Hi everyone, it's been forever and I'm sorry. This part of quarantine is hitting my creativity way different that the last half year of 2020 and it's a constant struggle, but I sat down today wrote 5k in one go and figured I'd share. Thank you to everyone sticking around for this story, the likes and the lovely reviews I keep rereading to feed my inspiration. this part is still Donna's birthday but well be moving through the days towards Christmas quicker in the parts to follow. Anyway here's chapter 12, I hope you'll like it and would love to read your thoughts. Enjoy - x M
MISTLETOE MYSTERY
CHAPTER XII
"Give it up for Harvey, everyone," the DJ's voice echoes through the room now. "I heard you'll be the next one performing for us tonight."
He can feel Donna's smile widen even more against his cheek, and his grip increases just a little. Tickling her sides as he moves his lips to her ear. "I hate you."
"No, you don't," she whispers, running her hand over his back and creating a little bit more distance between them, and they part as the crowd applauds for her performance one more time.
"So, Harvey," the DJ starts again, getting the law student's attention. "Any preference for a song."
He shakes his head. "Just put something on," he answers, wishing to get it over with already.
Donna hands him the microphone, squeezing his shoulder and wishing him success. Harvey stares at her as she climbs off the stage, silently begging her not to leave him alone, but it's to no avail. She doesn't walk back to the rest, keeps waiting right in front of the stage, clapping her hands and motioning for him to go ahead.
"Since your girlfriend seems to love Christmas songs, I chose another classic for you," the man announces, eyeing Harvey, who nods and another familiar set of opening tunes echoes through the room. "Come on, everyone," he singsongs.
"Ooooh." Donna, Rachel, Mike and Tanner sing the first tune, and Harvey spots them now, all four of them standing right at the front. He grins now, letting out one last breath before he turns his attention to the monitor. He sings along to Wham's 'Last Christmas' at last.
"Last Christmas, I gave you my heart
But the very next day, you gave it away.."
Except it wasn't last Christmas, it was three years ago.
"This year, to save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special…"
He gazes down at Donna and smiles at her for a moment before he continues singing along with the lines the teleprompter presents him, but he thinks over the last couple of lines in his head.
His special someone is the same.
"This year, to save me from tears,
I'll give it to someone special, special
Once bitten and twice shy
I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye..."
Dana finds herself peeking at Samantha for the umpteenth time that night; she shakes her head and lets out a breath. Placing her empty glass on the table, she smooths out her dress and gets up to make her way to the bathroom.
"Dana."
She looks down at the hand falling around her wrist; it's Samantha's. Dana scoffs now, watching the blonde get up, and she pulls her hand aside. "Not now," she reasons, walking away.
"Merry Christmas, I wrapped it up and sent it
With a note saying "I love you", I meant it…"
Donna whispers along with every single word of the song, but this particular part has her pause. His voice echoes those three little words they aren't meant to say; they remind her of the video she took of him not even a week ago.
"I love you, Donna."
What if he meant it?
"Now I know what a fool I've been…"
Going over her options, Samantha stays behind for a moment but follows the brunette at last. Catching up with her at the end of the hallway, she drops her hand on the bathroom door, stopping Dana from entering. "Can we talk?"
Dana drops her shoulders, looks at her feet. She wants to shake her head, stay strong and just ignore her. Like Samantha has been ignoring her all night.
"Please," Samantha adds.
Dana draws her bottom lip between her teeth, Samantha is begging now, and she knows the woman well enough that that is rare if not one of a kind occurrence.
Samantha watches Dana turn around slowly, a smile starts to form on her lips, but it disappears the second she notices the tears threatening to spill from Dana's eyes. "I shouldn't have run away," she says, removing her hand from the door. She brings it to Dana's cheek instead, wiping away a non-existent tear.
"No, you shouldn't have," Dana answers, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She knows she should tilt her head away from Samantha's touch, but she leans into it instead. "If you regret what happened, that's fine. Just -"
Samantha's lips crash down on hers before she gets the chance to finish her sentence. It's brief and gentle; everything the night before wasn't. The blonde lets her head rest against Dana's. "I don't."
.
.
Tanner whistles as the girls cheer, and the DJ thanks Harvey for his performance; taking the microphone back, he invites other people on the stage for the next song.
Stepping off the stage, Harvey grins as his friends are greeting him. High-fiving Mike and Tanner, it's Donna's perplexed expression he's most proud of.
"You liar," she muses, clinging onto his arm, playfully patting his chest. "Not being able to sing my ass."
He grins cause he might have made it sound worse than it was, and she might be praising him too much, but it's still nice to be able to surprise her. "Doesn't mean I'm ever going to do this again."
Donna rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "We'll see."
"Ooh, I'm certain," he reassures her.
"I'm too."
Rachel chuckles at the little exchange she witnesses and then turns to look at her boyfriend and Tanner. The looks on their faces are the complete opposite of what Donna's was a mere minute ago. "Oh my god," she exclaims then. "You two knew."
"He sings in the shower," Mike admits with a shrug, and Tanner simply laughs.
"No way," Donna and Rachel exclaim at the same time, and Donna slips out of Harvey's embrace and turns to face him fully.
"Really?"
He flexes his jaw and purses his lips. There's no point in shaking his head, but he does so regardless.
Donna chuckles then, bringing a hand to cover her mouth. It wasn't often she learns new information about her best friend, but never in a million years did she expect the next thing to be this.
"Which songs?" She asks now, eyeing both of his roommates.
"Don't," Harvey warns them, and both guys know Harvey has enough shit to spill on them both to keep their mouth shut.
They promise to get drinks instead. An offer the girls eagerly accept, but Harvey opts out once more. He stifles a yawn and drops down on the booth, pushing the stack of coats aside to create a little bit more space for Donna and Rachel to sit down too.
Rosalie and Alex finish their rendition of Santa Baby, and Harold mixes up his lyrics even though he can read them from the screen and the DJ helps him out by cutting his song short.
"And now, we have a group; called The Dynamo's...," he looks at the sign-up paper on his desk. "without Donna…And they're performing Jingle Bell Rock."
Rachel, Katrina and Jessica jump up at hearing their group name; Donna looks up in surprise as the girls scramble on their feet, downing the remainder of their drinks.
"What?" she mumbles, looking over her shoulder at Harvey. He shakes his head and shrugs. She spots Sean grinning then, and she chuckles, shaking her head in disbelief. "You guys are really doing this?" she asks the girls.
"One time only," Jessica says, "but where are Sam and Dana?"
"I'll look for them," Katrina offers, walking ahead in the direction of where she last saw them.
Donna turns to look at Harvey again, who stifles yet another yawn. "One more song," she whispers, leaning against his arm, her head tilting onto his shoulder. "Then we'll go home."
Harvey shakes his head in protest, he might be close to falling asleep, but he doesn't want to be the one to cut her night short. "I'll be fine."
Donna presses her lips into a thin line, keeps her head close to his. She knows better, knows he's been awake for hours to write a paper to compensate for missing class for her. The redhead clasps his hand in both of hers, pulling their linked hands onto her lap. "One song," she whispers again.
Katrina turns to the right near the bar, slipping into the hallway. It's semi-crowded, people coming and going. Couples pressed against the wall, a line in front of the bathroom. She pushes herself to stand on her toes, hand falling against the wall for balance as she tries to peek over the people, but the two women are nowhere in sight.
"Excuse me," she mumbles, slipping between a group of guys; she nears the row. Checks again, calling out both of their names when a girl emerges from the bathroom. But she doesn't hear any sign of recognition. Katrina sighs, pulls on her dress, and makes her way further through the crowd. She contemplates bargaining for information from the wardrobe, but then she remembers the plaque belonging to Dana's coat is still in her purse.
"Dana," she calls again, looking around. Now just pushing against every single door she finds. "Samantha," she continues, trying the next. That one does give way, and her mouth falls open when she sees them both pressed up against the sink. "Ooh, my god."
Samantha's eyes shoot open, and she pulls her lips away from Dana's, but her right-hand remains under the brunette's skirt. Dana pulls her arms away from Samantha, covering her still clothed frame with her hand as she turns to face Katrina too.
"Ooh shit, I'm so sorry," Katrina mumbles again, not knowing where to look and thus forgetting to look away altogether. Her cheeks turn a bright red.
Samantha is the one to recover from the shock first, a teasing grin forming on her lips as she looks back and forth between Dana and Katrina, who's still rooted in her spot. "Are you … joining us or .."
"Uhm… I," Katrina stammers, brows knitting together, and she stares at her feet with a slight shake of her head. Running her palms over her thighs. "I… yeah, uhm.. no, I mean - ."
"Katrina," Samantha cuts the rambling blonde off. "English."
"Right," Katrina snaps herself out of it, hands balling into a fist. "We'll do the song without you two." She nods, stepping back, and a breath she didn't know she was holding escapes her. "Shit," she whispers, realising she forgot to apologise. Turning around and opening the door again. "And I'm sorry, by the way."
"Katrina!" Both Samantha and Dana yell now, the door falling shut faster this time around, and Samantha laughs loudly then. Her head falling onto Dana's shoulder, the brunette brings her hand to Samantha's cheek, and she presses a quick kiss to her lips. "Let's go back."
"Let's lock the door."
Katrina rushes her way back to the group, apologising left and right as she slips through the crowd. Purse in the air; she's near out of breath when she joins the girls again. "They uhm… were busy," she announces, waving her hands to get them onto the stage.
Jessica throws her head back in laughter, linking her arm with Rachel's as she follows Katrina on stage. Each grabs a microphone from the DJ, and they stand in a line. The music soon starts when Rachel, Katrina and Jessica jump into the first pose - one knee to the front, hands brought together on it, and Jessica stands with her right arm spread in the air.
Donna watches the girls jump into position, and she had an inkling as to why they chose this song but seeing it play out in front of her is something else entirely. She notices Sean jumping up then, standing on the table, phone in hand to record the performance like a proud father.
Donna chuckles then; of course, Sean must have arranged for this to happen; the two have seen the movie countless times. She settles into her seat, holding onto Harvey's hand a little tighter when she feels his head starting to tilt against hers. "They're doing the routine from Mean Girls," she whispers.
"I know," he admits, "Who do you think convinced Jessica to get up there."
Of all the things that have happened tonight, Harvey singing on stage, this might be the one thing that genuinely surprises her the most. She turns her head a bit, glancing up at him as he watches their friends perform. She presses her lips against his cheek, leaving a red mark behind on his skin. "Thank you, Harvey."
.
.
He kicks a twig on the curb, scraping some of the snow aside, and he swings their intertwined hands back and forth as they silently make their way home. The rest of the group either decides to stay behind or move on to another place. He stifles another yawn, staring up at the snow falling down from the sky; he lets the cold droplets wake him up again.
"So," he breaks the silence between them. It takes a moment to gain her attention. "It's only ten thirty, anything you want to do? Watch a movie?"
"You were practically falling asleep, mister," Donna grins and shakes her head. She goes ahead and climbs the three steps to the entrance of their building. She opens the door for both of them, hands slipping loose as they make their way inside.
Just the mention of sleep has him yawn once more, and Donna bobs her head to the side in a way that tells him she made her point. He simply shrugs, and Donna knows it's him silently extending his offer again.
"Actually," she says by the time they've reached the landing, realising there's one thing she hasn't been able to do lately. Due to the lack of privacy with both Harvey and Rachel being around lately. "I kind of just want to take a bath."
Harvey leans against the wall while Donna searches for her key. He's too tired to realise his eyebrows raise in a more expecting than confused way, and Donna bumps her arm against his. Using it to break the tension, she tells herself she should not read into it. She unlocks the door, pushes it open and uses both of her hands to guide her best friend into the hallway. "And you have a paper to finish."
He groans, but she is right. Despite getting up at five am this morning, he still had a conclusion to write before his first class. He shakes his head, blinks twice and unbuttons his coat, hanging it in the hallway, before he makes his way to the bathroom.
Donna returns with her laptop from her bedroom before he even gets a chance to ask to borrow hers. Placing it on the coffee table, she makes her way back to her bedroom. Stalling halfway, when she notices the bathroom door is open again, and she hears the water filling the bath. Peering inside, she catches him brushing his teeth, wearing just his boxers and the shirt he had lying around.
"My laptop's on the table," she says, tiptoeing inside. She reaches over the sink for her toothbrush, stealing the toothpaste from Harvey's hand. She silently starts her routine, standing there, brushing her teeth next to him.
"Thanks," he mumbles with a mouth full of toothpaste, eyes locking with hers through the mirror. He finishes first, collecting his clothes in his arms. He uses his free hand to feel the water's temperature, eventually adjusting the tab a little. "Enjoy."
She presses her lips into a small smile, nods at him, and just before he disappears, she calls for him again. Moving her hair over her shoulder, she turns around and motions the zipper with a bob of her head. "Could you?"
He doesn't answer, merely swallows and takes a step back towards her. One hand holding onto to his clothes, his free one ghosts over her skin; moving the last strand of hair out of the way before undoing the zipper.
The bathroom is warm; her skin still flushed from dancing around and singing. Harvey's proximity making it even worse, and yet a chill runs down her spine. She draws in a breath, glances at her feet and tries to ignore the warmth of his breath on her exposed skin.
The moment just a few seconds, and it's what she asked for, but she only finds her voice again when he lets go and turns around, leaving her be. She does so too. "Good luck," she whispers then, waiting until she hears him drop down on the couch in the living room before she gives the door a push. Removing her make-up, she brushes her hair and checks on the water in the tub behind her. Closing the faucet, she reaches for her bathrobe and places it on the hook near the tub.
Harvey lifts Donna's laptop from the table and flips it open, her login screen appears. He grins at the picture of them in the background, before he stares at the simple task in front of him. It only takes a few seconds for him to remember, and he opens up his google drive the second he's in.
Wiggling her toes against the edge of the bath, she moves a bit of the foam around with her hand, letting her head fall back against the edge. Her eyes shoot open again when she remembers she locked her laptop earlier that day. "Did you get in?" she calls out then; pretty sure he knows her password, but she wants to make sure he's able to finish his paper.
He thinks he hears her call out something. Anything. He has no clue. Leaning a bit to the side, he turns to face the bathroom's direction but still stares at the wall of the living room. "What did you say?"
She frowns, sits up and glances over her shoulder towards the door. Pressing her lips together, she contemplates her options. Wondering for a second if her phone was still within reach, but she remembers tossing it on her dresser earlier, so she slides to the side of the tub. Leaning over the edge just so, fingers nearing the door trim, and she manages to pull it ajar. "Did you get in?" she asks again, louder this time around as she slides back into the warm water.
"I did," he shouts back. "Thanks."
.
She chuckles, the conversation they are having back and forth across the apartment slowing down, and it only makes her realise now how the water has cooled down. She shivers at the realisation and shifts to reach for the plug before getting out and slipping on her robe.
She knows he already finished his paper, he told her as much, but she asks again. His confirmation comes even slower than the last question he answered, and she chuckles to herself as she realises his exhaustion must have caught up with him.
She ties the wrap around her waist and gets a tiny towel from the shelf. Using it to dry her hair, she makes her way over to the door; peeking through the gap first, she grins as she spots him instantly. Sitting on the ground in the hallway, back pressed against the wall and his legs stretched out in front of him.
She opens the door then, stalling just out of the door and waiting next to him. He doesn't turn to look at her, and she knows for sure he has fallen asleep now. "Harvey." She squats down next to him, her left hand ghosting his face; it settles on his shoulder. "Harvey," she whispers again, stirring him ever so little until he rouses from his sleep. At least enough to get up.
"Wha –"
"Come on," she muses, using her other hand to place her laptop aside before she reaches for his left hand. She pulls on it as she tries to get him to stand. "Let's get you to bed. "
"I can… " he pauses, stifling a yawn but failing miserably as he nearly bumps into the side table.
"No, you can't," she pulls on his arm, flinging it over her shoulder as her left arm settles on his waist. Supporting his weight, she guides him the last couple of feet through the hallway to her bedroom. Pulling the duvet aside, she turns to drop him down on the mattress, but the movement has him pull her down too.
"Harvey," she whispers, pushing against his chest and trying to lift the arm draped over her back. It takes a minute before she's out of his grasp, and he automatically turns on his side to face the side she'll soon occupy.
She watches him for a second, just taking him in before she reaches for the duvet and pulls it over him. Hand remaining on his shoulder for a moment longer than necessary, and just as she's about to round the bed, she hears it. Soft and mixed with a yawn, but it's there.
"Stay."
A warmth swells inside of her, the sensation not uncommon but unfamiliar all the same. Because it's him, and that makes it more intense. Special. She lightly shakes her head and wills the thought away, a deep breath escaping her as she does so, but she smiles regardless. And if he'd been able to see it, he would have known the meaning of it.
I'll be right there.
Donna quickly tiptoes to her side of the bed, pulling out her sleeping shirt before she rushes back to the bathroom. Drying off her hair as best as possible, she discards the bathrobe and changes into the oversized t-shirt. Flicking the switch, Donna navigates through the darkness and gives her bedroom door a gentle push before she slides under the covers, too, automatically turning on her side to face him. She finds him closer than usual, noses almost touching. When the warmth of his breath cascades her skin, her eyes instantly flicker shut, making that fluttering sensation in the pit of her stomach return.
"Is it … midnight yet?"
She snickers softly at his question, pries one eye open, and finds both of his still closed. She grins to herself and rolls over so that she can tap on the screen of her phone. "No," she answers. "Two minutes."
She hears him hum, and she returns to her previous position, but instead of closing her eyes, she studies his face, the lines and the lack thereof. He looks relaxed apart from a slight frown formed between his brows that tells her that he's trying his very best to stay awake for said two minutes.
That insight sends another quiver down her spine, causing goosebumps to form on her arms, and she shifts ever so slightly. Burying her head further into the pillow, and just as Donna's about to pull the duvet over her shoulder, Harvey's arm envelopes her and pulls her against his frame.
The goosebumps turn into a hot flash in an instant. She feels her breath in her throat, and her heartbeat quicken so rapidly; the calmness of his actions can be described as nothing less than the complete opposite - natural, familiar, and with such a lack of hesitation there's no way he can still be conscious.
She closes her eyes, forcing herself to keep them that way and resumes counting down the seconds to midnight. Ten, nine, eight, she inhales, and she feels the thumb of his hand pressed against her spine ghost over her back. Six, five. There's the thumb again. Three, two, one and then there's nothing more but her breathing synching to his, the caress of his thumb pulling her into a deep slumber.
He startles a couple of minutes later, his arm twitches and accidentally pulls the redhead even closer - her head settling in the crook of his neck, her arm sliding over his chest and around his neck. He isn't fully asleep anymore, but surely, the reality he finds himself in can't mean he's awake either, and he keeps his eyes closed. He listens to her breathing for a couple of seconds before he exhales and tilts his head just so, lips pressing against her temple in a soft kiss.
"Happy birthday, Donna."
.
Monday, December 17
8.15 am
That's the time her phone announces when she rouses before her alarm, and she taps the screen to turn it off. She rolls her shoulders as she moves, feeling the cold December air come from the window she forgot to close the night before. She instantly moves to pull the duvet up only to discover she's still fully covered, and she peers over her shoulder then. Eyes landing on the man still sleeping beside her, face down into the pillow, lips slightly parted and his breathing still heavy.
She watches him for a moment, and it's only when she lets her gaze travel down his frame, his broad shoulders and the angle of his arm that she feels it. The weight pressing her down the mattress, holding her in place. Her reaction is similar to the one she had hours ago, the cold gone, and she feels a warmth spreading over her, all the way down to her toes.
Her breathing increases, and her chest heaves. She peeks at her best friend, and she lifts the blanket an inch, followed by another. When there's still no sign of him waking any time soon, she lifts it even further. High enough for her to peer down under it and burn the image presented before her in her memory. His arm splays half across her stomach, her shirt riled up a few inches on the right, and his elbow is touching the bare skin just above her hip.
She swallows, thickly and her toes curl. She doesn't think she'll ever grow accustomed to his touch, but they've come a long way from flinching at the mere thought when announcing they were going to hug. A hug that was conscious decision, an action set in motion by both of them. This, this is anything but that, and while she's grown accustomed to the idea, the actions and the direct pressure of making contact, seeing it and the feelings they shake loose are new.
She lets her gaze trail from his elbow, up, following the prominent muscles of his arm over her stomach to his hand. It rests against her right ribcage, just under her breast.
Her shirt is riled up here even further, almost clutched under his grasp, but his fingertips don't slip under it, and she almost, almost, wishes that they did.
The realisation hits her like a ton of bricks, and she freezes, causing his arm to stir a little. She drops the duvet and peers at him again. He's still asleep, the soft snores giving it away, but theres also no way the movement his thumb makes would be a conscious one. She knows he would never, no matter how much she wishes he did.
Her eyes close again, and she focuses on the soft caress, the stroke of his thumb in complete sync with his breathing. And where it lulled her to sleep the night before, its the placement of his hand that has her on high alert now. Still only touching her ribcage, but she doesn't have to peer under the duvet to see the effect this has on her body – she can feel it.
She swallows thickly, tries to think of anything else but her erect nipples, but it's to no avail, and it makes her shift a little. Pressing her thighs together her heel kicks Harvey's leg in the process and
Fuck.
He startles awake, limbs automatically jostling, and he only realises he's halfway draped over her when he hears her catch a sharp breath. He opens his eyes then, seeing her turning to look at him. "Sorry," he whispers, slowly lifting his arm off of her and pulling it towards him, using the moment to turn on his side, but he thinks better of it seconds later. He remains face down for a moment longer as he yawns. Slipping his left arm under his head, he keeps his gaze directed on her. "Hey."
She turns to face him, tugging on the duvet as she does so, and she slips her hand under her cheek. "Hey," she whispers in return.
"Can't you sleep in on your birthday?"
She grins and shakes her head. "I intend to celebrate most hours of it."
He yawns and presses his nose into the pillow. Taking a moment, he uses his hand to rub his eyes before he turns towards her again. "What about karaoke then?"
"It's called birthday week for a reason, Harvey."
He catches the way her lips curl up into a cheeky grin, and he groans, just loud enough for her to hear his disapproval, and it results in her index finger poking his chest. His hand automatically wrapsaround her digit, holding it still as they stare at one another.
She breaks his gaze five seconds later, peering over her shoulder to the door before she eyes him again. "Did you hear that?"
"No, what?" he answers, and he taps the tip of her finger with his thumb, brows knitting together as he tries to figure out what she's referring to.
"Rachel's here," she answers when she recognises the sound she heard earlier as a door opening and closing.
"Wh – "
"Rachel," she whispers now, pulling her hand back, and she peers over her shoulder one more time, trying to piece down her roommate's exact location. "Spoon me."
"What."
"Spoon. Me," she mouths, already turning onto her other side and moving back when she does so. "Now," she adds, ribbing his chest with her arm.
He decides this isn't the moment to question whatever the hell is going on but just go along with it. Scooting closer, he folds his arm around her body and holds her firm against his frame. And if the door to her bedroom didn't swing open in that exact moment, he would notice the way they perfectly fit together, how warm she feels in his embrace, how sweet her hair smells, or the way her breathing got louder.
"Happy Birthday!" Rachel singsongs, tiptoeing into the room. She uses her elbow to hit the light switch. "Can I look," she asks, keeping her free hand in front of her eyes.
Donna bites down on her lip, holding back an 'I told you so' as she feels Harvey's muscles flex behind her. "Yeah," she whispers, pretending to yawn and crawling out of his embrace into a sitting position as Rachel moves towards the bed.
"Happy birthday," Rachel repeats, enveloping Donna into an one-armed embrace.
Harvey runs his hand over his face, eyes the exchange between the two friends and when he notices Rachel moving to sit down on the edge of the bed he realises this is going to be more than just a quick greeting. Pressing his hand down on the mattress he pushes himself up and shifts to sit against the headboard, just behind Donna.
Rachel lets go of the birthday girl then, perking on the edge of the bed. She moves the cupcake with one burning candle towards her friend. Waiting for her to blow it over as she watches the couple, the way Donna instinctively leans back against Harvey's chest, and the way his right arm circles around her waist.
"So," she muses then. "What did Harvey get you?"
"Well," Donna whispers, thinking it over cause most years he either got her what she told him to buy her, this year however, she has no clue. Her left hand finds his bare knee on her side as she turns to look at him over her shoulder but his face doesn't give her any clue.
He doesn't answer, thinks any sound he makes will give away the effect this is having on him. He simply inhales and focuses on what this is, which is nothing more than pretending. So he does just that- uses his free hand to move her hair aside and lets his chin rest on her shoulder.
A mistake on his part cause he now not only gets a glimpse down her cleavage but the way his old shirt outlines her breasts; he can see her nipples. They're pert and he feels his throat dry up, his chest swelling, and he thinks closing his eyes would help but it only brings back visuals of her standing right in front of him in the shower. Soaked bra revealing long pushed aside fantasies, except he's sure she isn't even wearing one now and fuck that was the wrong thing to focus on cause he feels his dick twitch.
"I think he was just about to give it to me."
Rachel doesn't think much of the answer until she takes another look at her friend, the messy hair and she slight blush on both of their cheeks. Harvey sitting right behind her in just a shirt and his boxers, his chin resting on her shoulder and the redhead's fingers drawing absent patterns over the arm holding her.
"Okay gross," Rachel mutters then, clapping her hands and pressing them against her thighs as she gets up again. "I've heard enough," she adds. "You," she points at Donna, "enjoy your present. And you," she pauses, waiting until Harvey gaze meets her own. "I want to see what you gave our girl later."
"Really."
"Actual present," she presses, turning on her heel and moving to the door. "Ooh, and Harvey," she stalls, hand already landing on the doorknob. "You better hurry up or delay that, cause you're going to be late for class and I'm not facing Gerard alone."
Rachel's comment before had already pulled him out of the gutter but this time his eyes widen and his grip on Donna loosens instantly. "What time is it?"
Rachel checks her wristwatch. "Almost half past."
"Fuck," Harvey mutters under his breath, shifting over the mattress to the side of the bed. He gets up instantly, pulling his t-shirt over his head as he does so.
Rachel catches the way Donna's eyes follows her boyfriend's every move as she bites down on her lip, the brunette chuckles at the sight. "Don't let her distract you," she adds, opening the door at last. "I'll see you in class, and I'll see during lunch."
Donna waves at Rachel and lets her gaze return to Harvey, swallowing once as she catches him pulling the zipper up on his jeans and she lowers her gaze in a beat. Nibbling on her bottom lip, she fidgets with the duvet, patiently waiting for any sound indication she can look up again.
She does so when she hears him move, her hand catching his elbow just before he manages to make it to the other side of the room. He stalls in a beat, eyes finding hers and she grins then. "Hold your horses, mister. I want my present."
He motions for her to wait a second and reaches under her bed, pulling out a badly wrapped box. He hands it over as he sits down next to her, quietly tying his shoelaces as he watches her unwrap.
She pretends to shake and listen to it before placing it on her lap, undoing the string and removing the brown paper that's so wrinkly it gives away he must have done all this by himself. Her lips part the second she sees the picture inside, a gasp escaping her as she stares at herself on stage. "Ooh my god, Harvey," she says, looking back and forth between the framed picture and him. "How?"
He grins, shrugs but doesn't reveal his sources. "Guess I'm not a bad gift giver after all, huh?"
Donna rolls her eyes but doesn't deny it either.
Harvey leans towards her then, his hand finding her shoulder as his lips press against her forehead in a soft kiss. "Happy Birthday, Donna."
.
Balancing the box of cupcakes in her hand she pulls the chair of the table near the window back far enough for her to slide onto it. She shrugs out of her coat when her phone goes, she answers on the second ring. "Hey, mom."
"Hey, Honey," Clara answers. "Happy birthday and the best wishes from your father and your sister."
Donna grins into the phone, despite the divorce her mother always included her father into her well wishes. She'd already gotten a text from her father, and apart from Alice's gift it's another story but she doesn't comment on it. Shrugging the last sleeve from her arm she hangs her coat over the backrest. "Thanks mom."
"How's your day been so far? Special plans?"
"Good," Donna says, switching her phone from one hand to the other. "We actually celebrated yesterday. Went to a karaoke bar and I'm waiting for Rachel to meet me for lunch right now.
"That sounds lovely," Clara says. "How is Rachel?"
"She's good," Donna answers truthfully. "Busy with studying for finals, as is everyone else."
"And how's Harvey? Tell him I said hello."
She chuckles at that, ever since the two of them met her mother has always inquired after him. "I will," she says. "And he's doing great, took me to Boston over Thanksgiving."
"He did?" she hears her mother ask. "That's so sweet."
"Yeah," she whispers as her mind drifts off to that weekend, the deal they made around that time and then the last couple of days. The impromptu fake date they had on Saturday, and then the realisation she had the day before that. "He.. uhm, actually - "
"Donna!"
She hears her name echo through the little establishment and she looks up, catching Rachel push through the door. Sean in tow. "Look who I ran into."
"Rachel's here," she mumbles into the phone. "I have to hang."
"Donna," her mother calls for her before she can end the call. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," she answers quickly. "Yeah, I am. Never mind, I'll uhm… tell you some other time. Love you." She ends the call before her mother can say anything else and she as quick as she puts away her phone, she pushes away her thoughts. Putting up a big smile as she greets Rachel and Sean.
.
"Did you help him, by the way?" she asks as Sean reaches for his bag and coat.
"Help who with what?" he asks, wrapping his scarf around his neck; he catches the way she tilts her head and he should have known she meant Harvey. "No," he admits then, whatever he must have done he had nothing to do with it, "it wasn't me."
"Hmm." Donna frowns and looks to the other side of the table.
Rachel lifts both of her hands up in defence. "I only helped him smuggle it in," she clarifies when Donna's look doesn't give in. She leans forward and steals a cup cake from the box on the table. "Either way, you have to me later."
"And me some other day," Sean chips in, buttoning up his coat. He gives Donna one more hug, pressing a kiss against her cheek and wishing her a great day before he leaves the girls to their coffees in the little bistro mid campus.
"You know," Rachel muses after the door fall shuts and it's just the two of them left. "Harvey would have never gotten you this if you weren't his girlfriend."
Donna stares at the brunette for a moment, thinking it over but they both know she has a point.
"I think it's sweet," Rachel adds then, "he's really trying. Which brings me to Christmas."
"What about Christmas?"
"What are you giving Harvey," Rachel asks. "Now that he's your boyfriend?"
Donna opens her mouth and closes it a second later. She thinks about the gift she got a few months back that just screamed Harvey, but wonders if it's enough now. "I don't know yet," she says with a shrug. "What are you getting Mike?"
"We decided we'd have to make each other's gift this year," Rachel says. "And I actually had no idea what to do until I saw what Harvey got you."
"A picture?"
"A calendar, actually."
Donna frowns, letting the answer sink in for a moment. "But he has a –"
"I know," Rachel laughs, "that's kind of the point. You'll see it tomorrow if you want to help me?"
"Sure," Donna nods, closing the cardboard box. She gets up from their seat and places the box into her tote bag. "Come on, let's go find the rest."
.
He's the first one to notice the girls walking in, nothing more than the sound of their steps and yet a shiver runs down his spine making him inhale deeply. His finger traces the edge of his paper, eyes scanning over the last paragraph again but he can't help but glance over to his right. A small smile creeping up on his lips as he does so.
She eyes the room, her friends spread across the large library table. She nods to Tanner, Scottie and then steps towards his spot. Her left hand landing on the back of his chair, fingers barely scraping his neck but he looks up at her anyway.
"Hey."
"Hey," she whispers in return.
"What are you doing here?" he asks.
She chuckles at his question, doesn't miss the raised eyebrows from across the table and she plays right into it. "Thought I'd come by and see if I could steal my boyfriend from his study group," the answer comes with a chuckle and she shakes her head at last.
"No, I came bearing gifts for you all," she says now, placing the tote on the table. She uses both hands to reach inside and lift the box out of it. Opening it up she motions for him to get one, and then she rounds the table again. Handing one to Louis, Dana and Travis as well. "Where's the rest?"
"Mike's doing his rounds," Rachel reminds her as she sits down next to Dana, she bobs the brunette's shoulder. "Have you seen Sam?"
"Studying from home I guess," Dana answers Donna as she licks the frosting from her finger before shaking her head in relation to Rachel's question.
Donna hums and stares at the remainder of cupcakes in the box. She decides to take them home, offer Mike one later so she closes the lid again. Placing it back in her tote and her hands come to rest on the back of his chair once more.
"Well," she muses after a minute, swinging the handle of the bag over her shoulder. "I'll leave you all to it."
"Wait," Harvey mutters, closing his book he pushes his chair back. He lifts his coat from the back rest and slips it on. "I'm coming with you."
.
Throwing her head back in laughter, she steps aside and slaps his arm with her wrist. "That was not my fault, mister."
"Well it wasn't mine either," he reasons, using the back of his hand to wipe away a tear rolling down his cheek. He presses both hands to the counter after, steadying himself as he catches his breath. "You made me laugh."
"Don't I always?"
He laughs again and she bobs her head to the side to illustrate her point. "Gosh," she breathes, turning around she crosses her arms in front of her chest and leans against the fridge. Another chuckle escaping her, she feels her stomach rumble then. "Now I'm hungry."
"What do you have?"
Donna steps forward and opens he cabinet on the opposing wall, she stares at a number of boxes and cans but shrugs all the same. "Nothing."
He turns to look for himself, gently pushing her aside as he opens the fridge. "We could make pasta?"
"Make pasta?" Donna parrots. "From scratch?"
"It's not that hard."
She stares at him with wide eyes, and he grins.
"I mean… it's not that hard for people who can cook."
She flicks her wrist against his chest. "Hey. No fair. "
"Come on," he muses reaching beside her for the apron, he signals for her to turn around and moves the strap over her head, tying the other two on her back. "I'll show you how it's done and then maybe another time you can cook for Rachel."
She elbows him this time, his hand instinctively finding her arm and he holds it there for a moment until her eyes start searching for his and the air grows palpable around them.
.
"Ooh my god," Rachel exclaims as she takes the mess around them in. The flour spread across not only the counter, but across Donna's face and Harvey's hair as well. "What on earth are you two doing."
"Making pasta," Donna chirps, running her hand over her nose to wipe away the flour Harvey had just thrown in her direction.
Rachel steps forward, ignoring the birthday girl and gives Harvey a stern look. "You out," she orders then pulling the tie from Donna's apron. She waits for the redhead to give it to her, before putting it on herself, she stares at Harvey again. Shaking her head in disagreement.
Donna presses her lips into a thin smile, silently apologising to her roommate and Harvey at that before she tiptoes out of the room. Dusting the flour off of her arms she drops down on the couch next to Mike.
"You got banned?" he asks and she laughs in return. "I was never allowed in in the first place."
"Well that's because you have no taste," Donna argues. "I do, but I simply can't cook which is far less a crime in Rachel's book."
Mike nods, then shrugs.
"I still have a cupcake for you in the fridge," she says. "You'd have to wait till after dinner though cause there's no way those two will let us in."
.
She stacks the plates on the counter, opens the tab and lets the sink fill with warm water. Stepping to the right she tabs Harvey's arm with her elbow, motioning for him to move aside. "Just need to get this," she reasons as she grabs the box from the fridge. Opening it up, she removes one of the last cupcakes from it and places it on a small saucer.
Rachel brings in the glasses and sets them next to the plates, already reaching for the sponge Donna holds up her hand in protest. "No, you two cooked. I'm doing the dishes," she argues, holding up the saucer in front of Rachel. "Can you take this to Mike?"
Rachel takes it from her hand around the same time Mike enters the kitchen. "I heard my name," he starts, his mouth instantly watering when he spots the promised cupcake. "I was looking for that."
"Where you?" Rachel teases, lifting it and taking a small bite from the side. "Too bad, this is the last one."
Mike stares at his girlfriend with an open mouth, a protest on the tip of his tongue but there isn't much more than some disappointed grunt. He turns to look at Donna then. "Was that really the last one?"
Donna presses her lips together in a thin line and nods. Silently watches the blond turn on his heel and walk after his girlfriend; loudly arguing how it was his to have. She snickers softly and shakes her head when Harvey leans in closer, his arm brushing against hers.
"Was that really the last one?"
She shakes her head now, motions the box on the counter behind him and she watches his face lit up. A chuckle escaping her at the eager way he turns around and finds the actual last cupcake there waiting for him.
"Just give me one bite," she whispers, turning around now too. Closing the tab again, she starts with the dishes.
He chews and hums, pulls the paper aside a little further and turns it over in his hand before holding it in front of her for a bite. He watches her take one and then he finishes the last of the strawberry whipped cream treat. "Delicious," he says, tongue darting out to lick the corner of his lip. He crumbles the wrapper and tosses it in the bin, then pulls the tablecloth from the radiator.
She catches the movement from the corner of his eye. "You don't have to do that," she reasons. "Just go in and poor us all another drink."
"And sit there with those two," he laughs, lifting the first glass from the dish rack. "No thank you, you know what they're like."
"They're not that bad," Donna reasons, now moving on to the plates, but it are words she eats a couple of minutes later when the two of them return to the living room to find their friends on the couch, mid-kiss.
"You were saying," Harvey mutters faking a cough, as he eyes Donna who's trying her best to hide her laugh.
Rachel pulls back instantly, removing herself from Mike's lap and she settles next to him on the couch. "We were thinking we could watch a movie, if you two are up for it?"
"Sounds good," Donna answers, moving forward first. Leaving enough room in the corner for Harvey she sits in the middle next to Rachel and tosses the remote to Mike.
.
Halfway through the movie they've gravitated closer to one another, her back leaning against his side as his arm rests on the couch. Their movements however not as natural as Mike and Rachel's who've cuddled up once more. Every single one of their movements a response to what they witnessed happening right beside them, prompted by hush tones and stolen glances the others don't seem to notice.
The scene on the television changes to another, background music filling the air and Donna finds herself peeking at the couple again. She happens to catch Mike press a kiss against her roommates head and she swallows then, the gesture she witnesses so simple and deep down she knows that whatever affection their friends display in no shape way or form should tell something about her relationship with Harvey. Except for the fact that hers is fake and thus makes her double think every single thing.
Looking back at the screen she shifts a little and the movement causes his arm to slide of the backrest and over her. She notices Harvey's arm lifting again, and apart from that there isn't any indication of a movement. Doesn't know if this was a genuine reaction or him pulling back just like he did this morning, but she finds herself wishing he was holding her. Her fingers catch his before she has a chance to think it over and she draws their linked hands over her chest to her right shoulder. Her head automatically tilting to lean against it.
.
"God," Harvey mumbles in between yawns, rubs his hand across his cheek as he pulls the light cord in the bathroom. "That's more than I ever wanted to know."
She eyes him curiously as she pulls the duvet back and slides her knee under it. Sitting on her legs she waits for him to shut her bedroom door and walk over before she answers. "Well… It's nice to learn more about your friends isn't it?"
He shrugs and places his phone on the nightstand. "I guess," he admits and lays down on his side of the bed, pulling his arms up under head. "But I definitely did not need to know his shortest time was two minutes."
Donna snorts and adjust her position so that she's leaning on her side. "Why?" she fires back, it's meant as a tease but it dawns on her then. "Ooh," she gasps, a soft nervous chuckle following. "Because it's still longer than yours."
He groans. "I hate you."
"Ooh my god, it's true."
There's a hint of excitement in her voice and as much as he wants to forget that it ever happened, or have this conversation, he thinks her reaction comes from the fact she's learning something new about him.
"I was sixteen, okay," he gives in with a shake of his head. "It was horrible."
Donna nods, thinks over his answer for a moment and then she realises who it must have been with. "Your first time?"
There isn't more than a hum as acknowledgement.
"I'm sure Dana wouldn't describe it as horrible."
He actually laughs now, cause there aren't many things they agree on but this they sure do. "Ooh, she would."
"I'm sorry," she whispers, settling further into her pillow.
He shrugs, keeps his gaze directed at the ceiling but moves his arms to cross over his chest. Clinging onto the warm sheets as he does so. "So," he starts, breaking the comfortable silence a few seconds later. "I take it your first time wasn't horrible then."
She thinks back on prom senior year, in the back of the car in front of her parent's garage. "Well, I –" she stops her sentence before it truly starts and shrugs, it tells him enough though and he chuckles now.
Her mind drifts off to that night years ago, climbing on her boyfriend's lap as they navigated the crammed space of the backseat. Her dress big and in the way, his kisses sloppy and it was over way too soon. Far before she even started to enjoy it.
She sighs and remembers a comment he made earlier that evening, a comment she let him made and she went along with it. Simply humming in agreement as he got subjected to Rachel's questions, prompted by a scene in the movie.
"Is it true?" she whispers then.
He tilts his head to the side, eyeing her curiously.
"Me on top," she clarifies, referring to the answer he had given when Rachel asked them about their favourite position.
"Ooh," he swallows thickly, breaking their gaze he redirects his stare back to the ceiling. "I mean… Yeah, I guess."
They're discussing topics they've never broached before and a part of her brain tells her that this should be awkward, but it isn't. Definitely not to the extent she figured it to be, she does hear the slight hesitation in his voice and she wonders if it's them having this conversation or him doubting the answer he gave now. "But is it yours?"
He hums before his verbal confirmation follows. "Or doggy," he adds, he peers to his left again. "You?"
She exhales at the simple way he returns the questions, easing the remnants of hesitation she had about having this conversation with him. "You're going to find me boring," she muses, raising a brow when she sees his narrow together. "And I mean, it's not that I don't rock taking the lead, thank you very much, but there's just something about," she pauses for a second. "Missionary. I just –"
"Uhum."
"I knew it." She pokes his chest.
"No, no," he objects right away, turning on his side at last. "I uhm… I just don't. It's too…" He swallows in the rest of his sentence, closing his eyes and he shifts back onto his back, face directed to the ceiling once more. He searches for the words and inhales deeply when he does. "The last couple of years, it's always been just sex for me and that… that's too, I don't know."
She doesn't say it, but she does know. She knows him and she knows what he's trying to say and a part of her aches for him. Because it's exactly why it's her favourite. The intimacy it allows, the intimacy she craves in relationships, the one he doesn't dare to find. She swallows then, pushing the thoughts of them away and she uses his last answer as a reminder to herself that he doesn't want this.
"This is nice," she says after a minute and he looks at her funny. "I mean. It's nice to know there are still things I can learn about you."
"Yeah," he agrees, stifling a yawn and his eyes open again. "Wait, you wanted to learn this?"
"No, I mean..." She opens her mouth and closes it in a beat. She sighs. "Look I know these things about Rachel but she isn't my best friend. You are, so this may not have been at the top of my list, I don't mind knowing or talking to you about it."
He contemplates her explanation and finds himself agreeing to it. "What's at the top of your list though?"
She laughs now, genuinely and she draws a blank.
"Fine," he says, turning on his side again, settling his left hand under the pillow as he gets more comfortable. "Since you apparently now know everything you wanted to know about me, tell me something I don't know about you."
"Uhm… I was Connecticut junior pistol championship finalist, three years in a row."
"I know."
"Did my mom tell you?"
He shakes his head. "Louis."
"Louis?" she fires back.
"Yep," he answers, popping the p. "And I also know you join him at the range from time to time."
"He told you that."
"Please," Harvey scoffs, "the guy does one activity with you that I'm not involved in and you think he isn't shouting it from the rooftops left and right."
She grins, shakes her head and thinks over something else. "I once won a skiing competition."
"No way."
"I did," she argues, "one and only time cause I fell during practice weeks later and broke my ankle."
"The scar on your right leg," he whispers.
"Yeah," she says. "Had surgery and could barely walk for a few weeks, mom took me to Broadway once the cast was off and that's when I fell in love with theatre."
"I hate rollercoasters," he admits then.
"What?"
He shrugs. "I do, always have."
"But when we were at Disney you –"
"You," he interrupts her. "You'd never been and you were so excited and Mike and Rachel were sharing a cart, I just.. I don't know, didn't want you to go alone."
She smiles softly. "You guys didn't have to take me, you know that right?"
"I know," he says. "But Coney Island at summer cannot be your only theme park experience," he recalls the time she told him she'd never been to Disney. "And whatever the hell you have down there in Connecticut doesn't count."
"As if Boston has anything better."
He fakes offense. "I think I have to break up with you."
It's a tease, she knows it's a tease but it's also a reminder of what they're doing. Of the status quo they'll turn back to in just under two weeks, and her heart drops at the thought of it. Of them being nothing again, best friends but nothing.
Before she gets the chance to spin out of it, use a joke as a deflection she hears a heavy sigh rolling off of his tongue. And then a whisper.
"I saw my mom."
"What?" she murmurs, not because she didn't hear him but because she can barely believe these words to have left his lips. And she has so many questions, when, why, how did it go but the only thing she manages to get out is: "You went to see her?"
"No." He shakes his head. "We uhm… " He pauses, staring in the distance past her. "When I was showing you around town, the baseball field. She was there." Harvey thinks about the surprise he caught on his mother's face, the nod of acknowledgement she gave him and how he felt himself freeze on his spot at that. The way he shook his head and guided Donna elsewhere.
Donna watches his expression change in the darkness of her room; the hint of pain she catches in his eyes in the split second he looks at her before he closes his eyes. She draws her bottom lip between her teeth and holds her breath.
For all the advice she's given her friends over the years, him in particular, she has none now. No idea what to say, what words to use to express her support so she chooses a gesture instead. Enveloping his hand with her own, she squeezes it once and holds onto him until she hears him drift off.