "Come on, hop up" he says and stands upright, tapping lightly the side of the car.

"What?! No"

"Why not?"

"Because we have a class in five minutes. You know I can't miss it" Donna shakes her head.

"Come on, you're the best in that class, nothing will happen if you skip one lesson" he says and she blushes looking down at her feet, "and remember when you told me you just wanted a day for yourself?" he asks.

Her head scoots up to look at him. Her mind running wild, trying to figure out what his point is.

She barely found the strength to move her head in a short nod.

"Good. Let's go then" he reached for the door handle and held it open for Donna and then waits.

"Harvey, I would love to go but-"

"I know you want to go" Harvey tempts her.

She looks at him and tries to shake her head in negation. She opened her mouth to tell him she can't go because she has class and can't afford to miss it but then he smiled and she closed her mouth.

"You told me the days your mother has therapy and today is not one of them, I know you have just two classes today and that the rest of the morning you go to the library to study" he explains, "I also know the lessons you should attend today are the same Rachel has to attend today so you could just ask her to borrow her notes"

She stands still looking at him and she knows he knows he caught her because of how his smile widens.

"Jeez, seems like you have been stalking me Specter" she jokes but then she became more serious although that stupid smile she has on seemed not be able to disappear, "You really thought this through huh?"

"I did"

"Alright" she gives in and gets into the car since he still was holding open the door for her.

"Perfect" he rounds the car and gets in too.

When he settled and put the key into the car to start the engine, she stopped him again.

"Wait" she said, "If this is my alone day, why are you coming with me?"

He stopped all his actions and looked at her, opened his mouth but he said nothing so he closed it.

"I-I…" he stammered, "I could give you the program if you want" he then said, looking all lost and sad.

She burst out laughing, a hand coming to her chest to try and regulate her breath. She was about to calm down but when she turned to him and saw his annoyed expression she laughed again.

"You finished?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just- your face is so… Oh God" she wiped the tears scrolling on her cheeks.

"I'll just wait for you to be done"

"I'm done, I'm done. I'm sorry, let's go. Where are we going?"

He started the engine and place a foot on the accelerator, "Surprise"

"I hate surprises" Donna commented.

"How do I know this is true and you're not saying it because you want to know?" he fired back.

"Hugh, I hate lawyers" she teased.

"Good thing, I'm still not one. I can change my faculty, if you want, for you" he flirts.

"Idiot" she smirked.

Twenty minutes later they were in front of the Boston Center of Arts. People were walking in and cars were arriving in the parking lot in front of the theatre to park even though it was a week day and early in the morning.

Harvey got out first and opened the door for Donna. She slowly followed him out the car, she understood where they were, her mother took her there before they moved permanently as Donna was not at all happy to leave her home, her school and her friends so her mother took her to a play.

Harvey looked at her and smiled when he saw the surprise painted on the redhead's face. Mission accomplished.

"I know it's no Broadway but-"

"Stop, I love it Harvey, thank you" she smiled up at him and he saw her glassy eyes.

"Come on, let's go. The play starts in some minutes"

He takes her hand and leads her into the building. Donna was still a bit surprised and in shock. This was absolutely the sweetest thing someone has done for her. She was sure. And it was going against all her ideas of Harvey liking Scottie or at least her opinion of him not liking her that way.

Assisting the play was a lot of fun despite the constant interruptions Harvey made every time a new character walked onto the stage.

"You're really not into theatre huh?" Donna teased as they took a seat at the table of a little rustic diner.

"Not so much, no"

"You liked it though?"

"Yeah, I'd add some baseball, just you know, to keep the interest up"

Donna laughed, "You what?"

"I'd add some baseball"

"To a Shakespeare play? Baseball to a Shakespeare play?"

"Yes" Harvey answered, "has anyone ever written a play with sports in it?"

"No" she was still laughing.

"Then I'll write one" Harvey decided, thanking the waitress with a polite nod as she was leaving their plates on the table between them.

"Huh huh" she mocked, "And can I have a clue of what you'd write?"

"Of course, but if you try to use my idea to become famous with it, I'll sue you" he said in a serious tone that made her giggle.

"I promise" she said and then she took a sip of her strawberry milkshake through a straw and waited for his answer.

"Let me see…" he acted like he was thinking about something important, "I'd write about a girl who exprimes herself by playing baseball with her team, the team is composed all by boys but she makes it anyway to the best player of the team"

"I'd watch it" Donna assures.

"And the best part of it is that you can play the part of the girl" he smiles.

"I can't play baseball, I've never learnt" she admitted and looked down blushing.

"What?! I can't believe in the 21th century there is still someone who doesn't know how to play baseball. I mean, it should be something like a subject. It's as important as maths" he was gesticulating, and Donna could see how much he believed in his statement.

"Well, I still don't know how to do it. I just try to hit a small ball with a stick?"

"Wh- No. It's called bat and- ugh, you know, I'll just teach you one day" he said and then bit his burger and took a sip of his chocolate milkshake.

"Hey, can I have a taste?" Donna asked, staring at the big cup in his hand.

"Is this how you seduce a man? Of course you can have a taste Donna, all you had to do is ask, I'm always here if you want to taste me" he flirted and Donna choked on the chips she was eating.

"I was not talking about you, you jerk" Donna tossed a chip at him as he laughed loudly looking at her face covered in a light blush.

"Thanks" he said as he ate the chip she threw him, "and here" he passed her his milkshake.

She muffled a thanks but she was still too embarrassed to look at him in the eye.

Forty minutes later, they were back in the car, conversing about the imaginary play Harvey wanted to write. Donna tried to ask where they were going but he answered her like that morning: it's a surprise.

The car stopped in front of a small shop with many paintings depicting sunsets and mountains displayed in the window.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"You remember when I took your notebook by mistake?" she nodded, "Well, I saw some of your drawings and I figured you'd like a free-painting day" he said, kind of nervous.

"I'd like that" she whispered, looking into his big eyes and noticing just now how much closer he was now that he leaned in towards her to see outside the car from the window on her side.

"And if it's boring you can always mock me for my drawing ability"

"What are we waiting for then?" she jumped out of the car and ran towards the shop. Harvey laughed and followed her.

The owner of the shop, an old woman in her sixty's, made them sit in a part of the shop set up for a drawing course. The lady told them to sit on a chair and take all the colors they needed.

Half an hour later, Donna was completely immersed in her drawing. Harvey watched

Donna choose the colors with subtle attention. From his seat he couldn't see the drawing, she told him it was going to be a surprise and that he had to sit opposite her and she built a wall of pencils cases in front of her to block his view.

"Harv, you are staring" Donna sang without taking her eyes off her drawing.

He knew he had been caught so he took a pencil and started to draw lines over his paper. He didn't think about his lack of experience in this thing, she'll laugh at him.

"Excuse me, can I have that?"

Donna turned around and saw a man eying the black tratto pen she put on the table next to her after she used it.

"Yes, of course"

The man takes it and goes away.

Donna sighed in frustrations and turned to look at Harvey who, feeling her gaze on him, lifted his head.

"What?"

"Now I need to change my idea"

"Why did you give the pen to him if you needed it?"

"He asked politely and seemed to need it" she shrugged and then pouted, looking at her drawing, clearly thinking about a way to finish her piece of art.

"You're the most selfless person I know" he smiled and she blushed. "Here, take mine" he gave to her the same black tratto pen that was in his kit of colors.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, my drawing ability aren't going to increase with that pen anyway"

She laughed and took the pen from his hands. Their fingers brushed in the middle of the exchange and she looked down shyly.

When they finished their work, Donna had painted a beautiful picture of a teenage girl wearing a baseball cap and ready in position to hit the ball which was painted in a way that seemed very real.

"That's amazing Don"

Don, she hates when people call her that but somehow she didn't find it that bad coming out of his mouth. It sounds like sweet honey tastes.

"I thought you could use this as the image for your play's poster to hang outside the main theatre in Broadway" Donna smiled.

Harvey laughed and took the paper carefully and put it into a folder that the owner of the shop gave them to keep the drawings.

"And what exactly is this?" Donna tried to suppress a laugh as she took his drawing in hand.

"It's a revolutionary bouquet"

"Oh, yeah. I see a bit of Picasso in this and the colors are the ones in the famous Van Gogh's sunflowers painting" Donna was biting her lower lip so hard trying not to burst out laughing but she did and Harvey just stood there listening to her laugh.

"Okay okay, I get it. I'm not good with colors" he said when she finally calms down and dries the tears in her eyes.

"So you admit it"

He looked at her and smirked as he leaned in closer to her face, her smile faded as she became anxious. He was way too close.

"But I can assure you I'm the best at other things" he whispered, looking into her hazel eyes.

Her breath itched and she gasped and fuck he noticed.

He bit on his lower lip and tried to suppress a smirk without success. He then got up and took the file with Donna's drawing in it and walked towards the exit.

"You coming Paulsen" he turned around to look at her, still frozen in her seat, and smiled at her then made his way out of the shop and to the car.

"Smug asshole" Donna whispered as she stood up to go away. She was halfway to the door when she ran back to their table and took his drawing. It wasn't the best but he made it and it was cute. She then followed him in the car and they made their way back towards the campus.

When they arrived, they parked the car in the parking of the campus and walked to Giulia's to take an ice cream. As it was still soon in the afternoon, they decided to take a walk around the park and sit on their little hill.

They were silent, licking their ice cream and relaxing one next to the other.

All the words in the world couldn't describe how she was feeling right now. The reality of this day getting in their head. They had skipped school to spend a day together. A day full of activities he had planned for her.

Just thinking he had the tickets bought that is some time makes her heart melt and her stomach flatter. It makes her feel full of that particular emotion she feels just for him and for nobody else.

That particular feeling that makes her blush when he looks at her for more than normal, like he is looking inside her soul and not just her body. The same feeling that makes her knees go weak when he rests his hand dangerously close to her butt when he is guiding her where he wants her to be.

"Harvey" she whispered and turned her head to look at him.

He didn't turn to look at her but his head moved in a slow nod telling her he was listening.

"Thank you" she didn't need to say more. He knew she wasn't thanking him just for today but for being there for her always since they met, for being the only one person she fully trusts enough to talk about his father and their accident.

For being so funny and for making her smile always.

Harvey finally turned his head to look at her and saw her eyes dropping to his lips before returning to his eyes.

He slightly parted his rosy lips before his tongue darted out to wet them.

Their eyes locked again but just for a second before they were once again staring at each other's mouths.

She started to lean into him, trying to close the gap between them. Harvey followed her lead and their mouths were just some inches apart when Donna's phone started ringing and they jumped back.

Donna took her phone from her purse and stopped the usual alarm that signals to her that she needs to go back home because her mother was coming back from the chemo.

"I'm sorry but I have to go" she said, looking apologetic to him and preparing herself to stand up but he stopped her.

"Stay" he took her hand with his, "just some more minutes"

Donna looked down and intertwined their fingers before looking into his big chocolate eyes again, "Harvey I really need to-"

Then his lips are on hers.

Please don't hate me. You'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out what happens next.

Please take the time to drop a review.

"See" you all on Monday : )