Hey guys! I know I'm probably repeating myself a lot but: thank you so much again for all your reviews! (I can't reply to the guests directly but I can assure you: I see all of you, and every single word of all of you guys means a lot to me and makes me really happy!) :)
Since someone asked if I already knew how many chapters there are going to be: I can say that so far I have about 9 chapters in planning (but this number may still vary a little, depending on how writing what I want to happen in those chapters will turn out).
But now have fun with this chapter, I for one can say that I had quite some fun with writing it :D
(Although it might not even be that funny in a proper sense, probably I just had fun while writing because I'm weird, I don't know)
Chapter 4 - Water Incidents
Since Donna had asked - or to be more exact begged - all of her roommates to finally come to the bar the next weekend, they all agreed to visit her during her shift on Sunday. Though she wouldn't be able to really spend time with them or drink with them, she was still content by the fact that she eventually was able to persuade them to come to her working place. She knew it wasn't that special, but she was sort of proud of "her" little bar, and was even a bit excited to ultimately be able to share that with her roommates. Her friends.
She already left a bit earlier to be on time for her shift, and the other three assured her to be there a bit later. When they finally arrived, they shortly greeted Donna but she was occupied with another customer so the group browsed the bar for a free table until they found one and headed towards it to sit down.
They ordered the first round of drinks and began a conversation about university. Since they were all law students, Mike and Harvey even in the same year, they had some anecdotes to share. Most of them about the professors and lecturers, but also about some of the students they all knew. It surprised them but they had actually never chatted about it, though they lived together and also basically met every day on the campus they had somehow never talked about any of this. Probably because they didn't want to spend all of their - to be honest quite little - free time with discussing the omnipresent student life.
After an hour or so the conversation about university slowly ran dry, and they fell in a comfortable silence for some moments, taking sips from their respective drinks. Mike shortly headed to the bar to order a new round, coming back with three filled glasses only shortly after he had left.
Meanwhile, Harvey let his look roam the room again, not consciously looking for anything - or anyone - in particular, but when his gaze stumbled upon her red hair he immediately interrupted his browsing and let his eyes linger on her for a moment. His face automatically softened and his eyes lightened up a bit, paired with a not unpleasant warm feeling in his stomach.
Rachel had studied Harvey for a few seconds, the change in his countenance didn't slip by her and she didn't even have to turn around to know where - who - he was looking at. She had already seen that look on his face a few times at home, though she was quite sure he didn't know that because he actually tried to hide it and was quite successful sometimes. But sometimes his subconsciousness was stronger than his control of his face. She then started to talk again, "So..."
The single syllable didn't reveal much, so Harvey had to inquire. "So what?"
"You and Donna..." Rachel drawled her sentence deliberately because she knew that Harvey didn't really like that topic in particular. But she wanted to take the opportunity to tease him and make him feel a bit uneasy, despite knowing that her statement alone would probably be reason enough for him to feel uncomfortable.
"What about us?" He frowned because he wasn't exactly sure where Rachel was going with her question though he had a hunch what she wanted to imply. But he still hoped that wasn't the direction she wanted to go.
The brunette only raised her eyebrow at his question, and now that Harvey was confirmed in his previous assumption he snorted and shook his head. He looked over at Mike to seek approval for his own side, but the other man also had the same expression on his face as his girlfriend so he wouldn't be much help in that case.
"No!" His voice sounded firm but he felt a sting in his stomach due to the realization that this was very likely always going to be the answer to that question, whether he liked or not.
"Why not?"
"Because!" he blurted out, not sure how he was supposed to convince two people who obviously already had an opinion about that subject. "It wouldn't be a good idea, it would be a mistake. We're friends. We live together. That would kinda screw everything up." He didn't tell them about her rule, he wasn't sure if they knew about it - well, he was pretty sure Rachel knew because she was Donna's best friend, but Mike quite likely didn't know - and he didn't want to tell them about it. It would feel like he betrayed her trust by telling someone about what to him felt like some kind of secret. Something not everybody was supposed to know about since it wasn't something one would discuss with any random stranger.
"Besides," now Harvey turned his attention to Mike, "may I remind you that it was you who told me not to try anything in that direction?" He crooked one of his brows to underline his question that was actually more a statement than an inquiry.
Shortly interrupted by Rachel, who excused herself to the bathroom but in fact wanted the two guys to have a moment for themselves to have a "men talk", the two men sitting face-to-face remained quiet for a moment before Mike began to speak again.
"I'm not telling you to act like the womanizer you usually are, I'm talking about the fact that only a blind doesn't see the looks you two throw at each other when the other one's not looking. Jeez, even when the other one is looking!" He paused shortly to study Harvey's face but he didn't show any kind of reaction, trying to keep his composure, so Mike continued. "I'm not trying to convince you of anything, I'm just telling you that things like that can actually work - I mean look at Rachel and me. You know, not everything you ever tried was a complete disaster, so if you think that you can make that work I think you should rather do something than have to live forever with the thought of 'What if'."
"Thanks Mike, that was a great speech, but if I want your advice on my personal life I'll ask for it." Harvey knew that his dry answer wasn't a hundred percent fair towards his friend. He knew that he was just trying to help but since Mike didn't know all the facts, his little speech actually made his heart ache a little more. And besides, he tried to convince himself that this wasn't what he wanted, he hadn't known Donna for that long. He knew that he felt comfortable around her, their interaction felt so natural and familiar, and also they have become quite good and close friends. But besides that he wasn't really sure about anything.
And given the fact that his history of relationships hadn't been very successful because he was pretty much a washout when it came to emotions, it was reckless to believe he could actually tell right now what he wanted or didn't want. It was actually too much for him to think about right now because he assumed it wasn't the norm to have so many thoughts about that when you don't know a person that long. It was sort of overwhelming for him, especially since he knew that something in this direction would never be a possibility at all, so why spend much more time thinking about it?
He just knew that speaking with his friend about that wasn't what he wanted to do right now, so they changed the subject again.
When Rachel came back to the table, the two friends where already talking about their favorite movies and throwing quotes at each other's heads like their life depended on it. Nothing about the image in front of her reminded of what they were actually talking about a few minutes earlier.
—
After a few more drinks, Mike and Rachel announced that they would call it a night and head off home.
"Are you coming with us?" Mike asked. Harvey lifted his eyes from his empty glass and looked at the couple. After considering for a few seconds he shook his head and replied, "No, I think I'm gonna stay a bit longer. I'll accompany Donna home after her shift, I mean I can't let her walk all the way back to the apartment alone." He tried to sound as neutral as possible and not give the two a reason to tease him about Donna again. With that thought he let his look wander through the room one more time, only to fixate the one thing - or better one person - he was subconsciously searching for.
Mike and Rachel exchanged another knowing and amused look - without Harvey noticing it because he was too lost in thoughts - before they waved their final goodbye. When he passed by Harvey, Mike patted on his shoulder and gave him another wink and broad grin.
Harvey just snorted and rolled his eyes in annoyance, fully aware of what the other one was implying. At this point, if looks could kill, the bar would have been a crime scene by now and Michael James Ross would have played the part of the dead body.
—
After remaining some minutes sitting alone at the table in the corner of the room he overcame his inhibitions, stood up and headed to the bar. The bar a certain person was standing behind.
He swallowed and casted off that unfamiliar feeling that kept creeping up in his stomach whenever she was around. He ignored that his heart was thumping like mad and he eventually ended up leaning against the bar, greeting her with his Cheshire cat grin, "Hey."
At first she pretended to not notice him and kept herself busy with putting empty glasses into the dishwasher. But then she couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from curling up. "Hey stranger," she turned around to face him with a lopsided sneer. "Do you want something?"
"Just wanted to tell you some great news." He couldn't help but grin at the thought that she would probably think a bit different about what he had just referred to as "great news".
She indeed creased her forehead and gave him a quizzical look. "And what news would that be?"
"You have great company for your way home tonight," he beamed at her.
She narrowed her gaze on him to process what he had just said, then she raised her eyebrow and tried to stifle a laugh. "You?"
He only nodded, and then she shrugged and said, "Well, I guess it could've been worse." When she saw how he pursed his lips, she winked at him though she knew very well that he had only feigned his pout.
"But you do know that I still have to work a few hours until my shift's over, right? So if you want to go home I'd understand, you don't have to -"
"I know, but if you let me and don't compel me to go home straight away I don't mind keeping your company." He gave her a coy smile, a slight apology written on his face for interrupting her. He tried to cover the fact that his heart was still pounding like mad, he hated to acknowledge it but he was in fact afraid that she would insist on him leaving.
But the throbbing in his chest immediately calmed down when he saw her face soften and her lips curl up a bit again. Then she dropped her gaze for a moment and drew her bottom lip with her teeth. Her actions made his heart skip a beat without her knowledge and he was glad that currently she wasn't looking at him so she wouldn't notice it.
When she looked back up in his face he had already recomposed himself again. "Okay, thanks," she smiled at him, her eyes getting lost in his for some seconds. She wasn't sure if it was just the dim light or her imagination that made them so dark or if his pupils were extremely dilated due to another reason. But in that very moment she decided to not think about that question but focus back on the conversation. "I'd appreciate that."
Harvey only mirrored her facial expression, not trusting his own brain to form a proper sentence right now. 'Alcohol doesn't make it easier to stop looking at her,' he thought to himself, not able to avert his gaze from her eyes.
"But now I really have to get back to work, so unless you want to order something I guess I'll see you at the end of my shift at the latest." Her voice suddenly interrupted him in his thoughts and he tried to remember what she had just said. When he saw her quizzical look, he quickly nodded and gave her a small smile before she walked away to another guest, leaving Harvey on his own for the moment.
It didn't slip by her that he seemed a bit different than usual, a bit tensed and almost insecure, but she wasn't sure if she only imagined that. It was probably only because she had never seen him drunk or even half-drunk before anyway. Since she had already learnt that he wasn't always as simple and easy to "read" as most of the other people she had met in her life, and she didn't want to spend the rest of her working time wondering about a little detail of Harvey's demeanor, she decided to distract herself from those thoughts and riveted back on her work.
—
When her shift was finally over, he patiently waited for her outside, hands buried in the pockets of his pants. He knew she had to finish a few more things and then grab her stuff before she could leave eventually, and the bar had already closed so he had to wait out the front.
It was already getting a bit could at night at this time of the year, so he rubbed his hands to warm them a little. In that moment he felt a drop on the back of his hand, he froze his movements and slowly looked up to the dark sky.
Now feeling even more raindrops falling down on him he exhaled and cursed under his breath. Of course he hadn't thought of bringing an umbrella with him, nothing of todays weather provided an indication for an upcoming pluvial. "Shit," he murmured once again just when the door behind him opened and Donna stepped out.
"What is it?" she furrowed and slowly took another step towards him. He sighed and turned his head towards her. "You don't happen to have an umbrella hidden in your bag, do you?" he asked with a self-conscious laugh and ran his fingers through his hair.
She slowly shook her head and twisted her mouth before she asked, "Are you seriously telling me it's raining?"
With an excusatory expression he started the attempt of an apology. "I wish I had better news but unfortunately -"
"Nah, stop it!" she chuckled, "It's not like it's your fault. And it's not that big of a problem, I mean, I think we'll survive it, it's just water."
"Yeah, right," he grinned back at her, "I just wasn't sure how you feel about walking in the rain."
"I guess it doesn't matter right now how I feel about it, so shut up and go ahead, I want to get home today." She tilted her head with a lopsided smile and with a nod of her head she prompted him to lead the way.
—
When they finally arrived at their building, they were both soaking wet - their thin jackets also hadn't helped in keeping them dry.
While they waited for the elevator to appear, they laughed with and at each other because they both looked a bit ridiculous. His formerly diligently styled hair had become disheveled, now a few of his dark blonde streaks were hanging on his forehead.
And her previously wavy hair was now drenched and straight, a few hanks spread across her cheeks and forehead.
When he allowed himself to take a closer look at her, he swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. The next thing he did was reaching out to put some of the loose strands behind her ear, and he knew that it was rash and probably not the best decision he had ever made but he just couldn't stop himself from doing it in that very moment.
She just kept staring at him when his hand came closer to her and didn't move. He almost didn't touch her, his fingers only felt like a breath of air, but while he slowly pulled his hand back he increased his touch a little. This mite was enough to make her shiver. He felt her trembling, but both were not exactly sure if the quiver was because she was cold and her clothes were soaked or if there was another reason. Caressing her cheek once again with a brief movement of his thumb, he eventually drew back completely and took a small step backwards.
Taking a deep breath, he turned back towards the still closed elevator doors and fixated the display at the left, waiting for the lift to already arrive. Exhaling deeply trough his nostrils he tried to ignore the almost palpable tension in the air between them. It was as if it was loaded with electricity and all of a sudden he couldn't wait for the elevator to appear. The alcohol still in his system also wasn't a great help for keeping him calm.
She also stood still right next to him, with eyes still half-hooded, and reminisced the last few seconds. She could still feel his fingertips softly running down her cheek, and she shivered once again.
He was watching her out of the corner of his eyes and noticed her quivering, suddenly worrying that she was more cold than she would ever admit.
"You should get rid of that jacket, you're freezing," he mumbled with a husky voice, the hint of worry in his voice clearly audible. But he didn't turn to her, he stayed facing the elevator doors. He didn't trust himself right now, he would probably reach out and pull her into an embrace to keep her warm, and he was pretty sure that she would have something against that. Not only because she usually refused to let anyone help her but also especially because of him. Though they'd quite likely not feel uneasy or odd to be that close, it would still feel peculiar because that was sort of a proximity they both knew was actually more part of something that her rule made impossible.
At first she didn't move, and he wasn't sure if she just didn't hear him or ignored him, but then she slowly began to take off her jacket. He watched her trembling fingers pull at the sleeves of her jacket, and he suppressed the growing urge in him to help her. He wanted to do so really badly, but he knew that she wouldn't let him. Especially in their current situation, after touching more than they ever did in the weeks they had known each other. And after he already let an impulsive decision guide his actions, he didn't want to make the same mistake in one night again. He was afraid that he somehow had already crossed an invisible line between them, their silent agreement to not touch each other. Because that's not what normal friends would do, right?
While he was lost in his thoughts she finally managed to get her jacket off. She only saw him out of the corners of her eye but she sensed that he was somehow tensed.
The low 'ping' that sounded from the metal doors when the elevator finally arrived drew their attention back to the lift. He gestured her to go in first but didn't lift his eyes to look at her. Only when they were in the cabin he risked a glimpse at her and he immediately had to swallow hard. 'Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to propose that she takes off her jacket,' he thought to himself. He closed his eyes and tried to not focus on the fact that she was wearing a white T-shirt. That was currently wet and quite transparent.
He didn't want to because it felt like he was betraying her and their agreement but he couldn't stop the image appearing in front of his eyes over and over again. He did his best to avoid her look and tried to distract himself with anything else inside the elevator, but the almost empty metal box didn't offer much to focus on.
He wished he could talk himself into believing anything else but she was definitely different from everyone he had ever met before. She made him feel... odd, something he hadn't experienced before. He didn't even dare to name any feelings, and it wasn't like he wanted to fight this but he was afraid that if he didn't, her rule would hit him harder than it already did. And she didn't seem like the kind of person who would change rules offhandedly, so he was also afraid that he would not just lose his new home, but also her as a friend. And though they didn't know each other for that long, they had already grown quite close and he'd already do anything for her, even if that meant that it would hurt him.
In the meantime Donna wasn't doing much better, she had just noticed that his jacket was half open and showed the shirt he was wearing beneath. She was trying to avert her look before it was to late, but she froze. She realized that his light grey shirt was quite tight-fitting and right now it was drenched, too. That made it easy for her to perceive the contours of his abs through the thin fabric. Though it's not like she hasn't seen something like that before, this time everything was a little different.
She had the persistent need to clear her throat, and her body felt like it changed from hot to cold every few seconds. She could feel her cheeks blush a little and also the by then - since she met him - almost familiar flutter in the pit of her stomach returned again. So she finally dropped her gaze and stared at her feet, hoping he wouldn't notice anything of what was going on inside her.
She didn't really want to admit it, not even to herself, but it was doubtlessly him that made her feel so different. Even though the alcohol in her veins didn't exactly help in avoiding all these thought she knew it wasn't just because she drank too much. Because she knew for a fact that that wasn't the case, at least not today.
Not wanting to deal with all of her thoughts right now, she just hoped that they'd reach their floor eventually.
When they arrived at their level, they avoided each other's gazes while he unlocked the door, then they both went inside. Both remaining silent while taking off their shoes, trying to not wake anyone. After they hung up their jackets they went to their rooms, and before Harvey opened his own door he turned his head a little to peek at her. He wasn't sure if he should say something or not, but then he decided to do so. "Night," he mumbled almost inaudible before grabbing the doorknob and walking into his room, silently closing the door behind him.
When she heard his low voice, she froze her movements. After she heard his door shut, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and leaned against her own door with her eyes closed. Although she knew no one would listen right know, she heard herself whisper an almost soundless "Good night".
Then she managed to open her own door and more stumbled than actually walked inside. Her knees were still weak from everything that had happened in the past few minutes, and she was glad that she could finally fall into her bed after she had changed her wet clothes to more comfortable sweatpants and a dry shirt. She wrapped herself in her sheets, turned onto her right side and stared at the wall though she didn't see much in the almost complete darkness of her room.
She let her thoughts wander to the person that was currently located in the room vis-à-vis from her own. It was indisputable that he had become a close friend to her, not only another roommate, and some people have already told her that the conversations between him and her are very... unique and could be easily mistaken for the interaction of a couple.
And it was also beyond debate that he wasn't bad-looking - well, admittedly he was fairly hot - but she also knew his reputation, his history with womankind. That was exactly one of the reasons she had that rule, to protect herself from people like him. But with him that had been not very effective, it had sort of fired back. He seemed different.
She sighed heavily and turned on her back, staring at the ceiling now. She didn't want to occupy herself with all those thoughts right now. She hoped that everything would magically turn out to be fine, that her problems would disappear. She hoped that everything with Harvey would be easy, that she could be sure about him. But she was aware that all of these things weren't going to happen out of nowhere.
So right now she just wanted to ban all of her thoughts and fall asleep. She spent some more time turning over and over again in her bed with her thoughts spinning around nearly endlessly, but eventually she was able to drift off to sleep.
—
Meanwhile in the other room, Harvey found himself in a similar situation, not knowing that the person that occupied his thoughts also couldn't find any peace of mind. He lay in his bed, arms crossed under his head and staring at the blank ceiling.
His thoughts were circling at high speed, and it was hard for him to really focus on anything in particular but it didn't really matter anyway because he knew that all of them were about Donna. He didn't know what to do, he wasn't sure if this was only physical attraction or if there was something more behind it. Deep inside he assumed the latter but then again he thought that it didn't really matter, he'd actually never find out because she had that rule that ruled everything in this direction out. For a second he was really relieved that she had her rule, knowing very well that if she hadn't, they probably would've crossed the line by now, and the situation afterwards would surely be more than awkward.
His brain told him that everything about their current situation was okay, that it was the best the way it was right now. But then why did all those thoughts about if there was actually something else keep coming back again and again?
He closed his eyes and let out a heavy breath before he turned on his right side again, trying to get some sleep after all. He knew that he wouldn't solve his problems and thoughts in this night, especially not with the alcohol in his blood slowing his mind down a bit. He would think about it some day in the future, when he was sober.
Eventually. Probably. Maybe. Or not, depending on how eager he'd be to deal with emotional things that happened in his life. And if he remained true to the previous statistics of "Harvey Reginald Specter dealing with emotions", he most likely was going to stash them somewhere in the rearmost area of his mind and try to forget about it.
—
Next day in the morning, Donna and Harvey tried to act like they did all the days before, like nothing had changed. They had both somehow managed to put all of their thoughts about each other away, almost locked them up deep down in their mind, trying to forget about them or at least not focus on them. Both had decided to blame the alcohol for the night before, and without actually talking about it they compounded another unspoken agreement to not mention it again.
Mike and Rachel also didn't notice the slight change in the interaction between their two roommates, but given the current state of their relationship they are too busy craving about each other to even really notice anything that happened around them.
Later that day, when he came home, Harvey unlocked the door and stepped inside the apartment. He listened if anyone was already in, but like he had expected he was lucky enough to be the only one home at the moment. Relieved and with a deep sigh he went to his room and placed his backpack on the floor, next to his desk. He wasn't really in the mood to face anyone right now, or talk to one of his roommates, he just wanted to be alone for a moment.
Not in the mood to study right away either, he decided to take a shower before all the others came back, and went to the bathroom. After discarding his clothes he got into the shower and let the water trickle down his body. A few minutes later he stepped out and toweled himself while looking at his reflection in the mirror. Though he didn't wash his hair, it was a bit humid and sort of stood off in all directions. He tried to fix some of the stubborn strands but they were impossible to control. Finally, he just shrugged and gave up his struggle.
When he wanted to put on some clothes, just then he realized that he had forgotten to bring some new ones to the bathroom but left them in his own room. Knowing that no one actually was in the apartment besides him right now and wasn't supposed to be here soon, he nevertheless put the towel around his waist, partly by habit and partly for the case anyone of the others came back home earlier than assumed.
The way from the bathroom to his own room wasn't that long, he only had to cross the hall and also a bit of the living room. While he was going these few steps, he suddenly heard a key turn around in the lock and he slowed down his pace in surprise. He really hadn't expected any of his co-tenants to return earlier, and now he was curious who it was.
When the door finally opened and revealed the person who pushed it open, he at once remembered his current state of clothing and felt a blush slowly appearing on his cheeks. Hoping that this would be the only part of his body where his blood would rush.
"I -, uh -" was all he managed to say when Donna finally lifted her look from the floor and was surprised by the sight of him. Only cladded with a towel.
She forced herself to look into his deep-brown eyes and not let her eyes roam all over his body. Clearing her suddenly dry throat, she eventually was able to let a quiet "Hey" slip from her lips. Not sure where to go because he was standing in the middle of the living room and was kind of blocking the way for her to go anywhere, she decided to remain at the place she was standing after she had closed the door.
He nervously slid his fingers through his still damp hair and opened his mouth for an answer, but no sound came out. Only after a few seconds he managed to reply, "Hey, um, I'm sorry, I thought you guys'd be still out, I didn't mean to -"
"Oh, it's ok," she assured and tried to keep her eyes glued to his face and not let them slip anywhere else, "it's not like it's your fault I'm back earlier. Normally I wouldn't have been at home by now but my last lecture today was canceled, so here I am."
She heard herself spill out all those words, but she didn't actually understand what she was telling him and even less knew why she was telling him. It was sort of an attempt of distracting herself from everything about him but she wasn't sure it was really helping. Her mind always went back to his body. His arms. His bare torso. And even though she wanted to prevent herself from doing so she thought about the fact that he was wearing nothing but a freaking towel.
Also she suddenly felt the urge to rake her fingers through his hair and try to tame some of his strands that stood in every direction, though she assumed that the reason they were so messy was because they were uncontrollable. And she was finally able to fully see what she could only make out through the fabric of his shirt yesterday. She had to admit, abs definitely looked better without a cover, and also his physical appearance in general wasn't ungainly. She suddenly felt a warmth in her stomach that impended to creep up on her cheeks.
'Not what I should be wondering about right now', she inwardly scolded herself, trying to regain composure.
The tension was clearly perceptible in the room right now, and they both swallowed contemporarily while simply gazing at each other. They both had the occurrences that had happened the day before in mind right now and neither of them knew what to do or say in that very moment without making it more awkward than it already was. Everything would have felt a bit weird, and though the silence didn't make it any less uncomfortable, they still stuck with that, it seeming the best option to not make a move and probably make everything worse.
But then the quiet and the setting in general became unbearable for Donna and she knew she had to do something or else she didn't know what would happen. "I'll go to my room, I still have a ton of work to do."
She didn't care that this sounded more like an excuse than an actual believable reason, but she had to get out of there. It was too much right know to be alone in the same room with him, she needed some space. She gave him a last - almost apologetic - smile before she scurried past him, straight to her room without looking back once. While passing by him she tried to not brush his arm, knowing that a touch would probably be too much right now, but she was still able to feel the heat radiating from his body.
Only when she closed her door behind her, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She leaned against the door and slid down to ultimately sit on the floor. She closed her eyes and asked herself if the day could even get any more awkward.
Then she remembered that she still hadn't told him about the party they were going to have at their place. She had only told Mike yet, and she was pretty sure he had already told Rachel but not him.
'Damn,' she thought to herself. She didn't want to go outside right know but she knew she had to confront him again soon. She sighed and put that thought aside for a moment, not wanting to think about that right know. She distracted herself with work she actually had to do - she wasn't lying to him about that - and decided to talk to him a bit later, when Mike and Rachel were back so she wouldn't have to face him alone but would have other people in the room to focus on.
—
Later that day, she heard a key turning in the lock and a feeling of relief flooded through her body. She had basically been hiding in her room ever since she had entered it after the... extraordinary encounter with Harvey. She knew that she couldn't stay in here forever, and now that her fellow roommates - or at least one of them, but they normally appeared as a pair since they were officially together - had arrived she trusted herself to go outside again. Even with the prospect of facing him again, but with Rachel or Mike next to her it wouldn't feel as awkward as it had felt before. Hopefully.
She took a deep breath before she opened her door and walked over to the kitchen, firstly grabbing herself a glass of water since she had been thirsty for the last couple of hours but hadn't dared to leave the safety of her room.
While she filled the glass, she watched Mike and Harvey out of the corners of her eyes, them chatting about something they needed to prepare for their class tomorrow. She waited for the right moment to join the conversation.
"Hey, Harvey, um, I'm not sure if anyone has told you yet but we're gonna have a little party at our place this week. Nothing major, just some colleagues and friends, we always have something like that every year shortly after the summer break." A small smile scurried over her face when she told him, she tried to act normal and casual towards him because she didn't want Mike to read anything into it. She hoped that her acting skills were good enough to pull that off but she wasn't sure that she was able to convince a hundred percent. But apparently it was enough to not make him question anything - or he was kind enough to not mention it in that moment.
"Okay, sounds fun." Harvey nodded and pressed his lips to a thin line, still a bit unsure about how he should act around her right now, since she seemed a bit different - distracted and tensed if he had to name it - since their rain-walk yesterday and the towel-encounter a few hours earlier.
But he had to concede that he also hadn't been left completely unaffected by their latest interactions.
He just hoped that they would soon forget - or at least not think about - those incidents because he had realized he missed it. He missed her.
He couldn't exactly explain what it was that he missed. Their banter. Their more or less serious conversations. Their laughs. Them just being... them.
And he just anticipated that they get back to their old routine before that party, he didn't want to be there and feel odd in her presence, especially with all the other ones around he probably didn't know yet. And feeling relaxed and comfortable around her again would make everything else - for example conversations in their apartment like the one they just had - much easier.
With these thoughts he saw her nod shortly before she returned to her room, not knowing that she had quite similar thoughts spinning around in her mind. Also hoping that this admittedly quite strange behavior of both of them would soon be over, because she wanted to go back to being on normal terms with him, being friends with him, not that awkward and uncomfortable state they were currently in.
Oh boy, Donna and Harvey not able to talk about anything that happened between them, I'm so glad that this is something that would never happen on the show... (Sorry, sometimes I'm a little bitter, I love them no matter what but they don't always make it easy.)
But enough said, I have to tell you that I have good news and bad news: The good news is that I'm currently writing on the remaining parts of the next chapter, and I hope I'll be able to finish, proof-read and upload it soon :)
The bad news is that my exam period is coming up soon and it's going to be quite stressful, so unfortunately I won't have much time to write :/
I hope the wait won't be too long, I don't want to promise a specific date because I don't know if I would be able to keep it, but I promise to go back to writing as soon as I can!
Chapter 5 is going to contain the night of the party and the morning after