She stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom of Thomas's apartment, after applying the last of her makeup. She did a once over of her dress. A beautiful floor-length, open-backed red silk piece with clean lines and a slit up her leg. She was happy with the way her loose updo complimented the rest of her ensemble. It was flashier than usual, but as an honorary guest she figured it suited the occasion.
Thomas found her that way, with a hand absentmindedly skimming her own collarbone and an expression of deep thought across her face.
"Hey beautiful," he said softly as he took his place behind her, arms wrapping around her waist and mouth nuzzling into her slender neck. She responded with a slight jolt.
"Oh, Thomas, hi," she responded, settling deeper into his arms and enjoying the smell of his cologne, urging herself into the present.
"I have something for you."
"Mm?" she responded with an air of indifference.
Not noticing, Thomas continued rambling, "I know you aren't wearing the ring yet, and I completely understand and will give you as much time as you need to answer. But.." he says quickly, pulling a long slender box from his inside tux pocket, "I bought this for you, and tonight is special, I thought you might like to wear it."
Donna spun around and was speechless at the sight before her. Inside the box lay a diamond choker, with cascading lines of jewels that draped from the bottom.
"Th-thomas, it's too much," she immediately said with shock colouring her voice.
"Don't be silly, anything for you, my love," he replied with a grin, "turn around, I'll help you put it on."
Turning back to the mirror, Donna found her eyes had begun to swell with unshed tears. Of joy? She questioned herself — she wasn't sure if she was being honest. This was all very surreal. Her hands came up to meet the necklace that clasped tight to her throat and was surprisingly heavy as it graced her neck. It was beautiful, and complimented her dress perfectly without being overstated. Thomas had taste, she never had to buy her own gifts with him, she thought before burying that ridiculous notion.
"Thank you, I truly don't know what to say," she heard herself say, still shocked from what an enormous gesture this was. Things had been so good between them. Things were progressing as they should, right? They weren't getting any younger, and they had been serious for over half a year now. She owed him an answer soon, and was growing frustrated that 'yes' wasn't on the tip of her tongue whenever he brought up the matter of the ring in her desk drawer. She didn't have time to question the lack of butterflies that should be stirring a storm within her soul. The sight of a perfect man adorning her neck with beautiful jewels should bring her to her knees.
"Don't say anything, you don't need to," he smiled, confusing her silence and unshed tears for those of joy and adoration, rather than the uncomfortable numbness that was threatening to ruin her night. His arms returned to embrace her waist, and this brought Donna out of her trance.
"No, Thomas, it's absolutely perfect. Thank you," she said genuinely, trying desperately to cast her doubts aside as she turned and joined her lips with his. He deepened the kiss and she felt her stomach stir pleasantly. She refused to acknowledge the relief that flooded her body at her response.
"We should get going, Belladonna, we don't want to be late," he whispered his self-made moniker, that he only used in private. Donna didn't have it in her to tell him that it made her skin crawl in an unpleasant way, she'd much prefer he use her given name.
"Of course, just give me a moment," she replied as he left the room. Turning to the mirror, she took it all in, and with a deep breath, grabbed her clutch and made for the front door.
•
Harvey immediately made his way to the bar upon arriving at the event. It was one of the grandest settings he'd attended for a gala. It was fitting for the occasion though, with sweeping stairs leading into a lowset ballroom, with multiple rooms spanning into more intimate settings on the top level. Seeing as though the most prestigious names in the business were attending, the committee was sparing no expenses in the hopes they'd all generously open their wallets in the name of children in need.
He'd come with every intention of showing face, then escaping within an hour to make it to a poker game that definitely would be opening his wallet that night. He adjusted his tux as he leaned on the bar.
"Macallan 18, neat," he gruffed out to the bartender, before throwing a note on the bar, taking his drink and wading through the crowd. Before long he spotted an unmistakable silhouette in the crowd, walking toward it until he came face to face with none other than Jessica Pearson.
"I heard you might be at this shin-dig," he said smoothly, not hesitating to interrupt her conversation, knowing she wouldn't mind either.
Kindly ending her conversation with an older woman, Jessica turned; her body donning a white number and her face, an even whiter smile.
"Well, if it isn't my favourite closer in New York," she teased, and kissed his cheek on both sides.
"What brings you to town on this fine evening?" Harvey smirked back, continuing the charade.
"Why, the children of course," she laughed, "and a potential client but that's semantics. How have you been Harvey? Whose name is on the wall these days? I can't seem to keep up."
"Very funny, Jessica. Mine is still up there, not to worry. And I've been… great," he said with his best effort to sound convincing. It wasn't worth explaining the ins and outs of the firm, and he certainly wouldn't be discussing the interpersonal grievances that were haunting him. Jessica being Jessica however, raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow in a knowing manner.
"You may be able to convince a jury, Harvey, but you've never had much weight in my courtroom. What is -," she began, but stopped mid-sentence. Puzzled, Harvey looked over his shoulder, following her line of sight and was met with a vision of Donna walking down the stairs with Thomas on her arm.
"... I always said she was special, didn't I?" he heard Jessica continue now with understanding in her voice. He tore his eyes away from the way the silk hugged her body as she came down the stairs, and tightened around her chest as she laughed at something Thomas whispered in her ear.
"You did, and she is," Harvey responded tersely, not wanting this to be a conversation they continued. "She's happy, and I'm happy for her. It looks good on her. That's Thomas, her… partner."
He hoped this would draw a veil over that line of inquiry from Jessica, but the look in her eyes suggested otherwise.
"We aren't what we used to be, Jessica," he elaborated, knowing her silence was a queue for more information. "We don't talk anymore. She may as well be a stranger."
"Introduce me, Harvey, be a gentleman," she said, holding out her hand for Harvey to accompany her, flat out ignoring the fact he'd just explained the new dynamic to her.
Not being one to deny Jessica Pearson, Harvey steeled himself and offered his arm.
•
Donna was enthralled by the elegance of the venue, and gratefully took the champagne offered to her on a tray when they stepped onto the ballroom floor. Her speech was well-rehearsed and she found herself invigorated by the laughter, chatter and camaraderie that brought the room to life. She closed her eyes as her ears caught wind of the quartet playing a modern number in a classical arrangement. Yes, this was her type of event, she thought to herself.
"Belladonna, we have approaching patrons," Thomas said with a slight chuckle, knowing she was soaking in the moment and regretfully having to interrupt.
When Donna opened her eyes, she smiled in delight at the sight of Jessica Pearson in front of her.
"Oh Jessica! It's been too long, you look absolutely stunning," Donna said, gracing Jessica's cheek with a light kiss. It was then that she spotted Harvey standing next to Jessica, hand in pocket and the other clutching a glass. She wasn't prepared for the darkness in his eyes as she realised he wasn't looking at her face, but that his gaze was glued to the decadent jewels around her throat. She swallowed heavily, feeling the necklace tighten around her neck and her consequenting shudder. Harvey was visibly taken aback, seeing the accessory that he missed earlier. Donna saw his walls go up a moment later though, as he dipped his head and greeted Thomas and herself, making her wonder if she'd just imagined it. Before coming to her senses, Donna turned to speak,
"Jessica, Thomas Kessler, my partner. Thomas, this is Jessica Pearson, the one and only."
"Your reputation precedes you, Ms Pearson," Thomas said with all his natural charm, reaching across to offer her a firm handshake which Jessica responded with in kind. Thomas was unaware that the two others were still immoving, eyes locked. They felt the room around them slow. Donna was becoming overwhelmed as they had now interacted more in a matter of hours than they had in a month. Admittedly, she felt a warm tingle travel down her spine as his gaze didn't waver.
His body was clothed in a perfectly tailored tux, and lately he had taken to growing out the tiniest bit of stubble that shadowed his jaw and wearing his black, square-rimmed reading glasses. Their distance over the past year meant she couldn't reach out to adjust his bow-tie like her fingers itched to. Nor had she been able to tell him that his new distinguished look made her legs weak, not that she ever would have had the courage to say that in the first place. She would have simply made a dig at his age and eyesight no doubt, and they would have shared a flirtatious look but never fallen over the edge of forever they had once dangerously danced on.
She wished she could find the familiarity of thirteen years that had once woven itself into their silences and subtle moments of connection, but something had changed. His eyes slowly traveled down her body and back up. She found herself searching his eyes, making sure her own remained impassive, and was met with unnamed intensity but no spark of recognition. She felt her chest fall at this realisation, and thought that perhaps there truly was nothing left between them anymore; that they had vanished into the treasury of unrecorded history. He looked away and joined the conversation, leaving Donna with no choice but to do the same.
Harvey finished his drink in one gulp, savouring the way it scorched his throat but failed to ground him in the conversation. This was ridiculous, he thought to himself. He needed to get out of here and erase the images of her burning through his mind. He felt his heart grieve the way she had looked at him, as though he was merely an acquaintance. He ached to tuck that piece of hair back behind her ear, and was confused as his fingers twitched at his side. Perhaps tonight was the night it would all fall out from underneath him, he mused, because it was then that he knew he couldn't handle this anymore.
Donna felt Thomas's hand land possessively on the skin of her lower back, as he and Jessica spoke in depth about the direction of Kessler Industries. She looked up at him. And in that moment, missed Harvey's sudden departure after seeing the other man's hand fall around her waist, along with the tight lipped smile Jessica offered him as he left. A smile that looked a lot like an apology.
•
It wasn't long after Donna's speech that Jessica found Harvey again, nursing yet another drink in the corner. She hesitantly joined him, throwing a finger up to signal the waiter for another drink. Figuring she would need it for the conversation she was about to have.
"Care to fill me in on what happened back there, Harvey?" she asked, whilst pulling the glass away from him as he reached for it. She didn't want to see him turn himself into a sloppy mess. The two imbeciles never could quite see what was right in front of their faces, but she'd never thought… well, diamonds like that spoke a million words. And the people she'd just witnessed interacting were unrecognisable as the former power couple she'd once known.
He merely shrugged in defeat, and in turn took the glass back from her hands.
"I warned you Jessica," he bit back, "everything has changed."
"Harvey, look at me," she said sternly, knowing her leverage as Harvey's mentor counted for something right now. Hell, she might be the only person he'd ever actually listened to, other than Donna.
"Go find her—," Jessica continued.
"God damn it, Jessica, it's none—," Harvey tried to interrupt.
"No Harvey, I've said it once and I'll say it again. I was witness to the last time she left you. I know what follows. Go find her, and at the very least, fix your friendship. It might not be healed tonight, and she might be getting engaged to someo-," she stressed. This time, however, Harvey successfully silenced her, not with words but with a ghostly expression on his face.
"She's what?" He managed to get out. Jessica bit her tongue, her impromptu pep-talk backfiring as she realised her grave mistake. Donna mustn't have disclosed Thomas' proposal, nor her inability to give him an answer yet. But before she could add that vital information, Harvey had already disappeared into the crowd. Jessica decided to leave him be, knowing he would be completely unreceptive to the outside world now. Everything had changed, indeed, she thought to herself.