Normality goes unnoticed every day. The hurried rhythm of heels up and down the hallways; the noise of associates running back and forth, flapping folders on desks; Louis's frequent yelling, all combined to make the days come and go uneventful. Nothing was extraordinary, but she felt completely out of place. The wall between their offices never seemed thinner.
They hadn't spoken since he'd been to her place a few days ago, leaving her to make sense of another ambiguous phrase, regret lingering for not saying half the things she meant to say. How ironic it was that he left her standing there after admitting she was right about him running away. It is unbelievable how incapable we are, he is, of finishing a goddamn conversation , the thought played over and over on her mind. She had spent so much energy trying to not fall back in the pattern, yet it was the first thing that happened.
In the bullpen, on a much needed coffee break, she sat with Rachel for a rehearsal dinner checklist to make sure everything was in order. "Everything is going smoothly, Rach, we'll have a wing of Di Pietro's with six tables fitting around 40 people, intimate like you asked: salad buffet in the middle, hor d'oeuvres served and then choice between chicken or fish, side of pasta," she said with a calm voice, knowing the bride was already too stressed to even follow a conversation, "and the piano player is booked."
Rachel exhaled in relief. "I can't thank you enough, Donna, I don't know how you got that restaurant in such short notice, but it's my dad's favorite and if anyone could do it, that'd be you" she said, getting up to make herself some coffee.
"Oh, please, gimme a real challenge, " she gave Rachel a cocky smile. "Just make me a cup of coffee too and we're all set," she said, rotating her neck to try and alleviate her own stress, but actually stiffening as Harvey walked in, in desperate need of caffeine himself. This was the closest they had been since his visit.
"Hey Harvey," Rachel said, "Mike was looking for you, have you seen him?"
"Yea, I just spoke to him, thanks," he gave Rachel a quick smile as he changed the tone to announce her name, acknowledging her presence. "Donna."
She spoke back after a pause, "Harvey," and Rachel looked at her, then at him, then back at Donna, intrigued.
He attempted to look at the clock discreetly, but Rachel realized he was in a hurry. "Harvey I've made my cup, I was just about to make a cup for Donna but I'm sure she won't mind if you go ahead and make yours, you seem like you don't have much time."
Donna didn't respond and Rachel sat on the chair behind Harvey, eyeing her friend with her brows furrowed, attempting to understand where the tension was coming from. "What happened?" she mouthed, making sure Donna read her lips. "Nothing," Donna whispered as the sound of the coffee machine muffled her voice. Rachel gave her a look of disbelief.
As he finished the coffee, Harvey added a bit of whole milk, a bag of raw sugar and sprayed some whipped cream on top. He then placed it in front of Donna. "It's not an actual latte but it's the closest you'll get from an office machine," he said as he stepped out, leaving the two women alone.
They both sat in silence for what seemed like hours, until Rachel had to ask as she watched Donna's surprised expression.
"Donna, what happened between you two? You can cut the tension in here with kiddy scissors!"
Donna took a small sip of the drink and closed her eyes, savoring the gesture more than the coffee itself.
"Was that an 'I'm sorry for something' coffee? Rachel raised her eyebrows and watched as Donna let out a shaky breath, her eyes filled with tears. She then dragged her chair closer to her friend and let her head fall on Rachel's shoulder.
"Can I tell you tonight over wine?" she asked her, who easily agreed.
"Come over whenever you manage to get out of here. I'll get us some cheese, too."
Back at her desk, she laid her coffee cup next to her computer, then a post-it note glued on screen caught her attention:
"Your needs before mine.
Coffee to start."
-H.
She held the small yellow paper and her hand hovered above the trash can. Taking a deep breath, Donna folded it into an even smaller square and put it in her wallet, taking another sip of her coffee.
