"I love you Harvey," she said as she dropped her gaze and turned around.

He just stood there, frozen in time, watching as she walked away from his office. He couldn't think, he couldn't breathe. Everything was falling apart, everything had just fallen apart around him. His whole world, all he'd been holding to for the last decade, walking away from him.

He was paralyzed, his chest was about to burst open, and she was walking away — from her job, from him, from them. He was about to tell her, to explain how much she meant to him, trying to put into words how he... And she was just leaving. He was already scared, every hour of the day had passed and tied another knot in his stomach, but at that moment he felt terrified. It could not be happening, he was going to tell her, or at least he thought he owed her an explanation, a clarification of his words. He was going to tell her something, right before she put an end to the conversation.

Images of them played out in his head, like a time-lapsed scene. He'd always loved her, of course he did, since the very day he met her. But he was still convinced that she didn't feel the same way, how could she, really, when he was a mess and unworthy of her? She was the one that wanted them to put that night out of their minds and never mentioned it again.

But earlier that day, maybe... No, he'd asked her if she wanted everything, and she didn't know, but she was also furious at him when she answered. And she said she loved him, yet then walked away.

"Donna!" He shouted, or at least he thought he was.

He wanted to move, but his feet betrayed him. His head was spinning. He desperately loosened his tie. He felt a heavy weight over his chest, god, he couldn't breathe. He watched as she lowered her head and brought a hand to her cheek. He couldn't think, he only wanted, needed to hold her tight and never let her go again.

"Donna!" He tried again even louder, but the sound he made didn't even reach his own ears.

Fuck, fuck, fuck - he literally couldn't breathe. How was all even happening? She couldn't be serious. Going to work for Louis? Was she trying to kill him? He was in shock, and desperation was taking over his whole body. The anger fueled by the thought of her working for someone else must have done it, because in the next moment his body reacted on his own.

The rest of the world didn't exist anymore, and the hallway seemed to be somehow the longest on earth. She turned the corner and he felt like he was never going to reach her. He needed to, and was suddenly taking steps forward, a little faster every time his feet touched the ground beneath him.

"Donna!" he tried again and succeeded in shouting. He mustered longer strides until he saw her waiting for the elevator, and then he finally fastened his pace.

"Donna!"

Before she could go into the metal box, he grabbed her wrist and turned her to face him. Tears. Something inside him crumpled, like someone was twisting his guts with pliers. She tried to turn around, but he didn't let her, holding her, grabbing her waist.

"Donna," he called her name one more time, calmer than before.

"Harvey, just let me go, please," she managed to say, her voice trailing off.

"Donna, please."

She stopped struggling with him and met his gaze.

"Donna, you need to hear me out, you can't do this."

"Oh, now you're telling me what I can and cannot do?"

"No, hell, no, no. That's not what I meant," he tried as his gaze dropped to her lips. "Please, Donna. Let me explain. I just, I need… I…"

"You can't keep doing this, I can't keep doing this. Please, let me go."

"I can't," he breathed out almost immediately. How was she expecting him to just let her go?

"Well, you have to. I told you, I'm leaving. You can't do anything to stop it, so please, Harvey. Just, please."

Another wave of heaviness crushed his chest, and he felt himself spiraling again, and he couldn't… She stepped inside the elevator and pushed the button to the first floor. He looked up to meet her eyes only to find her gazing at his own lips, and the urge to just kiss her took over him. The next second his lips were on hers, and he pressed her body against him, holding her as close as he could, trying to explain he couldn't be without her.

She pushed him away when the doors closed behind him and looked him in the eyes, breathing heavily, furious at him. But then she took a step forward and crashed her lips against his again, arms around his neck, fingers entangled with his hair, deepening the kiss.

It took him a few seconds to catch up with what was happening, and as soon as he was able to feel her front pressed against him and her lips on his and her hand pulling at the short strands on the back of his head, he pinned her to the wall placing his left hand around her waist forcing her impossible closer while his right hand traveled all the way to the back of her thigh and lifted her leg so he could press him harder to her.

Their groans filled the room, the only other sound hearable was the floor counting of the control panel indicating they were going down. And going down they were, indeed.

He suddenly felt her hands pushing him away one more time and he stumbled back. He tried to reach her by taking a step forward, but she moved to the side.

"Love me how?" She breathed, searching for something in his eyes.

He heard the freaking question one more time and couldn't succeed in holding her gaze. And then he heard the final ding and the doors opened harshly behind him. Straight back to earth, back to reality. She walked out dodging him and he followed her.

"Donna!" He pleaded one more time.

"Don't!" She turned around to face him. "I told you, I can't keep doing this," she burst out while signaling with her index fingers to the space between them. "You have to let me go now, Harvey, please."

His eyes were glassy and burning, looking straight into hers, and he simply stayed still. He watched as she turned around and walked away from him, exiting the building towards a cab. Through the glass wall he could see her opening the door and stepping into the backseats, wishing she would at least find his gaze one more time, but she didn't. The door shut close, and the cab quickly disappeared into the traffic.

And just like that he was left with nothing. It couldn't be real, she won't leave him, not like that. The following day they were going to talk, and everything was going to be fine. Everything had to be fine, otherwise his ultimate fear was becoming somehow true and the next thing he knew, he was throwing up in the closest bathroom stall he could find.